Happy Thanksgiving

Well it is certainly not the Thanksgiving we've come to expect but there are certainly many reasons to be thankful this year.

I've decided to start being better about documenting my holiday projects so I can go back and remember what I made when. With that in mind I'm creating holiday posts that help me go back and search out projects that might be repurposed for a new cause.

I made these on Thanksgiving but I added it because I wanted to have it here as a reference when I went to see what I made in future years.

For all of you who stop here I wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving.

Apple Pie

This is the last item headed into the Thanksgiving box for 2020. I have a couple of items for my house to finish for the holiday but then it is on to Christmas.

Of all the pie patterns I've worked with this is one of my favorite sets because it adds a bit of fun to the play because kids can put the pies together. The pattern includes a pattern for the apple pie, a pumpkin pie, and a berry pie. You can purchase the pattern here.

I made this pie many years ago for another family member and some things stuck with me about what I'd do differently if I tried it again. First the pie is large and storing all this food can be a challenge, so bringing down the size to a more manageable pie plate was a goal. The second thing I remembered from my previous experience is that the acrylic yarn didn't hold the shape of this pie very well because it isn't stuffed. The idea is that the child can "make" the pie by putting the pieces together. I found the acrylic yarn was a bit floppy when I made this the first time and I wasn't completely pleased with the experience.

I've been experimenting more with cotton sport yarn and thought it would be interesting to try that yarn for this project to see if it would provide more stability for the pieces. I used a Omega Sinfonia cotton sport yarn for this project with a C hook. I am pleased with the substitution and will stick with it if I come back to this pie pattern again.

I've preordered a book due out in December with more food patterns and kitchen accessories that I'm hoping to try out to add to future boxes. We will see what happens. For now I need to finish my Thanksgiving projects because I really need to get the Christmas box ready to ship.

Mini Cherry Pie

This is the last in the series of mini pies I'll be making for the Thanksgiving box. You can find the free pattern here.

I'm still planning on at least one more pattern for the box and a couple of house decorations for Thanksgiving before moving on to my Christmas projects. I do need to get this box out in the mail for it to arrive to be of much use for Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Pie

I've been working through this series of free mini pie patterns to add to the Thanksgiving box. These patterns work up quickly and make cute play food for kids to play with during the holiday season and long after. You can find the free pumpkin pie pattern here.

This pattern is made with a variety of brands of worsted weight yarn and a g hook.

Mr. Pilgrim

I always intended to finish the couple so here is Mr. Pilgrim made from the same pattern set as Mrs. Pilgrim. You can purchase the pattern set here.

The original pattern calls for worsted weight acrylic yarn, I chose to use cotton sport yarn and a C hook. You might recognize the hair it was left over yarn from the turkey hot pad.

I really do love little people style ami patterns for my holiday boxes. I think they give a fun festive feel for the holidays. I was quite disappointed when Fisher Price stopped selling their holdiay versions. So, it is up to me to keep the traditon going.

That being said I do need to get this Thanksgiving box finished as I need to get started on the Christmas box and I have a couple more Thanksgiving items for my own home I want to get finished.

Mini Blueberry Pie

I keep running across fun little projects to add to the play food I'm sending in this year's Thaksgiving package. You can find the free pattern for this mini blueberry pie here.

This pattern works up quickly. I reversed the direction of the top of the pattern to get the bumps to work the way I wanted them. The pattern calls for a size 7 hook. Instead of digging for my 7 I just went up to a size H hook.

Turkey Legs

I'm continuing work on my Thanksgiving crochet food. DH's favorite part of the Thanksgiving dinner is the turkey legs. It seemed fitting to add some to the Thanksgiving play food part of the package I'm sending out.

I've been having fun looking through AmiguruMe Eatsand this first turkey leg pattern comes from that book. As I've mentioned previously this book does discuss scents but you can easily make these projects as normal amigurumi food projects without the scents if you choose to do so as I have without any issue. For those interested in scents there are directions.

When possible even when making the same item I love to try different patterns. I've never thought items had to be identical. The second pattern is a free pattern you can find here.

While both legs were made with the same worsted weight yarn they are different sizes as the first was made with a D hook and the second with an E hook. The construction styles were different and I enjoyed playing with both designs.

There are larger patterns out there for turkey legs like this free one here that I looked at when thinking about food to include in the Thanksgiving box. However, space can be an issue when kids start acquiring play food. Sometimes small isn't a bad thing.

Thanksgiving Finger Puppets

The Thanksgiving box went out with Thanksgiving finger puppets and some fun Thanksgiving books. The finger puppets are quick to crochet and they make fun little toys to distract a little one on during the long cooking time on Thanksgiving day. For those of you interested in the free patterns you can find the female Pilgrim here, the male Pilgrim here,and the turkey here.

Thanksgiving Crochet Baby Bib

People may wonder why document so long after an event, well honestly if I look back at the stuff I've done several years ago, I'm often amazed at what I did. I might have thought I'd never have forgotten THAT project, but sure enough with time it faded and it is a wonderful feeling to go back and see what I did accomplish, sometimes cringing, but for the most part happy to see what I did and how I've grown. What frustrated me about the Thanksgiving box is I didn't get pictures of most of it. I sent out this bib along with Pete and Patty Pilgrim and the Pilgrim Girl Lovey. I also made the original Christmas version that I adapted to make this Thanksgiving bib from when I couldn't find one I liked. You can purchase that pattern here. For those who are interested I used Knit Picks cotton for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was affordable and works up nicely for kids bibs.