Holiday gift-giving report
Jan. 3rd, 2009 10:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rebeccmeisterWell, as of this evening I have finally finished making all of my holiday gifts (whew!), so it's time to mention a few items of note. This is mostly for the benefit of any of my 3 readers who might want to read about themselves and feel famous, and for any of the other 2 readers who might have hoped the original recipients weren't too thrilled with their gifts and might be interested in a little exchange of sorts (though I'm sorry to say you will probably be disappointed).
Jellyfish chandelier 3: Well, I don't have any images of the third one, but you might remember the two previous ones from the pictures here. The short answer is that C loves her chandelier, thank goodness, given all of the time and expense involved.
The longer version is that I think I'm finally getting the hang of how to construct these things. The lighting fixtures have been the trickiest part, and for C's lamp I ended up at Hardwick's, desperately searching for a base and bulb that would actually fit inside of the jellyfish instead of protruding in a blinding fashion. Fortunately, they had such things, but if I continue to make these I'm going to have to search the internets for a cheaper and shallower lighting alternative. I have finally learned how to elegantly wire the things (with a loop thing that threads onto a hollow rod), so they might eventually look kind of nice. Especially if my ceramics instructor helps me make them out of this beautifully transparent clay that she has developed. I know there are a number of ya'll out there who would be quite pleased to receive one, so you might still get lucky if you are patient (but it won't hurt to leave a comment so I can keep track).
Leg-warmers: Certain parties (i.e. D) will be relieved to hear that I managed to finish certain fuzzy purple leg-warmers the night before Christmas. The even better news is that![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sytharin appears to like them, at least as evidenced by a cheery smile in the photograph below:
As further evidence, she proceeded to wear them the rest of the time she was in Seattle and proclaimed that her shins were "very warm." But if you're in need of fuzzy purple leg-warmers, it probably wouldn't hurt to double check thrift stores in B-ham in the next couple of weeks (joke).
I just finished the leg-warmers forannikusrex today, in a more conservative charcoal grey hue as befits a law student (heh). She knew they'd be late, but it's nice to have them finished while there are still several months of winter left in Chicago. In deciding on yarn to use for this pair, I was vexed to discover that much of my yarn collection is moth-eaten, and so hopefully her leg-warmers don't come unraveled. Now I get to knit something for myself: arm-warmers, which will include my first attempt at cabling.
Scrabble tile bag and bicycle mug attempt #3: My father did not know he needed a Scrabble tile bag, but it was put to use immediately and seems to function well. Although bicycle mug #3 has no handle, is oddly shaped, and not quite beautiful, it actually holds liquid. Unfortunately, it does not quite hold the entire volume of my father's daily latte, but it will suffice for his coffee and tea on the weekends. I expect it will retire once the novelty has worn off. Maybe my dad can start a mug collection. I might actually give him mug #1 if he does so and if I don't smash it in the Ceramics Chucking Party. And then I could give him the same gift in perpetuity, which would simplify the gift-giving thought process (I can hear you shaking your head in dismay, Dad).
Prickly pear jelly: Eaten and presumably enjoyed.
Honey: Not yet eaten, but made more special by an investigatory report in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer revealing evil dealings in the honey market.
Various flower-pots: Time will tell. I'm afraid they are too small.
Hummingbird pitcher: Well, my brother isn't particularly fond of non-functional gifts, so I don't think he quite enjoyed this one, but I think he took it back to Berkeley, so maybe someday somebody will appreciate it.
On the receiving end of things, I think the neatest gifts I received were a pair of wee cast-iron skillets fromsytharin (nice for spices and butter), a book from AKW which I'm looking forward to reading, and a compilation of the annual family Christmas letters stretching back to my early childhood. Ahh, the memories.
Jellyfish chandelier 3: Well, I don't have any images of the third one, but you might remember the two previous ones from the pictures here. The short answer is that C loves her chandelier, thank goodness, given all of the time and expense involved.
The longer version is that I think I'm finally getting the hang of how to construct these things. The lighting fixtures have been the trickiest part, and for C's lamp I ended up at Hardwick's, desperately searching for a base and bulb that would actually fit inside of the jellyfish instead of protruding in a blinding fashion. Fortunately, they had such things, but if I continue to make these I'm going to have to search the internets for a cheaper and shallower lighting alternative. I have finally learned how to elegantly wire the things (with a loop thing that threads onto a hollow rod), so they might eventually look kind of nice. Especially if my ceramics instructor helps me make them out of this beautifully transparent clay that she has developed. I know there are a number of ya'll out there who would be quite pleased to receive one, so you might still get lucky if you are patient (but it won't hurt to leave a comment so I can keep track).
Leg-warmers: Certain parties (i.e. D) will be relieved to hear that I managed to finish certain fuzzy purple leg-warmers the night before Christmas. The even better news is that
sytharin appears to like them, at least as evidenced by a cheery smile in the photograph below:As further evidence, she proceeded to wear them the rest of the time she was in Seattle and proclaimed that her shins were "very warm." But if you're in need of fuzzy purple leg-warmers, it probably wouldn't hurt to double check thrift stores in B-ham in the next couple of weeks (joke).
I just finished the leg-warmers for
annikusrex today, in a more conservative charcoal grey hue as befits a law student (heh). She knew they'd be late, but it's nice to have them finished while there are still several months of winter left in Chicago. In deciding on yarn to use for this pair, I was vexed to discover that much of my yarn collection is moth-eaten, and so hopefully her leg-warmers don't come unraveled. Now I get to knit something for myself: arm-warmers, which will include my first attempt at cabling.Scrabble tile bag and bicycle mug attempt #3: My father did not know he needed a Scrabble tile bag, but it was put to use immediately and seems to function well. Although bicycle mug #3 has no handle, is oddly shaped, and not quite beautiful, it actually holds liquid. Unfortunately, it does not quite hold the entire volume of my father's daily latte, but it will suffice for his coffee and tea on the weekends. I expect it will retire once the novelty has worn off. Maybe my dad can start a mug collection. I might actually give him mug #1 if he does so and if I don't smash it in the Ceramics Chucking Party. And then I could give him the same gift in perpetuity, which would simplify the gift-giving thought process (I can hear you shaking your head in dismay, Dad).
Prickly pear jelly: Eaten and presumably enjoyed.
Honey: Not yet eaten, but made more special by an investigatory report in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer revealing evil dealings in the honey market.
Various flower-pots: Time will tell. I'm afraid they are too small.
Hummingbird pitcher: Well, my brother isn't particularly fond of non-functional gifts, so I don't think he quite enjoyed this one, but I think he took it back to Berkeley, so maybe someday somebody will appreciate it.
On the receiving end of things, I think the neatest gifts I received were a pair of wee cast-iron skillets from
sytharin (nice for spices and butter), a book from AKW which I'm looking forward to reading, and a compilation of the annual family Christmas letters stretching back to my early childhood. Ahh, the memories.
