I may have to dig out a crochet hook

For this scarf http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=238536.0

I could so see my dear daughter wearing a Luna Lovegood scarf in a purple color. I'm just not real sure on the crocheting part. I can do simple stitches, but this may be out of my abilities. Oh well, learning new things is always fun, right.

Narrowing Down Christmas ideas

I love Christmas.  The feeling of generosity and excitement in the air.  The hustle and bustle of everyone shopping. The giving, the smiles.  Everything but the weather. It's really too bad Jesus couldn't of been born in July.  Anyway, as I said in the previous post that I'm trying to have a very frugal Christmas this year.  At the same time I want to make sure everyone I care about gets a little something.  So I'm looking into homemade gifts and here are some of my favorite ideas so far:

Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments
These are really simple and shouldn't cost hardly anything or take anytime at all to make several.

Hot Cocoa Mix
I like that this recipe is slightly different.  I think a serving size or two in a pretty little bag or box from the dollar tree with a candy cane or just some peppermints would make a nice gift.

Paper Ornaments
I saw this and thought it would make a good craft for the kiddies.  I don't think you can have too many ornaments on the tree and kid-made ornaments are always the best.

Yarn Dolls
I'm not sure if I'll  do this one or not.  I have plenty of yarn to do it with, just not sure my nieces would like them.  I thought of doing like angel themes and turning them into Christmas ornaments.  I may make a few and give to my younger nieces, my older ones may like them.

Photo Block Ornaments
These are adorable and I think would be perfect for mine and Hubby's parents and grandparents.  I can print out some pictures I've taken over the past year and put them on small wooden blocks to mail out.  I think they would really like them.

Of course there's always homemade candies like:
Cranberry Crunch Bark
Sugar Mints
Homemade Whoppers
Candy Icicles 

Also cookies are good to send as well. Well, certain cookies anyway and you have to package them just right.  A quick google search gives many tips on how to make sure cookies arrive in the same condition they were sent.

I have a few more ideas I'm considering as well. I'm also going to make my bunch scarves for stocking stuffers.  I'm making myself one this weekend because we had a big bad cold front go through (yes 50 for a high is cold here, given our normal winter high is around 50 give or take a couple degrees). I couldn't find my other scarf and so a simple, quick knit is in the works this weekend.  I so dislike being cold.  I also have some carving patterns I want to try, but may wait to do those.

Craftin'

In lew of actually doing something productive(such as cleaning/organizing my home) on my time off of classes, I've been finding other things to do. For example, I sent off a dishcloth I knitted for a dishcloth swap I participated in. A couple days late but it's on its way to California now.  Doing this swap got me to thinking...I really like to do swaps, I'm a fairly crafty person (I try anyway), I have crafty friends/family who have crafty friends/family.  So I created a Facebook group in order to facilitate future swaps (hopefully).  Here's the link in case you, my dear readers (trying to ignore the echo), want to sign up and try it: Crafty Swaps . Just click on join group and send me a message and I'll approve ya.  I really want this to take off.  My past experience is that it is really hard getting something like this started and even harder to keep it going.
 I want to do simple swaps: dishcloths, quilt blocks, scarves, etc..; nothing that would take more then a couple hours to put together and be small enough that shipping is cheap.    It's nice to get something besides junk mail and bills in the mailbox.  I probably would set up monthly themes: Christmas ornaments in November, Fall colors for October, Winter colors for December, Valentines for January, Flowers for February, Rain/water for March, Gardening/Mothers for April, Fathers/Grad/Wedding for May, Summer for June, Back to School for July, Animals/Pets for August, Random for September.  Every month has a theme that would work for the following month because if we did say Christmas in December then you would get the swap at the end of the month in time for it to be put away. So this way if you get a Christmas themed swap at the end of November you can enjoy it for the month of December and so on for each month.  I would also either have that months swap being a knit/crochet item...or do two different swaps a month and members could choose one or both of them.  I know some people knit/crochet but don't sew or vice versa.  That will work itself out as people join the group.