Holiday Crafting Success
I did not complete as much as I wanted to for gifts this year. That’s
okay — I did manage to finish the items for the women in my natal
family, all of whom seemed to enjoy what I made them!
For Mom, Annie Modesitt’s
Backyard Leaves scarf from
worked it in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in a gorgeous dusty purple
color.
alt="mom and scarf" title="mom and scarf" border="2">
alt="backyard leaves" title="backyard leaves" border="2">
happy Mom with leaves
I took this project right down to the wire — I finished the knitting
on Friday evening, the grafting of the scarf very early Saturday morning,
washed it in Eucalan, spun the water out, and blocked it Saturday
afternoon. Amazingly, it was dry on Sunday morning when I wrapped and
tagged it.
I loved the pattern — the chart looks a lot scarier than it is!
Sure, there’s pattern on every row, but it was sensible. Plus, it really
did turn out gorgeous.
For my youngest sis, a
Scarf in Manos del Uruguay in the colorway Jungle. This was the perfect
match of pattern to yarn to recipient.
alt="sis M in manos" title="sis M in manos" border="2">
alt="manos" title="manos" border="2">
M in Manos
Last Christmas, I made this sister a cute, soft scarf in some Moda
Dea yarn, which she wears all the time, but it has started to fall
apart. It was fun to find a pattern and yarn for her because I knew she
would appreciate it. Also, I thought a wool scarf would be nice for her
since she is going away to upstate NY next fall.
The pattern was quick and looks great in the Manos!
Lastly, for my other younger sister,
socks in Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock in Bittersweet (orangey-peach,
purple, and pink).
alt="sis K jaywalking" title="sis K jaywalking" border="2">
alt="sis K jaywalking" title="sis K jaywalking" border="2">
sis K jaywalks
My sis K loves fun socks. She always has a pair of colorful, exciting
socks on. Socks for her were a no-brainer! I initially bought another
colorway of Lorna’s Laces for her, but when I found the Bittersweet
colorway, I knew it was perfect for her.
The pattern was fast and easy. I used the tubular cast on and worked
a 1×1 (very short) ribbing for the cuff instead of the 2×2 specified in
the pattern. I shortened the socks since my sister likes shorter socks
(sound familiar?) and I guessed at the length since I knew her feet were
shorter than mine. I also changed needle sizes from 1 to 0 just
before the heel flap.
I love how they turned out and how cheerful my sis K seemed to be
about them! The pattern is easy to memorize, quick to work up, and not
so mindless I got so bored I didn’t want to finish them! I suspect I
will look for a good pair of self-striping yarn to make myself a pair of
Jaywalkers!
Making and giving homemade gifts to other people is something I
really enjoy doing. I love picking out the appropriate fiber and
pattern– and then seeing the recipient really enjoy it (or at least
pretend). Nothing beats that!