Ordinarily, I spend a long time hemming and hawing over what I'm going to do for family members for Christmas. I really love picking up things that remind me of people, or making things that I know they'll like, but when it comes to the middle of November for people I really feel like I have to give gifts to (immediate family, grandparents, and children under the age of 12 who I will see on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day), I start to get a little stressed.
I was in the midst of such a stressed out period (dress up box? Dinosaur play mat? Road play mat with cars? I spy pillows?) when I saw the Elf Shoes pattern by Flint Knits. And then my problems were solved. Well, at least for the two littlest cousins. I pulled out this green wool from my stash (purchased on clearance at Woolcott's in Harvard Square--closed now, so sad) and dropped by the local fabric store turned local fabric store/local yarn store for the red. One football game, a lecture on copyright, a lecture on the history of Christmas, a game of Settlers of Catan, and a post-finals party later, and I had four giant elf shoes.
A combination of time and lack of hot-water washing capabilities meant that I waited to felt these lovelies until I was in California. Since my in-laws don't wash anything in hot water, I decided to try hand-felting them. I'm no good at it. It didn't take too long before they found their way into the machine with some towels, inaugurating the washer into the ways of hot water.
I think they're adorable. The flaps don't stay down at all. I tried wetting them again and letting them dry with the flaps folded down, but I had no binder clips to hold them down. And I might have sewn them down, but I didn't have the right color thread, and I decided it totally wasn't worth it.
All of which leaves me with just one question. Why do elves get the cool shoes?
Those are adorable! I'm a doofus, but I didn't realize you were in Nashville. That fabric shop is over in my old neighborhood. Used to go in there and long to buy out the place. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! Oh my goodness, if I lived closer, I might be over there even more. Unfortunately it's so expensive. But there's a sale going on right now--forty percent off all fabric!
ReplyDeleteIt is very expensive, so I mostly just left with unrequited longing for costly, but pretty, stuff. I haven't been there since we moved across the river to the other side of town though.
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