This year, I made Mark a “First Christmas” bird, just like I’ve made for many of his girl cousins and his little boy cousin too.

made from this PurlBee tutorial

Nik is always cold (while I’m always hot) so I made him some mini-heating pads (filled with feed corn) for heating in the microwave.  They’re about 3″ square.

cool story about the tartans – I traveled in England/Scotland/Ireland/Wales for two months in the fall of 1999 (after I graduated from college).  While on that trip, I found remnant pieces of gorgeous wool tartan fabric.  I’ve never done anything with it because most of it is only 3-4 inches wide.  Finally, I found the perfect project for it!  It’s wonderfully fine, soft wool, perfect for helping keep hands warm.