Snake puppet

I made the puppet for Alex to practice speaking. At first he loved it, but got bored with the whole learning thing pretty quickly. Now he's in the toy box waiting for Alex to rediscover the countless possibilities of a puppet.

You can find the FREE pattern here.

Kindle case

A proper case for my Kindle was long overdue. I never got around to buy one from Amazon, and since now I have the means to make a case myself, I did just that. It also provided a great opportunity to practice working with thread. I made a butterfly applique and a huge flower. I used the latter instead of an actual button. Now my Kindle is not only super cozy, but her new look is adorable.

You can find the FREE pattern here. The super cute flower's pattern can be seen here, also for FREE.

Bookmarks

Thais don't celebrate Christmas in their homes, but in school they do, as a way of learning of other cultures. So, I decided a gift was due for Alex's nurses. And since I had my hook and thread in my hands I made one for our Thai language teacher as well. This was my first thread project, and while it took some time to get used to the tiny hook, I'm happy with the result.

The pattern might seem a bit complicated at first, but after the second bookmark I knew it by heart and finished the rest quickly. You can find the FREE pattern on Ravelry.

Elephant hat

We celebrated this year's Christmas in Thailand in a very special way. We visited an elephant sanctuary near Chiang mai, Elephant Nature Park. They rescue these animals from people, who are unbelievably cruel to them. Most of the female elephants here had their legs or hips broken (in some cases both) as a result of too hard labor or enforced mating. Elephant Nature Park is a little piece of heaven for these creatures. They are practically free to roam the territory of the park and are also well fed. Many tourists go there to pet and feed them, there's even a volunteer option for those who want to help.

Walking among these magnificent animals is a one of a kind experience. There are a few simple rules to keep in mind, but the staff is extra careful too. Even small children are allowed. Our toddler son was in awe to see the elephants up close. He even touched one, although their skin is rough, so he did that only once. His favorite part was the bathing.

The park is on a mountain near Chiang mai city, and the weekend we visited was quite chilly, so Alex needed a hat. I didn't want to buy any, since I could make one to fit the event. And thus was this cute little hat made. The elephant applique is not part of the original pattern, but you can find it on Ravelry. And the hat's FREE pattern can be downloaded from Ravelry (although you'll have to do a quick sign up, if you're not a user yet).