Christmas presents sneak peek

I'm getting really excited about Christmas being here so soon! I love making hand made gifts for people, it's something that was ingrained in me from my crafty parents since birth! Lately the gifts have been knitted items, from sweaters to scarves. Winter is the perfect season for knitting and I can't get enough! It's almost more fun to make the presents than it is to receive them (almost!). Anyway here is a quick look at a present in progress! I hope your holiday season is as fun as mine!

Colts Sweater Vest

I like to think the Colts beat the Browns this weekend partly because Justin was wearing this amazing sweater vest that I made for him! Go Team! Anyway, he requested a Mike-Ditka-esque sweater vest for football season and of course I was happy to oblige! I just finished it in time for the game on Sunday. I used a vintage knitting pattern and my own version of charted intarsia letters and stripes, using 100% wool yarn from Knit Picks. You can see the details on Ravelry here. I'm extremely happy with it and so is he which is a big relief. When making something for someone else, especially a sweater, it's like a guessing game up until the finish if they'll like it or not; luckily Justin really likes it!

Also, I really do clean my house, those cobwebs are for Halloween!

Yori's accidental sweater

I spent a few months knitting this awesome wool/silk blend sweater for Justin using a pattern from a cool 60s pattern booklet. The booklet is subtitled "Choose-O-Matic" because you can take any of the patterns and alter them using the weight of yarn you want and the size. That has nothing to do with the sweater except I think the name Choose-O-Matic is awesome. 

Justin picked out the color and the fiber blend, and I figured I would make the medium based on the measurements of another sweater that he loves. However, for some reason, even though my gauge was correct, the medium turned out to be a tad too big. And he really hates the "baggy" look, even if it's just an inch or two of positive ease. Arg! I was so frustrated. 

The worst part about knitting versus sewing is that you can't really make a test garment (muslin) beforehand to get the fit correct. Live and learn. So he wasn't going to wear it and I wasn't about to start hacking away at it with my serger to get it to fit (I already ruined a sweater doing that). So my next great idea was to give it to my brother in law! He's a bit taller than Justin and the medium ended up fitting perfectly! I am so happy that it could be "salvaged" and enjoyed for all its glory. 

And I'll get the sweater right for Justin because he's requested the same one in a small. Bring on the brown yarn!