Everyone, I hope you have a GREAT Christmas! (or Hanukkah, as the case may be.) (or whatever other holiday you may or may not choose to celebrate at this time of the year.) (ha)

Trying to finish Genevieve’s stocking by Christmas. Ha.

This was last week, after 2.5 weeks of work. In the past week, I’ve completed all of the stitching except about 3 square inches. Plus the backstitching. Plus adding her name. And then sewing it. Not gonna happen by tomorrow.

And my second sock. About 2/3 done. I’ve largely stopped working on this in favor of the stocking above. Seen here in its native habitat, my bed. (Though now that I think of it, I do most of my work on it in the car.)

added to sidebar: me on facebook, me on twitter, blvd designs on facebook.

I’ve been posting more on the CPSIA over at Wallypop. Please write to your representatives in Congress and ask them to make reasonable changes to this legislation to make it easier/more affordable for companies to comply.

 So at first, for many years, I had no desire to knit socks. Then more recently, I’ve become more intrigued by the idea. But I was too chicken to give it a try, because reading instructions for socks seemed so confusing. I found so many websites talking about all this math, and measurements, and whatnot, and it intimidated me. Also, knitting is something I largely do in the car or in quick bits here and there, so I tend to stick to relatively simple patterns.

But then a group of mamas I know decided to start up a knitting/fiber arts group. More on that later. And just before our first meeting, it was suggested that we all try the same project - BroadRipple socks from Knitty. So a very kind friend got me the yarn and needles and I got to work. Originally, we were learning to knit two socks at a time using the magic loop method, but with a newborn and needing to knit in brief moments, I just couldn’t keep track of where I was, so I switched to double points and whipped out my first sock in a matter of about a week and a half. The heel was not as hard as I feared, in fact it was not hard at all.

Now I am working diligently on the second sock. It’s going slower. (I had the benefit of spending massive quantities of time in the rocker holding the sleeping or nursing baby in her first week to get the first sock done. Plus, I have to finish needlepointing Miss G’s Christmas stocking, and that project takes priority!)

 I have been able to sew for about two hours a day recently and am working on getting Wallypop restocked. I’m enjoying the work again, but also afraid it’s all for naught. We shall see.

In the meantime, I’m also going to be hauling some stuff to the Holistic Moms Network Potluck and Craft Show this weekend. That should be fun. I don’t get to go to HMN meetings any more - they are always on the same day I teach class. I used to be able to go to part of a meeting and still make class on time, but the location’s changed and it’s just far enough away from where we teach that I can’t do both. But events like this, held on a weekend, are a fun chance to get together with the HMN moms that I don’t get to see at other events.

So if you were looking for something to buy me, here are some ideas:

Super fun camera strap from SplitYarn.

Mushroom zip top from GoodEgg.

  Superfun new Tshirts from Craftster.

This year, as with most years, I am making most of our Christmas presents. This year, only about 50% of the gifts are homemade - what with the baby and all, I just didn’t have time/energy to go all homemade.

And this year, as with most years, I’m anticipating some inward eyerolling, some polite commenting about the handiwork, and some behind-my-back complaining about the lame presents. Personally, I’d love to receive something like a bag full of handmade, fragrant bath products. Or a full set of seasonal pillowcases. Or some knitted washcloths and handmade soaps. Or a few Tshirts personalized with appliques or stencils.

My friends, for the most part, are quite appreciative. Most of them are either crafty themselves, or at least appreciate handcrafts. Family, on the other hand… not so much. When cleaning out my mom’s house, I found the last four years of Christmas presents from me stashed away in various closets, unopened. (She had even told me how much she loved the bath salts and lip balm. liar.) My husband’s family is just simply accustomed to a more materialistic holiday, and lack an appreciation for the handmade, locally produced, etc. (They laugh at our organic produce, too.)

And yet, every year, I put time, effort, and materials into creating things I think they will enjoy.

Many crafty folk face the same dilemma. Is it, ultimately, worth the effort, time, and expense to create handmade items for people who will not truly appreciate them? Is it better to instead just buy something for those who would rather receive (or who are accustomed to receiving) more material things?

Personally, I will continue to give handmade items, even to those who do not necessarily look kindly upon homemade presents. First, it is much more affordable. Something that costs me $10 in materials and several hours of work will look like “more” of a gift than something I’m able to buy for $10. Second, I feel like it’s my mission to convert family to a simpler version of Christmas. And we’re making progress there. Slow but sure progress. We give handmade not just because I can sew, but because it supports our family’s vision of what Christmas should be like.

Other crafters come to different decisions, and that’s fine. I understand the desire to not spend so much time and effort on making things that will spend their lives stuffed in a closet!!

A while back, I posted about a new project in the crafty community, Mama to Mama. Last week, I made and sent off a handful of caps to send off for the Caps To Cap-Haitien project.

I ended up remembering that I had recently offloaded most of my unused and unwanted clothes, whether to other crafty friends or to Goodwill, so I only had three of my husband’s old undershirts to use for this project. Once I got the six caps made, I started thinking they looked a little…well…like old undershirts. So I dyed them red and blue.

and then one of the caps got lost during the dye rinse-out (found it under the dryer the day after I sent off the package) so I ended up with only five caps. But still, five is better than none, eh?

I want to draw your attention to an interesting problem created by the CPSC - manufacturers of products for children may go out of business due to inability to afford to comply with a new law set to go into effect in February. It’s essentially the government’s response to the consumer outcry over lead found in children’s toys over the last few years. While I certainly support the effort to eliminate lead from children’s toys, these new regulations will really eliminate the smaller manufacturers, leaving consumers with only the large manufacturers and importers.

While I’m still trying to figure out whether I am affected, and to what extent, it does seem clear that those who make toys for children will have to adhere to some pretty stiff testing requirements. The required testing is pretty expensive, and not ultimately worth it for many home-based or even small factory-based businesses.

Fashion Incubator has a blog post that explains this in more detail and the Handmade Toy Alliance has good info, as well. And also National Bankruptcy Day. Those sites all also have links to the actual legislation for your perusal.

And, ps, this is why I think less government involvement in industry is a good thing. And an example of why government-run or provided health care scares the crap out of me. I love the US. But I think that the US government, as a unit, is unable to do anything right.