Anne's Holiday Knits

• Posted on 1 January 2022
• By Anne
• 0

Ah, the holidays. Decorations. Lights. Christmas cookies. Festive songs. And gift giving. Being a fiber artist, that means handmade gifts for everyone, right? Well, not for this knitter.

I am in such awe of all you makers who devote time each year, making holiday gifts for friends and loved ones.  Huge round of applause.  Sadly, I am not among you.  Knitting is one of my passions.  As soon as there's a timeline attached, the sparkle and shine comes off, and it becomes a chore.  Kind of like a really good book - it's a joy to read, until a teacher makes it a reading assignment.  So my rule for knitting is no timelines.  So holiday gift knitting never really works for me.  Oh, I will make things for my family.  There's just not a clear picture of when it might be giftable.  Add my propensity for more starts than finishes, and . . . well, you see where I'm going.

The holidays do inspire me to knit, however.  Let me tell you about some of my favorites.

Last year (or maybe it was the year prior - this pandemic has blurred time a smidge), an advent sock caught my eye.  Fun!  Sort of like a mystery knitalong.  I found some scraps and yarn in my stash, and every day, did my designated knitting.  And I actually finished one sock.  Then you can guess what happened.  Second sock syndrome and a new flashy pattern.  Oh well.  Maybe sock two will be inspired this year. Or perhaps next.

Another fave was my Jovi hat.  A family event each Christmas is watching classic movies.  Right at the top of our list is Elf.  As with all classics, you tend to notice new things each time watched.  For me, it was the knitted hat Jovi (Will Farrell's girlfriend) wore when singing Christmas Carols .  A big, slouchy, cabled wonder in luscious white yarn with a gigantic pom pom.  I immediately started looking for a similar pattern.  And by golly, I found one on Ravelry.  Knit with bulky weight yarn - a little out of my teensie weensie needle wheelhouse, but that was OK.  I chose to make mine red.  I actually finished it in record time, and now don it every year for our annual hunt for the perfect Christmas tree.

But I must admit that knitting for my granddaughters is my weak spot.  When Sophie (the oldest) was a wee babe, I decided to make her a stocking.  I came across Annie's Woolens Christmas Stocking pattern (15 patterns actually).  Sophie got the heart motif.  Then along came Claire.  Ah, a snowflake for her.  And baby Rosalie?  She got a knitted moose.  All very fun to knit.  And a wonderful friend offered to sew lining for them so they didn't stretch too much when stuffed.  Thank you Jan!

There have been other holiday knits, even some gifts (made hats for my nieces and daughters, socks for my brother).  But those are my most beloved.  What will it be this year?