Sunday, December 5, 2010

#49 - OFF THE NEEDLES

'Tis the season of gift knitting. Stressful, blasted gift knitting. I always make the fatal error of planning to knit far too many holiday gifts. Then, add a few commissions onto the pile and I'm in over my head. If I was wise, I'd start in August, but no, I wait until around Thanksgiving for the insanity to begin. Nonetheless, I'm attempting to pare down this year's list - small knits, in mostly chunky yarns, with very simple patterns. So unless you're willing to spend 80 hours on a gift for me and are patient enough to wait until February to receive your Christmas present, don't expect a lace shawl this year.

Ravel it!

But of course, I'm breaking my own ground rules straightaway. I knitted another Brambles, this time for a dear friend, in Cascade Eco Duo, which is an alpaca and merino blend. This time, I modified the beret by adding additional slouch and a faux buttonband.





It turned out cute and cozy, with a slight halo from the alpaca. I'm a tight knitter, so the loose twist on this yarn caused it to be a bit splitty for me, but the yarn is incredibly soft, so I'm willing to overlook it. I'm on a bit of a jag with this pattern, as I'm planning on knitting yet another one for myself with some extra slouch for the chilly months that are upon us.


Luckily, I'm back on track with my plans - knitted up an Anthropologie-inspired scarflet for a family member's xmas present. This is done in Rowan Big Wool, and seriously, can Rowan just start producing awful, scratchy yarns? Maybe then I'd have a little more money in my bank account because this stuff was just a pleasure to knit. I really like the texture in this, and it was a fairly straightforward pattern. The scarflet still needs a little blocking to loosen up the stitches, but I think you get the idea with this photo. This will be super warm for the upcoming winter season.


Do you make gifts during the holiday season or just stick to shopping? If you do, what are your favorite gift patterns? I need some more ideas asap!

Until next time, happy knitting!!
xx

11 comments:

Maiden Jane said...

Oh I just love your Brambles - adorable!

Unknown said...

That hat is fantastic... I may just have to make it myself! I'm just learning to knit so my enthusiasm is definitely greater than my skill, but I've decided to just jump in and learn from my mistakes!

I really enjoy your blog (and your tumblr!)... thanks for the great posts.

Julie

love2stitch said...

My go to for quick to make gifts are cowls (love moebius - short and long; really fast with chunkier yarn too) and fingerless mitts - just modify them by changing pattern (e.g. inspiration can come from sock patterns...). These are my two cents :-)

PS: I am lucky that a lot of my gift receivers are overseas... so I use the excuse of just running late to mail things out as I never get all gifts done in time by Xmas... similar to you only by Thanksgiving I realise that the holidays are less than a month away.

abigail said...

beautiful hat!
I can't believe how fast Christmas is coming. I have a lot of work to do!

Allison said...

Beautiful hat! I'm in the middle of knitting a vest in chunky yarn to supposedly be ready for xmas. I'm actually taking a break from knitting it right now!

Anonymous said...

both the hat & scarf are fabulous! i really must give the Brambles pattern a whirl soon...

AC said...

This sounds exactly like me every Xmas. I think I can do sooooo much. I'm thinking about just giving people cards saying I'll knit them something, and then let them help pick it out....therefore buying myself more time to work!

weekend knitter said...

Beautiful scarf and yarn! I like your blog too.

I buy some, knit some for Christmas usually. My fave knits to give are things done quickly like the Weekend Knitting fingerless mitts or treasure bags (all kinds and I love the Twisted Sisters version) with stuff in them like trinkets and nail polishes and lip glosses (lots of girls/women). Dishcloths and scarves. Boys get knit hats with cool t-shirts from wherever I get them.

Marushka C. said...

Your projects are beautiful!

I decided to knit only a few gifts this year, but then last week I made one trip to the mall (so many people! cars! lights! noise!) and now I'm thinking that knitting gifts is less stressful than going out to buy them. Maybe I can mingle gift projects into my knitting year-round and have kind of a stockpile to give away at the holidays, birthdays, etc.?

Highland Monkey's said...

What lovely items. The recipients will be chuffed to bits. I know I'd love to receive any one of these.

Batty said...

Both Brambles and the neck tie thingie turned out beautiful!

This was the first year I managed to finish all Christmas gifts in time to be sent out. My sister's birthday gift, on the other hand... yeah, that one still isn't done.