Staying in with Games and Friends

I am knitting between moves for our game night to celebrate New Year's Eve. I am not a big partyier and especially not if I would have to leave the house. It is safer, warmer and less dressy when I do it at home.

I hope everyone is celebrating safely and to their own preference this evening~!

Begin New Projects or After the Holiday Rush

My next BIG project is gnome hats in the granite stitch. I found this pattern in Knitting Today Dec2011/Jan 2012 issue and will be knitting them out of Red Heart SuperSaver for a February event. I have 10 to knit by Feb 1. Here we go!

The first one, pictured here, is done per the pattern without the double knit brim, however for this use it is too small. So, I have gone up to a size 9US needle and am trying it again. This RH yarn is heavier than some and needs some more room to make a decent stitch definition. So far, I think this might be the right combination.

I hope so because I still have 10 to knit and the clock is ticking. I hope everyone has fun projects to start the year~!

A Little More Christmas

I had a little more Christmas to celebrate at the folks this week. We watched the new TV and took delivery of mom's new comfy recliner.

I finished the IOU handwarmers so they could be gifted when I got home. As you can see, the "pawprint" is a handy thing to have when measuring for the length of the finished fingerless mitts.

All in all, this has been a fabulous holiday season. I hope yours was a well~!

The Day After

Today will be spent reorganizing and making lists of things that have to be finished by year-end.

And possibly doing a little bit of resting, like my sister's big kitty, Brady, is doing in front of the fire yesterday. Doesn't he look peaceful?

I hope everyone has time to rest and relax today~!

Merry Christmas!

May you enjoy the season with family and friends, rest and eat lots, drink eggnog and jingle all the bells you find.

Life is about the little things and the time spent with loved ones.

Reflections of the Season

Glitter glue, yarns of every hue,

Needles clicking, clock is ticking.

Now its done, let the fun begin,

Need a nap, it's a wrap.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas or whatever holiday version you celebrate, and a Happy, Healthy New Year~!

Done! Until Next Year

Whew! I am done with gift knitting for another year.

And I only have one IOU in the batch. That is for a friend's matching handwarmers. Those should be done by New Year, if I am lucky.

No promises for next year. I have to come up with what I can do for everyone that they will use and enjoy. For now, I will think about that later~!



Note: this is how one of the felted clogs got decorated for skid-proof wearing.

Time with Family

I got to go see the Christmas Donkey play in Cripple Creek with my folks. We drove home in a blizzard afterwards but it was really worth it.

Then I spent some time wrapping gifts and elfing with mom. We added some final ornaments to their tree and I got two more knitted gifts finished before I came home. It was a great way to spend time with the family and celebrate the season~!

The List is Getting Longer

or is that just my imagination? I thought by now that I would be marking off more items as they were finished not adding last minute knits to the list. This seems to be what I am doing. Thank goodness, I already have the supplies to create these last-minute items. At least it does not involve more shopping this late in the game.

I reorganized the list and have cast on the last two MUST DO BY DECEMBER 24th gifts. Everything else can be done after the 25th. I will only have a couple partial gifts with IOUs attached. I think that is great.

Knitting and eggnog, good combination for the season~!

A Bouquet of Pre-Fulled Beauty

Here they are, ready for the washing machine, ready for the fulling process. I usually call them "felted" clogs when they are done, however, I was reminded that felting is a different process done with rovings or raw wool whereas "fulling" is what is done to something that is knitted from wool.

I think these will be very cute when they are fulled and will be worn with much pleasure. I hope everyone is finishing their projects and learning new things as they go~!

Pile O' Yarn - Progress Report

The pile of yarn that was destined for slippers is finally starting show its shape. I have the first pair done, brown and pinks, the second pair - halfway done and with fuzzy cuffs - too cute; and the third pair is in the small size so I expect them to knit up really fast.

That was my plan: to knit the them from the largest size down so it seems like I am getting done faster. So far, that plan seems to be working.

The goal is to have them finished and in for fulling by Sunday. That gives them a week to dry completely before they have to be gifted.

Warm feet are great gifts to give to your loved ones~!

A Break From Knitting Means Another Fabric Craft

Today I created a Festive Fabric Garland from a pattern procured from a magazine, fabric pieces provided by a friend, ribbon from final holiday sales, twine and a teeny tree from the hardware store.

Another friend is crocheting a tree skirt to go around the bottom and it will serve as a landing zone for my Xmas ducks.

I will be knitting some teeny mittens and hat from a free pattern offered by Morehouse Farm. (If you do not get this newsletter in your inbox, you should).

As you can see, Pedro could not help but be fascinated in my project. The next step is to try to keep him from knocking it over. Hopefully the threat of coal flavored catnip toys will be enough, or not. Really, he leaves things alone when I am not home.

The Push is On!

Only 12 days to go and the final push to finish the knitted gifts has begun!  I still have to turn this pile of fiber into more gifts.

Is it possible? YES!

Will it be done on time? maybe.

Am I having a great time doing it? YES!

Will I try to do this again next year? Probably.

Do I need my head examined? Nah.

I hope everyone has their home stretch in sight and are ready for a well-deserved rest and some eggnog~!

Bobble Cowl

This was a very fun knit. I found this pattern in the Knit Simple magazine for  Winter 2011. It is one of the two-skein projects.

I knit this one for my hairdresser who also teaches driving techniques to teenagers, which means she is in and out of cars during our cold winters. She told me her favorite color is fuschia. I hope this yarn colorway comes close enough. The yarn I found at the Yarn Outlet and is Donata by Adrienne Vittadini in a bulky weight.

I used the provisional cast on and used one skein for 61 rows. The second skein came real close to the finish but I did break into a third to finish. It is a really fast knit and the bobbles are fun to make.

Happy Knitting to All~!

Note: Holiday knitting goes great with eggnog.

Stitch of the Month Club - PARTY!

What a morning we had with a mini fashion show and nosh-y tidbits. It was a great way to end the year.

We learned lots of new knit stitches and had lots of laughs.

Thank you to all who participated, I appreciated all the ideas and interest you added to my year.

Coolest Hat Ever

This is the coolest hat pattern ever! I knit this in a scant two days. Now, granted, it is knit out of ((5)) Bulky yarn, and it knits very fast.

The pattern is purchased from Faina Goberstein  on Ravelry and is called the Two Way Beanie. I knit it out of Bernat Softee Chunky in the Lavendar colorway. In the visor brim, I used craft foam.

I plan to knit at least two more before Christmas for gifts.

I hope everyone has found really great and fast knits for gifts this year~!

Bottle Bags

I have finished the bottle bags with and without a bottom. I like both looks. The green one will get some embellishment on the tie. The red one will not, mostly because you have to use the tie to open and close the sack when you use it.

These are lots of fun to knit and hopefully well received as gifts.