The Gift of Giving

Happy Easter everyone!!

I received a care package full of holiday nerds rope and some cute spring attire from my mom yesterday, which inspired me to write about some gifts that I was finally able to give this week. Currently I have a pile of finished projects sitting on a coffee table in my room, just waiting for me to give them to their intended recipient. What happens is, it takes me longer than expected to finish a gift. Then I miss the opportunity to give said gift at the appropriate time. Instead, it sits on that coffee table until the next time I see the person (or in some cases, until the following year unfortunately). 

Recently, though, the pile shrunk by two! I previously posted about a test knit I did for a pattern called the Hive Mind Cowl. Note its not available yet, but as soon as it is, I'll post it because I love this cowl! While this was a test knit, the end product was intended for a girl at Michael's work, who was in fact the one who helped Michael get his current job. Michael finally had the opportunity to give her this cowl, and it turns out, she's a knitter too!  

Another gift I finally got to give was this Guernsey Blanket I made while I was in Germany last fall. The pattern was based off the famous Guernsey Wrap by Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed. If you have the pattern, I simply repeated the center panel over and over and over.....

Blankets are typically a lot of work because they take up so much time (and yarn). I know some knitters stray away from blankets for this reason, but I like to always have a blanket on the needles. Although for me, the blanket pattern must be an easy and repeatable. This is then the project that I work on when I want to zone out and watch The Wire or read a book. By the way, the book I'm currently reading is Do Your Om Thing by Rebecca Pacheco. I should also mention there is no coincidence that I made this blanket was for the talented author and her fiance for their (now not-so-recent) engagement.

[WIP] Cape Ann Blanket

I debated mentioning the current blanket I'm working on, given that it will also be a gift. This time a wedding gift for two dear friends of mine. I hesitated to write about it in case these friends read my blog, but I can't NOT write about it, since its what I'm spending most of my precious knitting time on. So as a compromise with myself, I am including the following disclaimer...

If you are getting married in May and want your wedding gift to be a surprise, don't read further! On the other hand, I won't be offended if you peek :)

Another thought I had was what if they actually don't read my blog haha? Anyway, this blanket is a modified version of the Cape Ann Stole by Julia Farwell-Clay in her book From Folly Cove, which I got at Fiber Camp. Instead of using the cabled pattern at the ends, I just repeating the cabled pattern throughout the whole blanket, which makes it very simple for me to memorize the pattern. The yarn I'm using is from a bulky blend of 50% merino wool / 25% alpaca / 25% acrylic, which I ordered online from Turkey when I was over in Europe. 

The deadline for this Cape Ann Blanket is quickly approaching, but with my goal of at least 65 yards (1 ball) of yarn a day, I think I can make it. Here's to no more additions to the gift pile!!