Cutest Family Portrait Ever

When I posted this at the beginning of December, I really thought I'd be doing my regular Christmas blogging. And now here we are, three weeks later and a few days before the big show, and it's my first pop-in. Things have been quite busy in these parts--there have been Christmas adventures every weekend, a few snowfalls, baking parties, present wrapping, and gift-making. I always feel that things get so hectic that I'm going to have missed something, and feel as though I never got to relax, but the busy-ness of December and the general cheer are all part of it, and I do so love it.

I do have something homemade to share with you, though, that I plugged away on for the first half of the month. When I took my trip to Vermont a few months ago, the workshop with Arne and Carlos was to show us how to make a knitted bird from one of their books. Unspeakably adorable, not very hard to make, and abounding in infinite ways to 'dress' them, I had way too much fun making these. The book is chock-full of options and styles, but I stuck with the winter birds. I knitted a wee family of five for my mom to give her closest friend.

Right???? Super cute!!!!! They are the most perfect little bird shape. After some beak-related struggles, something finally clicked and I didn't stitch on a blob but something that looked a little bit triangular and beaky.

The hats and scarves can be made very quickly for sure. The weeness of the hat when it comes off of your needles is so cute it hurts a little bit.

My chubber fingers are not nimble for teensy adornments (like miniature pom-pom tying on), so I bought a pack with sparkles woven through them at the craft store, and hot glued them on.

The recommended 'eyes' are small beads. I put a few of those on the birds I made my grandma (very similar to these--no photos as we had to get them packaged up to ship out), and while they look just fine it was way too...tedious to do over and over again without losing my mind completely. So I bought a package of rhinestones and used a glue like E-6000 to stick them on (using a toothpick and being very careful not to somehow stick them to myself).

As long as the eyes sparkle when the light hits them that's all that matters.

The book makes several references to ways to display these. There are instructions for making a little footed holder that goes around the mid-section, or attaching them with wire to branches, or even using clips. I strung them up on some silver yarn and turned them into ornaments.

Isn't that a fun family photo?? After getting the hang of everything, I was able to make one of these (bird body, stuffing, accessories, beak, and eyes) in two evenings. While they are not the quickest of things to make, they are highly satisfying, and can be used for any variety of bird genres that you can imagine.

Well, kids, there's a Christmas party on tonight, and I must get the fire lit and my comfy shoes on. Later, taters.