Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Christmas, imminent; Me, unready

The Christmas knit plan is kinda killing me this year.  I have yarn, I have needles galore, I have 15 people who rate a handknit something - heck, I even have time to knit, but I have barely started.  It's all well and good to say that these three people will get cowls and those four will get handwarmers and the other two will get hats, but what colour?  and also, what pattern? 

Not helping: the discovery that Hannah is not the only person on the list who is favouring purple this year, of a shade not compatible with most of my stash of so-called neutrals.

Still, quiet progress has been happening in my subconscious.  Just this morning I realized that the new Berroco Ultra Alpaca is the right weight after all for my aunt's Turkish Bed Socks, thanks to my ridiculous gauge issues.  Of course in the meantime I'd finally found the perfect cowl pattern for Cowl Giftee #1:


Isn't it pretty?  Also: crazy fast and easy to memorize.  Which is nice because, knit on circulars like this, it makes perfect travel knitting.  I've always loved this candle-flame stitch pattern and never had the time to try it, so that's a double bonus: it's going to a singer and I just think that makes it more meaningful given all the pictures of Christmas carolers singing by candlelight.  If you're interested in making one too it's the Candle Flame Cowl by the generous genius Julia Allen - the link is to a free Ravelry download and I think you don't have to be a member to access it.  Fingers crosssed (though if you're not a member, it's so worth joining.)

I should state the obvious here - this particular yarn is the perfect shade to match everybody's purple-isms.  And I only bought two skeins, which means I will be lucky if there is enough left after the cowl and the bed socks to use for accents in the remaining projects whatever they might prove to be.  Maybe I should go back to the yarn store?

1 comment:

Christine said...

OH yah ba-bay...you definitely need to go back to the yarn store!

That Flame Stitch has been my fave for years...but alas, have only knit a ??? with it (before my Ravelry years so don't remember)

YOU ARE NOT ALONE in this Holiday Knitting flurry...I keep knitting a shawl for my mother and my mind and body (to look over stash) keeps traveling to other things to knit.