Knitters and other crafters - 24 days left: what ya got finished/going/planned?

Cafe Society
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Wasn’t it just October? When I had a great, low pressure plan to get all these gifts knitted? I think I did one pair of mittens in that time.

So now the crunch is on. Here’s what I have completed:

A multi-fiber wrap made with hand-dyed yarn, which (to be completely honest) I made for fun/myself last year, and have never used.

A two-color brioche stitch scarf with I-cord border, for my SIL - worked on it for months and months, but finally got there.

Chunky mittens made with Kool-Aid dyed wool, to go in a winter gift basket for FIL and his wife.

On the needles:

Old fashioned mittens for FIL for that basket.

An airy scarf in silk and mohair for my daughter’s teacher.

Planned:

Another scarf for the other teacher.

Lace insets to put on pillowcases for my MIL.

Perhaps some ornaments with scrap yarn, to go in food gift baskets for friends, if I have time (yeah right).

Did I mention I’m also making a doll and doll clothes for my daughter, and helping her make some painted pillowcases for her grandparents?

Thank goodness I get 9 free hours a week when she’s at school, for the next three weeks!

So what are you giving this year, and is it finished yet?

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Hmm. I need to take photos! I have a brioche scarf on the needles for grandpa-in-law. It’s a lovely sort of oceany colourway. I acquired the yarn through a friend of a friend (no, not off the back of a truck) so I have no idea of fibre content although it burn tests like an animal fibre and feels and looks like silk. Maybe a blend. Anyway, thick, squishy and elegant.

I finished most of a wallhanging for mother-in-law. It’s scrap yarn mitered squares in warm earth tones with a quilt fabric backing. I have to figure out sewing hanging tabs on the back. Anyone who has brilliant ideas… I’d love to know. Otherwise I will make it up as I go along.

I made a double stranded necklace of some chunky jasper and black volcanic rock, interspersed with red seed beads for my mother, and need to finish up a tonally complementary bracelet for her.

Vaguely considering whipping up a few hats, but not sure in what fibres and for whom - no particular pattern in mind, just a basic in-the-round ribbed brim changing to stockinette for the body. Boring but a great winter standby.

Unauthorized Cinnamon the multi-fiber wrap is especially lovely! My kind of colours.

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Now with pictures!

Scarf in mystery yarn. It’s almost done. I’m plugging along for a few more inches before I call it good.

Wallhanging.

Necklace and bracelet. Mum has tiny wrists, and she also beads, so I guessed what size for the bracelet but she can restring it if she needs to.

I also have some black fabric with red dragons to make a handbag for a friend but I am doing pretty poorly on the finish-sewing-things front and my machine needs cleaning/oiling badly so that’s sort of a glimmer in my eye. Maybe for her January birthday instead.

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I just started beading (necklaces, earrings, bracelets, etc.) about two weeks ago, and I’m hooked! So anyone I can justify it for is getting beaded stuff this year. I’ve got one sweet little three strand going into one center bead necklace that I just have to restring for my sister in law (I ran out of tigertail, and tried it with nylon thread, but I don’t trust it, so I’m getting more tiger to do it over - but at least it’s all laid out and ready to go), I made a tooth-achingly sweet pink glass shapes and hearts necklace for my daughter; she’ll love it, I think it looks like Barbie passed some gallstones. I made an agate and amethyst necklace and matching earrings for a friend of mine, and I’ve got about a dozen more planned or at least vaguely thought out.

ETA: The part I’m having trouble with is giving them away. How do you guys do it? I mean, obviously, I won’t give away junk, so if I think it’s good enough to give away, that means I really like it, but then that means I don’t want to give it away! Arrrgh!

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In my case, I can give mum her stuff because I’d never wear it. She likes the chunky. I like the sleek! It does make it easier!

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I have one scarf done (except for sewing in the ends), and another scarf on the needles. In a case of “what was I thinking” , the completed scarf is for a friend in town, and the other has to be mailed!

I wanted to make a couple of table runners out of Christmas fabric, but haven’t even cut the fabric yet.

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I’ve completed one pair of mittens for my oldest son. He’ll get a hat, too - not sure which pattern I’ll use.
I’ve completed the hat for my youngest - the little cable knit one with a big pompon on top from Zoe Mellor’s Adorable Knits for Tiny Tots. It’s white with a baby blue trim and pompon. His mittens haven’t been started, yet.

I’m also working on vests for them for Christmas Eve. Youngest’s is in Peace Fleece Siberian Midnight with Antarctica White stars. Oldest’s is going to be Peace Fleece Firebird Orange and Khruschev Corn (he likes the bright colors), but I haven’t decided what picture to put on the front or if I should just do stripes. Suggestions are welcome!

Unfortunately, I’m also doing a lazy project of a Knitting Pure and Simple cardigan for me, in Peace Fleece Kamchatka Sea Moss (can you tell I was in a Peace Fleece co-op this summer?). It’s such a nice sit-in-front-of-the-tv mindless project that I seem to work more on that than anything else. And it’s taking me forever! It takes me 15 minutes to do one row!

Unauthorized Cinnamon, is that airy scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts? If it is, I thought about doing that for my mom for Christmas. Did it take you forever or was it pretty quick? [hijack]And, have you always been in Cary? I’m in Raleigh. We should have a knitting night sometime![/hijack]

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I am trying to finish mittens and am having the biggest problem with the gore and thumbs. It is like I have a block on it all.

I have to rip back the first one to the thumb and re do it as it is completely wrong, wrong, wrong ( too puny) and rip out the gore I’ve mangled in its mate.
I think this winter will be Focusing on Mittens for me.

I also have two scarves to crank out. Basic K2P2 and a seed stitch scarves. One needs to be done by the second weekend the other for school, possibly.
However, all of it is delayed finding out one of my BFF husband is going in for back surgery this wednesday and I want to knit him something. I have no idea what.

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Perhaps a remote/beer/potato chip cozy for his armchair? He might have a great excuse for taking it easy awhile…

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My brother wants a sweater for xmas. He just told me this recently. Ye gods! I also want to make a pair of socks for my b/f with little fish on them (he’s a fisherman-type). Somehow, I also need to fit sleeping and eating in there somewhere, too. And shopping for everyone else.

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Thanks, Idlewild! Your stuff looks loverly - especially the jewelry. Being chunky myself, I’ve developed a taste for chunky jewelry - I have some gorgeous tanzanite and black coral, but it tends to get lost on me, between my size and all my hair.

Y’all are going to get me in trouble - beading sounds like fun, but I already have six 18-gallon bins full of crafting, sewing, doll making, and knitting stuff - I must not start new crafting until I thin my supplies a bit!

C3, that Peace Fleece looks yummy - you must post pics of those vests! And yes, that Airy Scarf is from LMKG, and it is very quick, especially once you get the pattern ingrained in your mind. After all, it is lace, which is mostly empty space! IIRC, it’s laceweight yarn knitted on sz 10 needles. I made one for each of the ladies in the family a couple years ago - very easy.

And yep, I’ve been in Cary since 2004, just finally decided to put it in my profile this week. Knitting night sounds fun!

Shirley, that stinks - I’ve never had to frog something extensively, thank Og. Honestly, I think I prefer the pattern I did a few years ago for toddler mittens, which is knit flat, to working with the DPNs - they stress me out! I hope your friend’s husband does OK with surgery - it’s so nice of you to make a special gift for him!

Oh! I forgot to put in the OP, I discovered a great tip for knitted slippers - I have tried putting leather bottoms on some, but they are expensive and came out crappy, after a lot of effort. Well, I just made some new slippers for my daughter, and put silicone aquarium caulk on the bottoms, and it works great! It was $5 for a tube which will last through at least a dozen pairs, and it took me about 3 minutes to apply. I also feel comfortable having my kid come in contact with it, since it is safe for tropical fish, who are not the hardiest pets.

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I have a half dozen counted cross stitch ornaments on plastic canvas. They all need cutting out, gluing on felt, and to have hangers attached.

One needs mucho backstitching first, and I haven’t decided whether I’m going to stop when I finish that one, or whether I’ll stitch up a couple more. Actually, I kind of have to stitch at least one more–I don’t think it would be a good idea to give a cute little ornament to one neice and not to her sister.

(Guess what I bought today at the craft store . . . )

ETA: I’ve also made a bunch of jingle bracelets I just need to wrap up and ship out, so they can be worn for a couple weeks before Christmas.

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Frogging is a way of life over here at Casa Anal Retentive. I blame zee germans.

A beer cosy just might be the ticket. Easy to do and a bit of a stash buster.

Good idea! Thanks!

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Maybe I’ll knit him a penis cosy as he has been in so much pain that he can’t even manage that. (You know it’s got to hurt if sex is the last thing a guy wants.)

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I downloaded patterns for placemats at Knitpicks.com. Basically, you cast on 86 stitches, knit seed stitch until the piece measures 2 inches, knit seed stitch 10 stitches, place marker, knit pattern for 66 stitches, then seed stitch the remaining 10 stitches. You knit the pattern until it measures 11 inches, then do two more inches of seed stitch.

So, the seed stitches are the border, and the 66 internal stitches are the pattern. I found the KnitPicks suggestion for the pattern a bit dull, so I Googled knitting stitches and printed out some interesting patterns. I did Feather and Fan, Leaves of Grass, Double Diamonds, and the fourth placemat will be Pavilion.

I’ll get Ivylad to take pictures so I can show everyone. It was a quick, easy project to do, although I find the knit one purl one knit one purl one pattern of seed stitch a bit boring.

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Oh, I have that problem too. I’ll try to ignore it, pretend it’s not what I think it is, then it’s down needles and ribbit ribbit ribbit. :mad:

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I’m not knitting anything this year for anyone I know. I am working on a knitted cap for charity; the hospital I work for is having a drive to collect items for a local charity that serves the needy regardless of religion, sexual orientation, etc.. I bought some machine-washable merino wool yarn on sale this summer, and will hopefully have it made into a hat by the donation deadline.

For making other things, however, I’m whipping up jars of sugar scrub in a spicy, sugary, orangey scent, bottles of lotion in various scents, homemade gel scent jars (made with distilled water, powdered gelatin, and fragrance oil), and a home-blended spice rub mix.

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My god, that is just gorgeous!

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God, don’t remind me. I’ve whittled it down a bit but have much to do yet.

I finished the hat and mittens, one of the purses just needs to be felted and a button added… but I need to finish another two purses, two more tea cozies (one is half done) and a few finger puppets need to be crocheted.

Some can go past Christmas though, so that’s not so bad (seeing some family after Christmas and doing presents then).

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I’m knitting (in the sense that I have it on needles) a feather & fan baby blanket in off-white Berocco Baby for my new nephew/niece (due Dec. 23). In reality, I’m slacking badly and I’m never going to get it finished before his/her six-month point. I haven’t knit a stitch in over a week.