This holiday season marks the end of a less than stellar year for the husband and me. With the very notable and wonderful exception of marrying last winter, none of the big things we’ve done this year have gone well. Not anywhere close to well.

This was not the most festive Christmas I’ve ever had, but we don’t have anything of real substance to complain about.

The Handmade Pledge truly was the best thing about my holidays; the times I felt best in the last couple months have been when I was making hats and sweaters and mittens and baking and doing things that have nothing to do with the craptastic mess of the last 12+ months. It was my own little escapist gift to myself.

So with that said, I present the awesome* that is part one of my handmade** holiday gifts.

*assessment based on a highly objective survey; sample size: me, margin of error: +/- 0%

**I didn’t reach 100% in the handmade gift giving – all the kids got books. Definitely not handmade, but who can argue against reading?

* * *

First there’s this little set I made for my very opinionated and chic niece. She had to be forced into wearing it for this picture, but then did not want to take it off. When I finished it a couple months ago, husband looked thoughtfully at it and asked “Is she old enough to hate things yet?”

It criss-crosses in the front, and then goes under her arms and fastens with buttons in the back

She is; which is why I chose a simple wrap instead of a full-on, swear-under-your-breath sweater. I scaled T Does Wool’s easy but adorable infant wrap, Taylor, up to fit her 4-year-old size (it’s a little big and will probably fit her for a few years, so maybe she’ll come around and decide she likes it when she’s 5 or 6 – or at least allow herself to be forced into it once or twice a year). She took a much better liking to the matching purse; I made a slightly smaller version of this Berroco clutch, and knitted I-cord handles (I had a hard time finding a handle I liked and in an appropriate size).

Looking demure

And of course, one of my favorite books to read.

* * *

My youngest nephew has been led to believe I am a pirate – a story that is long and involved. So I made him a little eye patch.

(that isn't him - this inanimate object kindly stepped in to model)

He was apparently not convinced that it was indeed an eye patch until he had it on. He got a couple fun books, too.

* * *

Next nephew scored some loot from Etsy. He likes art and likes to draw, so I ordered some custom crayons from Missing6 and this very awesome sketchbook from VintagePaperWorks.

And a book.

* * *

Nephew 3 was a challenge. At 10, he’s at the sort of age where he’s just starting to outgrow his kid stuff, and not quite into teenage stuff. I’m still not sure if I got him a good gift, but he got a very good book and a gift card to pick out more on his own tucked into a wallet I made from a pant leg leftover from my skirt, a scrap of plaid, and leather from a pair of shoes I’d worn through the soles of.

Shoes before

Shoes after

Outside

Inside

My brother wants one now.

* * *

I went through much the same doubt with Nephew 4 at that age; so my befuddlement with teens and tweens lasts from age 10 until 15 and counting. I had no idea what 15 year old boys thought was cool when I was 15, and age has made me no wiser there. So he got a magazine subscription, and an illusion scarf; I used a Stitch ‘n’ Bitch pattern to figure out the stitch pattern/technique and then used my own chart to make this:

It's a striped scarf ... or is it? ...

Ka-pow! (yeah, I said it)

He’s been learning karate since he was a wee lad, and he teaches now too. He got a magazine subscription instead of a book.

* * *

Another brother’s animals all got a little something, but only the cat got a handmade gift – the rabbit and the dog were both adopted in the last month and I didn’t have any room left in my schedule for them. So the kitty got a couple toys.

My own small creatures were supposed to get gifts; but as they care about nothing outside of food, pooping and cuddling, I didn’t think they’d mind getting some belated gifts.

Stay tuned for a shorter post about what I made for grown-ups.