12.23.2011

A Parade of Hats

This year's holiday hats are off the needles and all wrapped up under the tree! First up are two Windschief hats knitted with Berroco Vintage.



And one lonely Turn a Square hat knitted out of Berroco Ultra Alpaca and Vintage.


Both patterns make quick and easy gifts. Here they are modeled by the little guy. I had to bribe him with a candy cane.

"This is going to be the easiest candy cane I ever earned!"

"Man, how many times is she going to make me say 'cheese'?"

"Are we done yet?"

Hope your holiday knitting is getting wrapped up as well! As always, check out all the great projects on display at FO Friday with TAMI'S AMIS.

12.16.2011

Holiday Makes

A little over a week to go and still so much to do! Thank goodness for the few things that can be checked off the list.


Washcloth and soap set for Grandma L. The handmade soaps are from Five Cats Creations and smell so unbelievably good. With names like Martini Mafia and Beach Baby, my MIL will be feeling like she's on a Caribbean vacation every time she uses them. I think this gift will come in handy during a long western New York winter.


Some ornaments for the tree. The holiday issue of Mollie Makes was filled with cute decorating ideas.


These reindeer ornaments were super quick and easy to make.


Winter Wonderland village. The kids had so much fun creating this little Lego village. Next year we might add the toy store or bakery. And you can't have a Winter Wonderland without a jolly snowman. Ours is named Snowball and was made by the talented Steph. I was one of the lucky winners from her felted snowman contest.

This time of year can be stressful and a little overwhelming. There are cards to mail out, presents to shop for and wrap, Christmas dinner to plan. The list goes on and on. But taking a few moments to enjoy the season should be right at the top of our lists. Making goofy ornaments, playing with holiday Legos, coming up with the perfect name for a snowman...these are some of the things that I love about Christmastime.


(go to FO Friday with TAMI'S AMIS for lots of wonderful knitting and crochet ideas)

12.09.2011

FO: Easy Breezy

Presenting my Vodka Gimlet cardigan styled three ways:

Casually, with a simple black tee and jeans


Formally, with a little black dress

Lazily, with pajamas and hot cocoa

A sweater to fit all moods and occasions. Fun to knit and easy to wear. The best kind.


(Lots of great inspiration can be found at FO Friday with TAMI'S AMIS)

12.07.2011

My List for Holiday Knitting

The holiday gift knitting is in full swing! And just like every December past, I feel slightly behind in everything. But the key theme for this season is to Keep It Simple. So with that in mind, I have come up with a list of criteria for my 2011 gift knitting. Each gift must be:

1) Fast. Because there is a deadline.

2) Simple. Because I do not have time to get into a fight with a project when said deadline is looming over my head.

3) Fun (or at least as fun as an item knitted for someone other than myself can be). Because I tend to knit multiples of a project and have no wish to poke my eyes out with boredom after the third ______.
(fill in the blank)

4) Useful. Because no knitted gift of mine should end up buried in a recipient's dirty sock drawer. And if it does, I don't want to know.

Given all of the above, my choices for this holiday season are:


Windschief Hat by Stephen West. I loved knitting my hubby's Windschief neck warmer and it was very well received (see #4 above). Plus after making four Botanic Hats last Christmas, I felt a little nostalgic and decided to go with another westknits hat pattern. The Turn a Square Hat was also in the running.


Double Bump Dishcloths. These are for Grandma L. (my MIL). Definitely fast and simple, although a little boring. Perfect holiday movie knitting. And wait till you see what I am pairing these up with. One down, several more to go.


Fingerless Mitts. I am using this great basic pattern as a starting point. These will be for my two nieces. Hopefully these mitts will be cool and stylish enough to be worn at least once. One pair down, one more to go.

And if I have time, I might whip up some of these for my sister and SIL's. Quick but gorgeous, right?

For more holiday knitting and crochet ideas, go to WIP Wednesday with TAMI'S AMIS. Happy gift knitting everyone!

12.01.2011

Special Pages

Happy December 1st! It has certainly snuck up on me this year and caught me somewhat unprepared. By this time, I usually have an advent calendar set up (usually along the lines of what I did last year). I was tempted to forgo the tradition yesterday when it dawned on me that December was just a day away. But knowing that the little guy would be pretty disappointed motivated me to come up with a quick and simple idea. Everyone loves to receive cards in the mail, so this year I will be sending one card for each of the 24 days leading up to Christmas.


Besides the much looked for treat, every card will have a passage from my favorite holiday poem The Night Before Christmas handwritten on it.


I love the fact that I can prepare each card the day before and that by Christmas Day, the little guy will have a special handwritten book made especially for him by me.