I’m ready for Christmas (sort of)

The photo shows all my knitted Christmas gifts (except my Aunt’s shawl which had been posted separately earlier) waiting to be wrapped and posted. Somehow I managed to finish the last gift set just on time – and there’s no way I could also knit Mum’s top before tomorrow, so I’m glad I gave up on this idea and spared myself additional stress.

It was a crazy week, with sudden additional work and our home turning into a mini hospital. And it wasn’t me this time (yay for no longer having a cold!), but the Boyfriend, who pulled a muscle in his back and could hardly move, and Stella, who had an upper respiratory infection. Both have been pretty miserable, but I’m happy to say that both are well again. We went for a check up with Stella on Saturday and the vet confirmed that she’s fine, so we managed to avoid antibiotics. Stella used to be a stray cat and before being taken to the shelter she’d had cat flu, so she’s a carrier of the virus for life and may occasionally get worse. She gets all her vaccines every year though which makes the illness milder. Luckily Ciri, who got her first shots before being exposed to the virus, is fully immune and didn’t even sneeze despite having close contact with Stella.

So amidst all that, Dad’s hat and scarf were everything I had been able to knit. Here they are:

I resigned from using the yarn that I’d bought for this project (another colourway of worsted hand dyed yarn from Irish Fairytale Yarns) as it was brighter than I’d expected. Instead I used up some of Malabrigo Rios for Mum’s top (no worries, I’ll buy it back in this or other similar colourway – there are so many awesome colours of this yarn to choose from!). These colours would go well with my Dad’s usual dark clothes, they will make him look a little more cheerful, but are not too bright for him. My Dad is honestly not the easiest person to choose a good gift for but I think this one should be appreciated. It’s just perfect for his long daily walks with the dog, but could also be worn on the way to work.

The pattern I chose for the hat is Two by Two by Anne Gagnon. I knew that my Dad would prefer something soft and comfy rather than stiffer, cabled style of my brother’s hat from the previous post. It was very straightforward, just 2×2 rib and then crown shaping. I knitted the longer version, so that the ears are covered with a double layer of fabric, which will keep him warm even on a really cold day.

The scarf pattern is called Paul’s Scarf, designed by LaDonna Maxwell. I chose it because it’s also simple and I thought it would go well with the hat. It’s all knitted in garter stitch, but the additional slipped stitches give it an interesting look and I really like this effect. I knew I didn’t want anything too complicated, as I didn’t want the pattern to distract from the colour changes in the yarn.

I also made a quick project for a friend, to match The Rain Outside shawl – Heather Neufeld’s Hanami Toque in hot pink.

Initially the idea had been to knit another one but in light gray (as I still have the wool on both colours from this project, somehow I overestimated the amount needed a lot), so that she could decide which version to wear with her shawl depending on the mood, but I just didn’t manage to knit it on time. She has to enjoy the pink one 😉

I am very happy (and even more relieved) to say that everything is ready, packaged and waiting for the courier to pick it up. I think I did a good job, and I’m really happy because these gifts really match the style of every recipient, which is exactly what I was aiming for. I can get back to selfish knitting now, and I already have many ideas for that!