Dad's 2017 Knit Christmas Socks

Since last Christmas, Dad has been hinting around that he wants another pair of hand knit socks. According to my mom, he has been wearing the first pair I made him nonstop and even has a hole in the heel. Now THAT is a compliment!

Dad doesn't get online much, so I present this year's socks for him before I wrap 'em up.

Pattern: Mount Airy Socks by Mary Lukas

Yarn: Malabrigo Sock in Reflecting Pool

Knit Campside Shawl

I've had this shawl on my list for a while, and I finally made it back in the summer. What spawned the creation was me falling in love with this yarn color.

Pattern: Campside Shawl by Alicia Plummer

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Dos Tierras in 412 Teal Feather

Angela's Knit Textured Mitts

Hey, it's a Christmas gift that I actually finished! My friend Angela looooves alpaca, and she's more of a crocheter than a knitter, so I thought I'd stitch her some knitted fingerless mitts in her fave fiber.

I normally don't make knitted gifts for friends who knit. I'm not sure why. Maybe I figure that if they really wanted them, they would've already made them? (That's not true at all for me!) But I thought since she doesn't really knit much, she'd be a good candidate for these.

Pattern: Textured Mitts by Hannah Fettig

Yarn: Cascade Pure Alpaca in Magenta and Grey

Tis the Season for Knit Socks: Alex's Mount Airy Socks

As you probably know, Alex is a sock addict, and I'm addicted to making socks. (That's why our marriage works.) I present the latest pair of knit socks.

The socks remind me of Ernie from Sesame Street's sweater, for some reason. And that makes me smile. (Bert and Ernie were totally my favorite Sesame Street characters!)

Pattern: Mount Airy Socks

Yarn: Rohrspatz & Wollmeise Pure 100% Merino Superwash

Snowball Pom Pom Wreath

Lately I've been on a mission to use up as much of my yarn stash as possible. We had a very unexpected snow last weekend, leaving Alex and me unprepared and eating beans for two days.

I started this pom pom wreath weeks ago, but I hadn't finished it yet. I knew if I didn't finish it during the big snow, I'd have to wait until next year to display it. I was happy to sit and wrap pom poms while Alex and I watched Endeavour and Good Girls Revolt. (I highly recommend both.)

Knit Astrantia Cowl for Danara

My friend Sami made this cowl pattern for herself, and I fell in love with it. It's from a book called Maine Knits, so it was a perfect gift for my friend Danara who loves Maine and often travels up there for writing workshops.

Pattern: Astrantia Cowl by Beatrice Perron Dahlen

Yarn: Malabrigo Rasta in Azul Profundo

Knit Commonwealth Snowflake Sweater

I always set these ridiculous deadlines for myself, and then the deadline doesn't matter anyway because I don't wear the actual finished project. That was the case with this beautiful knit Commonwealth Sweater.

I wanted to finish this sweater in time to wear it last Thanksgiving. (Yep, I'm posting this more than a year later.) I did finish it, but when Thanksgiving rolled around it was about 65 degrees outside. That plus packing about 18 people into our house = sweaty guests and hosts, so I didn't wear the sweater.

Pattern: Commonwealth Sweater by Kiri FitzGerald-Hillier
Yarn: Plymouth Yarn DK Merino Superwash in Green Lake

Sweater Weather! Knit Agrotera

I made this sweater last spring, then put it away until the weather was colder again. Since we have almost a foot of snow on the ground, I think that qualifies as official winter weather. Long live sweater weather!

Pattern: Agrotera Pullover by Amanda Bell

Yarn: Juniper Moon Farm Sabine in Sungold

I bought this yarn at a local yarn store, Black Mountain Yarn Shop. It was on sale since the yarn has been discontinued, and I was a little hesitant about the color. Even though it was labeled as gold, I felt like it was a little too close to my pale skin tone.

In college my roommate had a shirt that was the same color as her skin, and every time I saw her from across the quad, I thought she was naked. I sure didn't want to recreate that shirt.

The color was a bit hard to photograph, but it's almost the same color as our Evil Kitty.

The sweater was super easy to knit, but I'm not 100% pleased with how the yarn feels. It's a little rough and scratchy, so I've mostly been wearing it over top of other things to add a layer between the sweater and my skin. It's still pretty, though, isn't it?

Crochet Taxidermy Parade Continues: Raccoon, Jellyfish, and Octopus

I love these crochet taxidermy critters sooo much, so I'm now making them as gifts for EVERYONE. All of these creatures are from Crochet Taxidermy by Taylor Hart.

I made this raccoon for my friend Erica for her birthday back in October. I love the oval plaque and his perky little ears.

Waterlily Summer Knit Top

Oh, look! I finished this breezy airy summery top just in time for fall! Haha. It didn't work out quite the way I planned.

Pattern: Waterlily by Meghan Fernandes (Issue 8 of Pom Pom Quarterly)

Yarn: Rowan 4-Ply Cotton (discontinued)

September Birthday Crochet Taxidermy: Skunk, Owl, and Toucan

My crafty friends -- you know, the ones who made me this awesome hoop for my wedding -- always trade birthday gifts, and three of the gals have September birthdays. This year, I decided to make everyone a crochet taxidermy animal.

I'm kinda obsessed with these lately, and I think everyone needs one! Plus when you have an endless stash of yarn like I do, you have tons of color combos to play with.

Patterns: Little Stinker, Little Hooter, and Timid Toucan from Crochet Taxidermy by Taylor Hart
Yarn: Scrap yarn from my stash

The owl was for Tara. (Alex liked this one so much that he asked me to make one for us, too.)

Stephanie got the skunk.

And Krista got the toucan.

Bobble Goodness! Little Cabin Knitted Sweater

You might remember that I was working on this sweater when I went home to see my family in Kentucky after my uncle, Billy, passed away. This sweater really helped me get through a tough time, and I'll forever think of him when I wear it.

And I plan on wearing it a lot! It really turned out great.

Pattern: Little Cabin by Caitlin Hunter

Yarn: Cascade 220 in Plum

More Knitted Socks! Lavender Double Lace Rib Socks

Warning: blinding white legs ahead.

You know I love knitting socks, but they're usually for Alex, who has quite a collection now. So when my friend Jo's mom, Kim, so generously unloaded part of her stash on us, I nabbed some madelinetosh yarn that's to DIE FOR.



Yarn: madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Sugar Plum
Pattern: Double Lace Rib Toe-Up Socks by Stefanie Pollmeier (FREE pattern!)

I'm not usually a toe-up sock kind of gal. I love the easy heel of the toe-up sock, but I loathe the cast on. But this pattern was just so pretty that I couldn't pass it up.

Madie's Crochet Bun Hat

I rarely jump on fiber and stitching trends, but thankfully I have cool young family members like my cousin Madie to keep me on my toes.

Madie messaged me after Christmas with a photo of a bun hat. She wanted to know if I could make her one, so I said sure.

Pattern: Easy Peasy Messy Bun Hat (FREE!)
Yarn: Red Heart with Love Solids in Bubble Gum

Knitting, Grieving, and Making Connections

Alex frequently sends me articles about the health benefits of knitting, but it wasn't until recently that I really started to appreciate those benefits.

My uncle Billy passed away last week and as I usually do when we're going on a trip, I brought my knitting with me for our trip to see my family in Kentucky. Knitting at a time like this seems silly, but I didn't realize what a comfort it would soon be.

I'm currently working on Little Cabin by Caitlin Hunter, but really I could've been knitting an endless swatch of stockinette stitch and it would've still been helpful.

When someone I love passes away, I'm looking for a distraction and a break from feeling the weight of the sadness. Knitting provides just that. I'm counting stitches, I'm looking at charts, I'm reading directions, I'm feeling that back and forth movement of the needles. And it's comforting. I don't know why, but it's comforting.

Death brings up so many terrible feelings, and I'm not saying that we should avoid or ignore them. But sometimes those feelings are overwhelming and so painful. Knitting can bring a temporary peace and calm that can help us feel better even if it's just for a few minutes.

I was talking to Alex about Billy's talent as a mechanic and his love for old cars when Alex brought up an interesting point that bridged my knitting with Billy: my family is full of people who do things with their hands. Mechanics, electricians, sewers, crocheters -- we all love working those fine motor skills, and we're good at it. I never really thought about that before, but it made me feel that much more connected to other members of my family.

At first I was worried that every time I look at this sweater, I'll think of my uncle Billy and be sad. But I think it might just do the opposite: I think it will serve as a little tribute to him every time I wear it.

If you're interested in reading more about the health benefits of knitting, whether it's for grief, depression, anxiety, or anything else, check out some of these articles:

• Knitting Through Grief
• Losing Mom: Knitting Through Grief
• The Health Benefits of Knitting
• Health Benefits of Crocheting and Knitting
• The Truth About Knitting and Crochet….They are Good for You!

Knitting Trials and Tribulations of the Options Cardigan

Holy moly. I've been through it with this sweater.

I'm a huge fan of Amy Herzog's designs, so I was really excited to start this sweater. I didn't plan it out super well -- funny, since that's the fit tip Amy so constantly drives home. The lack of planning caused me to take soooo long to finish this.

But it's all good now.

Yarn: Rowan Pure Wool Superwash DK in Marl
Pattern: Striped (or Not) Options Cardigan by Amy Herzog

Dotted Ray Shawl + Meeting Stephen West

Earlier this year (yeah, I'm a little late in relaying this exciting info), I found out that Stephen West was visiting Black Mountain Yarn Shop. Cue the freak out.

Stephen was in Black Mountain last year, and the tickets sold out in minutes. I was so bummed that I missed him. But he came back one more time (the man is forever traveling everywhere), and it was a simple meet-and-greet event.

I was almost as nervous to meet him as I was when I was approached by Conan O'Brien. (That's a story for another day.)

Pattern: Dotted Rays by Stephen West

Yarn: SO many yarns!! Most were sock yarn scraps.

A lot of the ladies at the yarn shop were working on Stephen's patterns. I had been working on this Dotted Rays shawl and wanted to finish it so I could wear it to the shop, but I didn't finish in time. (Story of my knitting life.)

Instead, my friend Sami had the great idea to just bring the project and work on it at the shop. I felt like a little kid, holding up my art for Stephen to praise.

A rare selfie of me wearing the shawl for the Instagram #YarnLoveChallenge I participated in.

Here's Sami and me with Stephen. (Sami knit that sweater she's wearing. Isn't it awesome?) My mother-in-law had recently visited Stephen's yarn store in Amsterdam, and she brought me this book. I brought it for him to sign, and it was his first time seeing the European version.

Also, please notice that Stephen is wearing a leopard print onesie. The coolest.

At first I was really careful about choosing colors for the shawl. But then the shawl kept getting bigger, and I just thought well screw it. Let's just randomly start using yarn. Alex helped me pick a couple of colors, too. He really loves digging through those drawers full of yarn.

I was definitely creeping on Stephen's knitting projects that he had at the table. He was walking around, so I casually did some snooping. (It was cool, though. He eventually told us what he was working on and is all about letting knitters touch it.)

If Stephen ever returned to Black Mountain, I'd probably go again. And again. And again.

Have you ever knit any of Stephen West's designs? I'm ready to start another one. I just can't get enough of those colorful shawls -- like I need another shawl.

Black Light Knit Socks for Alex

When I was in high school, I was all about the black light posters. I had a couple of them in my room, and I lived for the day when we drove the couple of hours to the mall (any mall!) so I could go to Spencer's and get more.

So when I spotted this black light yarn at the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair last fall, I freaked out a little. Of course, I knew Alex would like it, too, and he had asked me to pick up something fun for him. I was also trying not to spend a lot of money on yarn or add to my already-overflowing stash, so this was my solo purchase for the day.

Pattern: Amanda's Basic Sock Pattern
Yarn: Wild Hare Fiber Studio Pinnacle Sock in Neon Lights

Clearly, the cat is jealous of Nietzsche's usual guest spot in the sock photos. Yes, she always looks that evil.

The socks remind me of the Rainbow Road race on Super Mario Kart for Super Nintendo. Ah, good memories.

We haven't tried the socks under a black light yet, but we're planning to visit my parents soon so we're going to test them there. (That's right. My room is still pretty much in tact aside from my niece and nephew's toys and my mom's sewing machine.)

The funny thing about me buying this sock yarn: my friend Erica spotted this yarn when she went to SAFF and said she thought of me. She was going to tell me about the yarn, but I bought it and posted it to Instagram before she could even tell me about it! She knows my yarn preferences well.

Now that Alex has these socks, I'm jealous and want to make some of my own. I weighed the yarn and discovered that I only have enough to make one and a half more socks, so I'm going to add another color for the heel and toe to try and make two pairs. Stay tuned!

Spring Knits! Silvermine Shawl

Yep, another shawl. I just can't seem to get enough of these!

I first saw this shawl on Instagram. Christina Danaee of Appalachian Knits, the designer of the shawl, posted a call for test knitters. I immediately thought about this super special yarn and knew it would be perfect for this.

Christina is actually a designer local to Asheville, so it was cool to do a test knit for someone locally.

Pattern: Silvermine Shawl by Christina Danaee

Yarn: Siidegarte Siide-Fideel in Stiefmueterli and scrap gray yarn from my friend Emily

I've been doing a great job using up yarn that I already have. This beautiful wool-silk blend purple yarn was a gift from my mother-in-law. She went on a knitting cruise in Europe, and not only did they get to go to all kinds of awesome yarn shops, but the yarn also came to them.

The yarn seller boarded the boat and sold all kinds of awesome yarn to the knitting cruise group. My mother-in-law knows I love purple, so she chose this for me.

I love the little bobbles on the shawl that form these berry-like clusters. Once I got further along in the pattern, though, those bobble rows seemed eternal!

Before I even started knitting, I knew I didn't have enough of the gorgeous purple yarn to finish. But I did have a bit of gray yarn that my friend Emily sent me, and it looked lovely next to the purple. There's just something about purple and gray...

I got to the last few bobbles and discovered that I didn't have enough of the gray yarn. Ugh. I was so close to the end. I didn't have any gray fingering-weight yarn, so I ended up splitting a heavier yarn and using the split plies to finish it up. I don't think you can really tell! (It was pretty successful -- so successful that I'm writing a Craftsy post about it!)

Little Stinker Skunk and Fox Crochet Taxidermy

I bought Crochet Taxidermy by Taylor Hart on a whim one night when we were in Malaprops, our local independent bookstore here in Asheville.

I first thought I would make these as Christmas presents for lots of friends, but I then realized that wasn't going to happen. (I ended up going for fox brooches instead for many of my friends,which was much faster.) I made the skunk as a gift, and then Alex persuaded me to make the fox for our house.

Pattern: Sly Fox by Taylor Hart from Crochet Taxidermy
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in Carrot and Lily Sugar'n Cream in White (both from my stash)

Pattern: Little Stinker by Taylor Hart from Crochet Taxidermy
Yarn: Black acrylic from my stash and Red Heart Buttercup in White

Colorwork-Crazy Vespergyle Mittens for Jessica

I've been making my friend Jessica hand knit gifts for a long time. We met in a group fiddle lesson in Brooklyn, and we lived just a block apart. Even though we both left BK, we still keep in touch -- and we still exchange crafty gifts every year.

Last fall, Jessica told me about a pair of mittens she bought from a handmade market in Norway. She lost them, and she was pretty upset about it. Since she purchased them from a lady at a random market, they were practically impossible to replace. So I agreed to try and make a replica.

The result: Vespergyle Mittens.

Pattern: Vespergyle Mittens by Elinor Brown (Free Pattern!)

Yarn: Wullenstudio Superwash Sock Merino Nylon and Bernat Baby Solids in White

My colorwork wasn't perfect throughout the entire mitten, and this was my first time making a mitten where the thumb is increased slowly off the side of the mitten, rather than added later with picked up stitches. I think this type of thumb is way easier to knit.

The colorwork makes the mittens warmer, and it also looks super cool:

I don't think I successfully replicated Jessica's original mittens, but I hope these will be just as warm (and never lost!).

Here's a photo of Jessica's lost Norwegian mittens:

You can see they were a little felted and probably much warmer. But I think we did a pretty good job finding a pattern that is similar!

Here's a funny video of Jessica modeling her new mittens. Go, Jessica!

Alex's Latest Knit Crazy-Colored Socks

Alex is forever requesting that I knit him a pair of socks. You probably realize this already, since his legs grace the opening of practically every sock post. He's so spoiled now that he wears a pair of hand knit socks practically every day. (That's thanks in part to his mom also knitting socks for him.)

This latest pair came about by accident. My friend Jo's mom kindly unloaded part of her stash, and Jo brought over a whole bag of yarn for a few of us to go through. I chose my yarn, and after everyone left I found a lonely skein of sock yarn that had fallen off the table.

No one else claimed it when I asked, so I kept it! (Couldn't let such a lovely yarn go to waste.)

Thus was born Alex's latest pair of socks, requested for Christmas but delivered a teensy bit late.

Pattern: Waffle Rib Sock by Carolyn (Jill) Ferneau

Yarn: Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball®Crazy (I think it's color #1537, but not entirely sure)

I've made this same sock pattern several times. It's one of Alex's favorites, but I share the waffle love with all. Here are the other socks I've made with this same pattern:

• Dad's Waffle Rib Christmas Socks
• Alex's Waffle Rib Socks
• Whales Road Waffle Rib Socks

I'm also really digging the Eye of Partridge heel. It has such a neat texture and makes other heel types look so boring.

When I didn't know what the yarn was, I worked up this tiny little swatch and put it through the washer to see what happened. I love how such a cool yarn can look so inconspicuous when it's worked in such short rounds.

Pretty Winter Snowflake Embroidery

I'm always sad when we have to put away the Christmas decorations, so it's nice to have some general winter-themed crafts that we can leave up through January (and hey, maybe even February). Snowflakes are a definite January decoration for me, and this Winter Snowflake embroidery is a perfect example.

Pattern: Winter Snowflake by cozyblue

Mollie Makes Foxy Felt Brooches for Foxy Ladies

When I try to make something handmade for lots of friends, it's always a fail. So this past holiday, I looked for a gift that I could give lots of people. For inspiration, I went back through my Mollie Makes archive and found this adorable fox brooch kit that I hadn't even touched.

I made the foxes assembly-line style and was able to whip up quite a few in just several hours while I watched embarrassingly crappy Christmas movies on Netflix. Yeah! Handmade gifts for all!

Pattern: Mollie Makes Issue 32 Fox Brooch Template

Supplies: Felt, pin backs, and embroidery floss -- all from my craft stash! Woohoo!