Let the Holiday Knitting Commence

I hadn't planned on doing a lot of holiday knitting this year, but I got swept up in the excitement of the Gift-A-Long and suddenly find myself with a bunch of projects planned! But before the holiday knitting could start, I had a baby gift to finish. I spent Thanksgiving morning in my pajamas, watching the Macy's parade, and finishing up the sweater. I had enough yarn leftover that I cast on for a small coordinating hat in the afternoon, and that was finished by bedtime. This morning I found and sewed on a button, and now the set is blocking.

Pattern: Boy Sweater by Lisa Chemery (with improvised hat using same stitch patterns)
Yarn: Handspun superwash merino (from Crown Mountain Farms, colorway In the Skies)
Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) and US 8 (5.0 mm)
Started/Completed: November 19/November 26
Mods: slightly altered the placement of the arm decreases and switched the side of the button hole

This pattern was a quick, easy knit, and I enjoyed it just as much the second time as I did the first time. Despite its name, it's just as suitable for a girl as it is for a boy. The only change I made to it to make it a girl's sweater is to move the button hole to the opposite side of the collar.

The hat was really just a quick improvisation. I cast on 84 stitches, worked an inch of twisted ribbing for the brim, did about four or five repeats of the textured stitch pattern, and then worked stockinette for the crown decreases. I did a bit of I-cord at the top and made a little loop -- easy peasy. I still even have some yarn leftover!

Now that the sweater is done, I'm ready to start my holiday knitting in earnest. I've already got the handspun brioche cowl on the needles for my mother, and this morning Rainbow and I made a trip to my LYS to pick up yarn for the other gifts. Here's what came home with us:

The three skeins of blue on the left are Cascade 220 that she selected for her new sweater, which will be a long-sleeved version of Romane and Roman. The red in the middle is Louet Gems Sport in Burgundy for another Nara hat, this time for my sister-in-law. The smaller blue skein is Malabrigo Sock in Impressionist Sky, which will become a Biscuit for my mother-in-law. Finally, the two skeins on the end are Malabrigo Worsted in Pearl and Black Forest for a new design.

Clearly I have a lot of knitting to do, so I'd better get started! I'll end by reminding you that the Gift-A-Long sale wraps up this evening at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, so this is your last chance to save 25% on my selection of 20 patterns using the coupon code giftalong2015. Be sure to check out the other participating designers' on-sale patterns, too!