Imagine this: You are going to a party, and you know that there will be a gift-exchange. You don’t have time to go to the store. Also, you’re broke. You know the other guests at the party will all bring crazy-fancy gifts and you don’t want to be shown up. And, did I mention, you leave in fifteen minutes?
I think it’s a time to make WIP Ornaments!
These are super fast, super easy and super cheap (in fact, you probably have everything you need in your craft bin right now).
Get the pattern here:
I get this question all the time: “I don’t knit, but my buddy does. What does he want for Christmas?”
My usual response is: “Well, what does he like to make?”
And their answer is usually: “I donno.”
Super. Really helpful.
Obviously, if you know the kind of project that your knitting friend likes to make, get them a gift that speaks to that interest (sock yarn for a sock knitter, lace weight yarn for a lace knitter… this isn’t rocket science).
But, if you really don’t know, here’s my standard answer, because every knitter can find a use for it:
-2 or 3 skeins of NICE medium weight yarn in the recipient’s favorite color, or a color that they wear a lot. (Go to a fancy, independent yarn store, if there’s one in your area. Spend 10 or more dollars per skein. Pick out something pretty and soft. Bonus points if the label says “mohair,” “cashmere,” or “merino”)
And then, if you have extra money burning a hole in your pocket, pick one or more of the following:
-Fancy knitting needles (get the size that is recommended on the yarn’s label)
-Buttons (6 or more in a coordinating color to go with the yarn, no smaller than a half inch, no bigger than an inch and a half. Tiny and gigantic buttons are harder to find a use for.)
-A project bag (These are usually draw-string or zippered fabric bags about the size of a piece of printer paper, and they’re used to carry around half-finished projects. I’ve yet to meet a knitter who has enough project bags, me included) If you sew, might I recommend the Fat Quarter Project Bag?
-A pattern printout or flier that uses the yarn you picked out (but make sure you buy enough yarn to complete the project, if you do this.) Or, a knitting book. Take a few minutes to look through the knitting section at the book store, and pick out one that has patterns that your knitter friend might wear.
-Other fancy notions (decorative stitch markers, fancy scissors, a cute measuring tape, etc. Knitters love pretty things. We’re like magpies.)
Wrap up everything you bought, and be the king (or queen) of Christmas!
Christmas isn’t Christmas without terrible, terrible presents. Or at least terrible presents “as seen on TV.” You could just buy your friends’ gifts from TV, or the local CVS Pharmacy, but that would be too easy. You are a hand-knitter. You over-complicate projects. You spend too much time thinking about things that normal people don’t even know exist. You make things difficult for yourself.
Let’s knit bad TV-infomercial gifts.
You could give your father an always-classy Christmas tie.
![images_w22_image2_ties-xmas[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/images_w22_image2_ties-xmas1.jpg)
Or, you could knit him a super fabulous seed stitch one. (Knit Necktie by Lion Brand Yarn)
![MyPicture__1__medium[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/mypicture__1__medium1.jpg)
How about the perennial classic, Chia Pet (which I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen in real life, and I honestly kind of want)?![81vPzG13LRL._SL1500_[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/81vpzg13lrl-_sl1500_1.jpg)
Or, you could transform a stuffed animal into a Chia Pet like this poor, scared-looking slug.![completed[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/completed1.jpg)
And, of course, there’s always the epitome of laziness/the most genius invention ever (that I would totally wear the hell out of if I had one): The Snuggie.![41DW7GnBa-L[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/41dw7gnba-l1.jpg)
But why wrap yourself in polyester fleece from the drug store, when you could be wrapped in knitted woolen comfort? (Wrap-ghan (knit) FP5826 by Bernat Design Studio)![image_4044_medium[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/image_4044_medium1.jpg)
And, don’t forget Barbie. Because after hours of princess-ing/veterinarian-ing/lounging by the pool/whatever else Barbie does these days, there’s nothing Barbie wants to do more than curl up on her hard plastic furniture in a pink Snuggie. (Fashion Doll Snuggle Up with Sleeves by Marianne Forrestal)![WR1926_doll_snugglet_medium[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/wr1926_doll_snugglet_medium1.jpg)
Yarn does not grow on trees (if only… that would be amazing. Scientists: get on that). And there are only so many hours in the day. It’s still relatively early in December, but you are probably starting to feel the pinch. Obviously, knitting big projects takes more time than knitting little projects (because… duh), so banging out a sweater in two weeks (while that would be amazing) is probably not going to happen.
When I want to make someone a knitted gift, my usual go-tos are knitted accessories: hats, mittens/gloves, and scarves. Accessories are always useful, appreciated, don’t usually need to be washed (and potentially ruined), and are small enough that you can finish a project in the time it takes to watch a Sunday marathon of Law & Order.
I’ve undertaken a semi-scientific* study of some of the knitted accessories I have sitting in a box in my closet. I wanted to see about how much yarn I used in each project, but I didn’t want to unravel everything and measure it out (because I’m not a masochist). Instead, I broke out the kitchen scale and weighed each item, which will let me estimate of how much yarn each type of project requires.
After much data collection and number crunching**, here’s what I found out:
A hat uses approximately the same amount of yarn as a pair of mittens. ***
A scarf uses about 2 to 3 times as much yarn as a hat or a pair of mittens.
So, if you’re trying to save money, time, and yarn, try making a gift hat. If you’re feeling generous, how about a nice long scarf?
*Not at all scientific.
**I measured three of each item all knit with worsted-ish yarn (three pairs of mittens, three scarves, three hats) and averaged the weights.
***Note: my mittens were knit at a slightly finer gauge than my hats and scarves. So while they may weighed the same, the mittens used more yardage, and probably took more time to knit up.
My porch was icy this morning when I went out to the car, and it’s dark by 3:30 in the afternoon. That can mean only one thing: Christmas is coming!
And, if Christmas is coming, then gifts are coming, too. So, I’m going to dedicate the blog from now until Christmas to everything knitting and gift-related.
Here are a couple of topics we’re going to cover, just to get you excited:
-Gifts for people who knit (your mom, your nephew, your great-aunt Phyllis or that dude who knits socks on the train that you take in to work in the morning)
-Knitted gifts for people who don’t knit (but appreciate the work that goes into a pair of mittens. If they won’t appreciate your mittens, then they get a gift card to Amazon.)
-Gift inspiration (Giftspriation? No. That’s too cutesy, even for me.)
-Yarn-related gift wrapping (cooler than it sounds.)
So, slide up a chair, pour yourself a mug of hot apple cider, wrap a blanket around your shoulders (and pull on some wool socks, a hand-knit sweater or two, maybe a hat, and don’t forget the fingerless mitts… I’m cold, can’t you tell?) and get ready for a month-long gift-giving extravaganza!
*If you’re not one for the whole “Christmas” thing, that’s OK too. Don’t worry, I’m not going to get all religious on you (although I can’t promise there won’t be a Rudolph or two in the following posts). Everyone gives gifts at some point, or at least gives gifts to themselves from time to time, so you’ll probably (hopefully) be able to find something useful here in December.
I love knitting gifts for other people, but there are only so many hours in the day, and so many yards of yarn in my stash. So what’s a girl to do? How about making Turkish Bed Socks for all your friends. These ankle socks are a great compromise between being a quick little project, and producing something beautiful and useful.
They make great gifts, since they’re one-size-fits-most (even I, with my big man feet, can fit into them if I add a few extra rows in the foot part, but that’s easy to do). They’re nice for bumming around the house and keeping your tootsies warm, and they look really cute peeking out of clogs or Converse sneakers.
And, a pair of these socks takes only a fraction of the amount of yarn that regular socks take to work up. I managed three pairs of these from one 100g skein of sock yarn. A bargain, if you have to manufacture a bazillion of these.
Also, while the pattern is written as a simple stockinet stitch sock, they suggest that you work your favorite cable, rib, textured, or lace pattern on the top of the foot, which can make each pair unique, and will keep you interested while you knit them up.
So, if you’re looking for a stocking stuffer, try making up some Turkish Bed Socks.
I must have mentioned at some point that I’m a huge Harry Potter nerd. It’s true. And I’m not one bit ashamed of it. I’ve probably read through the books at least five or six times. I even dressed up with my friends to go to the midnight release of one of the last book. Then we all sat up until dawn reading. Good times.
One of my nerdier purchases (which is saying something), is my well-used copy of Charmed Knits, by Alison Hansel. It’s an unofficial Harry Potter knitting book, and it is utterly delightful.
![charmed_knits_h_sm[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/charmed_knits_h_sm1.jpg)
If you’ve read the books, you know that Mrs. Weasley knits sweaters for each of her seven children every Christmas. And, if you’re a knitter, you know what an undertaking that must be (even with the help of magic!). It’s one of the ways she demonstrates how much she loves her family and how much pride she takes in protecting them.
![harry79034[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/harry790341.jpg)
In Charmed Knits, Alison Hansel has two patterns. One pattern is for a full-sized Weasley sweater (with sizes running from toddler all the way up to adult XXL). The other is for a miniature, Barbie-doll sized sweater. She suggests bending a bit of wire into a teensy coat hanger to turn your tiny sweater into a Christmas ornament. (It’s pretty much the most adorable thing ever.) I’ve made both the full sized sweater (minus the big double-stitched letter on the front; I’m a nerd, but not that much of a nerd) and at least a half dozen mini sweaters.
(This is a mini-Weasley sweater I made for my friend Kate’s Harry Potter-themed 29th birthday party. Also pictured, a felt Mimbulus mimbletonia and a scroll with a magic incantation. Like I said, I’m a nerd.)
The coolest thing about these two patterns? They are constructed in exactly the same way. So, if you’re worried about making your first sweater, why not try knitting up a mini Weasley sweater first, to see how everything fits together before you go? The two patterns are great beginning sweater patterns; simple, and knit at a largish gauge to make the projects go quickly.
So go find a copy of Charmed Knits, and make your family some sweaters for Christmas.
But what do you make for someone who is super picky about clothes, or someone whose size you don’t know? Try making decorations. These ornaments are fun and quick to make, and will be appreciated by everyone (or, if the recipient doesn’t like them, they only have to put them out once a year). Start knitting away, and before you know it, you’ll have enough to cover a tree!
Balls Up! By General Hogbuffer
Yarn Basket Ornament by Scarlet Taylor
Deck the Balls by Sonia Ruyts
Stjarna by Karolina Eckerdal
Kids are great. You can make all sorts of ridiculous stuff for them to wear, and they’ll do it! If you made a hat shaped like a fish and gave it to your sister-in-law to wear, she’d probably look like you were a tiny bit insane. If you gave the same fish hat to your kid brother, you might just win Christmas. Here are some fun knits for kids’ Christmas gifts:
Fish Hat [Dead or Alive?] by Thelma Egberts
Pocket Ted by Frankie Brown
Owlet by Kate Davies
Baby Alligator Scarf by Morehouse Designs
We can’t forget about the dudes! Sometimes they’re a little harder to knit for, since they (typically) don’t go for fancy lace and pompoms and such. But, here I’ve dug up some pretty neat (and manly!) projects for the guys in your life:
Bus Hat by Kylie McDonnell-Wade
Handsome Scarf by Spilly Jane
Modified Army Gloves by Selyn Birnbaum
Socks With Pints On by Spilly Jane
On the Needles 