Why it's practically here!

For some reason my brain seems to discount the days actually passing starting sometime in the first week of December right up until the 20th or so.  I don't know why but the urgency of gathering gifts to give doesn't seem to register until it is practically too late.  Now, last minute Holiday shopping can be stressful enough, but last minute Holiday crafting?  A sure fire way to get ulcers (which actually might be a good combatant for the ever threatening holiday weight gain).

It's also pretty interesting to note the reactions to handmade gifts.  To some people it is extra special since you put so much of yourself into the item... in fact, probably too much (I always seem to find I've knitted a strand or  two of my hair into things).  Other people seem disappointed while at the same time acutely aware that it should be considered extra special since you made it.  For all those crafters out there who are giving lovingly handmade items, I hope that whoever receives them is as grateful as my boyfriend is.  

When we first started dating, I told Daniel about my knitting obsession.  Now, I can't remember if I offered to knit him something, or if he asked for it; but I do recall being shocked at how the thing that mattered most to him was that I made it for him.  Now, that might seem like a no brainer, but honestly, I thought whatever "it" would be and the functionality would be more important.  Or the color!  Or how soft it was.  Anyway, not wanting to put anymore pressure on him or myself by making him something complicated and time consuming, we decided on a simple scarf.  Again I was taken aback, someone who actually wore scarves?  Coming from a lifetime in Southern California this was an extremely exotic notion (outside of West Hollywood).   When I went came to visit him last March, we made a trip to the local Michael's to pick out some yarn.  He chose some soft charcoal colored yarn in a bulky color.  A few days later as I waited... and waited... and WAITED for my plane to leave (and take me back home to Southern California), I started work on his scarf.

Having limited access to my knitting supplies, I worked out a simple pattern that I could remember and do despite having forgotten my row counter.  The result ended up being what I call the Fiver Scarf.  What  I really love about it is how much Daniel seems to appreciate it.  Since the cold weather started, every time he goes to put on his pea coat, he knots the Fiver scarf around his neck.  Once when I exclaimed over how wonderful he was to wear it, he simply said to me "I like it... besides, my girlfriend made it for me".  This man bears it like a badge of honor instead of a hiding it like he would with an unsightly blemish.  If you want to make one of your own click here.

Scarf of Unicorn Barf

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I know... but still!  A few years ago I was expanding my brother's minimal store of winter wear items before he left southern California for the snow laden winters of the mile-high city.  Again, any opportunity to knit something that might actually be used fulfills almost a spiritual yearning.  The story goes that I asked my brother to come with me to pick out some yarn for a scarf.  When we got to the store I started looking at bold solid colors, remembering that when my brother worked at a movie theater, he enjoying startlingly bright ties.  Roadwork orange?  Truly a must have.  It says:  Caution:  Awesome Ahead" in his mind.  About this time I hear a triumphant, "found it!" from across the aisle.  What can I say?  My brother never fails to astonish me with his fashion forward thinking.  Not deterred by the word 'novelty' and it's connotations when used in the phrase 'novelty yarn', my brother had selected a few skeins of the unsubtle Lion Brand Multicolored Boulce in what color?  Jellybean.   Oh yes, Jellybean.  At this point I would like to remind the reader that my brother is straight.

I ended up knitting him the scarf while holding one strand of this *cough* unique yarn, as well as a strand of Caron's Simply Soft white yarn.  Though Ray couldn't have cared less about how I knitted the scarf, I decided at least I'd try a new pattern.  So here it is, knitted on a bias, using the Commuter Scarf pattern by Ruth Ellen found for free on her blog.  The finished product reminded me of the Pillsbury Funfetti cakes my brother and I used to make occasionally; so I affectionately called it a funfetti scarf.  My brother was delighted, I was glad to have made him happy, but had mixed feelings about the remaining yarn that I had no clue what to do with.

Enter Lexi.  A few months had passed since Ray had left, and she was looking through my embarassingly large yarn stash after I complained of a lack of knitting projects.  "Are you saving this yarn for anything?" Lexi shyly asked.  Instead of telling her that I was tempted to see if I could knit a kitty litterbox out of it, I told her that it was merely left over from a scarf I made my brother.  Her enthusiasm for the scarf was undampable, despite my best efforts.  This time it was paired with some black yarn, and done in a seed stitch (not that you can tell with a boucle yarn, particularly one that is jelly bean colored).  Just like my brother, Lexi was delighted with the scarf, and was even willing to let me capture photographic evidence of her wearing it.  For my ravelry page, this scarf ended up with the title, "Unicorn Barf", aptly named by her boyfriend.  As a side note, shockingly, this deafeningly loud yarn has been discontinued.

Little Grey Men

My Cousin Moosa (who incidentally is one of the most amazing people that I've had the privilege to meet... yet I'm lucky enough to be related to), went away for his first year of college in lovely, luscious, and freakin' freezing Vermont. To keep him cool but not cold I knitted him up this Alien Knit scarf from my favorite, Stitch 'N Bitch. I changed a few things so that it wouldn't be obscenely wide and to keep it from rolling in on itself.

I also love that I knitted this thing while watching my brother's entire box set of The X Files. Kinda fun, and turned out spiffy, don't you think?

Perfect for Transvestites!

What can I say? I was seduced by the idea of cheap novelty yarn. Did I heed the warning on the front? Noooo... It was there, right on the front; it was even the name of the yarn: "Boa". But I can go broke saving money and any inexpensive yarn can find a home in my stash, no matter how ugly it is. After discovering that I couldn't distinguish the front from the back or knits from purls, I just did a garter stitch (knitting every row). Thus creating something that perhaps Dr. Frankenfurter from the Rocky Horror Picture Show might wear if he ever found himself stuck in the furthest reaches of Transexual.

Drop Stitch Scarf

I got some ribbon yarn on sale at Michael's. Mostly I wanted it for novelty's sake. I wonder what it's like knitting with different types of things. (So far my favorite is seeing someone's pictures of knitting ramen noodles with chopsticks.)

Here I used the follow up book by Debbie Stoller "Stitch 'N Bitch Nation". The pattern for the scarf is called "Yo, Drop it!". Cute title? Eh, my little knitters in the know? [I know that explaining a joke can kill it... but YO is a pattern abbreviation for 'yarn-over' - which adds a stitch. Drop it refers to dropping the stitch that you added in the previous row.]