Handmade Holiday: Wee Things

In anticipation of Advent, several friends and I create handmades to share: 5 friends, 5 items times 5. We all end up with 25 unique gifts for our children to open, one at a time, on each day leading up to Christmas. Tomorrow evening we will gather, wrap our offerings in brightly coloured tissue paper, and attach them to a big stick. I don't know why we tie them to a stick, but it's what we do. We call them Advent sticks!

A month ago when I started thinking about what to make, I actually thought I'd back out this year. Too busy, too tired, too stretched. But then I got into the spirit with a loving nudge from a friend, and here's what I came up with.

A pretty button sewn onto a circle of wool felt, then layered over graduatingly-larger circles makes a lovely (and thrifty!)  ornament

with a message stitched onto the back!

A flock of crocheted snowflakes, each one unique,

silvery,

and intricate.

And last, and possibly sweetest, a tiny bit of fairy work.

Here are the simple directions for this quick gift:

Using 0-2 mm needles, cast on 10 stitches using a fingering weight yarn.

Knit as many rows as you like; I like it to look a bit longer than a square. That would be a rectangle! Break off yarn, leaving a long enough tail to wind into a tiny ball.

Slip the stitches on to a toothpick, and push another toothpick carefully through the work.

To finish, weave in cast on end, glue small beads onto the ends of the "needles", and glue the little ball of yarn onto the front of the work.

You can attach a magnet or a pin or a hanging string, depending on how you want to use this. You can also glue it to the front of a card for your favourite knitter, OR mount it in a tiny frame!

I love wee things, don't you?