Archive for 2009

Hi friends,

I was surprised to realize that we're already 10 days into December – how did that happen? Surely there's something about the holiday hustle-bustle that makes time move faster. And festivities are going to dial up a notch tomorrow with the beginning of Hanukkah! Here are a few crafts I've rounded up to help you celebrate the festival of lights.

• I think a garland of dreidel origami would be a cute way to decorate the house.
• Why not make a gelt bag to store your dreidel winnings – whether your coins are chocolate or otherwise.
• Fancy-up your Hanukkah gifts with this digital gift-wrap set.

And I'm not sure any holiday is complete without a fabulous meal. Try this menu from the CL Test Kitchen – or if you'd like to keep it simple, maybe some latkes or homemade doughnuts?

Have a good day!

Hi friends,

I'm afraid I've abandoned my Christmas knitting.

It's true. I've been a fan of the blog Twelve22 for some time and so I was super excited when I saw that Anna had decided to share PDF downloads of her hand-drawn wintertime paper village. It wasn't long before I'd put down my needles and yarn in favour of markers and glitter!

You can download the first house for free, and if you like it, she's got three more (plus a handful of trees!) available here for $5US (comes out to about $5.50 with the exchange rate). It's a small price to pay for hours of enjoyment – and it would be a great way to entertain your kids on a snow day or during the Christmas holidays.

Have fun!

Hi friends,

As promised, here's the pattern for the silk bamboo scarf from Patons. This pattern was provided by the company; I have seen a finished scarf (they're beautiful) but I have not test knit this pattern. This scarf is classified as an "intermediate" project, and if you have some experience, I am confident that you'll be fine. However, please note: If you encounter problems with the pattern you should contact the yarn company directly. It's super busy in the office right now, so unfortunately I will not be able to answer questions about this pattern via blog comments or email.

SILK BAMBOO SCARF

MEASUREMENT
Approx 9.5 ins x 65 ins [24 cm x 165 cm]

TENSION
19 sts and 25 rows = 4 ins [10 cm] with larger needles in stocking st.

MATERIALS
Patons® Silk Bamboo (65 g/2.2 oz) 85219 Sea – 5 balls
Cable chart and key follow at bottom of pattern
Sizes 4.5 mm (U.S. 7) and 5 mm (U.S. 8 ) knitting needles or size needed to obtain tension. Cable needle.

STITCH GLOSSARY
Alt = Alternate(ing).
Approx = Approximately.
Beg = Beginning.
C2B = Knit into front of 2nd stitch on left hand needle, then knit 1st stitch, slipping both sts off needle.
C4B = Slip next 2 stitches onto cable needle and leave at back of work. K2, then K2 from cable needle.
C4F = Slip next 2 stitches onto cable needle and leave at front of work. K2, then K2 from cable needle.
C5F = Slip next 3 stitches onto cable needle and leave at front of work. K2, then slip purl stitch back onto left hand needle. P1, then K2 from cable needle.
Cont = Continue(ity).
Dec = Decrease(ing).
K = Knit.
M1P = Make one stitch by picking up horizontal loop lying before next stitch and purling into back of loop.
P = Purl.
Pat = Pattern.
RS = Right side.
St(s) = Stitch(es).
T3B = Slip next stitch onto cable needle and leave at back of work. K2, then P1 from cable needle.
T3F = Slip next 2 stitches onto cable needle and leave at front of work. P1, then K2 from cable needle.
T4B = Slip next 2 stitches onto cable needle and leave at back of work. K2, then P2 from cable needle.
T4F = Slip next 2 stitches onto cable needle and leave at front of work. P2, then K2 from cable needle.
Work 5tog = Slip next 3 stitches purlwise. *Pass 2nd stitch on right hand needle over first stitch and slip first stitch back to left hand needle. Pass 2nd stitch on left hand needle over first stitch.* Slip stitch back to right hand needle and repeat from * to * once. P1.
WS = Wrong side.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Panel Pat (worked over 25 sts-see chart).
1st row: (RS). P3. K2. P2. K2. P7. K2. P2. K2. P3.
2nd and alt rows: Knit the knit sts and purl the purl sts as they appear.
3rd row: As 1st row.
5th row: P3. K2. P2. K2. P3. M1P. (K1. P1. K1) in next st. M1P. P3. K2. P2. K2. P3. 29 sts.
7th row: P3. K2. P2. T3F. T4B. P1. T4F. T3B. P2. K2. P3.
9th row: P3. K2. P3. C4B. P5. C4B. P3. K2. P3.
11th row: P3. T3F. T4B. T4F. P1. T4B. T4F. T3B. P3.
13th row: P4. C4F. P4. C5F. P4. C4F. P4.
15th row: P2. T4B. T4F. T4B. P1. T4F. T4B. T4F. P2.
17th row: P2. K2. P4. C4B. P5. C4B. P4. K2. P2.
19th row: P2. T4F. T4B. T4F. P1. T4B. T4F. T4B. P2.
21st row: As 13th row.
23rd row: P3. T3B. T4F. T4B. P1. T4F. T4B. T3F. P3.
25th row: As 9th row.
27th row: P3. K2. P2. T3B. T4F. P1. T4B. T3F. P2. K2. P3.
28th row: K3. (P2. K2) twice. K1. Work 5tog. K1. (K2. P2) twice. K3. 25 sts.
29th to 32nd rows: As 1st and 2nd rows twice.
These 32 rows form Panel Pat.

With smaller needles, cast 41 sts.
Knit 9 rows (garter st), noting first row is WS and inc 6 sts evenly across last row. 47 sts.

Change to larger needles and proceed as follows:
1st row: (RS). K3. (C2B. P2) twice. Work 1st row of Panel Pat. (P2. C2B) twice. K3.
2nd row: K3. (P2. K2) twice. Work 2nd row of Panel Pat. (K2. P2) twice. K3.
These 2 rows form side pat. Panel Pat is now in position.

Cont in pat, keeping cont of panel pat, until work from beg measures approx 64 ins [162.5 cm], ending with 30th row of Panel Pat and dec 6 sts evenly across last row. 41 sts.

Change to smaller needles and knit 9 rows (garter st). Cast off knitwise (WS).

CHART:

Hello there!

Here I am with Giveaway #32. I have a feeling this is going to be a popular one, because once again, the kind folks at Patons have come up trumps. This week I've got a fabulous basket of wool along with a selection of knitting patterns to give away to one lucky commenter.

Inside this basket you'll find a selection of yarn, including Patons Angora Bamboo (5 balls), Silk Bamboo (3 balls) and Classic Wool / Classic Wool Merino (5 balls) – that's more than 1.5 kilometres of yarn!

In addition, the winner will receive three pattern books from Patons: Chill Out, Luxury Knits and Big Chill. As you might have guessed, these books are chock-full of patterns that would be ideal for winter wear (and, depending on how fast you are, they might make good Christmas presents, too!).

For your chance to win, leave a comment telling me your favourite way to keep warm. Comments will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, December 13; I'll post a winner here on Monday, December 14. And in the meantime, we'll all win when I share a pattern from Patons for cable-knit silk bamboo scarf, which I will share in this space later this week.

Hi friends,

I hope you all had a great weekend. We finally had our first honest-to-goodness cold snap here in Toronto and the snow flurries have been flying all day.

But you're not here for a weather report! Here are this week's lucky prize winners.

First, the lucky winner of Anna Getty's book I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas is:

Commenter #97! Congratulations to...

Laelar! (Whose tree decorating tradition sounds like lots of fun!) Check your email shortly for details.

Secondly, the lucky winner of our brand-new cookbook, The Canadian Living Slow Cooker Collection, is commenter #2,000...

...Amy! Hopefully you'll be smelling all sorts of delicious smells once you fire up your slow cooker, Amy. I'll be sending you an email shortly as well.

Once again I really enjoyed reading all about your holiday traditions, thank you so much for sharing them with me! I've got another great gift basket from Patons to give away today, so stay tuned...

Hi there,

Well, after all that talk about crafty Christmas trees, I ended up with something else entirely:

It's silver! Now I'm in the market for some easy, affordable Christmas decorations – I'm thinking that red decorations would look great with the white lights and the silver branches. Here are a couple I might be trying my hand at this weekend:

• Cute patterned garland (I like the one with the rick-rack!) from WhipUp.
• DIY salt-dough ornaments and macaroni ornaments from Stephanie via Katy Elliott

I'm also thinking about a simple garland of red and white felt balls, though it occurs to me that if I'm not careful, I'm going to run out of space on that tiny tree. What do you think – any suggestions?

Hi friends,

I'm sure you remember Granted Clothing from this post and this post. Well, I recently received a very special pair of mittens in the mail from Ai.

These mitts are meant to pay tribute to the western conference NHL teams, and although I don't follow hockey until the playoffs, I fell in love with those blue-white-and-orange mitts – and they're even better in person. Soft, thick, and ultra warm – just the thing for a night at the outdoor rink or to wear while you're waiting for the early morning bus. I wore mine today to celebrate a very special day.

Thanks, Ai, for  your generosity! (And a very happy StFX Day to any Xaverians out there!)

See you tomorrow.

Hi friends,

Have you seen the Topiary Tea Towel Calendar over at Just Something I Made?

Image from Cathe Holden/Just Something I Made

I think it's great – and the perfect solution if you find yourself needing a last-minute (but  still homemade) gift. It would be especially great if wrapped around a portion of our famous Dark Christmas Cake - yum! I've got some red-and-white striped tea toweling at home that would be perfect for this project...is it so wrong to give gifts to my own kitchen?

Got to run. Have a great day!

Hi friends,

I'm all for a real, honest-to-goodness, dragged-in-from-the-woods Christmas tree, but the truth is, I just don't have room for it in my apartment (or my budget!). So lately I've been checking out alternative Christmas trees, looking for something I could buy or, with a little elbow grease, make myself. Here are some of the ideas I've gathered:

• I love this "Modern Tannenbaum" from Silver Cocoon
• This Charlie Brown-esque tree sculpture could be used all year round, not just at Christmas (from Bunny with a Toolbelt)
• How sweet is this print (featuring a tree, of course) from Naokosstoop?
• This vintage papercut tree has me thinking about X-acto knives and green-covered foam core.
• Here's a tree and Advent calendar all in one!

Have you got any suggestions?

Hi again,

With December just a calendar page away, I'm sure lots of you are kicking your holiday preparations into high gear. At the same time, you might be wondering if there's a way you could make this holiday a little more green (even as you're wishing for a little snow to fall). If you'd like to give this year's celebrations a bit of an eco-twist (or if you're just looking for ways to change up your decorations), this week's giveaway prize might be just what you're looking for!

Anna Getty's book I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas contains all sorts of ideas for ways that you can make your celebrations a little more eco-friendly. From tree decorations to greeting cards, from gift ideas to gift wrap, from tree toppers to table toppers (yes, there are recipes, too), this book is full of great ways you can make this Christmas a green Christmas. As well as craft instructions and recipes, you'll also find "celebrity green tips" and information about Christmas traditions from around the world.

(Looking for a sneak peak? Try a project from the book that we've excerpted on the Canadian Living website: Cork Place-Card Holders with Seeded Paper.)

For your chance to win, leave ONE comment on this post by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, December 6. This week, I'm interested to know: what is your favourite part of decorating for the holidays? (I'm looking forward to getting some inspiration from you as I gear up to wrestle with my Christmas lights!) I'll post a winner here on Monday, December 7.

...Whoops! I almost forgot the bonus giveaway!

I had a peek at my stats today, and we're within striking distance of 2,000 comments! If you leave the 2,000th comment here at Make+Do (I'll count any comment made on any post this week), you'll win a copy our brand-new cookbook, The Canadian Living Slow Cooker Collection. One word: yum.

(Please be fair to each other and don't leave multiple comments on each post. Thanks!)

Alright, it's back to work for me. Have a happy Monday.