Holiday Knitting?

I stepped into a mall in the beginning of November, and already the lights were strung, the faux snow piled just so in the store windows, and the crowds were ravenous. It's also that time of year when most knitters seem to be churning out piles of exquisite handknits for all their friends and loved ones. Like most of the insanity during the holiday season, I prefer to take a step back. It's overwhelming, really. I'm not going back to a mall or any other large shopping venue until February 20th, or so, well after Valentine's day. I'm not knitting everyone gifts, either. I'm not sacrificing the enjoyment of my hobby, my stress-relief for deadlines and frustration.

That being said, I'm not entirely foregoing the holiday knitting. My dad's had a bit of a rough year, and he deserves a handmade gift. I'm working on another hat from Hats On!, specifically the All-Over Two-Color Patterned Watch Cap (bit of a clumsy name, if you ask me). I want him to actually wear it, as well, which means that it needs to be machine washable, and possibly dryable (my parents aren't too particular about those things), so I'm using Plymouth Encore in 217 and 389.

I made two swatches:


The swatch on the left was the first one I made, but I realized afterwards that the book had the colors reversed: the light color was the background and the dark was the pattern. I swatched both for the heck of it, but I still like the first one better. The lines are more crisp, which makes the pattern more defined. The hat has a folded rib brim, which will also be in black.

Swatches in colorwork are kind of fun. These went a bit slow, because instead of making extra long floats to bring my yarn back to the beginning of the faux round, I just cut the yarn and tied the two colors in a knot at the end of each row. Kind of tedious and renders the yarn useless in the event of a shortage, but my tension was much more even.

I would love to be able to make something nice for my mom, but she's so hard to knit for. Her wardrobe is rather utilitarian, and she buys herself what she needs. She won't wear a scarf (I made her one when I first learned to knit, and I wound up wearing it) or any other accessory. I'm going to make some ornaments for the tree this year. Next year, if I think to start early enough, I want to make Christmas Stockings for my immediate family. I think she would appreciate that.

I have a large extended family, but I only really exchange gifts with the two female cousins who are around my age (the rest are pretty much ten and under). I've ordered some allhemp6 and am going knit soap sacks. Accompanied by bars of homemade soap, I think it'll be a nice gift. I think I'll make one for my grandmother.

Happy holiday season, knitters! Take lots of breaks to stretch, do some breathing exercises, and if you don't think your gift will be properly appreciated, buy a gift card instead.