I'm on a roll!

I've finished two more presents! :) These two are for my brothers.  Boys are hard to buy for, and they're even harder to craft for. But I think I hit on some good ideas :)

This hat is for my eldest brother. He's 19 and loves slouchy hats. I always thought this was because he was self conscious about his hearing aids. It turns out that when it's windy, he can't hear as the wind whistles in the microphone thingies. So he wears hats to keep the wind out so he can hear! Clever :) So I thought a hat was perfect for him, and it'll keep him warm as a bonus. 

The pattern is from the book The Gentle Art of Knitting by Jane Brocket. I nearly ran out yarn and had to skip a repeat and fudge the decreases, but it turned out for the best as the slouchiness is just right :) The yarn is Knit Picks Telemark. I chose a heathered shade, and I think my brother will really like it.

These fingerless mitts are for my younger brother. He's 13 and likes to play out with his friends a lot. So I figured fingerless mitts would be warm but practical. I also think he'll like the cables, as he's seen me knitting socks once and he was really impressed! So I think he'll find them impressive :)

This pattern is a free one from Ravelry and can be found here. The yarn is Cascade 220 :) I love this stuff! I'm pretty sure he'll love the colour too.

Now, you know what's really exciting? I only have two more planned handmade gifts to go!! :D I might squeeze in a couple of lavender cushions if I've got time between uni work though :)

Ashley x

First present finished!

Yay, I finished my first Christmas present! :) My friend Becky loves Twilight, so when I saw these mittens on Ravelry way back in June I knew I had to make them for Christmas (the pattern can be downloaded here). So here they are pre-blocking:

See how they curl a little at the top of the arm? They were also a little itchy which worried me. Luckily a nice soak in some 'Soak' wool wash sorted the itchiness and also helped them lay flat at the top :) Here they are after a day and half drying time!

There's only a slight difference, I think they look smoother and a bit neater. Also, I just realised the angle of the photo makes them look different sizes! They aren't, I checked just to make sure. 

The yarn is Drops Eskimo, and I used about 3 and a half balls. This yarn is excellent value and knits up really nicely, but definitely needs to be washed in a special wool wash or some mild conditioner to make it wearable.

So, there you have it. My first ever handmade Christmas gift!

Ashley x

Vintage-Look Christmas Mittens

Although I've had really good intentions about doing crafty christmas gifts, this might be the only one I get done! That's OK though, because I feel super satisfied about getting these ones done.

I originally decided to make them after seeing the yarn Amazing by Lion Brand, specifically the Ruby colorway to be careful not to pick a skein where the colors are muddied. Love it, although you have Unfortunately, I started them in September and didn't finish them until the day after Thanksgiving, due to problems with the pattern (which you can get for free on Ravelry). Having never knit mittens before, I didn't realize that the lengths given for where to start the thumb, and the total length were all wrong for a normal adult-size hand.

So, besides fixing some mistakes on my own I had to  re-do the first mitten several times. Frustration mounted, but I persisted. Of course, I was an expert by the time I got to the second one, and now I can't wait until I have free time to make my own pair, maybe with a fleur-de-lis designed into the top. The best part is they have a nice, rustic, vintage look to them, which will be made even more so when the mitten clips I ordered are delivered.

 

All in all, they're an A+ pair of mittens and if you're an intermediate knitter, they're make a quick (well, it would still take me about 2 weeks to make another pair) and easy gift.