Skip to main content

Holiday Gifting: Kansas City Edition

The next round of gifts I made this year was sent to my family in Kansas City, and it comprised most of my knitting and crocheting efforts.

Clockwise from top left: I made sport weight socks for both of my grandparents using Louet GEMS yarn and two of my own designs, Chittery Chattery and Alameda (more on this later).

Next is a crocheted placemat which was requested by my grandfather to commemorate the Royals' American League Championship Title - you can't tell in the photo, unfortunately, but it's the perfect shade of Royal blue (I used Baah Shasta in London Blue for the main color).

Speaking of colors which really don't show up in the low light of mid-winter, we have my dad's navy blue hat knit in Zealana Air Chunky. I just did a simple rib and winged it - you can find more details here on my Ravelry project page if you're so inclined. It's incredibly soft and warm, and I'm pleased to report that Dad really loved it!

Last but not least is the Monster Tissue Cozy I knit for my mother, which she's been dropping some not-so-subtle hints about. Message received! She was quite ecstatic about it, too!


You may recall this fun pink flamingo from a few months back, which was one of my FreshStitches Kit Club shipments. I ended up gifting this to my cousin's adorable new baby Dany, and she loved it!


I also crocheted two more FreshStitches cuties, the Amigurumi Deer from Stacey's Woodland Creatures Craftsy Class for my grandmother (she loves my little critters!) and a Christmas-y Nelson the Owl for my mom.

On Friday, I'll be sharing my final holiday gift projects. Have a safe & happy new year - thanks for stopping by!

Comments

  1. What a hilarious tissue cozie! And all your little crocheted animals are super cute.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Easy DIY: Beaded Vintage Snowflake Ornament Kits from Solid Oak Inc.

I was really excited to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new as part of my "Christmas in July" theme this month. The kind folks at Solid Oak Inc offered me a chance to review one of their Nostalgic Christmas beaded crystal ornament kits I couldn't resist. My tree is already full of ornaments I've inherited or been gifted from other family members and friends,  so these pretty crystal beaded ornaments will fit right in I think! I was super impressed with  this compact little kit , which includes everything needed to create three gorgeous vintage-style ornaments - just add a pair of round nose pliers (I found mine on Amazon for less than ten bucks).  The instructions had some fabulous tips for newbies like me; for example, it recommended sorting the beads and laying them out in order on a towel or beading mat to prevent them from rolling away. That may seem obvious, but I was totally ready to start beading on my kitchen table without a

What If I Didn't Add Heels?

Last weekend, I finished the first sock with my Waterlilies yarn , and just for yuks, I tried it on even though it was basically just a tube sock. Much to my surprise, it fit really well, even without a heel. Who knew? So, that got me thinking: what if I just didn't add the heels?  I never thought a tube sock would actually fit nicely, but I genuinely like the fit, so...why spend time to add the heels? As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.... Let's say I decide not to add heels once the second sock is done - there will still be placeholder yarn for the afterthought heels, as you can see above, so should I leave it in and just weave in the ends? Or should I remove it, put the live stitches back on needles and at least graft them together using more of the Waterlilies yarn? I plan on mulling all of this over as I knit the second sock, and I'd love to hear your opinions of what you think would look best (or if you think this whole "n

Overdyeing A Finished Knit

Even after just a few years of knitting or crocheting, you're bound to have some finished projects lying around that never get worn or used. After 10+ years of crafting, I have more than just "some" or "a few"....and with my ongoing quest to declutter my house this year, I've become obsessed with going through these forlorn projects and making some Big Decisions. Sometimes, they are perfectly fine and just need a new and loving home. Other projects may have not turned out quite right: there might have been some mistakes in the knitting that I thought I could live with, or the yarn was gorgeous but not well-matched to the pattern, or my  taste has drastically changed since I finished making the project...in any case, why on earth did I keep knitting?! Who knows, but I don't feel good about gifting anything that falls into this category to someone else. These projects have been relegated to the "frog pile" (or should I say, frog pond?), to b