Christmas: 1st Installment

Yeah, yeah, it's still only October, but this girl has almost got her Christmas presents finished for her in-laws!  I've just got to finish a couple of knit ornaments and make a couple of non-knit purchases and they are all done!  Pretty good, even considering I wanted to have it all finished before Thanksgiving, so that I wouldn't have to ship anything to them.

MIL wanted something simple and warm.  Since the gloves I made her last year were light blue, this year she is getting a light blue Jacques Cousteau Hat (can you tell I really really like this pattern?).  Honestly, I don't know why--the boring ribbing goes on for 8 straight inches without any change.  It's tedious, but I really really love the end result.

I used Knit Picks new Capra DK yarn, which is a cashmere/merino blend.  It does have excellent loft and stitch definition, but I confess I was expecting it to be a little softer than it is.  It is still VERY soft, but it did not quite live up to my expectations.  It is an excellent yarn for accessories, though.


I showed Miss Mary some fingerless gloves I was working on when they visited this summer and she decided that she wanted a pair of her own.  For her, I made Eunny Jang's Endpaper Mitts:

This was a very easy pattern.  It worked up quickly and I am so pleased with the results.  For anyone looking to try an easy stranded knit pattern, this would be a good one to try.  It is a touch snug, so for those of you with wrists on the less petite side, I would suggest either going up a needle size or a yarn size, to sport weight.

To wear with her gloves in the "chilly" Georgian winter, I also made Mary a Rose Red beret by Ysolda Teague.  (Apologies for the dark image)

It is a lot slouchier than I was anticipating and I am thinking about frogging it and trying a different pattern, as I used worsted weight yarn when the pattern called for DK.  The sample images aren't as slouchy as mine, so it must be that my gauge is way off.  I am undecided about whether I will (or will have the time to) try again with a different pattern or a different yarn.

On second thought, I might just frog the thing for fun.  If you've never experienced the thrill of ripping knitting apart, you are seriously missing out.  It is immensely satisfying--that is until you look at the pile of yarn barf (yes that's a real knitting term) and think about how you now have to untangle and wind it...

Beyond these little numbers, I just have 3 more tiny ornaments to make and I'm thinking about some kind of delicious cookie or hot chocolate mix in a tin, hmm.  Wait until you see these ornaments (perhaps next post?).  They are way too cute!

Cheers,

-Allie