Handmade Holidays Recap

 "The force is strong with this one."

The force was fleeting for awhile with these quilts as they were started in the fall of 2011.  I had every intention of having them completed for the 2011 holidays.  But like most projects, this project got put on the back burner.  There were even a few delusional moments during our packing and moving across the country that I thought they might have been completed this past May.  Ha!  My studio doubles as our guest room so in between guests this summer and fall, I channeled the force and worked for a couple hours each day to insure that the blankets were done in time for this holiday season. 

All three quilts have the same blocks but they are arranged differently so that each nephew can differentiate his quilt from the others.  One side of the blanket features the newer generation of Star Wars fabrics/images and the other vintage Star Wars fabrics/images.  I found the majority of the fabric on Ebay and most are bed sheets.

When it came time to decide on the tie downs and binding, I had a difficult time settling on a color.  Each nephew has a different favorite color.  Purple, red and green.  That was the route I was going to take.  But then I started thinking.  Or in this case, over thinking.  There are a lot of politics going on in these blankets.  The Empire vs the Rebel Alliance.  Good vs Evil.  Could I use red?  Would I be unfairly aligning one nephew with the dark side?  The only two people I shared these thoughts with assured me (while laughing) that I was definitely over thinking this.  Just to be safe, I used some Rowan denim yarn I had in my stash and made my own binding out of denim.  Because denim is neutral...right?  Making the binding was great fun!  I used this tutorial.  My mitered corners did not look as neat but this was a first for me.

Now, the knitting!

For my sisters, I made hat/cowl/mitten sets.  The Sideways Grande Cloches were quick and easy to make.  So quick that I am wanting to make myself one as well!  The same is true with the GAP-tastic cowl.  The Bittersweet Gauntlets were indeed bittersweet.  Knit flat and seamed.  It felt as if they were never ending and that was just the first one.  The Fast & Fearless Fingerless Mitts were just as their name states.  Fast and fearless.  I enjoy working with alpaca and the Loop of Luxury allowed me to indulge in that simple pleasure.

 

Hat - Sideways Grande Cloche by Laura Irwin in Cascade 128 Superwash

Cowl - GAP-tastic by Jen Geigley in Cascade 128 Superwash

Gauntlets -  Teak Bittersweet Gauntlets by Laura Irwin in Textiles A Mano Caricia

Hat - Sideways Grande Cloche by Laura Irwin in Cascade 128 Superwash

Cowl - Loop of Luxury by Cathy Carron in Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Chunky

Mitts - Fast and Fearless Fingerless Mitts by Ellen Rodgers in Cascade 128 Superwash

For my BFF, I made the BFF Cowl and a set of the Toasty fingerless mitts.  It was this project that lead to the purchase of my beloved Signature Needles.  The stilettos are the only needle that I could easily purl five together and make fifteen stitches from one stitch!  Seriously, all the other needles I own could not get the job done (and I tried them all).  This week I started on my matching BFF Cowl.  I hope to have it finished in the next month or so.  The Toasty mitts were quick and I have some Rowan Tweed that is screaming to be knit up in this pattern...for me of course!

 BFF Cowl by Ysolda Teague & tiny owl knits
Yarn:  Blue Moon Fiber Arts Luscious Single Silk in PDX City of Roses
Blue Moon Fiber Arts Woobu in Manly yes, but I like it too!

Toasty by Leslie Friend

Yarn:  Blue Moon Fiber Arts Woobu in Manly yes, but I like it too!

For my four funky nieces, I made four funky bear cowls.  This pattern is so much fun!  I used Lion Brand Homespun for the three nieces that are sisters.  Purple is where is it at for two of them (the third is still a bit young to articulate her favorite color).  The pattern calls for Jiffy Quick & Thick and the weekend I went to JoAnns they were pretty much sold out of every color, so Homespun it was for the three sisters...in three different purples with three different funky buttons.  I was able to get two skeins of the Jiffy Quick & Thick in Eggplant for my other niece (she calls it her Ewok hat).

The Burton Bear Cowl by Heidi May

Yarn:  Lion Brand Jiffy Quick & Thick & Lion Brand Homespun

For my brand new nephew, I made a nephew sweater (thank you Yarn Harlot for planting the seed).  Baby sweaters just might be my new favorite thing to knit.  So small and sweet.  I made the 12 month size so that he could wear it all winter long.  In December he was 6 months old and already in 12 month clothing!  Tankasaurus, indeed!  It does fit him with "some" room to grow. 

Hooded Pullover by Lorna Miser

Yarn:  Cascade 220 Superwash

For my cute boy, I made another Rikke Hat.  This is the third Rikke I have made.  Earlier this year, I made one for myselt in tosh merino light and Stephen commented that he would also like one that was in a lighter weight yarn.  Easily done.  I love this pattern...obviously if I have made three and have plans to make at least two more!  Great mindless knitting for car rides and watching films with subtitles.

Rikke Hat by Sarah Young

Yarn:  madelinetosh tosh merino light in Jade

I made two other gifts but failed to take photos of them.  For my BIL I knit three purple pouches for him to keep his precious ( ;) ) in.  For my mom, I had made a large pocket for her Constant Companion bag but it was too big for the bag.  So, I turned it into a clutch.  I have never put a zipper in anything before and what an experience that was!  I embellished the outside to cover my stitches with braided yarn and buttons.  It was super cute and of course my sisters each want one now.

So, there you have it.  My handmade holidays!