27 December 2008

Stealth No More

I know that once you had the chance to open your Christmas/Hanukkah/Festivus gifts, your very next thought was, "When will Bridget post pictures of the gifts she knit for Christmas, like she has been promising?"

Well, loyal readers (or those visiting for the first time and wondering how they got here), I give you:

A Year of Socks

Clockwise from the top: Crazy Cable Cuff Socks, Blueberry Waffle Socks, Go Redskins! Socks, Calico Confetti Socks, Bon-Bon Socklettes, Go Ravens! Socks, Amanda's Alpine Socks, Southwest Socks, Hedgerow Socks, and Fly Eagles Fly! Socks.

Yep, those are the socks I knit over the past year for my nieces and nephews and their respective partners, ten pairs in all! (Yes, I know the year has 12 months. Now go away if you were going to point that out.) And, I had all of the yarn in my stash, so I could just "shop" for yarn here at home ... I am really pleased with how they turned out, and that I actually managed to knit them all with plenty of time to send them to their respective recipients.

A couple of weekends ago, when my nieces and their families came up and we headed to Karen and Seb's to help decorate their tree, I was able to gift four of the pairs and see the reactions for myself. They were great, everyone was either a) truly thrilled/touched, or b) incredibly convincing in their acting abilities. (Personally, I chose "a.") Amanda's husband Pat actually started to cry, saying that no one ever made him anything before, and he couldn't believe that I took the time to do so, and Liz's husband Greg said that not only was it nice that someone in the family paid attention to people's sports preferences, but then that they "stroked it," which I find highly amusing.

If you would like details about any of them, and you are on Ravelry, you can look at my projects page. If you are not on Ravelry, and are dying to know, feel free to e-mail me (link on sidebar), and I'll tell you what you would like to know. If you want to see close-ups of the images, you can look at my Flickr set (my Flickr ID is thekittyknitter).

At the point when I finished knitting the last pair of socks, I still wanted to make a neck warmer for Karen (see this post). When I started that, The Tim said something to the effect that he thought it was great how much I'd accomplished this year, and the only disappointing thing he could think of, was that he was not likely to get anything knitted for Christmas.

Oh man. The guilt.

Then, after thinking about it, I remembered that about three years ago, I bought some really nice yarn, planning to make a hat for The Tim, and I never got around to it. I started to look for it, and then got frustrated because I was absolutely certain it was in one particular box, and no matter how many times I checked, it wasn't there. Then last week, my brain finally suggested another spot to me, and voila! - there it was! So I cast on, and on Christmas morning, The Tim unwrapped this:

Ta-da! It's a hat that I managed to start on December 18, and I wove in the ends the morning of Christmas Eve. Considering the fact that there were about three days when I didn't even knit a row on it, I was really excited to get it finished in time to give him.

Details:

Pattern: I call this Tim's Yak Hat, but the official name of the pattern is Mr. Yak's Hat.

Needles: US 8, 16-inch circular.

Yarn: Shokay Yak (100% yak hair), purchased at Rosie's Yarn Cellar (I don't think they carry it anymore.)

Started: December 18, 2008

Finished: December 24, 2008

Modifications: None.

Comments: A great pattern, and the cushiest, nicest yarn ever! It was very occasionally splitty in parts, but otherwise, it was really enjoyable to use.

OK, I have lazed around long enough - time to get dressed and get the rest of the day underway!

13 comments:

Chris said...

WOW. You were busy AND sneaky! :) Crying when gifted with handknitted socks - that is so sweet! And I'm glad you snuck in a gift for The Tim. Did you 'fess up as to when you started it?

Anonymous said...

Your nephew-in-law obviously understands the true nature of handmade gifts. He has a good heart. You need to keep him; his values are in the right place.

Was The Tim a) surprised b) pleased?

(I understand that this is a free country, but I miss Myrna *sniffle*)

Maureen said...

Wow! You have been one busy, knitting lady. What lovely gifts. Sounds like you've had a very wonderful Christmas and "The Tim" will not have a cold 'noggin'.

Anonymous said...

I was going to leave some wonderful comment about your wonderful gifts (and they were) but as I was starting to type I just saw my 10 year old daughter eat a cat treat. On purpose. I'm now speechless.

Carol said...

Truly impressive. And some gorgeous socks, too!

Well done! You are a true Christmas elf.

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous socks - and how nice that everyone was so appreciative of them! Love the hat too!

Knitterary said...

I vote for a). Men hardly ever fake tears.

The socks look wonderful all laid out like that. What a lot of knitting! And each pair is gorgeous!

Carol said...

Happy holidays! I've so out of touch, I'm new again. Your year of socks is awesome! That's got to feel good!

Mistrmi said...

VERY impressive! Skill, speed and stealth. . . I'm sure there's a Cabinet opening left. . .

Ally Jay said...

In awa of your sockability. Great work on the hat too.

mary said...

Congratulations on completing all the knitting. Lovely socks! And so many pairs, impressive.

Very cool you completed the hat for Tim. Love the color.

Lorraine said...

Bridget- I was thinking that if I made a pair of socks or mitts every month, I'd be good to go. I guess you got beyond the thinking stage.

And nothing like laying a guilt trip on you right before Christmas?

Kee Kee said...

As a recipient of one of the socks I have to say that I 1. absolutely adore them, 2, they look fabulous on, 3, fit perfectly, 4. CAN BE MACHINE WASHED- WHOO HOO 4. the snooty but fabulously dressed girl at work asked me where she could get a pair (this cracked me up!- Bridget you may want to contact the buyers at Neimans) and 5, my husband has been wearing his socks every game and let's just say our team has been winning.. however, so have Keiths! Will it be a showdown of the socks superbowl weekend with the Purple vs. the Green?