Christmas Presents (Spoiler Alert for Family)

(This is a picture of Mia when we got her at Christmas 2 years ago)

Okay, Okay... Christmas is in like 5 weeks! Crazy! Usually I have all of my shopping done by now and present are wrapped waiting for the Christmas tree. However I'm a little behind schedule this year due to all the craziness with my health.

This week I checked off my mother-in-law and sister-in-law off the "To-Do" list. I got both of their presents done. I knit a pair of Garden Trellis Mitts by Sharryknits (available free online) for my sister-in-law. (Sharryknits website seems pretty basic and I don't see the mitt pattern on her actual website. The link is to the free pattern on Ravelry - must register as a user to get access - again, free). The mitts were easy and fun to make. I knit the fingerless mitts in Panda Silk Dk (a mix of bamboo, wool, and silk) on U.S. 5 needles. The only alteration I made to the pattern was knitting 10 rows of ribbing at the beginning of the pattern instead of the recommended 7. This pattern turned out easy and seam free!

The most exciting thing I brought away from the pattern was learning the sewn cast off. I have never used this cast off before but used the tutorial from woolywonder (click link) and it was easy and most important - stretchy! I'll be using this cast off for MANY things. Nice to add it to my knitting arsenal.

The other project I finished this weekend was Robin's Egg Blue Hat by Rachel Iufer. This pattern was easy but also had some nice touches. My yarn (I used Plymouth Yarns Mushishi) was a worsted weight yarn instead of the bulky required. So I upped the number of stitches to 92 (instead of 80). Otherwise I followed the pattern as written. The hat fits nicely, a little loose (which my mother-in-law requested) and has a little pizazz to it for a simple cap. I still need to look for a couple standout buttons to finish the hat. All in all, great pattern.

So those are two of my finished gifts. It was a lot of knitting time but hopefully they like the finished items as much as I do. I'll have a hard time getting rid of the mitts - I L-O-V-E them!! I might have to make myself a pair!

Pictures will come post Christmas - I don't want to ruin the surprise entirely for any family who might check the blog.