Handmade Christmas Gifts

I didn't have a lot of time to devote to handmade gifts this holiday season, but I did manage a few. First up is a mug rug with a sweet foundation paper-pieced butterfly that I made for a mug rug swap at my quilt guild's holiday party.

The butterfly block is one of 3 free patterns from Lilyella Stitchery, her butterfly charm blocks available here. It was the perfect charm (5") size to frame out and turn into a rectangle mug rug. I did some simple walking foot quilting and was happy with the result. I thought the dark teal scrap fabric background was interesting but also set the butterfly off nicely. 

The other gifts I made for two friends took a little (a lot) longer. I learned how to knit socks in 2020, and these make pairs #5 and #6. I finished the purple pair around June and started the black and white pair in July on a road trip to Florida for a family Disney cruise. Both are made with Patons Kroy sock yarn and a go-to basic ribbed sock pattern that I found on Ravelry. I used my acrylic sock blockers for the first time and was happy with the shape they gave the socks. I'll use them again on a pair for myself and see if I notice any difference in how they fit or wear.

Best Chunky Knit Infinity Scarf

I'm always on the lookout for a good knit or crochet infinity scarf/circle scarf/cowl/whatever you want to call them.  I'm a little picky about the bulk -- too much and it looks like it's consuming your head, but not enough and it looks deflated and sad.  Last fall I found a promising pattern from Purllin at http://purllin.blogspot.com/2012/12/december-seed-stitch-infinity-circle.html.   I made a second one for another friend's birthday gift. Then I made one for myself, followed by one for my first friend's sister.  Then it was my sister, my sister-in-law, me again, and a third friend.  Then a third one for myself.  It's pretty clear -- I'm in love with this scarf.

Can you tell that I hate how I look in selfies??

This scarf is knit on 36" US size 15 circular needles, which I had to order from Joann.com because they don't stock needles that large in stores around here (unless I want to pay big bucks at a specialty yarn shop...which I don't).  Aside from that annoyance, I love everything about this cowl.  The yarn is Lion Brand Hometown USA.  It comes in all sorts of bright, team colors for sports fans, but it's also available in some nice neutrals, including black with colored flecks, charcoal, black and silver, and a flecked oatmeal.

Me crouched by window seat for light + curious cat

Something came over me the last time I was standing in front of the yarn, and I picked up this jade green to try.  I knew I'd keep it for myself, so even if it was hideously ugly, I could at least wear it around the house to keep warm.  Turns out I love the color and it looks particularly nice with my dark purple winter coat.  I call that a win.

I've now made 9 of these scarves, and I'm not making any promises that I won't add more to the list.  It's a great pattern, with soft yarn, and it only takes a few evenings on the couch catching up on the DVR to finish.  If you're looking for an easy project for yourself or for a gift, I encourage you to give it a try.

Cabled Fingerless Mitts

 

 

I'm really proud of these raspberry-colored fingerless mitts that I knit up over my Christmas vacation.  Back in November, I was shopping for yarn for a Honey Cowl at my local yarn shop, Knit Stop, when I spotted one of these mitts on display.  It had a tag on it with the pattern name, and when I slipped it on, I immediately knew I had to make a pair for myself.  I left the shop with yarn for my cowl and a plan to return before Christmas to get the yarn and pattern for the mitts.  I knew I'd have time over the break to work on some knitting for myself, but until then I still had gifts to finish making.

The yarn is Classic Elite Yarns Ariosa in color Azalea.  It's a merino/cashmere blend, and it's so plush and soft.  The mitt I tried on in the store was a lovely pale grey, but the color selection was limited when I went to make my purchase, so I opted for this raspberry/azalea color.  I firmly believe the universe is encouraging me to make this "my color," because I seem to have acquired a lot of it without really thinking -- dresses, shirts, scarves, sweaters, etc.

I've never knit cables before, and it's one of those things that, no matter how many times people said "It's so much easier than it looks! Really!" I just never believed them.  Well, it turns out knitting cables actually is much easier than it looks.  I started knitting the mitts with my mom nearby for assistance if the cables really did trip me up, and other than asking her to confirm that I was reading the pattern correctly, I'm happy to say that at no point did I utter the phrase, "Mom, can you fix this for me?"  Plus, I managed to complete the pair in 2 days.

I love these mitts.  The warmth of the palm and wrist make up for chilly fingertips.  And frankly, I don't care that my fingers are cold when these mitts look so fantastic!  I picked up some emerald green yarn on sale at my mom's local yarn haunt The Yarn Haven in Knoxville, TN, and I'm planning to start another pair soon.