Three Little Elves, One Big Tree and an Itty Bitty Hat Tutorial

This weekend was one I anticipate for about 11 months of the year - the one during which we pick out our Christmas tree. This tradition is significant to me for many reasons. Yes, driving out to the tree farm and tromping through in search of the 'perfect' tree, taking advantage of the cheesy photo ops, drinking hot apple cider around the fire, visiting the traditional native american teepee that stands on the grounds, these are all fun adventures worthy in their own right of looking forward to. Still, my excitement encompasses more than all this. On this day we clothe our house in it's holiday dress - boughs of fir cloak the mantle and every empty horizontal surface I can find, our menorahs are brought out and dusted off, pine cones strategically placed here and there, the holiday book basket is filled, and of course, the christmas tree in its twinkling, delicious smelling glory stands tall lighting up our house with promise of celebration and family gathering.

We drove out to Krueger's Christmas Tree Farm where we found our tree last year as well. It is a family farm that strives to grow trees sustainably, respecting the land and ancestors who inhabited the land before us. We headed straight for the fraser firs (consistently our favorite) and found this year's tree. Ava (and Eve, of course) helped Dada cut it down. In my, albeit very limited, experience, nothing beats a fresh cut tree. In addition to the experience of hunting for it and cutting it down yourself, it lasts so much longer than a precut tree and drops so many fewer needles. 

I lived nearly 30 years before I ever had a christmas tree or even celebrated the holiday. And, no, I never missed it - never had christmas envy. Since I met Will, who has always celebrated - and cherished - Christmas, I admit I've come to look forward to this time of year like no other. I've been known to start singing "We need a little Christmas" in the deep heat of summer. Perhaps it is this newness, in part, that brings out a child-like wonder and excitement in me about the holiday and the celebration of it. I still cannot get over the fact that we have a tree in our house! Yes, a live, majestic tree whose woodsy aroma dances straight to my nostrils every time I near our living room. I just love it so.

I decided to knit pointy elf hats for Ava and Eli to wear on our tree hunting adventure and through this holiday season. I used Joelle Hoverson's pattern from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts. This pattern is so quick and easy and so very appropriate for this season. After I ran out of yarn just before finishing Ava's hat and had to buy a whole other skein, I decided to knit Ava's doll "baby Eve" her own pointy elf hat. I modified Joelle's pattern to fit Eve's head. As you may imagine, this was a huge hit with the girl. This was such an easy and hugely appreciated gift for a girl who loves her doll. I'm guessing many other little ones might appreciate matching elf hats for them and their babies, so I've written out my modified pattern for the doll hat in a tutorial at the bottom of this post. The details for the three hats I knit can be found on ravelry.

Last night we lit our first fire of the season, mixed some egg nog and began my favorite part of the tree day tradition - trimming the tree. Every ornament tells a story of another season in our lives. As we unwrap these delicate adornments one by one, we are swept away on a journey of the years we've shared: this ornament is from our first year together; Ava made this wooden star at the Waldorf holiday festival last year; this gourd shaker (which was never meant to be an ornament) was a gift at the Medicine for the Earth retreat I attended when I was living, what feels to me now, a very different life; this one is the official White House ornament from 1999; the Buddah - one of my favorites - a gift from Aunt Leah; the jewish stars that nod to my Jewish heritage; the "I love my black lab" ornament - so endearingly hideous that we traditionally place it at the very back of the tree, hidden among the boughs that brush the wall; the delicate blown glass owl that was Ava's first ornament when she was just barely one week old; and the most special, our Owie dog angel - which is always opened with a moment of silence and moist eyes in rememberance of our beloved Owen who passed away two and a half years ago. The trimming of the tree is a nostalgics dream.

This day signifies that the end of the year holidays are upon us. Our house is dark no more with all the twinkling lights that hang happily from every corner. And the faces of our many loved ones filter in on cherished holiday cards that arrive daily in the mail. We are joyous in these dark days - and warmed by the fire, the lights, the closeness of our dear ones as the weather turns even colder.

 Tutorial: Doll Sized Pointy Elf Hat

This pattern is inspired by and modified from Joelle Hoverson's Pointy Elf Hat in More Last Minute Knitted Gifts - a wonderful book full of quick knits. 

I'll give instructions for a hat that will fit a doll with an 11 1/2 inch circumference and 4 1/2 inch tall (from forehead to crown) head. The hat can be easily modified to fit a different size doll head by using thicker/thinner yarn, different size needles, or by modifying the pattern itself (I will try to post easy instructions on how to do this soon).

Gauge

2.5 stitches per inch. Gauge is everything - check it, my friends.

Yarn

Bulky - one skein will make several doll hats, depending on your yarn and yardage. I used about 20 yards of Malabrigo Aquarella.

Needles

One set of four double pointed needles - whatever size gives you the proper gauge. I used size 11 double pointed needles to achieve the right gauge for the yarn I used.

Stitch Marker

You'll need one, unless you use your cast-on tail to remind you where the beginning of the round is.

Doll Hat

Cast on 30 stitches. 

Divide stitches evenly over three double pointed needles. You should have 10 stitches per needle.

Place marker (if you intend to use one) and join for working in the round. Alternatively, you can use your cast-on tail as a reminder of where the start of your round is.

Work in stockinette stitch (knit all stitches) until the hat measures 3 inches from the beginning with brim unrolled.

Begin to shape the crown:

Decrease Round: [K2tog, knit to end of needle] 3 times (27 stitches remain).

Knit 1 round.

Repeat Decrease Round every other round 5 more times (12 stitches remain).

Repeat Decrease Round every round 3 more times (3 stitches remain).

Break yarn, leaving a 6" tail; thread tail through remaining stitches, pull tight and fasten off, with tail to wrong side.

As always, I'd love to see your doll hats! Please link to them in the comments. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving (or any occasion) Napkins: A Tutorial

My friend and I were at an anniversary party for The Linden Tree when we dreamed up a joint project of sewing cloth napkins for our Thanksgiving dinner. She so generously welcomed us among the 15 people she hosted for a lovely, delicious evening of gathering and sharing yummy food. We decided to use four coordinating fabrics and that we'd each make (and keep) 8. It was fun to work on a project together - sewing is usually a very solitary (and, often, gratefully so) activity for me, and it was a nice change to compare notes as we progressed.

As we were (taking our sweet time) choosing fabrics we conversed with a couple of women who work at the store about the various ways to make cloth napkins. One mentioned that she teaches a napkin class and the other expressed some awe at the concept of making napkins with mitered corners. It's true, your guests will never think much about (or even notice) whether your napkins have mitered corners. But when you set out to make your own it seems like a big distinction. While the women were well intentioned and very helpful, I admit I left the store feeling like I'd be taking on a big challenge with this whole mitered corner business. Really, I need a class to sew napkins?

At home I did a bit of searching and found several tutorials that seemed somewhat overly complex and one that seemed quite simple (though just a bit different from what I intended to do), which is what I based my napkins on.

My friends, I am happy to report that sewing mitered corner napkins is quite far from rocket science. And yes, you can do it - without a class even. I understand some appreciate the hands-on learning and camaraderie that a class can offer. But for those of you, like me, who are the just-dive-in-and-figure-it-out-on-your-own type, I'll show you how I made mine in this tutorial. They are quick and so easy.

Naturally, now that I've made one set - and know how easy it is - I am dreaming up napkins for every season, for every occasion. Limited only by storage space, I imagine table dressing for the most grand and simple of meals. Because sitting down together for a family meal is one of the most important things you can do for your family's health, cohesiveness and well-being; and setting a beautiful table makes that meal feel even more special, even more important, whether it's a Thanksgiving feast or take-out dinner.

Tutorial: Quick and Easy Mitered Corner Cloth Napkins

Materials

• Fabric - quilting cotton works well for cloth napkins. You can make your napkins any size you'd like. I cut 18" squares, which produced 16.5" square finished napkins. So for four napkins of this size you'd need just over a yard of 44" wide fabric to give yourself some wiggle room. 
• coordinating thread
• sewing machine 
• iron
• self-healing mat, rotary cutter and ruler (optional, but really will make your job so much easier)
• water soluble marker or chalk

How to Make your Napkins

1.  Cut out your napkin squares. Again, you can make any size napkin you'd like. I cut 18" squares, which produced 16.5" square finished napkins.

2.  Measure and mark 3/4" from each corner on each side (see image below).

3.  Cut off each corner using your marks from Step 2 as your guide.

4.  Simultaneously fold and iron each corner so that the edges meet and create a new 90 degree angle at the corner.

5.  Iron down the the rest of the sides of the napkin to create straight edges. I found I was able to do this easy enough without using a ruler once the corners had been ironed down (and in doing so, I believe I saved lots of time without sacrifice).

6. Fold and press each corner in towards the center of your napkin where the two edges meet and form a right angle (see image below). You will create two new 90 degree angles at each side of your fold.

7.  Fold and press the sides of each corner in towards each other so they meet exactly at midline and create a nice new (mitered!) corner. Pin in place.

8.  Fold and press the sides of your napkin to form straight lines between each of the mitered corners and pin in place. (Again, I was able to do this free-hand so to speak, without a ruler. Doing so will save you so much time. Trust me, you can do it.)

9.  Stitch around your napkin using a 1/4" seam allowance. When approaching a corner, sew all the way to 1/4" from the edge, drop your needle down into your napkin, lift your presser foot and turn 90 degrees. Make sure your seam allowance is 1/4" from the next side before you start sewing. Lower your presser foot and continuing sewing down the next side and repeat until you've sewed up the entire napkin. Be sure to back stitch at the beginning and end of your sewing.

10. Press each of your corners well on the wrong side of the napkin.

And there you have it! You've made a mitered corner cloth napkin.

Now, go make some food, sit down with your loved ones and put these little pretties to good use. Perhaps, like me, you'll already be dreaming of your next set - napkins for each season, napkins for each holiday, napkins for a certain meal (in our house we have chicken napkins for roast chicken night), the possibilities are endless.

Be sure to link to your napkins in the comments when you make some. I look forward to seeing them!