Let’s not think about the cookies

Today’s a knitting day, my pretties, or – as close to a knitting day as one may be permitted, if there’s still a hundred other things to do. It’s actually going pretty well here, if you keep the parameters loose, and the priorities shifting.  A hat’s drying over there, I’ve got the first of four mittens done, and there will be time even for a brisk walk today – if only to keep me from becoming that crazy lady who stays in her house and knits all the time.

Onemitt 2014-12-13

I’m still completely determined not to fall behind, and so for today, let’s just have our ornament, and gifts for knitters, shall we?

What did Luis hang today?

Today, Carlos texted to say Luis picked the bastón de caramelo, which I only figured out was the candy cane because bâton is stick in French.  (I call this my “panic Spanish” approach.  When all else fails me, I think about French, and see if anything works. I’m constantly surprised how close the two languages are.) Once I knew that bastón was stick (or might be stick) then the only stick-like thing I made, was the candy cane.

candycane 2014-12-13

I used this pattern,  but I downsized it from 5mm needles and worsted yarn to 2mm needles and fingering weight. To say that knitting a few stitches in the round in colourwork at that gauge was fiddly would be an understatement.  Next to the snowflake, this is the ornament that made me the craziest.  When I was done, I had something so tiny that there was no way that a pipe cleaner would fit through it- and it was a straightened paperclip to the rescue again.  It’s no surprise Lou picked this ornament today. He’s worked out that if you see Santa, you get a candy cane, and he’s been accosting Santas all over town to get the goods.  At least this one doesn’t leave him so sticky.

Gifts for Knitters, Day 13

Dear Non-knittter who loves a knitter,

Your knitter is a handworker.  They work with their hands all the time, and a really lovely gesture that recognizes that you think that’s important, is to make their hands important.  Today I’m going to suggest that you procure for them a knitter-specific hand product. There’s several soaps made just for knitters, like these ones,  or these ones.  I like hand lotions and creams a lot (especially in the winter, it makes knitting nicer to not have scratchy hands) and there’s lots out there that’s knitter specific. Soak has one that’s new to me, but looks great, there’s got to be a scent that would suit your knitter here, and these look fabulous. My all time favourite for the winter though, is (well, anything from Goodies Unlimited) the Everything Balm.  I can’t live without it.  (I also have deep, personal feelings for the stress-free green tea soap and the E-tomic balm, but that’s not knitter specific. Just good – although I do use the e-tomic if my hands are tired and aching at the end of the day. It’s on my bedside table.)  Good hunting.