Archive for category Seasonal Crafting
32 Days ’til Christmas
Posted by singularknitter in Seasonal Crafting on November 23, 2012
Black Friday, the knitter’s way:
4 am wake up. 5 am in line. 6 am Fibre Space opens. 6:40am inside with 30% discount. 7:15 am 32 skeins of yarn richer and a complete success.
9 skeins of DK, 6 skeins of worsted, 4 skeins of bulky, 9 skeins of super bulky and a set of size 7 DPNs.
Enough said.
Did your Black Friday go as well?
34 Days ’til Christmas
Posted by singularknitter in Seasonal Crafting on November 21, 2012
We’re SO close! You can ALMOST acceptably talk about the holidays without your family, friends and coworkers criticizing you! Obviously, this criticism doesn’t bother me one bit, but YAY YOU! For everyone traveling for Thanksgiving, good luck and I hope you’re safe. Though M and I did make our way over to my parents’ place for Thanksgiving…. they are only a short drive away. Does that mean I packed light? No. Did I only bring one knitting project? Of course not.
When packing to knit in front of the family members you are making gifts for, it is important to plan carefully. After all, it’s no fun if all of your gifts are revealed. I am fortunate that one of the very large projects is a sweater carefully picked out for my father…. to the point where we chose the yarn and did a fitting to ensure that it would fit right and actually be worn. This was a given to be packed. In addition, I laid out all of my empty project bags and my list of items to knit for the holidays. I spent a good hour or so matching some projects to yarn and then putting them in an appropriately-sized project bags.
After packing the essentials in my duffle, I started packing project bags. Aside from the sweater, everything I brought with me is not for M or my parents. Since most people are not insane and do not make presents for almost everyone in their lives, it is most important that the items packed to work on in front of your loved ones do not give away what they are and who they are for. So if your mother asked for a lace shawl in a very specific color, maybe don’t bring that project. Instead bring something in a brown colorway and simple pattern that could be made for any male.
Don’t over think, either. If your family does not consist of crafters, it is most likely they won’t realize, recognize or even pay enough attention to know what you are working on and if it is for them. My biggest advice is to keep it simple. You want to spend the holidays with family, not just near them, tucked in a corner, hunched over a pattern. Find simple gifts to work on that will give you to most output for your time, but won’t take your attention away from the conversation at hand.
Most importantly, make sure to have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your family, friends, food, parades and football!
35 Days ’til Christmas
Posted by singularknitter in Knitting Goals, Seasonal Crafting on November 20, 2012
Maybe it’s just me, but every Christmas there is a gift that I am uncertain about, no matter the reason. Now that I’ve added knitting to my gift bags, it seems like there is always one project that doesn’t turn out right, or just doesn’t get finished in time. Last Christmas, I had such a project. It was suppose to be a pair of flip-top mittens for my brother-in-law. I had the perfect yarn and I was so excited about them, but they were to be my first pair of adult mittens and made from a less-than-clear pattern. I finally gave into the fact that I would not have these ready by Christmas, put them aside and knit him a hat instead (which M promptly destroyed and no one told me, so a replacement hat must be made as well).
I did tell him about the failure and decided I would have him try on the almost completed first mitten so that I could eventually finish them and be certain they would fit. I remember them being a touch big, but still measuring out how large the flip-top would need to be, with every intention to finish them. Of course, they have sat for almost an entire year. Upon pulling them out to finish the first and being the second I made the realization. I am completely crazy. THIS MITTEN IS ENORMOUS! The palm alone covers my entire hand! I have freakishly long fingers…. No human beings hand would fit in this, unless the flip-top was only one quarter of an inch tall. It’s just ridiculous. Let’s not even talk about the width.
Though I keep telling myself that this error is solely due to the fact that I didn’t try it on any male human during the process… I know that a lot of it has to do with the experience I have gained over the last year. I am now at a point where I want things to, I don’t know, actually fit their recipient. Silly, I know, but everyone has their quirks. So I’m frogging the mitten. Since I have had a year apart from it… it won’t be too painful, but I need to start re-knitting soon if he is ever going to receive these mittens. Otherwise, it is likely he will only get the replacement hat this year, pushing them off for another year, when I’m sure something else will go wrong.
37 Days ’til Christmas
Posted by singularknitter in Knitting Goals, Seasonal Crafting on November 18, 2012
Projects in Progress: 6
Projects Complete: 4
Total Presents to Complete: 30
What’s your crazy? This question is starting to pop up everywhere in the knitting community, all spawning from a KAL (Knit-along) put on by The Fat Squirrel Speaks and the Stockinette Zombies podcasts. Some people are responding by casting on every project in sight, others are trying their hand at monogamous knitting. Though I clearly have a few crafting crazies at the moment (including a project that is slowly turning into a decoration doom), my current crazy is continuing to add more projects to my plate for the holidays. Beyond that, I’m even turning one project idea into something more complicated: cowls are becoming shawls, a simple hat is becoming a hat, mitten and scarf set…. I just cannot seem to stop planning more and more projects.
It would be one thing if I was at least working in the logical order of completing my immediate family’s presents first… but no. My daughter’s teacher’s present is done though. So are a couple gifts for my coworkers. Most of my works-in-progress are for my family, and a couple are close to completion… of course I’m not working on them now. These will probably be the gifts keeping me up all Christmas Eve to sew on the last button and weave in all the ends… maybe even knit the last remaining stitches. Though I know I have a list prioritizing all of the projects left to knit… clearly I need to actually read the list… or hire someone to beat me over the head before I start another project that is not for my family. Both are valid ideas.
39 Days ’til Christmas!
Posted by singularknitter in Knitting Goals, Seasonal Crafting on November 16, 2012
Projects in Progress: 6
Projects Complete: 3
Total Presents to Complete: 27
That’s right, we have less than 40 days to get all of our shopping, baking and crafting completed. I may still have quite a lot of knitted projects to go, but I’m actually on schedule. Looking at the numbers, though, that sounds crazy. However, 3 of the 6 cowls are finished. One of the sweaters is half way done and another has about the first fourth completed. The first of two shawls is nearly complete, I only need to attempt to purchase more yarn for the edging and to bind off. In all, the major, time-consuming projects are well on their way.
The other projects I am attempting to complete will either have simpler patterns or a bulkier yarn so as to make them quicker knits. Though I am keeping a list and re-prioritizing and redrawing out my schedule nearly every other day, just to reassure myself that I can finish everything in time… I am definitely feeling the pressure. Especially since the door decoration seems to have slowed down to an intolerable pace…. More to come on that this weekend.
I hope your Thanksgiving preparations are going well! Pretty soon it will be normal for everyone to be talking about Christmas!
40 Days ’til Christmas
Posted by singularknitter in Knitting Goals, Seasonal Crafting on November 15, 2012
Projects in Progress: 6
Projects Complete: 3
Total Presents to Complete: 27
The holiday season not only comes with the expected gifts for your own loved ones…. but other’s as well. I could go the entire rest of the year without any commissioned knits. As soon as November hits, everywhere I turn, people are asking if I can knit them something to give as a Christmas gift. Some of these requests are very doable and the people asking for them usually have an appreciation for knitting. These are the commissions I accept and get excited about, since I know that at least the person paying for this item appreciates the work that goes into it.
Then there are the people who ask for something intricate, but after talking to them for a few minutes, they realize how unattainable it would be and settle for something more reasonable. But, there are those people out there who ask for extremely time consuming items and expect me to be able to finish them in under a month and for less than $50. When I tell them that the yarn alone would cost more than that… they look at me like I am the crazy one.
Luckily, this year I have mainly received these impossible requests, making it very easy to turn down. To add to my personal present goals, I will only be completing two commission knits (so far), both of which are very exciting and should be easy to complete in a reasonable amount of time… I’m just hunting down the right yarn. Which never takes too long, right?
41 Days ’til Christmas
Posted by singularknitter in Knitting Goals, Seasonal Crafting on November 14, 2012
Projects in Progress: 6
Projects Complete: 3
Total Presents to Complete: 26
Do you feel it yet? Is the pressure on? It certainly is here! So how am I coping with the fact that I only have 41 days to complete my goals? That’s simple: I am COMPLETELY enjoying everything Christmas. Music, check. Movies, check. Eggnog and hot apple cider, check and check. I might be making the season longer than “normal” people do, but why not cherish and enjoy it as much as possible?
One of my favorite holiday pass times – just ADDING Christmas movies to our Amazon Prime watchlist. It may not have all the Christmasy goodness that Netflix does (from what I hear), but it has some of the wonderful movies I’ve grown to love and adore each holiday season. The other – my “Baby It’s Cold Outside” Pandora station – full of Christmas music and available all year round….. not that I listen to it all year… right.
But curling up under a blanket to watch Holiday Inn or listen to Ella Fitzgerald certainly gets me in the mood to do some holiday crafting. So tell me, what are your holiday favorites, be it movies, music or anything that gets you excited for the season? I may need some new inspiration once I’ve gone through all of mine…around halfway to Christmas!
42 Days ’til Christmas
Posted by singularknitter in Seasonal Crafting on November 13, 2012
Projects in Progress: 6
Projects Complete: 3
Total Presents to Complete: 26
With our door decoration well on its way (by that I mean maybe 6 inches tall), I am in the decorating mood! We got our first artificial Christmas tree over the weekend – a lovely 6.5 foot pre-lit Aspen Pine. M also chose a beautiful holiday welcome mat and an in-your-face hip hop animated Santa and Elves decoration. The tree is now official set up and in it’s semi-permanent place for the season and the beloved decorations are put in their places of honor. We are ready.
Well, M is ready. I, of course, still have to finish our door decoration and twenty three more presents. Though we still have plenty more decorating to do, including hanging ornaments on the tree and putting up lights… well, everywhere, Christmas is certainly present in our apartment. There seems to be nothing better than sitting next to a lit Christmas tree and knitting gifts for loved ones.
Up next: the joys of Christmas music while crafting. 🙂
44 Days ’til Christmas!
Posted by singularknitter in Knitting Goals, Seasonal Crafting on November 11, 2012
Projects in Progress: 6
Projects Complete: 3
Total Presents to Complete: 26
To give a brief run-down of my intentions for this holiday season, the total presents to complete are:
3 sweaters, 4 pairs of slippers, 6 pairs of mitts/mittens/etc, 5 hats, 6 cowls, 2 shawls
Additionally, I have decided to gift other handmade/homemade items such as mulling spice packets, basil olive oil and raspberry and blackberry gin. I have completed a trial run of the mulling spices – with apple cider, the packet worked well, but with wine it was not quite right… some adjustments and more testing will need to happen in the near future. Not that I’m complaining… 🙂
45 Days ’til Christmas!
Posted by singularknitter in Knitting Goals, Seasonal Crafting on November 10, 2012
Though it is generally only acceptable to discuss the holiday season until after Thanksgiving, I am a crafter. My holiday gift list grows every day and an early start means I will only be a little bit rushed and crazy the week of Christmas.
Over the next 45 days, I plan to check in daily with my progress. That means: FAMILY, NO PEEKING! Some family members already know about some of the planned gifts, but I have saved a few surprises. I will attempt to speak, write, photograph and maybe even share a few videos keeping everything abstract and in code so I am less likely to completely spoil all of the gift giving fun. But if you have a feeling crafted presents might be for you: please avoid any posts titled with the Christmas countdown. Thank you!
As of now, here is the current breakdown of presents:
Projects in Progress: 6
Projects Complete: 3
Total Presents to Complete: 22
Over the course of the season, the total presents to complete may fluctuate as I decide to hold off on certain presents, or if I go on a crazy streak, I add more presents to the list. Tomorrow’s update will clue you in on the types of projects I intend to make.
But I’d like to put a call out: What are you planning on crafting this holiday season?
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