christmas bounty!

I have been so busy using all of my christmas presents that I haven't had any time to blog about christmas presents. Some of my faves are this Dirt Devil Kone - sleek, stylish design elements and vaccuuming together at last!

I love the patagonia jacket that my mommy gave me. It's exactly what I wanted.

It has become a tradition for Steve to give me a new purse for christmas, even though I never ask for one. He always surprises me by picking something out himself. And I always love it. This year he bought me a clutch made from gum wrappers... it might sound weird, but it's more like a piece of art than something you would carry around every day. What I love about it is that it doesn't look like most recycled bags that you see at green stores or 10,000 villages. It's much more subtle. But it's beautiful.

We also received funds for a new bed and an external hard drive - woo hoo!

Okay - now for the knitted goods that were given at christmas this year... You know, the ones I had slaved over the entire month of December, down to the last minute, binding off stitches and weaving in ends... sewing on a button or two...

This is a little cable knit cowl that I made for Mary Tholking and it is probably my favorite thing that I knit this holiday season. First, it is made out of the SOFTEST alpaca.... so soft, you wouldn't believe it! (Misti Alpaca Chunky) Secondly, I knit it in one day. And the third reason - it is the best gift ever because it's so luscious and rich, yet only takes one skein so you won't break the bank. I think this would be a great project for learning cables because it is a straight rectangle and not too complicated. I already have several of my friends making them and I want to make about three more. You can get this pattern for free from Arcadia Knitting... and I think Kathy was talking about posting it on ravelry, but I'm not sure if she has yet.

The little duo is a gift I made for Steve's mom. I think it turned out so well, and a lot I owe to the yarn - fancy yarn, and lots of it - Malabrigo Greusa.... funny, it sounds like this yarn has genus and species names. Hhhmmm, what would Linnaeus think of that? Anyway, this is the Urchin hat from Fall Knitty, i think. And a simple drop stitch pattern scarf. Nice combo.

Doesn't she look pretty?

This one was a last minute mad rush, but I finished it in time. A BSJ in cotton, with an Aurora 8 edge, which for whatever reason I decided I wanted to do in stockinette. But it looked good. With a nice little rolled up edge.

I made these guys for my dad to wear outside to keep his hand warm. I actually started them before christmas 06. I should have just made the top open but instead I wanted to try half fingers.... not entirely pleased with how they turned out. I couldn't get the finger lengths right for some reason.......? But they are still warm and cozy and he liked them.

This is another Urchin hat, and was actually the first one that I made. It was for my dad's girlfriend, Cheryl. I used Lion Brand Homespun because it's so soft and easy to take care of. If you've seen the Urchin pattern you'll know that it is knit radially in 8 "wedge" sections. I think only knitted 7 for this hat because of the way the fabric drapes. It would have been way too floppy. I was pleased with the way it turned out. This photo is before grafting the ends together. Also, this is a pretty fast knit.