Gift Knitting

I won't say how many days there are before Christmas but I will say that my needles are clicking away at rapid speed. Luckily, projects are jumping on and off my needles at a satisfactory rate and all of the finer gauge projects are complete.

 Meditate by Elizabeth Doherty came off the needles in just under two weeks. It makes for excellent social, commute, and tv knitting. I knit the narrow and long version using an entire skein of Shalimar Yarns Paulie in the Land Katie Scarlett color.

Mr. B's annual Christmas socks took a couple of months to complete ( I started them late October) but I only knit them on the bus and at my Friday night knitting group. The yarn is Hazel Knits Artisan Sock in a Rogue color that I picked up during my birthday yarn-buying spree. I made this pattern up but it's basically a 72 st vanilla sock with a little band of seed stitch just under the cuff.

Aaaand then there are five hats in different states of completion as of yesterday morning. Two are very close to being done - a thermal check pattern that I made up in some Cascade 220 Superwash and Father Cables in YOTH father (which I decided to keep!).

I added a new person to my gift knitting list this year, mom to a friend of Little A's, and decided that my favorite hat pattern and some luxury yarn was the way to go. If she doesn't like this gorgeous combination there is absolutely no hope for her as a knitwear recipient and I can quietly remove her from THE LIST. This will be the third time I've knit this pattern and Shalimar Yarns Paulie will be an excellent combination with the texture on the Bristol Hat. I have two more hats that are complete and these five to complete and my gift knitting will be completely done.

I hope.

Update!

Hello, friends! I took a much-needed hiatus from most social media and internet-type stuff for the last month or so; I needed to recharge my batteries so I could finish this year up right. I have exciting knitting-related news to share early next year and lots of news to share right now. 

First, I've been knitting things in pretty much the same color palette. 

Lots of burnt oranges, dk blues and teals, and autumnal yellows. There's also been a lot of green yarn in the mix but I'll share that in another post. 

I volunteered at Knit Fit! this year and had a great time hanging out with knitters and crafters and vendors.  The marketplace gets better every year and it's a wonderful thing to see so many returning students and shoppers, teachers and vendors. 

Speaking of the market, I had several favorite booths but I only took pictures of two: Hazel Knits and Bumblebirch. I've got another post coming on my market haul since I went a little bit crazy this year.

Sarah, the dyer behind Bumblebirch, totally got me with her color palette.  I had a really difficult time choosing just one (so I got two). 

Wendee at Hazel Knits had a gorgeous display of knit sweaters, shawls, and other accessories. I just purchased some yarn of hers as a birthday present to myself in October but I went ahead and purchased enough for a sweater because who doesn't want to knit a fingering weight sweater in a color named Lichen? I also spent a great deal of time at some other booths, chatting with other knitters and with dyers, too. 

Now it's almost Thanksgiving and I've got oodles of gift knitting to do. And pies to bake. And parties to attend. And another year to wrap up in what I hope will be a nice-ish leisurely sort of way but will probably be more like a frantic sprint.

FO: Salida

Pattern: Salida by Janneke Maat (free)

Yarn: Araucania Ranco (376 yards per 100 grams; 75% wool/ 25% nylon)

Needles: US #1 (2.25 mm) Hiya Hiya Sharps

Mods: I knit the pattern as written using a Twisted German cast on for extra elasticity around the cuff. I'm not a fan of short row heels but I decided to go with the flow for these - they're snug enough with all of those twisted stitches that the heel fits okay. I ended up knitting the pattern repeat twice for the foot and then rows one through eight or ten again to finish up the twisted stitch motif before I started the toe. There are so many twisted stitches on every round that I highly recommend using a nice, pointy-tipped needle to make the knitting easier on yourself. This is the first time I've knit sooo many twisted stitches at once and I found it slightly difficult to get into a good rhythm for knitting them. The finished socks are well worth the effort of being married to a knitting chart for several weeks, though. 

This is pair #3 for my Holiday gift list. Pair #4 and pair #5 are already complete and I'll share those soon.

A Month of Favorites: Final Giveaway Winner!

Sorry for the delay in drawing a winner, I'm still experiencing some work and home upheaval that makes thinking about other things a little problematic. Let's get down to business, shall we?

Random number generator chose Sanja T (LoveofCuteness on Rav) who said, "Amazing giveaway! Thank you. Definitely a fantasy retreat would be a spa in the morning, and knitting on a blanket while enjoying warm weather for the rest of the day. Champagne and catered food wouldn't hurt either:)." That sounds fabulous! I'll be in touch to get  your mailing address and send out your package. 

I really enjoyed reading all of the fiber retreat ideas and I'd like to try all of them. The annual retreat I attend with my knitting group is very laid back and we all kind of do our own thing during the day and play games and have drinks in the evening and knit. Thank you for taking the time to share your ideas with me. 

And just a little update on my knitting progress, I finished these socks last weekend and just need to wash and block them before they go in the gift basket for Christmas. They're pair number three and I couldn't be happier with them.

2012 In Retrospect, 2013 Inspiration

Hello, there! Happy New Year! I've spent the last week or so cleaning up the debris of Christmas or sick in bed so my obligatory 2012-2013 post about what I've achieved and what goals I have for the new year are a bit late. Let's just say it gave me more time to think about both those ideas and the year ahead, okay?

What did I achieve in 2012?

I graduated from college with a BA in English and a BA in Humanities. I'm very proud of graduating since the last couple years saw me returning to work full time (or more than full time) and going back to school. That's a very full plate in addition to having familial obligations like raising my daughter and spending time with my husband and my friends.

I continued my podcast and made some great new friends online and in real life. My knitting friends continue to be a source of inspiration and strength for me and I don't think I could have made it through the last year without them. My besty came back from 2+ years abroad and spent the holiday with me and I'm so extremely happy that she's back in the U.S. and that we share a time zone.

I didn't keep track of my knitting yardage from last year but I'm pretty sure it still tracked pretty high. Maybe not in the 30k yard range as in previous years but still quite high, nonetheless. I may have had some resolutions from the beginning of the year but I'm pretty happy with my knitting and where it is right now.

How about 2013?

As far as my education goes I'm still planning on attending graduate school at the UW. My application is due in October and I'll find out in December whether or not I've been admitted to the program. I have a lot of work to do for my application so I'd like to work on it over the course of the next 6 months so I don't have to rush any part of the application process. This is the biggie on my to-do list for this year.

The podcast is still going strong (Doubleknit Podcast with my co-host, Jessica) and we're hosting a year-long Deep Stash KAL to focus on older stashed yarns and show them some knitting love. My personal stash outgrew it's confines this last year due to retail therapy and I'm trying to get it back to a comfortable level this year. If you are a member of Ravelry you can join us in the Doubleknit Podcast Fans group and knit your stash down, too!

I'm trying to be a more mindful consumer this year and really pay attention to what I purchase and how I purchase. I'm an emotional shopper and am rather impulsive when it comes to seeing items that are a good bargain. I'd really like to reduce the amount of clutter in my home (took 3 boxes to Goodwill today!) and be happy with the things I already own. Part of this is budgetary since I'm looking at looming school debt but also examining the why and how I think about my life and the stuff that is in it. 

Quick Gifts to Knit: Cowls

Here we are two weeks from Christmas, firmly ensconced in Hanukkah, and I bet you're frantically knitting away at gifts. Am I right? Well, if you've finally realized that all those socks for every family member knit on size 1 needles aren't going to knit themselves you're probably looking for alternative gift ideas. Here we go- these are some of my favorite free fast cowl patterns

I'll start off by tooting my own horn. My GSZ cowl is free (see the sidebar at right) and is super quick to knit in one skein of Malabrigo Rasta. Finish time for one of those bad boys is between 2 and 4 hours. Toot!

Last year I knit the Gaptastic Cowl out of two skeins of Cascade 128 Superwash for Little A's teacher. Two shortish evenings of knitting and I had a cowl just long enough to loop around for extra warmth. The beauty of this cowl is that you just knit seed stitch until you're almost out of yarn and then bind off so it's easily adjustable for both length and width.

The Burberry Inspired Cowl is a nice cabley pattern without being overly fussy. This cowl is knit flat lengthwise and then seamed. I knit mine with two skeins of Malabrigo Twist but you can easily alter the pattern to use up more skeins or less, like my friend Jen.

A perpetual favorite is the Dolores Park Cowl knit in one skein of Malabrigo Chunky. This is pretty much as simple as it gets. Chunky yarn, stockinette in the round, and a few increases make this cowl totally doable for newbie knitters or those of us in a time crunch.

This final pattern is one I've been stalking on Ravelry as of late - the Understory Cowl. It's a nice combination of pretty lace and aran weight yarn knit on size 10 needles. I think it would be easy to adjust circumference-wise once you figure out the number of stitches in the lace repeat. But really, I like the bold lace pattern with the heavy yarn. It looks extra squishy and toasty but pretty, too.

There you have it. Five free cowl patterns knit in heavy-ish weight yarns that could make it under the Christmas tree this year. Happy knitting!

Humbug

Now that we're firmly ensconced in the holiday season I've got a few suggestions or tips for people on how to get through the madness that is the HOLIDAYS. People who know me well will know that I don't care for Christmas music, or crowds, or shopping, or waiting in line, or or or. But there are things that I do (or don't do) that help me enjoy the season. I'm pretty sure there are a lot of blog posts like this out there but this is what works for me and might work for you, too. FYI, this is a long post since I've been thinking about this a lot lately.

Preparation

Set a firm budget. Make a list of the people you need to shop for and rank them by importance. Your immediate family and significant other go at the top followed by other family and close friends. If you have a smartphone make this list on your phone so you always have it with you. As you make purchases you can write your purchase in next to the recipient (reminder of what gift is for what person) and the dollar amount (to subtract from your budget). I opted to knit gifts for my family this year so I started back in September by making a recipient list and then creating a queue in Ravelry with projects I decided on, the stash yarn I wanted to use, and a deadline for each project. I'm happily working on the last two items from my list with plenty of time to spare. One suggestion, if you are planning on knitting gifts that have to be shipped to a different state or country you should get those out of the way first.

Also, recognize the fact that not everyone has the same monetary resources. If you're shopping with a friend be respectful of their budgetary constraints. Comments such as "it's only X amount of dollars" aren't very helpful to someone who is already stressed about money. Map out where you'll shop and if you'll eat out before you go so as to save embarrassment and time. There's nothing worse than sitting down at a restaurant and realizing the only item you can afford is the soup while your friend blithely orders appetizers, drinks, and an entree. If you're budget-minded be open about the amount of money you can spend on your meal say "I can do 10 to 15 dollars for lunch, but no more than that, and preferably less" or something in that vein. In most cases it's better to state this outright than try to dance around the subject, plus it'll help you choose a place to eat.

Execution

Take advantage of extended store hours and do your shopping really early or really late, especially on the weekends. Most stores seem to get really crowded between about 10 or 11 am to about 3 or 4 pm during the weekend and that means you'll have more trouble navigating shops, finding parking, and checking out with your purchases. Consolidating your shopping into one or two trips and one or two places will reduce the amount of time you spend fuming over that jerk who took your parking spot.

Shop local when you can do so. I'm lucky enough to live within walking distance of my area's shopping district and I plan on taking advantage of that to support independent businesses and avoid getting into the car and going to the mall. You should try to just stay away from the mall during the holidays since that way lies crazytown. Really.


If you've been searching for a specific item and can't find it now is the time to go to the internet and have that gift shipped directly to the recipient. Done.

Visitors and Family

   I love having people visit during the holidays since I usually have some time off of work and school but I know that not everyone gets along with their family so try to keep your head. If you head out as a large group to do shopping or other group activities and you'll be out during a meal time try to make reservations at a restaurant beforehand. If you can't make reservations try to check in at a restaurant a good amount of time before your normal meal time to put your name down since wait times can be long during the holiday season. Make sure everyone knows where the restaurant is if your group breaks up and what time they are expected to show up. If there are lots of kids in your group try to make sure the child to adult ratio is fairly distributed so no one adult is stuck with all the kids, unless they're okay with that.

Don't overplan activities for your family, your visitors, or yourself! One or two scheduled activities (with tickets purchased beforehand, if necessary) can be a welcome distraction for visitors but I've found that most people from out of town like to have time to rest and relax. It really is okay to sit down with company and just chat like normal people, especially if there is hot cider or wine involved.

Take breaks from your guests and family. If there are other adults around to watch the kids ask them if they can keep an eye on the kids for a few minutes so you can grab 10 minutes of quiet time. Go in your room. Close the door. Read a book for a few minutes or knit a couple rows on something while you clear your head.

Keep your normal schedule for meals and bedtimes as much as you are able. Everyone should get the sleep they need so they're in good spirits and pleasant to be around.

Finally...

Time and shared experiences are going to make a far stronger and more lasting impression than a generic gift. Every year my family asks for a membership to the zoo - we don't have to store anything except our membership cards and we get to visit over and over again. Have a good friend you haven't seen in a while? Invite her or him out for a pedicure as their Christmas gift. You'll get pampered and have time to catch up. Is everyone in your life traveling away for the holidays? Send knitting friends a pattern via Ravelry with a note saying you'll take them out for coffee and a knitting date once they're back in town, or just set up a group knitting night where everyone can come knit and hang out and catch up. Everyone is busy during the holidays so giving your time to your friends and family is just as important as giving gifts. When you focus your energy on the experience rather than the purchases there is a lot less stress involved in navigating the holiday season.

Do you have a strategy for the holidays? Dealing with finances, family, and visitors? Do tell.