1. A Christmas pudding hat
Years ago, I made a Christmas pudding hat for my friend's son. I think I made it when he was 18 months old, and he's now 8. He has worn the hat every December since then. At the start of December, his mum sent me a photo of him wearing his (now rather snug) hat, saying he still enjoyed wearing it, and that he shared it with his younger sister. This is clearly a very knitworthy child, so I immediately offered to knit a new, larger hat that he can wear for future Christmases.
I didn't manage to get the hat finished in time to be worn this Christmas, but I did put it in the post earlier in the week having finished it just before New Year. Obviously I did this (a) so that hat could be appreciated and admired, and (b) so that I was no longer responsible for having to locate that hat in November and making sure it can be worn in December. I know that hat has now arrived at its destination and is much appreciated by its owner.
Christmas pudding hat Ravelry project page
2. Rainbow Puerperium, mark II
In Spring last year, one of my friends had a baby boy. She already had two boys, but I decided that I would like to knit something for the new arrival that could be his, rather than a hand me down. While she was pregnant, she didn't know the sex of the baby, so I challenged myself to knit something gender-neutral, and went for a modification of one of my old favourites, the Beyond Puerperium.
Beyond Puerperium is a basic cardigan, with buttons down one edge of the front, rather than down the centre. This allows lots of opportunity for customisation. I decided to knit the cardigan in navy blue, with some cream garter ridges and a little crocheted rainbow motif. The finished cardigan went down so well, that when the baby had grown out of the first cardigan, his mum asked (very nicely) if I would consider making a larger one for him. Obviously I obliged!
The second cardigan is bigger, and the buttons are more widely-spaced. I used a larger crochet hook for the motif than I did for the first cardigan to make the rainbow a tiny bit bigger. I also used a different navy blue yarn, but this was completely down to what I had to hand rather than any preference, and the new cardigan is a little darker than the first. The cream and rainbow yarns were leftovers from assorted baby blankets, and I had about a metre of cream yarn at the end of the cardigan, which was cutting it finer than I had planned! I do like it when I can use up a whole scrap of yarn though.
Beyond Puerperium, mark II Ravelry project page
3. Two Granny's Favourites
Granny's Favourite is one of my most knitted patterns. It's by Australian designer Georgie Nicholson and it is excellent, ranging from baby sizes to age 12, and having lots of different length options for both the body and the sleeves, and as it's knitted from the top down, you can use every last scrap of yarn you have. A friend requested matching cardigans as Christmas presents for her twin nieces, so I decided to knit two Granny's Favourites. I used Stylecraft Special DK in Aspen for one and Lavender for the other, and the cardigans turned out really cute.
I did make one fairly major modification: I removed the lace from the bottoms of the sleeves and tapered the sleeves instead, as I find the cuffs rather loose as written.
I shared these on Instagram a couple of weeks ago to lots of positive reception, and a hint from my sister that my twin nieces would love some matching cardigans, so I fully expect to be returning to this pattern in the near future.
Granny's Favourite 1 Ravelry project page
Granny's Favourite 2 Ravelry project page
4. A Triangulation hat
I made my first Triangulation hat just before my youngest was born, and, as often happens, I shared some preview photos with my friend Amy. Amy said she loved it, so I offered to make one for her. Bearing in mind my daughter has already had her first birthday, this project was a little overdue!
I had intended having this hat ready for Christmas, and the knitting was complete, but we got waylaid by assorted illnesses, and the hat became a New Year present instead.
The hat has gone down well, with Amy's partner borrowing it too, so I'm going to make one for him when he gets back to me with the colours he'd like me to use!
Triangulaton hat Ravelry project page
5. A Ravenclaw scarf
In October or November, I had lunch with a friend who was telling me that her son was really enjoying reading the Harry Potter books. Somehow I found myself offering to knit her son a house scarf, even though I hate knitting scarves!
I didn't follow a pattern for the scarf, instead I grabbed a scarf I'd made for my husband years ago and copied that. 6 feet of 2 x 2 ribbing isn't really my idea of fun, but the stripes made it feel like the scarf was growing quite quickly, and the scarf was finished in under two weeks. While the finished scarf looks great (and is getting a lot of wear), I shan't be offering to knit another in the near future!
Ravenclaw scarf Ravelry project page
What did you knit in December? Were you cracking on with gift knitting, or did you knit something fabulous for yourself?
*If you want to know more about the patterns and yarns used, etc. I've put links to the Ravelry project pages at the end of each description. You can find full details by following the links.
