Tag: afghan

Five Ideas for Handmade Gifts

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This week, I’m bringing you 5 hand-made gift ideas to consider for your friends and family.

1 – Hats

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Hats are quick and easy projects and make great gifts. These are some of my favorites that I made so far. The first is a hat I made for my husband several years ago. It is still the most favorite hat I have ever made. Second is a hat I made for my friend Chelsea. She wanted a couple of fun berets for summer. This one has a purple companion and was really fun to make. Number three is a fair isle hat. I love doing color work and since you’re using two yarns for the colorwork part, it’s double-thick and cozy. Finally, a little baby dinosaur hat that’s a mixture crochet (for the base of the hat) and knit (for the spikes). This one can be made in any size from newborn to adult.

2 – Mittens and Gloves

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Gloves, fingerless and otherwise, as well as mittens are great warm gifts to give. They take a little more time than a hat to make, but that’s only because there’s some shaping involved.

3 – For the Kiddos

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For welcoming baby to the world, what could be better than a sweet layette set? A coordinating hat, sweater, diaper cover and booties go together to make an adorable little outfit, suitable for the newborn photo shoot. Soft toys with sewn-on eyes are perfect for littles ones of all ages. For older kids, who haven’t outgrown the love of stuffed toys, getting the perfect gift that matches their interests is easy.

4 – Christmas Stocking

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These things are so much fun to design and make! I really enjoy getting to know my clients and designing a pattern that fits their personality perfectly. Did you realize that each of these stockings was designed especially for the person I made it for? The designing process is as much fun for me as the knitting process, especially with Christmas stockings! We can work together to make a design that fits your style and decor perfectly.

5 – Housewares

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Knitted items can be functional as will as fanciful. There are practical things such as dish cloths, swifter mop covers and bath mats. Then there are fun decorations such as doilies and knitted flowers. Then there are the bonus combo items, like a pretty knitted afghan with wonderful cabled texture or a bright baby blanket. If you’re a beer lover, you can keep that growler nice and cool with a felted cozy – the possibilities are endless with the design of that one!

Have you thought about having something handmade for a special someone on your gift list? Maybe a hat or mittens, just in case we get cold weather again. Does your family need a matching set of knit stockings, or have you added a family member (or two?) but haven’t gotten them one yet? Are there little ones in your life that would love a little softie? I know it’s only March, but it’s not a bad idea to start thinking about what you might like to do for Christmas. If you have an idea, let’s talk about it and see if we can work together!

The Afghan That Just Won’t Quit

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I’m working hard on my sweater. I’m done with the body and working on the sleeves, now. I’ll have to do some math in order to get the sleeves the way I want them, so I’ll tell you about that next week (after I’ve gotten it all figured out.) In the mean time, I want to tell you about a long-term project I recently finished.

This thing is a behemoth.

I started working on it in February of 2012. I bought a book, Comfort Knitting and Crochet: Afghans and fell in love with the Aran Afghan pattern. This pattern is designed by Norah Gaughan, who is also the designer of the Merle sweater.

I have to pause a moment to talk about the book. Many of the patterns in that book are worthy of spending time on. I made a version of Greenway for a baby blanket when that pattern was offered for free, then I found the book and discovered many more patterns that are beautiful and unique. I just flipped through all the patterns again, and wow! This book can keep me busy for YEARS!

I wanted to make it out of Cascade 220 superwash. I found the right color, with help from my husband, and ordered it through my LYS. She required orders by the bag for special orders. That’s 20 balls of yarn. If I recall correctly, that’s two bags.

20 balls, 220 yards in each ball. That’s 4400 yards of yarn. 2.5 miles. 100 grams per ball means 2000 grams, 2kg, of yarn or about 4.4 pounds.

I decided to stop short of 20 balls. I held back a little less than 1 ball in order to have yarn to make repairs, if needed.

But, like I said, it’s a behemoth.

For Scale

That’s no afghan, that’s a twin size blanket.

Working off and on, usually during the very cold months, it has taken me more than three years. I did some of it in the spring and summer right after I bought the yarn, but it quickly grew big, heavy and hot.

Folded

I worked on it the entire winter I was pregnant with Jellybean. Just before he was born, it was big enough to cover my toes while I worked on it.

I almost can’t believe it’s done. It’s had a permanent spot on my shelf for so long, and now that spot is bare. It’s worth it, though. Bring on the Winter!!

Aran Afghan