I'm a fast knitter so I always think I can knit way more than the actual number of hours in a day. In prior years, I made a goal of too many knitted gifts and spent many nights trying to finish and just barely, barely finishing on time. Since I really like sleeping (and to maintain family harmony,) I limit myself to a maximum of four knitted gifts. This year, I started early and I limited myself to only two holiday gifts. What could go wrong?
I decided to knit a pair of socks for Beloved. I absolutely loved the An American in China socks by Gryphon Perkins on Knitty. The socks are straightforward, but have a fantastic sole knit in a linen stitch. The result is a simple, but very comfortable sock with a durable, extra-cushiony sole. I started November 15 and knit leisurely, completing one sock in a little over one week. I started the second sock and when I was almost done, around December 17, I went to compare it to my first sock to ensure they were the same size. I COULDN'T FIND THE COMPLETED SOCK! I searched and searched and searched, but the sock was MIA. Normally, I would have had time to knit the first sock (again), but I was still working on my daughter's gift (details below). I ended up giving Beloved one sock and a promise for the next sock as soon as I could. If I were one to look at the bright side (which I'm not), I'd be pleased that the one sock fit him perfectly and he liked it.
For my muse, I decided to knit/design/write the pattern for a drawing she made of a knit skirt. I spent a lot of time thinking about the pattern before I even cast on. I had it planned out, did my math and even drafted a schematic. Because everything for the muse must be indestructible and the skirt must be long but still allow her to run and climb, I decided to add side panels in a different color. And this is where I got a little stupid. I was knitting the skirt top-down in the round and I didn't factor in the effect of stranding the main color across the panel. I spent a number of hours making sure the pleat was shaped correctly and finally found a solution for the pleat. (Thanks, for your help, Heather Madrone!) I didn't really like the way the skirt looked from the inside, but no one would see it, so I kept going. After quite a few inches of knitting, it dawned on me that stranding the main color across the side panels defeated the point of the side panels. Stranding makes knit fabric less stretchy, especially when you are using cotton. (Sigh.) I undid all my work and started again knitting back and forth. As you might imagine, I didn't finish on time. Fortunately, Beloved and my muse were very understanding.
It was late, but they both wear their hand knit items with pride. And that made all the frustrations (mostly) vanish. So much so, that I'll probably increase the number of handmade items I make this year . . .
What are you going to make for holiday gifts this year?
What are you going to make for holiday gifts this year?
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