See? I make stuff.

I do make things, I don't just point out other people's awesome stuff.

The only problem is I don't make anything mind-blowingly original. I'm aware that there's nothing new under the sun, but man I sure wish I could come up with something awesome that takes off and everyone wants to make themselves... like marble magnets. (Not that I don't make marble magnets, haha, I freakin' LOVE making marble magnets!)

One area where I'm not that creative but I'm capable is crochet. I enjoy the simple patterns, as I'm still new at it, plus the repetition is soothing to me (same with knitting, but knitting takes longer so I tend to fall back to crochet). I accept that I'm not making anything mind-blowing, but I really wish I had the brain to create patterns. Too much math for my simple literature-minded brain; it's a miracle I've trained enough in sewing to look at a sewing pattern and (mostly) figure it out! They used to look like complicated 1000+ piece puzzles when I glanced at them. xD

Anyway. Xmas is coming, and it's my favorite time of year. Unfortunately, this year is going to have to be thriftier than previous years due to my technical "unemployment", so I'm starting early and crafting the hell out of everything. xD The first two completed projects: Neckwarmers! My grandmas are both in Chicago, which gets fa-REEZING in January and February, and as they're not as young and spry as they used to be, I'm afraid they're always going to freeze outside. Last year was hats and pocket-warmers (ceramic pie weights in a nice blue fabric), this year is neckwarmers and hot cocoa mixes! (I haven't tried the recipe yet for m'self - if I try it and like it, I'll definitely share!)
The pattern is by Stephanie Gage, and can be found here on Crochet Me. The idea is that they wrap around the neck, and can fold over or stay up as the wearer sees fit.

I'm crocheting 2-3 more gifts this year. After that... actually, I'm not sure! Hahaha. Gotta review my xmas list again. I LOOOOVE xmas, and I'm very fortunate that I have friends and family that humor me and pretend to like their homemade gifts. =)