Ack! My Christmas knitting is down to the very last possible moment! I was knitting a sweater for my great niece (great in so many ways!!), and put off the sleeves for way too long. You know. Sleeve syndrome. Then my dad suggested that I knit a hat for his girlfriend. Yes, they are in their 80’s and he has a “girlfriend.” This was on Sunday night while I was still knitting furiously to finish a sleeve!!
So here are my last minute gifts, all ready to wrap:
Erika insisted on red for the color. I used Berroco Vintage in color 5150 (4 skeins). The pattern is Peachick Eyes — a child’s version of Justyna Lorkowska’s adult cardigan Peacock Eyes. I was using worsted instead of fingering weight yarn (!!) so I used the stitch counts for the size 2 version and lengths for the size 12. I had Erika’s measurements and now can only hope it fits!! I also substituted garter for the 1×1 ribbing.
The Hat
I thought if I used really big yarn and a simple hat I could knit it in one night and wetblock it in time for Christmas day. I had to wake up at 5 am on Tuesday to finish it, soak it and block it before leaving for work so it would dry in time!
I used my own One Day Hat pattern and held two yarns together. I used Maulbeerseide Schurwolle (a dk weight merino and silk blend) and held it with Kidsilk Aura (like Kidsilk Haze only heavier).
It took a bit longer to knit because I wanted longer ribbing to fold double. The pom pom is adjustable and removable but I thought looked cuter as a gift. It will be super warm!!
Are the rest of you ready?? Tick tock!!!
Addendum
In today’s paper they had an article with people sharing special ornaments and their meaning to their families. I thought, wow – how could I have missed that opportunity!! So, I will share the story of the little blue chicken here. When John and I got married it was a week before Christmas (as you know from Sally’s post!). So it was not until the following year we started collecting ornaments for our first real Christmas together.
We went to an international boutique on the West Bank called the Global Village (thanks, Susan, for providing the name!!) and bought a bunch of brass and fabric ornaments from India. One was a tiny blue chicken, about an inch tall. The little blue chicken was a riot. So tiny you could never find it on a tree! As a joke, we placed it at the top instead of a star or angel. Even though it started as a joke, we have done it every year since. The Little Blue Chicken stands big and proud atop the tree. A light is strategically placed beneath, casting a large chicken shadow on the ceiling above.
We love our little blue chicken. 
Another addendum — here is Santa’s Helper in her new sweater!!
Lovely post! This year instead of knitting down to the wire, I am baking down to it. Just finished my last gift, some cinnamon buns with ground brazil nuts, currants, and cinnamon and nutmeg, all rolled up in a buttery egg bread (it freezes well too for those who want to carefully ration themselves!).
Comment by Laura — December 24, 2014 @ 4:14 pm
Oh, I love the sweater and hat, but especially the little blue chicken. Did you get it at Global Village (now sadly closed)?
Comment by Susan — December 24, 2014 @ 11:48 pm
The sweater is beautiful, the hat is perfect too and I love the blue chicken story – what a wonderful memory for you.
Thank you for sharing and I hope you and your families had a lovely, peaceful and very Merry Christmas!
Comment by Barb — December 26, 2014 @ 6:46 pm
The sweater looks perfect on her – and I like the buttons, too! (She looks really good in red . . . good choice of color on her part!)
Comment by Mary M — December 26, 2014 @ 9:21 pm
The sweater is lovely, and the hat looks so amazingly soft and cuddly!
Comment by Lee Cockrum — January 1, 2015 @ 10:16 am