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Introducing 30(ish) Days of Gift Knitting

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30(ish)days of gift knittingNow that Thanksgiving is behind us, it’s time to really start thinking about the holidays, and I, for one, am completely unprepared.

I always decide at the last minute (aka, right about now) that I want to knit a bunch of things for holiday gifting, but I also want to knit a few things for myself, so I know that I need patterns that are quick, easy, cute and giftable.

You probably do, too, right?

So here we go. 30(ish) days of gift knitting starts now. I know there aren’t really 30 days left, but that’s OK.

Some days there will be many pattern options on a theme, some days there will be just one. Some will be patterns I designed, some I’ve knit but didn’t design, some I just like the look of and might be knitting in the future.

Each one should be more than doable in the time left before the holidays (though that doesn’t mean you can knit all of them, obviously).

At the end of the season I hope to gather them all into one massive gift-knitting linkfest that will live on to serve us for years to come.

Looking for more Thanksgiving patterns check these out on Etsy. super bulky socks gift knitting

So, to begin. Speaking of things I want to knit for myself, I give you these Super Bulky Socks (you might call them slippers, whatever, they’re knit like socks) from Liat at KnitFreedom. They’re a free pattern when you sign up for her newsletter.

You can work them toe up or top down and they use less than 100 yards of super bulky yarn so they’re quick and easy on the wallet, too.

I’m definitely making some for myself.

And maybe for someone else, too.

Do you have a favorite go-to holiday or otherwise gift-knitting pattern? I’d love to hear about it and potentially add it to these posts.

[Photo via KnitFreedom.]

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Knit a Classic Aran Cardigan with this Free Knitting Pattern

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time. 

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring. 

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn. 

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row. 

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves. 

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body. 

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy. 

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn. 

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]