I am back to nag you about the number of weeks left until the holidays, less than eight! I know that you know that the deadline for getting the handmade gifts done is close but, if you are still trying to decide what to make, time is a wastin’.
I have a number of free (and paid) patterns in my Ravelry store that are ideal for gifts. Have a look at the hat, shawl, scarf, and sweater patterns that I have written for you. If you decide to make one of them, thank you!
I have a few new patterns on the drawing board, in the testing phase now, that I hope to have ready this month. I will keep you posted on the progress. In the meantime, here are a couple of ideas.
I made a couple of pairs of Nordic style mitts this summer and fall and really enjoyed the experience. I used a 30cm, 12” circular needle to make these lovelies. I found it much, much faster to use a slightly longer circular than the 20cm, 9” that I have used for socks. I think that the longer needle made management of the floats easier in that I could keep a longer stretch between the stitches. I usually have a problem with fair isle or stranded knitting bunching up but was able to keep that from happening with these.
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ussuri-tiger
These are really, really unique and have brought a lot of compliments. The pattern designer, Natalia Moreva, has some other very beautiful patterns in her Ravelry store, Kulabra Designs. The pattern that I used was well written but not a beginner pattern. It assumes that you know the basics of knitting and that you have done colour work before. Having said that, I had no difficulty in following the instructions which I, of course, changed a little at the cuff.
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/deep-in-the-forest-mittens
These are another pair of mitts that I made. The photo shows front and back that are similar but feature different trees. This designer, Tuulia Salmela, also writes for a more experienced knitter but was also easy to follow. I made the mistake of trying to knit these, my first pair, on DPN’s; huge faux pas as my poor mitt was all buckled and warped! I really liked her instructions for the Nordic braid at the cuff and carried that over to the tiger mitts.
These are a couple of ideas for you if you feel like you need to step outside of the hat, scarf, shawl box, have some extra time, and enjoy the challenge. There are many, many thousands of other patterns for making gifts; these are two that I enjoyed.
Happy crafting this week, and may all your yarny dreams come true!