Hand Made Christmas

I learned how to knit this summer. That was with 2 needles. Then I discovered loom knitting: no needles, just a hoop with pegs and a little hook-like tool. Making hats is incredibly easy with a loom. Socks (or Christmas stockings) are just a bit more involved, but not really hard at all.

Since Mr. H was the only one in the family that didn't have a hand-made stocking, I decided to knit one for him. (You can see part of the the one my grandmother made for me to the right.)

When Em saw the one I made for her dad, she requested a red and white striped one. I used bamboo yarn and distressed ribbon together for hers. I think it turned out quite nicely. I did get a bit carried away with the length, so it's rather long!

The stockings that my grandmother made for our eldest and El are on either side of Em's.

Now, on to non-knit hand-made Christmas stuff. Two years ago our eldest started a tradition of making a gingerbread house for Christmas. Well, that first one wasn't actually gingerbread, but the idea was the same. This year, she has improved her technique dramatically. And it's made of real gingerbread this time, too.

El and I decorated it this afternoon.

The Christmas tree on the back was my idea. We were had used lots of the other candy, but still had lots of Twizzlers left!


Hint: the "Spice Drops" or gum drops around the bottom and roof line are best used for decoration only and not for human consumption. Yuck, they are nasty! M&Ms, however, have a hard time lasting through the construction process.