In just three months, since the knitting obsession began, I’ve been more productive than I ever though I could be. I completed 13 projects, most of which were intended as Christmas gifts.  I’m flabbergasted by this list:

Purple, lacy cowl (2)

Made with a gorgeous, plummy wool I purchased down in Amish country in Harmony, MN. It has little stands of golden brown running through it, which gives it a gorgeous earthiness. I liked this one so much that I made on for me, and then one for my sister for Christmas. Pattern is A Noble Cowl. This would be lovely in cotton too, which is what the pattern recommends.

Purple leafy scarf

I bought a lot more yarn than I realized from that lady in Amish country, so I made this scarf. And then I didn’t know what to do with it. Other knitters must do this too. Is it for me? Is it a gift? Who would properly appreciate it, love it, and not let the cat nest on it? After Christmas, I gave it to the BF, who now wears it with his new charcoal winter coat. He says it’s very warm. And he always hangs it up properly.

Generic Blue “Boy” Hat

I knitted a lot of my Christmas presents this year, including gifts for the BF’s family members. I don’t know all of these people or their fashion preferences very well, so it was important to be careful with the gifts I made. Not too fancy or too “froofy”. For the BF’s brother, I made a very safe, plain hat out of blue merino.

Silky Soft Cowl

Last year, I received a couple of skeins of Malabrigo Silky Merino in Nocturnal (ooh, spooky) for Christmas and it languished in my stash for a year. Then this year I was inspired to use it to make this cowl for the BF’s brother’s wife. Again, a plain design, but I think the colors will appeal to her (after all, she gave me the yarn). And it was a simple, quick knit. I worked on it all day on Thanksgiving, between bites of cheese and sips of wine.

Silky Soft Cowl #2

I loved the one I made for the BF’s brother’s wife so much that I made one for myself on Christmas Eve/Day while visiting with my family. It’s such an easy pattern that it’s perfect for times when you don’t want to have to pay attention to your project.

Green Woven-Look Hat for the BF

BF made the mistake of mentioning that he would like a hat that covers his ears, for once. Be careful when you mention interest in clothing items around a rabid knitter. A week or two later, he got this:

The Ever-Popular Honey Cowl

Just before I went home for the holidays, I purchased a couple of skeins of green heathered yarn to make this cowl. EVERYONE on Ravelry seems to have made this cowl.  Crazy.  My mom (also a knaddict) recognized it immediately. This was one of those is-it-for-me-or-for-someone-else projects. I screwed up the pattern, but it turned out well anyway. (For those who know the pattern, I successfully did the purl 1, slip1 part, but somehow I got it into my head that the alternating rows were purl rows, not knit rows. And I did that the WHOLE WAY THROUGH).  As soon as I whipped it off the needles I asked Mom and my sister to try it on, then immediately bestowed it on my sister. She looked cold. Sometimes a knitter doesn’t need a better reason than that.

The Ever Popular Honey Cowl #2

I really liked that cowl…and decided I needed one for me too.  This is getting to be a pattern.This time I made it in a warm toasty color to go with my new cream colored winter coat. I picked up some gorgeous alpaca/wool yarn at The Sow’s Ear in Verona, WI and whipped this up right around New Years Eve/Day. This time I got the pattern right.

Green Leafy Shawl

This is the project that convinced me not to be afraid of lace. I worked on this off and on for more than two months. It turned out beautifully…however I learned an important lesson about HOW MUCH LONGER THINGS CAN TURN OUT AFTER YOU BLOCK THEM. It’s a very, very long shawl.

Gray Bandana Cowl

This is another pattern that’s been popular on Ravelry. I tried it out using some fuzzy gray  yarn that had been languishing in my stash for about 5 years. I don’t know if I liked out it turned out. I’ll have to try blocking it…maybe that can fix everything. I hope so.

Vivid Teal Diagonal Wrap

I fell in love with this wrap and decided to make it for Mom for Christmas using souvenir yarn I’d picked up in Ashland, OR. I learned another lesson with this project: the importance of using the type of yarn recommended for the project. This pattern calls for a very light, linen yarn. I used Gem Louet sport weight merino. It’s very plush and pretty, but  bit too stretchy. And once again, far too long after blocking. Grrr. Lesson learned twice over. Mom still liked it, though.

That Noro Silk Garden Garter Stitch Scarf (3)

You know that Noro Silk Garden garter stitch jobby that everybody was making a decade ago? So rewarding and impressive for something so simple and mindless. I gave one to my boss and one to each of my cat sitters. Two of these I actually knitted a year ago, so they don’t count for this Christmas’ total.

And that’s it for Christmas knits. I’m not counting dishcloths at all as most of those were knitted months ago in preparation for Christmas gifting. In fact, I uncovered a forgotten stash of at least 10 in an upstairs closet. When I die, they’ll probably unearth stashes of dishcloths all over my house, like the antiques they find on that HGTV show If Walls Could Talk, only less valuable.

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• Under the Tree (thetwentiesroar.wordpress.com)
• knit a lacy headband (vanitycake.wordpress.com)
• Honey Corn Cowl (agglomeratedyarn.wordpress.com)