…I’ve just had a rather unplanned hiatus.

I just. couldn’t. manage. to write. Sorry.

But I did knit…a lot actually!

Two purses, that I then felted (I am so addicted to felting now) and gave to my lovely sisters.

A hat, for my husband, with earflaps and a tassel and now, apparently, a fleece lining to mitigate the itching (it is wool, after all dear!). Oh yeah, and I felted it, too.

Slippers, for my daughters, which are apparently too itchy (again…it’s WOOL people!) for one of the girls, and also too silly-looking (well la-di-da, Fashion Girl). Yup, felted those, too.

And I sewed: two identical nightgowns for my two un-identical daughters. At least this one is loved by Fashion Girl (aka Girl2), who hates her slippers. Girl1 (who liked her slippers) felt the nightgown was – well – too pink-ish.

Funny. I thought the husky dogs on it would appeal to the animal lover in her. Sigh. Looks like Girl1 now has two pairs of new slippers, and Girl2 now has two new nightgowns!

So you see why I have been away so long.

Forgiven?

I’d like you to meet Pika (on the left) and Fashion Girl (on the right).

They’re the two plush toys I got railroaded into sewing for my kids on Wednesday.

How? You ask? Why?

Well, it all started at 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

After going to sleep at 2:00 a.m. (long story, see here for some insight), I was awoken by Gril1, saying “I feel like I’m going to throw up.” She did. Repeatedly. Until 7:30 a.m. At which point, she promptly recovered completely, but of course I couldn’t send her to school after all that. Noooooo. She had to stay home.

And on Wednesday, I took a moment out of my day to download a few patterns for homemade plush toys as part of my non-Chinese-sweatshop Christmas gifts plan. (More to come on this plan…stay tuned!) Just at the moment that the picture of Wee Bunny came up on my screen, Girl1 happened by.

Well, of course she did!

And really, could you resist this?

Okay, okay, I know. Pika and Fashion Girl don’t compare to the original Wee Bunny, but they were for practice, okay?

Anyway, the point is, they talked me into cutting up some old curtains, clothes and whatnot and making – well – they named them: Pika and Fashion Girl.

Pika is for Girl1, and is named after a Pika (Girl1 lurves animals).

Fashion Girl is for Girl2, and is named after, ahhh…a fashion girl? Actually, there is a pattern of girls with ponytails on the flannel I used for the back panels of her bunny, so I guess (hope) that’s the inspiration for the name.

So that was Wednesday. And that was one possible Christmas present revealed, but the payoff was Girl1’s comment:

Mommy, homemade stuffies are the best, but they’re even better when your own Mom makes them for you

Awwww…here I go off to the sewing machine!