Another Present Finished

I finished another Christmas present this morning...These are the Tantilizing socks from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters book. They knit up quickly, maintaining my interest long enough to finish them! They are a men's size 7, knit on 2.5mm needles and using Colinette Jitterbug. I used nearly the whole skein!

Christmas Scarf/Shawl Finished

One of my SIL is nearly always cold. As such, she is a great candidate to receive hand knits for gifts. In my quest to knit something for every one, this year, I found 3 balls of Rowan's Tapestry on a good sale and my favorite LYS, Village Yarn and Tea. I really liked the look of the Double-Bordered Scarf with Diamond Borders Adapted from Weldon's by Jane Sowerby that is in the book Victorian Lace Today. I cast on for this project months ago, but with an inappropriate yarn. After about 1 repeat, I ripped it out and made a completely different pattern with that yarn. However, Tapestry was perfect for this project. I have decided not to block it before gifting it. I really love the look as it is and am a little afraid that there would be too much of a halo effect after a good wash and block. I cast on for this project on 11/7 and finished on 11/12! People always tell me that I am such a fast knitter, but this was so enjoyable that it almost seemed to knit itself. I used a dk weight yarn and size 9 (US) needles rather than the pattern's lace weight and size 3 or 4 needles. :)

Fingerless Mitts

These are knit from the Sourwood Mountain pattern from Fiddle Knits. I used Debbie Bliss Cashermerino DK which made for a very soft pair. They still need three buttons on each cuff. I am thinking of buying some round pearl buttons.

White Witch Mittens

One more Christmas present is finished. These are the White Witch Mittens made for my FIL's fiance. They were a relatively quick knit. I used Elann's Peruvian Highland Sport for 3 of the colors. The fourth is Dalegarn Falk. I couldn't get a light enough blue from Elann, so I found the Falk at Village Yarn and Tea. It was a little heavier, but came together quite well in the finished project.

My brothers mittens are completed and I have the fingerless mitts for my sil nearly finished, as well. Here are the finished mittens, Peekaboo. They have a large "buttonhole" in the palm of the hand to allow the fingers to poke out in case the full sense of touch is required for a task. I love them and hope that they fit him well. They are knit with Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK, which is quite soft and lovely.

Two Finished Christmas Presents!

Though I just blogged about the yarn 2 days ago, I actually received it over a week ago and have been enjoying knitting through it just as quickly as possible. As a result, I have 2 presents completely finished: a pair of socks for my dad and a scarf for my sister's husband. I have started 2 more, a pair of mittens for my youngest brother and an afghan for my mom. Each one is coming along quite well and I am excited to work on each one. I have one mitten completely done and 2 skeins (out of 14) done on the afghan. I have made something for everyone only once before and had such fun with it. I love to give hand made gifts and they like receiving them as well. The other year that I did this was 2 years ago and I had been knitting since February. This time, I did not decide to do it until about 2 weeks ago, and will have to push myself a little to get them all done. However, I am happy to do so. :)

Its been a while, but I'm still alive

Wow, it’s been a long time since I remembered to blog! I’ve been enjoying the Christmas holiday and all the snow we’ve had. Its perfect weather to pour on the hand knits! By the end of the day on Christmas we had over 10 inches of snow on the ground. (Nearly all of this is gone, now, but it was beautiful to look at for Christmas!) For the Seattle-area, that is very uncommon, but I enjoyed myself. I like to be at home, so being snowed in is nearly always a blessing rather than an annoyance, as it is for some. I finished a sweater for me, a pair of gloves for my mom, a scarf and hat for my sister in law, and crocheted a Pikachu for my nephew. The few gifts that I knit or crocheted this year were well received. I love to give a handmade gift that the receiver simply adores and I managed to accomplish this for this year.
During the last 2 nights, I’ve not knitted at all when I was home! My husband received Lego Star Wars and Lego Batman for Christmas, this year, and I’ve been playing with him. It has been fun, but when we finally quit for the night, it is difficult to believe that so much time has passed. I think that is why I usually knit rather than playing with him: I have something to show for it at the end of 2 hours or more! LOL
Now its “back to the grind-stone” as I have to work all 5 days this week! This is the first time I’ve done that since the first week of December, so I’m a little out of practice. :)

Its Done!

I finished Yosemite, this past weekend! It looks good, but I think I will give it just a hint of blocking with a little steam, before I wrap it up. I was working on this, yesterday, while I was with my mom. She says that it just looks like my SIL and that it should be perfect for her. I saw her the same day, and she was shivering she was so cold, so I'm sure this will be good for her as the yarn is worsted weight knit with size 5 needles and then cabled and ribbed, too, so the fabric feels nice and thick.
While I was with my SIL, I needed something else to knit (and the sleeve only needed to be bound off, so not much knitting left there.) I picked up Cambridge Jacket, again. I finished the first front and then started the second. Right now, I have this piece about half way to the arm hole bind offs. That's 10% of the sweater knitted in just over 1 day! I am now sure that this one will be done in time for Christmas. :)
I was also surprised by something yesterday. I was getting ready to leave my parents house and put on my Selbu gloves. The patterns on them are so beautiful and my mom was commenting on how nice they look. I smiled at her and said, "I might have made you a pair, but they come out best when knitted with wool." She is "allergic" to wool and so I figured that I'd hear, "Oh, well that's okay." Instead, she said, "Well, on my hands that might be alright. Can I try one on?" After trying it on, she said that she could wear them! I now have a smaller project that I should be able to make for her for Christmas. I love making those mittens, have yarn in my stash already and they don't take more than a couple days, if I concentrate solely on them.
Upon finishing Yosemite, I have an entire skein plus just a little more left over. This should be plenty to make my MIL a new hat. She is still dealing with being very cold all the time and has very little hair as a result of chemotherapy. The hat that she has been wearing is an old, yucky looking acrylic that bugs her. She won't wear it when she leaves the house, either. She needs something warm, so I'm thinking of knitting a cabled stocking cap that is rather plain around the edges. (ETA: I have been searching Ravelry for just the right pattern and think that I will probably knit this.) I knit a somewhat lacy hat out of a fuzzy yarn a couple years ago. It stretched out and then started to look matted. Since this yarn has a little wool in it, it should keep its shape, and since it is a smooth yarn, there should be no problems with matting. I plan to start it right after I finish Cambridge, however, I may take a short brake to make a mini sweater from Berroco's Minutia-08 pattern to take as my white elephant gift to my work Christmas party which is next week.

Christmas Meme

Saw this on the Knit for Joy and decided to join in on the fun. I'd love to see your answers, so if you decide to answer, leave me a comment so I can go read it!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
I like the look of wrapping paper better, but have some bags if I’m under a time crunch.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
Definitely a “real” freshly cut tree. One of our favorite traditions is to drive to the U-Cut lot and choose our own tree.

3. When do you put up the tree?
I like to put it up as soon as possible. Usually this is the Saturday after Thanksgiving or the next weekend.

4. When do you take the tree down?
Usually some time around the 1st of January.

5. Do you like eggnog?
Yes, but I like it “watered” down with whole milk.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
I have 2 that stick out in my mind, a 10-speed bicycle and a flute. I had been taking lessons on a fife and had finally grown enough so that my fingers could reach the keys on the real thing.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
The guys in my family. I have 3 brothers and a brother-in-law, along with my dad, father-in-law, and husband.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
My mom, sister and sisters-in-law.

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes, I collect them. I have one that my mom made for me taking the ceramic from green ware to finished product and several others that I have purchased over the years. I like to decorate my tree with various mini-nativities.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
My husband usually takes care of this and always mails them or hands them to people in person.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I had an aunt who never seemed to realize what age I really was. She would often give age inappropriate gifts, but was always so well meaning.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
I’m not sure. I like them, but some of the Santa Claus type movies get on my nerves after awhile.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
I am always on the look out for ideas. However, I do like to make my gifts, so I've been known to start knitting for Christmas gifts in January.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
I have only re-gifted an item when going to the parties at my work and church. There, we play a “White Elephant” game with the gifts and the whole point is to bring something nutty. However, my husband ended up with a used, but cleaned up, cat litter box one year!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Turkey. I like most of the “special” foods that are served for dinners like Thanksgiving and Christmas. I would have them more often, but they take so long to cook!

16. Lights on the tree?
Yes, of course! I like to use 600-800 white lights on our 6-7 foot tree.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
Any Christ-mas song. When the Christian radio stations start playing songs like Rudolph and Frosty, I switch the station. I don’t have anything against these songs, but enjoy others so much more and find that those “Winter Festival” songs just inappropriate for the Christian stations.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Home, for sure. Nearly all of my family lives within a hundred miles of my house!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
No.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Either. It just depends on what I decide to put there when finishing the decorating.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
We open gifts with my family on Christmas Eve as that is when we’re all together. Then, we open our gifts to each other on Christmas morning, following up with gifts at my in-laws in the afternoon.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
The commercialism. People should not need to fear for their lives if they work in retail or if they are standing in line to get into a store. This worry about getting the best stuff for cheap drives me nuts and most people don’t even really need the junk they buy any way!

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
I collect blue and purple glass ball ornaments for the tree. I have one set that has the names of God on them in Hebrew and in English. The gold calligraphy on the balls is so beautiful.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Turkey! ;)

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
I haven’t given it much thought. I know my husband and a couple others will want to know, though.

26. Lights, blinking or always on?Always on, always straight, and always white. I can appreciate the fancy stuff that others do with their decorating, but for my house, I like it very simple and elegant.

Feel free to copy this meme and make it your own!

Christmas is Coming

For a great reminder of what its all about (for me any way) go read Anni's blog post at http://annisknittingblog.blogspot.com/.

Christmas Knitting

I've recently begun my Christmas knitting. Last year, my family decided that it would be better to draw names rather than buying for everyone. (I have 4 siblings, 4 of the 5 of us are married and 2 have sons, so that's quite a few people!) They wanted to do it last year, but didn't tell me until I had some gifts completed already. So, they drew on Christmas Eve last year, for this year. I have my newest SIL. While I was looking through back issues of Knitty, I came upon the pattern for Yosemite. She even looks a bit like the model in the sweater, so I immediately thought of her. She is probably going to be living in the Philippines for most of next year, so I wanted a sweater made from cotton. This one is just perfect and the cables keep me from getting bored. I am also making rapid progress because she is a small size, and I am used to knitting an XL or larger, depending on the recipient. I began about 10 days ago and have about 9.25 inches finished. The sweater will be 13 inches when I start the armholes, so I'm getting close! :)

Since I can only work with cotton for a limited amount of time before my hand starts to hurt, I am also making noticeable progress on my Bohus Cardi. I just finished the second sleeve, yesterday and am anxious to start the yoke. I have a little ways to go before I'm ready to start the color work, but I do have to wait until at least Wednesday to start that part. I have ordered (online) another color of Cascade 220 that I could not find at my LYS. I have a deep blue-turquoise for one of the contrast colors and have ordered a pale yellow for the other. Both of these colors are part of the heathered green that I am using for the main color. I can hardly wait to see it all together!

My other projects have been hibernating. I still like them all, but have little motivation to work on anything but these 2 sweaters. LOL! I am also planning on knitting a sweater from No Sheep for You with the NaKniSweMo group on Ravelry. I ordered the yarn from Webs, when I ordered the yellow for my Bohus Cardi, so I'll have it in plenty of time to start with the group. I'm really hoping to finish the 2 projects above, first though! :)

Non-Christmas Knitting

About the time that I should be all finished knitting Christmas presents, I still have 1 gift to start! I grew tired of knitting slippers long, long before 3 pair were finished, let alone 4, so I think that I will make my dad a pair of socks rather than the slippers that I had intended. As I didn't have a gift for him, I made an extra large batch of gingerbread cookies, which he loves. I think he really liked them. The other many, many Christmas gifts that I knitted were all very appreciated and will be worn for a long time. This makes me so very happy. I received a voice mail from my sister, yesterday, saying that her son really likes the snowman sweater vest! I could hardly believe that she brought up that rather than the toy car that my husband bought for him.
About the time I tired of knitting slippers, I started to work on these socks for me. I finished them on Christmas and really like them.

More Christmas presents

I was at a loss as to what could be made for some of the men in my family. I decided on felted slippers. While at Village Yarn & Tea, last Saturday, I picked up enough for 4 pairs. The first is done. I felted them last night & this morning! While the pattern said that it needed 850 yards, I used only 660 (almost exactly I put the remaining yarn in the photo) and they're still HUGE! They should be a perfect match for the guy with the largest feet, FIL, with a size 13. The next 3 pairs, I plan to use the men's medium, instead of large so they're a little smaller. The yarn is Cascade 220, 3 skeins.

Christmas Questionare

I've copied this from Jen. It sounds like such a wonderful idea! :)

Welcome to the 'Christmas Edition' of getting to know your friends.Okay, here's what you're supposed to do and try not to be a SCROOGE!!!Just copy this entire email and paste into a new blank e-mail that you can send. Change all the answers so they apply to you.
Then, send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person who sent it to you. It's the season to be cheerful!!! :-)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? paper. I just love the look of many different gold and silver papers with big bows of 2 inch wide ribbon!
2. Real or Artificial tree ? Real, we’re going to cut one on Saturday
3. When do you put up the tree? This weekend. We usually try for the first weekend of December.
4. When do you take the tree down? Jan 1.
5. Do you like Eggnog? Yes, especially with a little extra nutmeg and thinned down with a little milk.
6. Favorite Gift you received as a child? A handmade quilt from my mom.
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Of course! I collect them, so I usually have a difficult time finding good places for them all.
8. Hardest person to buy for? the guys: Dad, FIL, and brothers
9. Easiest person to buy for? My mom & sister. Mom is easy to knit for and I can usually find something to buy/knit for my sister, too.
10. Worst Christmas gift ever received? Why would I want to remember that?
11. Christmas Cards...Snail mail or E-mail? You're supposed to send them? I usually start out with great intentions, but then just never finish. We see nearly all of our family members and friends during the season, as they all live in western Washington.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? White Christmas. Who doesn't like Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye? (Of course, the ladies are great, too.)
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? January. I had a couple of my gifts finished and wrapped in October.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Never the same year, but I have added to/changed something that was given me and re-gifted it.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Turkey.
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear. I like the sophistication that it gives the tree. My husband is always wanting all blue lights, but they just aren't very bright. Those usually go in the front window.
17. Favorite Christmas Song? Too many good ones to choose just one!
18. Travel at Christmas or Stay Home? All of our family is here, so the only travelling we do is the 5 miles or so to my parents on Christmas Eve and then to my in laws on Christmas Day.
19. Can you name Santa's Reindeer? Nope.
Do you have an Angel or a Star on top of your tree? Angel. I keep wanting to make one as I'm not too wild about the one we have now. All it takes is time! :)
21. Open the Presents Christmas Eve or Morning? Christmas Eve at parents and then at home and with in laws on Christmas Day.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Selfish consumerism and dissatisfaction with what people already have: me, me, me.
23. Shopping...mall or online? shop? Most of my gifts are knitted, so I just go to the stash or maybe the yarn store.
24. Do you decorate outside for Christmas or just inside (or at all?) Mostly inside. We live in a Condo and there really isn't anywhere that would be convenient to decorate outside.
25. Favorite Christmas cookie? I like to make sugar cookies with colored icing, but prefer to eat banana or zucchini bread.
26. Do you own Christmassy clothing or jewelry? No, mostly just dressy.
27. Do you believe in Santa? No.

2 FOs in one night!

I finished the Spiralling Socks. I decided to give them to my dh as a birthday gift, instead of Christmas. His birthday was last Wednesday, but we're having a family party with his parents tonight, so they're all wrapped and waiting to go. These were knit with Dream In Color Smooshy on US size 2 dpns.
I was on a little bit of a high, after finishing one of my oldest UFOs, so I finished up the Stulpen for my SIL's Christmas gift. The yarn is a little more blue than it seems to look in the picture. These were knit with Butternut Woolens Merino sock yarn on US size 3 needles.

After finishing 2 projects, woohoo, I started a new one. This is the Moss Grid Hand Towel from Mason Dixon, using Elann Camila on size 4 needles. The fabric is wonderfully drapey and soft. It also feels like it will be very absorbent which, of course, is desired in a hand towel.
I'm still working on the Lucy Top and have about 7 inches of the front knit. I've held it up to the back and the gauge seems to be going pretty well with the smaller needle. I may not love it, or working on it, but my mom saw it again and just couldn't say enough good about the softness of the yarn and the color. I'm sure she'll love it when its finished, too. Thanks for all the well wishes on the gauge for this one. Now, if I can just stay motivated to finish it!

Finally posting...

These past 2 months have been very busy, so I've not had time to post. There has been much knitting going on, as I knitted at least one item for each family member. I knit several pairs of gloves, socks and many scarves. As I love intricate details, most of the scarves had cables on them. I also knit Christmas stockings for my husband and I. This is something I've been wanting to do for the longest time, but simply haven't taken the time to do it until now. What finally made me choose a pattern was the opportunity to knit them with my online friends. Laura hosted the Mistletoes KAL, so I did get busy and work on these. However, they were barely finished in time for Christmas!

These were knit from the book Christmas Stockings: 18 Holiday Treasures to Knit. These are the "Hugs and Kisses Aran Stocking." I just loved it when I saw Firefly's completed stocking and decided that I, too, would knit this pattern.

Since Christmas, I've started many projects and will try to post some later on what I'm currently working on.