Christmas Knits

I think I started this on December 10. Procrastination at its finest.

There are many cons to Christmas knitting:

1. Pressure. You've just gotta finish those handknit gifts, or else you have to buy a last-minute gift.

2. Lack of sleep. See #1.

3. Loss of brain cells. See #2.

4. Knitting blog goes silent. If you post your progress pics, the recipient might see them and the surprise is ruined. Or, someone else will see the pics and think, "Ooh, she's making me some lovely gloves!" Disappointment is never a good Christmas gift.

5. No photos to post later. Often, a gift will go straight from the needles to the gift box. No pics. No blog post. Nada.

In spite of these issues, Christmas knitting does have an upside: happy people using your handknits. And that makes it all worthwhile.

This year I only had time to knit two Christmas gifts. For my grandma-in-law, I made a Ballband Dishcloth from Mason-Dixon Knitting. (No pics. See Con #5.) And for my boss, I made a set of fingerless gloves.

In true Christmas-knitting fashion, I almost forgot to take photos of the finished product. These were taken at work with my phone.

Our graphic design department is at the mercy of a temperamental thermostat. Most of the time, our hands are freezing. I thought that these gloves would be a welcome solution to the problem, so a few months ago I asked my boss if she might like a pair. She requested bright colors and she wanted them to have flowers on them. Being ambitious, I thought I might felt my own flowers. Um... yeah, you guessed it - I didn't have time. But I picked up some cute flowers at the craft store and affixed them with some embroidery thread. I'm trying not to beat myself up worrying about it. She loved them, and that's all that matters.

Details:
Pattern: Susie's Reading Mitts from Dancing Ewe Yarns, size Small. The pattern was free and easy to follow, and I love the picot edging. Yarn: Cascade 220 Sport Superwash. (These gloves will be real workhorses, so they need to be easy to wash and care for.) Needles: US size 5 DPNs.