Anyway I crocheted this great neck warmer using the Unisex Neck Sock pattern by Wendy C. Brown (add it to your Ravelry queue, for serious). I used Cascade- hey, y’all, if you’re not into this sort of thing, for the love of god, stop reading now. I’m not going to talk about anything else in this post. Anyway: Cascade 220 Superwash in this fabulous slate heather that’s almost black & is just crazy cute. As is my husband, amirite?

Anyway he loves it, and can often be seen wearing it on his head. Because he’s a maverick, see? (Also it keeps his ears warm.) I’m really happy with the way this came out and am totally going to make one for myself. Except with buttons. Because how cute would that be?

Anyway: the party was a success, if a little under-attended (one group of guests had apparently been sure it was the next weekend, at which point they e-mailed me going “Um, did you know that your party was a week ago? You probably did.” Which was funny, and I may have LOLed, but only very quietly and to myself). The kid had a fabulous time. He helped me decorate the littlest cupcakes (which he decided were meteors). No one else had any idea what the cake/cupcake spread was supposed to be, which was fine. I guess.

Also a (qualified) success: the rocket softie. I made some modifications to a pattern I found in One Yard Wonders (which is a pretty fabulous book, if you’re into that sort of thing) and it turned out kind of awesome. The kid likes it, which was the important part.

In other crafty news, I finally slipcovered the Fabulous!Rocking!Glider! (the exclamation points are to emphasize the fact that I love the lovely glider and am not going to get rid of it despite the increasing impracticality of having it in our house). A favorite snuggling spot for both kid and cats, the F!R!G! was sort of disgustingly stained and matted with cat hair, and since the cushions were both a) cream-colored and b) upholstered, cleaning it was a pain. ENTER CRAFTY MAMA, with her IKEA fabric and her barely-passable sewing machine skills! Given that I don’t have the first clue what I’m doing, I think it turned out pretty well.

All those other grand ideas I had? Not going to happen. I was totally going to make garland, and ornaments, and stuff. But what did I do instead? I caught a cold. (I did make gingerbread men. I’m not dead.)

Giant Yodel.

Giant Yodel: the tree skirt. It eats you, starting with your bottom.

Cranky Mama gets her craft on, just in time for the holidays.

Felt: I get my felt from either Distinctive Fabric or Hart’s (which, I was amused to discover, is based in my old home town – they ship anywhere, though). They both sell by the yard (and a yard of felt is a LOT), but check the remnants first, especially if you aren’t looking for a particular color.

Shirt blanks: I have a wholesale account with American Apparel (you have to go through an application process, but I didn’t have any problem getting approved). The nice thing is that you can order in small quantities, so I can just get what I need instead of having to buy shirts by the case in every size.

Labels: Name Maker prints text on ribbon, and I’ve found it perfect for labels on the Cranky Pals. I got the pale green with polka dots on the border; the dots disappear after the first machine washing, but the text remains (and still looks good).

Other fabrics: I have a love thing for Bolt Fabric Boutique (they’re local; no idea if they ship). That’s where I get the fuzzy blue stuff for Twonk.

Supplies: Michael’s, mostly. I use embroidery thread for the stitching.