Everything's Turning up Yellow

Last week my Aunt Betty asked me if my "White Elephant" game that I put together every year was really called a "Yellow Elephant."  After looking at my studio this weekend, I have decided that it should indeed be called a "Yellow Elephant."

For those of you in the know, this should excite you that there are many hand-made gifts to come.  For those of you not in the know, I make/buy "bee" or "banana" themed items for the Quilt Bee almost every year.  I'd started working on one great secret several months ago.  I will finish it tonight (even if I have to stay up until midnight to do so). 

I was all excited about almost finishing this and went to look at my little stash to see what I'd created and how many more things I needed to get.  Well, the news was kind of sad, actually.  I, who thought I was almost done, was shocked to see that I only had 5 items, 6 if you pushed it, and I wasn't willing to do that.  4 of those items are hand-made, one of them is just hilarious, the other is adorable. 

And since:

• I was going back to the drawing board,
• had just finished with the major secret conspiratorial project (which is coming along most adorably I'm proud to say now that it's out of my hands), 
• was about to finish my most recent weaving project, and 
• weaving projects move along fairly quickly considering,

I decided that all the gifts this year would be hand-made.  *(Editors note:  This is a very typical Leslie reaction to things.)

I started pulling yarns from all over the place, seeing yellow things in places I didn't know they existed.  In 15 short minutes I had pulled all the yarn I want to use, was VERY excited to see that I didn't need to buy anything and had loosely (read: in my head) planned out 8 more projects for the bee this year.  That means that EVERYONE will get a hand-made gift, some better than others, but all handmade.  Isn't that just the coolest thing ever.

Now we'll see if I can pull it off without losing my mind again.  2011-2012 will go down as the year of weaving for the bee.  But it's SEW worth it considering that this year is our 20th!

All that means that I won't be able to show actual photos of my projects in progress on the loom.  I'll have to start showing more knitting, or old projects because these are going to bee top banana secret!

Today's picture is of the scarf that I just finished the moment after I took it off the loom.  Weaving on the loom has a sort of "ugly duckling" quality to it.  One of the scariest things a first time weaver does is cut the project from the loom.  It's sort of like the moment of delivery.  Here is this thing that you've put lots of sweat and energy into:  Will it live up to your dreams?  BUT once cut from the loom, the fabric starts to show its beauty.  This one was washed, attacked by the cat (no damage thank goodness), and is now safely stowed away in a bag to send to its new owner.  I'll have pics of it finished on my next post.