December largely involved frantic knitting to try and finish all my Christmas gifts. Everything just about got finished and all the gifts were well received. Unfortunately, in my rush to complete everything I forgot to take photographs of several items. A lovely scarf knit from 3 balls of Rowan Big wool went to my sister - hopefully , I can get a pic of it sometime. It knitted up in 2 evenings and looked warm and trendy. Also, 2 crocheted flower corsages got wrapped and gifted without a photo. I was really proud of these as they looked fabulous. I had seen something similar in Loop when I went there last month. They were charging about £35 each. Being a knitter/crocheter, I do understand that there is a lot of skill and time involved in making these things. But, I also know that I can make one just as beautiful for next to nothing. I intend to make several more, so there should be a pic soon.
I finally finished the embroidery on the Jackyll and Hyde ski mask. It looks hilarious. I am reliably informed that my nephew loves it.
For Clare the Bear, I whipped up another Colinette Fandango Boa. The pattern is from their booklet Artyfacts. I've made many of these. It takes just one skein of Fandango and is a brilliant way to try out the fantastic Colinette colourways.
The Bear asked me to make her a couple of pairs of simple fingerless mittens to give as presents. This is a pattern that I bought from the knitting stall on Watford market - can't remember the details. I have made a few pairs and adapted it a bit to use up scraps of yarn. They don't look much until you put them on. When worn they are really cute.
Using scraps seemed like a good idea, so I dug out some yarn in toning colours to make this fun beret. The pattern is the Multicoloured Beret from Handknit Style. I saw a couple of versions made up on Ravelry. It looks very different according to the colours and textures that you use. I recommend this pattern. It's fun to make, uses up leftover yarn and looks great. I want to make many more versions of this.
The hat obsession shows no sign of subsiding. I had a couple of balls of SWTC Oasis, the lovely bamboo yarn, that I picked up in a sale. I decided to try it out on the free crochet hat pattern on Interweave Crochet's website. The result is very pleasing. It was a quick easy pattern and a pretty little hat. I think it is called the Lace Cap and is by Kim Werker.
Also finished in December was the black Punk's Not Dead Hat for David at work. It took almost 2 balls of Lamb's Pride Bulky. It had been waiting to be felted for several weeks. I am never disappointed with this pattern. The hat looks fabulous. David loved it.
I had been admiring the cute, photogenic Blythe dolls that seem to be so popular with bloggers for ages. So, I was thrilled to receive one for Christmas from Karen. She is called Mod Molly and is just lovely. I never really considered myself a "doll" person but these girls have totally won me over. I have been experimenting with tiny hats for Molly and made a couple of simple beanies before discovering that the Bunny pattern from Get Your Crochet On makes a perfect beret. I've also sewn a couple of supercute dresses using patterns downloaded on the internet. I see many miniature jumpers, cardigans and hats on the knitting horizon.
I almost forgot - I started a jumper in Rowan Big Wool. The back is done and then it got put on hold until the Christmas presents were done. I'll dig it out again some time this week. Christmas and New Year were a lot of fun in our house. Miss Millie is very happy with the Wii that Santa brought for her. It is surpringly fun.
The Cross Stitch Scarf is also complete - knitted at work over three days. I like the stitch pattern a lot and it shows up the colours of the gorgeous Manos del Uruguay really well.
