Crafty Christmas Gifts!

I guess considering how much I've been talking about knitting to all my friends and family the past few months, it's probably not much of a surprise that I was given several knitting-related gifts for Christmas this year - but I'm excited about them so this post is basically just to show them off!

My boyfriend gave me this cute basket for my yarn, and a beautiful organizer for all my knitting needles.

Filbert, my sheep tape-measure, approves of his new home.

 

Seriously, this organizer is a life changer. As I've been trying new projects requiring various needles sizes, my needle collection has been expanding on an almost weekly basis. I had resorted to throwing them all a-jumble in a Lululemon shopping bag, but it was getting pretty ridiculous. Now all my needles are snugly secured by different sized pockets, and the whole thing just rolls up.

My boyfriend said he found the basket and organizer on Etsy, and apparently it came with these massive buttons as a free add-on. Not sure what I will be able to use them for, but I love them!

Find a way to incorporate this enormous button into a knitting project? Challenge accepted. 

Also, my brother gave me a copy of Tanis Gray's "Cozy Knits" which has over 50 patterns for things like mitts, scarves, even sweaters.  The patterns mostly use chunky weight yarn which has been my favourite to work with! I'm looking forward to trying out several of the patterns. I'm particularly excited to try this sweater:

In most sweater patterns I've seen, they use small needles and light yarns, which requires more time, skill, and patience than I currently possess.  The nice thing about this pattern is it uses a chunky weight yarn with size 9 needles so I think its a good choice for my first attempt at a sweater. I've never tried the brioche stitch before, but I've already watched a couple YouTubes tutorials and it looks pretty straightforward. 

There's also a glossary in the back of the book which helps explain different bind-offs, cast ons, and stitches that are used throughout the patterns, which I imagine will be helpful as well!

In addition to receiving these lovely gifts from my family, I also gave a few finished projects as gifts this year! I made my brother a hat using the same pattern as my first alpaca hat, with a warm brown acrylic/wool blend.  I also made my Mom a seed-stitch infinity scarf, very similar to the one from my last post.   

I have to say, as someone who hasn't shown much aptitude for crafty endeavours in the past (grade 11 fashion class comes to mind...cringe!), it's a great feeling to be able to actually make a gift for someone! (And something they might actually dare to wear in public, no less...!)

All the knitting-related giving and receiving has really inspired me to keep trying new and more challenging projects in the coming New Year.  While I'm certain I have not encountered my last tangled skein of yarn or slipped stitch, they're getting fewer and farther between, and the progress I've made in just a few short months has been pretty rewarding!