it's the perfect start to december: it's snowing! (although temperatures are supposed to climb up to scorching +6°C today and the weather forecast says it's going to rain later.) but there's a dusting of snow in the garden and on the roofs and that's very exciting - especially for the little ones who wanted to go and build a snowman immediately of course...
december 1st means advent calenders!
i made this one from kitchen rolls years ago, when T was very small. the first year we actually used it, i think he was 2 years old, i didn't want to put in too much chocolate so we used special pieces (like traffic signs) to add to his duplo lego collection instead. this year, i admit it, it's stuffed with chocolate for T and R to share because i didn't have the time and energy to go and search for little toys that would a) not cause them to fight, b) not break instantly and end up in the trash and c) actually be nice and useful. so chocolate it is this year (and since T had a chocolate one last year too i think he was looking forward to it as we are rather restrained with sweets in general.)
this is number 1. i covered the roll in fabric and lace trim, die cut the number tickets from the Tim Holtz Ticket Strip Die, numbered them by hand and each roll has a little black fabric bag at the bottom to hold it closed. (using fabric was easier than gluing on a cardboard or paper base. you just have to untie the bow and the sweets topple out. that way you can also tell which ones are empty already - the untied ones.)
i haven't had my own advent calender in years but this year i just had to have this one by Opal. i pre-ordered it in june or july because when i realised towards the end of november last year that these even existed they were sold out everywhere... it's sitting on a side table on top of a stack of some of my favourite christmas and winter picture books. there is a little 15g ball of yarn behind each door.
door #1! (sorry - it came out a little blurry but when i noticed that i had already opened it and couldn't retake the pre-opening picure.) each side of the 30cm cardboard cube is decorated with a christmas themed illustration and the numbers are placed randomly.
each little ball has its own specially designed christmas or winter themed ball band. i will collect those and put them into my sock project journal.
there are some lovely people in the facebook knitting group i'm a member of who own yarn shops and they've confirmed what i think to have read somewhere that the retailers got the folded boxes and the assorted yarn to go in them but had to assemble and fill them themselves. that's why i know that i was lucky enough to pull out the only not so great colourway on the first day - haha! at least i know all the others will be wonderful and pretty and gorgeous! (and i don't have so much of a problem with brown actually - we'll see how it knits up.)
these balls are so small and cute! R was all excitement, snatched it up, cuddled it and called it "baby yarn"...
i think this is how we yarnoholics end up with such massive yarn stashes: a little snippet of yarn at the bottom of a yarn basket or box or bag starts to wiggle and lengthen, then it winds itself into a tiny littly ball that just keeps growing bigger and bigger, protected by the warmth and cosyness of the grown skeins and balls, until we find it and think: "when did i buy this?" haha!
i'm going to do my best to use all the yarn from the calender in one big thing and to actually do it before christmas. i want to make a mitred square blanket and if i have to add to it from my leftover stash once all the calender yarn is used up that's fine...
i'll show you the first square tomorrow when i open the second door.
i hope you all feel the christmas spirit, have it cosy and warm and can knit, crochet or craft to your heart's content!
love and hugs to you all!