Whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, or something else, it's that time of year when many of us think about what we are going to give our friends and family for the holidays. December and January also bring birthdays in my family. To encourage the spirit of gift giving in my son, he will be making cards to send to family members, some tasty treats for our friends, and bird feeders for our feathered friends. Like many knitters, I love to make something cozy for those close to me. To be honest though, I probably should have started thinking about this a month or two earlier. Fortunately, this year I decided to go for small and snuggly items that should knit up quickly.
My brother and his wife are great outdoors people and each one has a birthday on either side of Christmas. This year I thought I would make them each a pair of Snug Gloves for their birthdays. These mitts are double thick so they should be very warm, but also leave the fingers free. They can even be layered under a pair of waterproof outer mittens, giving the wearer a lot of versatility.
The other gift I'm knitting is a blanket square lovey for my best friend's daughter. She recently turned one and while her big sister got a special knit gift when she was born I haven't made anything special for her yet. I found the sweetest pattern that will make a little rabbit for her to cuddle.
There are also some fun little things that you might be thinking about giving the knitter in your family or maybe you would like to be gifted yourself. I usually prefer practical gifts, something that I need or can really use. I don't want something that's going to take up space and make more clutter. Last March, right before everything went into lockdown, I was at my LYS and discovered these stitch markers. All of my small stitch markers had disappeared, so I picked up a container of small colored stitch markers by Coco knits. They are fantastic! The bright colors really pop against your knitting marking sections clearly. Being made of nylon coated steel prevents them from rusting and also makes them magnetic, which has helped me locate them again when dropped.
I'm also pretty excited about this new find! All of the socks I knit have holes in them and I've never been really sure about the best way to mend them. To my dismay, I have a pile of holey socks that I don't wear and can't stand the thought of discarding. Recently, I came across a mending loom by Katrinkles. My socks are saved! I may have sent a link to my husband asking for this to be my Christmas present. It's the little things that make me happy.
What are you knitting for your loved ones this year?
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