Since becoming a mother, I’ve enjoyed upping my crochet game. I went from making a few little stuffed animals to making hats, mittens, socks, and sweaters.

I started crocheting sweaters for each of my kids every Yule, but as they grow, it’s gotten harder and harder, so I started alternating years. Sweater years are rigorous. I try to start early and get them done as well as I can.

This year, thankfully, was a stuffed animal year. Yet, since I like to challenge myself, I just haaaaad to make a couple of sweaters. The toddler is little, so making hers was so fun. I came up with the design myself, and I think it is darling!

My husband has joked for years that he’s never gotten one, and this year, he was invited to join an ugly sweater contest, so I was up for the task.

I attempted to make him a Mothman Christmas sweater with a face on the front and wing outline on the back. It’s hilarious, and it fits him so well he’s already worn it a bunch.

The stuffed animals got pushed back by the lengthy process of making a man’s sweater. It was a beast that had to have so many stitches ripped out and redone.

Time is an enemy when you’re making gifts. Yet I was determined to finish. And most of the toys came out nicely.

My five-year-old’s green elephant is awesome.

My seven-year-old’s phoenix turned out okay… not my best, but still fun.

My 13-year-old’s pigeon looked horrible during the crochet process, but I love how it came together. It’s very piegony. Weird but cute.

This is probably the last year I’ll do a stuffed animal for my eldest, for various reasons. Mainly, because of this…

It’s supposed to be a wolf or a husky. The pattern I found lied to me. It seemed a little off at first, but I can usually save a pattern if it goes awry. Unfortunately, this was just a horrid awfulness. I feel like I was trolled by a pattern. It was so very off from what it said it would make that I’ll have trust issues for years. I just know it haha

But my teenager loves weird things. I showed it to her before our Yule celebration while finishing it in the middle of the night. She had woken up for some water, and we had a good laugh. She was like: I can’t tell if this is a dream or not.

To which I replied: It’s more like a nightmare.

Yet, the crochet gifts continue, and mostly, mostly, turn out very nice.