Christmas Projects

As you may have seen in my last post, I worked my fingers to the bone to produce an afghan for my brother and sister-in-law for Christmas. I was, all things considered, pretty easy. Just VERY time consuming.

The pattern called for four strips to be made with one cable column in each.  But I hate stitching things together when there is an easier way (why would you knit a hat on straight needles when you could knit it in the round??), so cast on enough stitches to make five columns, plus an extra six stitches on either end for a border. 

I thought the Lemongrass might be too bright, so I added ten rows of garter stitch in Linen to the top and the bottom. Completed ten pattern repeats in Lemongrass.


Pattern: Sutter's Mill Throw, Lion Brand Yarn
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick, Lemongrass and Linen
Needles: US 13, 29" circular

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I've started yet another hobby as well. I had all these beads sitting around from various crafts - beading bracelets back in high school, making wine charms two years ago, and, more recently, making stitch markers.  So during the Black Friday sales I bought a bunch of earring blanks and some posts and decided to learn how to make earrings.  Several of the ladies in my life received a pair for Christmas.

SIL got odd shaped pearls with green crystals.

Mom got green pearls with green crystals.

And several ladies got variations on a theme: rectangular glass beads and metal disks salvaged from a relatively hideous clearance necklace at Cost Plus World Market.



There is a bit of a learning curve for making these.  Getting my "round" loops where the post attaches to the earring blank is not the easiest thing when you're starting.  But I'm getting there.  Soon I'll be busting out earrings like a pro!