Holiday Gift Making Madness

Each year, I find myself more interested in giving hand made items. When I started knitting, I was a bit selfish, and would only gift hand knitted items to a few, carefully selected people. Times being what they are, and needing to cut back on spending a little bit, this year, I decided that most everyone on my Christmas List was going to get handmade. After all, I have all that yarn, and fabric, just sitting there, haunting me. It's time to let some of it go. My goal was to knit my husband, myself and the 2 boys stockings. Well, I got stockings done for the boys, but hubby and I will have to wait.

Jake has been asking me for his own knit blanket (He likes to scoff mine) for 2 years. I decided to make him the Log Cabin, to use up some Encore stash that I need to move. While I love the way the blanket is turning out, and I'm nearing the last round of knitting, oy, I AM NOT A BLANKET KNITTER!! The rows have gotten so long, it takes me 2 days to get one block of color done. Not to mention, that the blanket that was intend to eat up my stash, has actually added to my stash. If I stopped when I ran out of yarn, it would have been too small. I've since had to purchase 8 more skeins, and I'm knitting this thing until the Encore is gone!

Then comes socks for hubby. Size 0 needle, 80 stitches, with a 5x3 ribbing. Enough said. I've pierced my finger more times than I can count knitting these socks, and I'm only about 60% of the way done.

There are other small items on the needles, hats, fingerless mitts, and bath mitts. With just over 3 weeks until Christmas, I'm up at 3am, trying to get knitting time in and get these done.


The list goes on with sewn/quilted items, and it seems this year that I am making more gifts for others to give than I am making to give. I've got several quilts in the work, (I'm not hitting panic mode because 2 of them just need to be quilted and binded, but I have to get them shipped by the 15th. AGH!), finished my granddaughter's stocking, and few other little surprises that I cannot post about here, just yet.

All of that said, I'll be in hibernation for the next 3 weeks, trying to get all of these project done and out the door. December 26th, I'm knitting for ME!