A Shiptastic Christmas

Another Christmas has come and gone, and while I would have loved to have spent it at home with my family, I made the most of it and had a pretty great time here in the Caribbean.

Here's a rundown of Christmas time on the ship:

I did a lot of beach knitting, which earned me tons of strange looks from passersby, but I didn't care a bit; I deeply enjoyed doing it.  I think I'll always knit when I'm at the beach now.

I also diligently opened all the boxes on my old-school advent calendar one by one until Christmas came.  Then I went to town on the candy from my stocking!

Justin labeled my present "to you, from me."  Boys are hilarious.

I spent Christmas Eve lounging and painting my nails on the pool deck.  When in Rome, right?

Christmas day was super hectic work-wise, so I used Christmasy nail art and extra glitter on my eyes to keep my spirits high.  In the words of skating icon Karen Kresge, "you can never have too much glitter."

How was your Christmas?  I hope it was filled with fun and family and lots of chocolate.

Happy Holidays!
xoxo
Laura

Sewing a Peter Pan Collar

Christmas is two days away and I'm still knitting like crazy, but I decided to take a little break from all that to sew something for myself.  It was the perfect crafting breather, and it totally rejuvenated my spirits.

So here it is; my brand new Peter Pan collar necklace:

I didn't have a pattern, but I did have a polo shirt, so I decided to use that as a jumping off point.  I traced it onto some scrap fabric, adding a curve to the front of it to make it more Peter Pan than polo.

Second, I cut it out and tried it on.  It didn't sit right at all.  So then I traced it again, making the whole thing more curvy, and it was a teensy bit better but still not right.  I tried again, making more alterations, and again, and again, and on the 5th try I ended up with a collar pattern that I was happy with.  The key seemed to be drawing the pattern onto the folded-in-half fabric at a pretty steep slant so that the circumference of the neck hole is smaller than the circumference of the bottom of the collar.

Third, I folded my green fabric in half, placed my newly-made pattern on top of it, and traced around it adding about a quarter inch seam allowance on all sides.

Fourth, I repeated step three so I had two matching green pieces.

Fifth, I pinned my two green pieces together with the right sides facing in, and sewed them together, leaving one end unsewn so that I could turn it right-side out again.

Sixth, I turned the collar right-side out with the help of a knitting needle, pinned the final end together with the seam allowance tucked inside, and ironed the whole thing flat.  Then I got back on the sewing machine and top stitched around the entire collar.

Seventh, for the final touch, I hand-sewed the button onto the top corner of one side of the collar, and sewed a hair rubber band to the back of the collar on the opposite corner to make a loop for the button to go through.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with the way the collar turned out, and I can't wait to wear it around the ship on Christmas day.

I made a couple of mistakes on this project, though, and I will learn from them when I make another collar in the (hopefully not-too-distant) future.  Both lessons involved remembering to hammer out the details of the project before I hopped onto the sewing machine.

When I started sewing the two green peices together, I just picked a random corner to start from and I sewed until I was almost back to that corner before I remembered that I needed to leave part of the collar unsewn in order to flip it right-side-out again.  I didn't love that the part I left unstitched was such a prominent part of the collar.  Therefore, when I do this again, I'm going to think ahead and pick an inconspicuous spot at the back of the collar to leave unsewn.

I also wish that I had added the loop for the button before I sewed the two green pieces together.  That way the tails of the loop would be neatly hidden inside the collar instead of dangling on the backside.

It's all about thinking ahead, isn't it?

Oh, and this is quite nitpicky, but I wish the button sat directly between the two sides of the collar instead of slightly to one side.  Do any of you experienced sewers know how I could make that happen?

Anyway, I'm still really excited about how well this sewing project went.

Have you sewn a collar before?  Do you have any tips for me for the next time I try it?

xoxo
Laura

Showgirl Beauty Tip: Christmas Eyelashes

I promise that next time I post a Showgirl Beauty Tip it'll be about something other than eyelashes, but today I just had to tell you one more thing about them...

If you're in the market for a pair of eyelashes, now is the perfect time to find them!  All the women's stores in the mall are selling pretty little stocking-stuffers like lipgloss, hair accessories, and (you guessed it) eyelashes.

The only other time of year that this happens is October because of Halloween.  I like the Christmas lashes better, though, because they tend to be more sparkly and whimsical while the Halloween lashes are a bit more harsh and scary.

I accidentally bought these two sets of lashes for myself while I was out Christmas shopping on Saturday:

The pair on the left is from Francesca's and the pair on the right is from Forever 21.  Both sets cost less than $5.00, and I can't wait to wear them in the show.

Happy Christmas shopping!
xoxo
Laura

Link to Love: A Non-Stocking Christmas Knitting Pattern

Looking for a quick and different knitting project to get you in the mood for Christmas?  I know I always am.  Stockings are cute and all, but I get excited when I find a knitting designer who's thinking outside of the box.

Amalia Samios's adorable Christmas Lights Knitting Pattern fits the bill perfectly.

Image via Amalia Samios on Ravelry

Wouldn't these look fabulous strung up on a mantle along with some Christmas stockings?

I'm still elbows-deep in my Christmas present knitting, but if I finish that with time to spare, these little lights will definitely be the next thing on my needles... we'll see!

Have you found any other cute Christmas knitting patterns?  I'd love to hear about them.

Happy knitting!

xoxo

Laura

Getting into the Christmas Spirit, Caribbean Style

Coming from Colorado, I'm used to white Christmases.  Even when I left home to tour with ice shows, I spent the first six winters in cold places like Canada and Germany, so there were always snowflakes and crackling fireplaces and hot chocolate in abundance.  (If you've ever had the chance to go to a German Christmas market, you know that it's pretty much Heaven on Earth.)

But anyway, now I'm in the Caribbean.  It's not the same, but I'm making it work.

Here's how I'm doing it:

1.  I'm knitting like crazy for Christmas this year.  There aren't many things that get me in the holiday mood quite like knitting wintery gifts.

2.  I've made our cabin into a winter wonderland thanks to a few DIY decorations, some Glade Christmas scented room spray, and the She & Him Christmas album that I've had on repeat ever since I discovered its existence last week.

3.  Our ship also sponsored a gift-giving event at an elementary school in Jamaica, and I signed up to go to the school and help hand out the presents.  It was so fun to see how the kids were; it didn't seem to matter which toy they received, they were just elated to be receiving a gift.  I feel lucky to work for a company that does charity events like this every Christmas, and I also feel lucky to participate in the spreading of holiday cheer.  It was pretty awesome.

It's turning out that I love this time of year regardless of the climate, and I can't wait for Christmas to finally come!

What are you doing to get into the holiday mood?

xoxo
Laura

Washi Tape Christmas Countdown Chain

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time for Christmas decorating!  This makes me extremely happy.

I was lying in bed the other morning thinking about those old-school Christmas chains I used to make out of construction paper as a kid, and it occurred to me that a little washi tape could totally make one of those chains feel all grown up.  Washi tape can do that for just about anything, don't you think?

When I put my idea into action, I also realized that the washi tape makes the chains even easier to make than the construction-paper-only chains from my childhood because you can use the edges of the tape as a guide for cutting straight lines.

Another bonus is that this project only took about 15 minutes!

To make one of these washi tape chains, you'll need the following:
1.  Red and green construction paper (one piece of each color)
2.  A roll of washi tape with red accents and a roll with green accents.  I used striped tape because it reminds me of candy canes.
3.  Scissors

Here are the instructions:

1.  Place 13 strips of reddish washi tape across the width of a piece of red construction paper and 12 strips of greenish washi tape across the width of a piece of green construction paper. As you do this, leave an inch-long tail of washi tape hanging off of the edge of the construction paper.

2.  Cut out the strips of washi taped construction paper, using the edges of the washi tape as a guide.  You should now have a total of 25 red and green strips.

3.  Turn your first strip into a loop and use the washi tape tail to secure it.

4.  It will look extra-professional if you make the pattern on the washi tape tail match up with the pattern on the tape that you're taping over.  See how the diagonal stripes all match up with each other in the 4th picture?

5.  Now add the rest of the chain links one at a time by repeating steps 3 and 4 with each strip, making sure that you loop each new strip around the previous loop before you tape it closed.

6.  Once you've added all 25 links to you're chain, hang it up, you're finished!

I hung my chain in our cabin, and I think it compliments our porthole picture very nicely.

I'm looking forward to December 1st so I can start ripping off one of the loops every day until Christmas!

How are you counting down to Christmas this year?

xoxo
Laura

Knitting for Christmas

It's the week of Thanksgiving and I'm proud to say that I've already begun knitting this year's Christmas presents!

This is monumental because I'm normally the procrastinator of all procrastinators.

My early start doesn't necessarily mean that I'm completely safe from the Christmas Eve knitting frenzy that occurred the last two years in a row, but I'm extremely hopeful that this will be the year that I break the pattern.

What are your Christmas knitting habits?  Do you put everything off until the last minute like I normally do?  If you have a good knitting schedule that helps you avoid the last minute panic, I'd love to hear about it.

I'm pretty sure that Thanksgiving is the perfect time to start.  I'll let you know if I still feel that way when Christmas comes!

Some Christmas knitting from years past: An Ice Skate Ornament, Men's Mittens, and Little Knitted Flowers.

Happy knitting!
xoxo
Laura

Merry Christmas from the Caribbean!

xoxo
Laura

Christmas Knitting

Image Source

I'm going to come out and say it: I'm in a love/hate relationship with my Christmas knitting.

I love it because everything about it feels very festive and Christmasy.  I've even been listening to Christmas music and eating candy canes while I'm working on it.

But I also hate it because it sheds light on one of my biggest flaws: my inability to do anything ahead of time.  Why do I always leave everything for the last minute?!?!

So for the next 2 days I'll be feeling a mixture of Christmas cheer and self-disgust while I knit furiously to get it all done.

Maybe next year I'll be better?  Yeah, right.

Merry Christmas!
xoxo
Laura

Last-Minute Christmas Crafts

Christmas is now less than a week away (yay!) and I've compiled a list of 5 fun DIY tutorials from around the web, just in case you have a hankering to sit by the fire and do a little more Christmas crafting.

1.  Fist up is this perfectly rustic burlap and felt Christmas tree pillow from All in a Day.

2.  Or you could make this unique Christmas ornament from Julie Ann Art.

3.  I absolutely love these holiday hair pins from Happy Hour Projects.

4.  Make your presents extra pretty with these paper bows from Paper Mojo.

5.  Or try on a wintery snowflake necklace from Lana Red.

All of the lovely photos in this post belong to the bloggers who created the DIY tutorials.  Click on the links to see more of their photos and to find out how to make their festive crafts.

I hope you finish up all your Christmas shopping in time to do some Christmas crafting!
xoxo
Laura

Knit Skate Ornament

I recently found the most adorable crochet ice skate ornament at Suzie's Stuff and I loved it so much that I decided to make a knitting pattern for it.

First I tried making the skate out of a single layer of stockinette stitch, but it wanted to curl up when I hung it on the christmas tree. I made the ornament lay flat by knitting a mirror image of the first layer and seaming the two layers together. Suddenly the skate became 3 dimensional and had much more bulk to it so it fit in better with the other ornaments on the tree.

Materials:

• White, sparkly worstred weight yarn
• US Size 5 needles
• Jumbo paper clips
• Scissors
• Tapestry needle

Terms used in this pattern:

PSSO: This stands for Pass Slipped Stitch Over, and it is a left-slanting decrease. To do it, insert the left needle into the front of the slipped stitch on the right needle, then pass the slipped stitch over the last knit stitch and slip it off the right needle. (It is basically like binding off one stitch.)

Skate Side 1:

Cast on 11 stitches

Row 1: knit

Row 2: purl

Row 3: knit

Row 4: purl

Row 5: slip 1, knit 1, PSSO, knit 9

Row 6: purl

Row 7: bind off 4, knit 6

Row 8: purl

Row 9: knit

Row 10: purl

Rows 11: knit

Row 12: purl

Bind off, leaving a big loop when you bind off the last stitch. That loop is what you'll use to hang the skate on the Christmas tree.

Skate Side 2 (Mirror Image):

Cast on 11 stitches

Row 1: purl

Row 2: knit

Row 3: purl

Row 4: knit

Row 5: slip 1, purl 1, PSSO, purl 9

Row 6: knit

Row 7: bind off 4 purl-wise, purl 6

Row 8: knit

Row 9: purl

Row 10: knit

Row 11: purl

Row 12: knit

Bind off purl-wise

Finishing Touches:

• Weave in the ends.
• Place the two sides of the skate flat on a table (right side up) with the bottom edges of the skates touching each other. Line the stitches up with each other and seam those two edges together using mattress stitch.
• Slide the jumbo paper clip onto your work right where you just seamed it. You should now be able to fold the two sides of the skate up like a sandwich, and the paper clip will be at the bottom of the skate where the skate's blade would be.
• Sew the rest of the edges of the skate together using mattress stitch.

This little skate looks good on a Christmas tree, but it's small enough that it also works well for fancy gift wrapping, see?

I hope you have a great time knitting this little guy!  As you know, ice skates are near and dear to my heart.

xoxo

Laura

DIY Advent Calendar

There's no time like December 5th to make an advent Calendar, right? Isn't that kind of like December 1st?

Anyway, regardless of the date, I felt like making an advent calendar that was a little bit different this year. Instead of filling it with chocolates like the ones at the grocery store, I decided to fill mine with little love notes for my boyfriend. That way december will be a month of love!

This is a magnetic calendar, so it's perfect to hang on the refrigerator. The walls are all magnetic where we live (weird but true) so I just stuck mine up on the wall.

To make this project, you'll need 25 clothes pins, construction paper, scissors, a pen, washi tape, magnetic strips, and glue.

Here's how you make it:

1.  Cover one side of each clothes pin with washi tape, trimming the tape to fit.

2.  Flip the clothes pins over and glue a magnetic strip onto the back side.  Do the next 3 steps while the glue dries.

3.  Cut 25 1.5" x 1.5" squares out of construction paper.

4.  Decorate one side of the squares with washi tape.

5. Flip the squares over and write a love note on the back side of each one.

6.  Slip one paper square into each clothes pin, with the washi tape decorations facing out. Then they're ready to be hung up.

To make a Christmas tree-shaped triangle, I put 7 clothes pins on the bottom row, then 6 on the next, then 5, then 4, then 2, then 1.

I hope you're having a love-filled December!
xoxo
Laura

Creative Wreaths

It's finally December, and that means it's Christmas decorating time! I think that's why I woke up this morning with wreaths on my mind. I love a good, traditional, green, pine-needly wreath as much as the next girl, but I was wondering what else wreaths could be made out of to shake things up a bit. That's when I did a little Etsy browsing and realized that people make wreaths out of every type of material imaginable. Seriously. Here are my 5 favorite wreaths available for purchase right now:

1. I love this yarn wreath from Cozy Made.  You would think I'd get sick of yarn, but I never ever do.

2. I like the rustic feel of this burlap wreath from Get the Door, don't you?

3. This red berry wreath from Elegant Holidays would be so bright and cheery on a snowy day.

4. I think this wreath made out of pink ornaments by Judy Blank adds a spunky twist to the traditional Christmas color scheme.

5. And this tulle wreath from Ducky Duck Diaper Cakes is also different in all the best ways.

All five of those lovely photos are courtesy of their respective Etsy shop owners.

Do you have a non-traditional wreath at home?  What is it made out of?

Happy decorating!

xoxo

Laura

Knitted Headbands

Hiya from Brighton, England!

I made matching-but-not-matching Christmas presents for my three best friends on tour this year, and all three girls happen to be British so it's very fitting that I'm posting about this from a posh seaside flat in Brighton.

Headbands are in this year, at least in my circle, so that's what I decided to make for my friends.  I used the same sparkly white yarn for all three, but I put different accents on each one so they all have their own personalities.

These are the supplies I used:

• US size 7 circular needles for the headbands

• US size 7 flat needles for the accents

• Sparkly white yarn

• Tapestry needle

• Scissors (My scissors are pictured inside my super-fun knit kit, which I highly recommend.)

Here is how you make the basic headband:  

• Cast on 76 stitches with the circular needles

• (Knit 1, Purl 1) rib for 4 rows

• Knit 10 rows 

• (Knit 1, Purl 1) rib for 4 rows

• Cast off

And now it's time to personalize them!

For my friend Lauren, I made a sleek band like this:

Band Instructions:

• Cast on 10 stitches


• (Knit 1, Purl 1) rib for about 3 inches


• Cast off


• Wrap the band around the headband and sew it together

For my friend Vicki, I knitted a bow:

Bow Instructions:

• See this post from Lion Brand, and follow the directions for the large bow.

For my friend Cheryl, I made a flower like this:

Flower Instructions:

• See this post about knitting flowers.

And here are all three of them, wearing their new presents on Christmas day!



Cheers!
xoxo
Laura

Happy New Year!

Isn't this little guy cute? He came with my coffee on New Year's Day in Essen, Germany.

This year I learned a valuable lesson that I'm sure every first time Christmas present knitter learns: if you are knitting presents for Christmas, start them around Thanksgiving.  I, of course, learned this lesson the hard way by starting all my projects about two weeks away from Christmas.  This turned knitting into a stressful and time consuming endeavor which is silly since I really only like knitting because it is something relaxing and fun to do when I'm idle.  Along the same vein, all my other down-time activities (like blogging) fell by the wayside as well, so I'm glad that Christmas has successfully come and gone and now I can get back to all my other fun hobbies.  Please don't think I'm feeling down about this whole Christmas-knitting spree, though, because I was super happy with the results and I think that all my friends liked their presents so all is well that ends well.

Over the next week or two I will be blogging about the presents that I knitted for my friends for Christmas.  In this blog, however, I will just be showing you these fun pictures of one of the gifts I gave for Secret Santa at work this year.

For this Secret Santa project, I printed out a bunch of vintage ice skating pictures and then decoupaged them onto little tiny presents like the lip balm shown here.  I then left them for her to find almost every day.  I was aiming for every day, but I accidentally skipped a couple (we can't all be as awesome as the real Santa, right?).  I also gave her a store-bought present for the grand finale at our Christmas party. I seriously thought about knitting her something, but she would have instantly known it was me because I am the only knitter among us.  Overall, the whole Secret Santa experience was a good one this year; the girl I was giving presents to seemed really pleased, and I received some knitting supplies from my Secret Santa which was a total score.

I'll be back soon with the aforementioned Christmas knitting blogs!
xoxo
Laura