Tag Archives: gifts

Christmas Knitting

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I’m feeling much better today (thanks for all the advice!), and hopefully I’ll keep up the streak of no-headaches for a while.

It’s cool (40s and 50s) and rainy outside, and the leaves are all changing.  So, obviously it’s the time for me to start making my Christmas plans!What?  You’re not a total Type-A planner like me?  Crazy!

Usually, I plan out Christmas gifts (and really, Christmas Knitting) super early- like, over the summer early.  But, I’ve decided to do something truly shocking this year.

I’m. Not. Knitting. Anything.

I swear!

(OK, I am making one small gift because it was specifically requested, and I made a promise.)

Every year I spend months knitting at top speed to make it to December 25th- I make sweaters, I make socks, I make mittens and hats and stockings.  And, they totally stress me out.

This year, I’ve got a bunch of work knitting that’s keeping me busy, and really, I just want to sit back, relax, drink some peppermint cocoa and enjoy the holiday season.  (And maybe selfishly make myself a few dozen more Christmas Balls.)That’s not to say that no one will be getting knit gifts.  You remember my stash of finished objects, right?  There’s nothing to say that someone won’t be receiving a nice scarf that I worked up in March, or a pair of socks from January.  I’ve got people in mind for a bunch of my finished projects, and I’m sure they’ll be excited to get them.  And, for people that aren’t getting anything knitted… well, that’s what shopping is for!

I’m just excited that I’m not going to have to worry about knitting my fingers to the bone, racing the clock (and Santa) to get everything done before Christmas!

Do you have any big plans for your holiday/Christmas knitting?

Panic

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Now that we’ve got Thanksgiving out of the way, it’s time to hit that Panic Button.panic-buttonYup. It’s one month from Christmas.  I’m going to go finish the Thanksgiving dishes, then I’m going to sit down for the next four weeks to knit.  Wish me luck.

Pattern Spotlight: Socks by the Numbers

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Woo!  We made it through Christmas! That can mean only one thing!  No, silly, not that you need bigger pants.  And, no, not that we can put away the tinsel.  It means that I can actually show you guys all the socks that I made for gifts this year!  Finally!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnd, here’s the big secret:  They’re all made using my “Socks by the Numbers” pattern.  It’s free and available here:

 Socks by the Numbers

This pattern is hardly even a pattern, it’s more of a recipe.  You plug in your gauge and the size of the foot you’re trying to fit, and away you go.  I show you how to do the math, so you’re free to play with color, texture, and stitches, all the while making an perfectly-fit top-down sock with a heel flap.

Now, to the socks!

I made a pair of lovely burnt-orange socks for my father-in-law with a pretty cool all-over basket-weave stitch of knits and purls.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAMy mother-in-law got a pair of adorable ice-blue socks, decorated with a lace pattern modified from a vintage stitch dictionary.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAMy dad got a pair of utilitarian socks with simple ribbed cuffs, perfect for Chicago winters in a really nice shade of brown-gray.  (Trust me, in real life, the yarn is kind of cool and heathered.)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAMy brother got a goofy pair of black-and-yellow fraternal-twin socks.  Because he’s my brother, and he’s a little goofy.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnd my husband got a pair of socks in sapphire blue with just enough ribbing at the cuffs and down the sides to make them interesting.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWoo!  Socks for everyone!  (OK, not quite everyone, but “Socks for everyone” sounds a whole lot better than “Socks for about three-quarters of the people on my list.”)  And, with my Socks by the Numbers pattern, I was able to work up perfectly-fitting, customized socks without any problem!

Did you have a go-to gift for everyone on your list this year?

Inspiration: Last Minute Gifts

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We’re in the home stretch, folks!  So, today, I’m highlighting a few (FREE!) patterns for last-minute gifts from yours truly.

If you’ve got a week until Christmas, think about knitting up a Lazy Susan Beanie.  Worked in the round with worsted-weight yarn, this little hat goes super quickly.  And, the clever spiral stripe technique creates jog-less joins with virtually no effort.  Try knitting one up in your nephew’s favorite colors, or your cousin’s school colors.

P8265286_medium2[1] Get the pattern here:  Lazy Susan Beanie

What’s that? You’ve only got the weekend?  Maybe try working up a Cabled Coffee Sweater!  These use just a fraction of a skein of yarn, so you probably have plenty hanging around your stash.  After all, everyone likes coffee!  (Or is that just Seattle?)

coffee_sleeve_medium2[1]Get the pattern here:  Coffee Sweater

Oh no!  You’ve only got a half hour?  Well, then you’ve got to break out your scrap yarn, glue and toothpicks and make yourself a WIP Ornament.  With a total of only about 50 stitches, these ornaments knit up in literally no time.  And they’re so cute!

PB175734_medium2[1]

Get the pattern here:  WIP Ornaments

What is your go-to last-minute gift pattern?

A Christmas Eve Gift to You

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If you’re anything like me, you’re probably trying to finish up some last-minute gift knitting.  Maybe it’s 11:00 on Christmas Eve, and everyone else is tucked up warm and snug in their beds, and you’re frantically knitting and purling.  Maybe the house is quiet and still, except for the furious click-click of your US2’s as you try to finish turning that last sock heel.  Maybe all you want to do is drink some eggnog and watch the Muppet Christmas Carol.

I understand.  Believe me.  (The Muppet Christmas Carol is great.)

I have a solution:

Stop knitting.

Just stop knitting, and wrap up your WIP, needles and all, and put it under the Christmas tree with one of these specially-made gift tags:

tag2or:

tag1or maybe:

tag3Then go pour yourself a big glass of eggnog (with a generous helping of rum… it’s the holidays after all).

Get the printable .pdf here:

Christmas Tags

Three Months

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(Sung to the tune of “Christmas is Coming”)

Christmas is coming

My list is getting full.

Please knit a sweater

From my bag of wool.

If you cannot knit a sweater,

A simple hat will do.

If you cannot knit a simple hat,

Then god bless you!

032ce3630d50f0a28cfbdd01681a791b[1](In case it wasn’t clear, this is my round-about way of reminding you that we have three months until Christmas.  I’ve got to get knitting!)

Pattern: Sunday Morning Slipper Socks

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAPour yourself a cup of tea, pull out a favorite book, and slip on these thick and cozy socks for the perfect lazy Sunday morning.  Delicate lace flows from the leg to the top of the foot, making these super-warm slippers surprisingly girly and flattering.  They’re thick enough to be extra-cozy, but thin enough to leave on when you slip on your clogs and run to the store for some fresh doughnuts.  Worked in wooly DK-weight yarn and larger-than-normal needles, these socks knit up in a snap, so you have time to make a pair for yourself, your mother, your sister and your best friend.

See the pattern details on Ravelry.

Or, get the pattern here for $3: 

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Inspiration: Awesomely Bad or Just Plain Awesome Christmas Gifts

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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]Or, you could knit him a super fabulous seed stitch one. (Knit Necktie by Lion Brand Yarn)

MyPicture__1__medium[1]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]Or, you could transform a stuffed animal into a Chia Pet like this poor, scared-looking slug.completed[1]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]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]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]

A Super Exciting Post About Yardage and Budgets

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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.

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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.

December is Gift-cember

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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.