Christmas knitting!

For the winter holidays this year, I knitted for three special women in my family. I felt especially proud that all three garments were my own designs.

For my mother, I knit a Storm Cloud Shawlette in rich, wintry purples. Doesn't she wear it magnificently?


The yarn is Mountain Colors Mountain Goat, colorway 'mountain twilight.' It's a mohair and wool blend with a gorgeous luster. I think the deep purples lend a glamorous touch to the gloominess of midwinter.


For my sister, I knit a Woodland Collar in Malabrigo Worsted, color 'hollyhock.' This may well be my favorite yarn for this pattern. It's lusciously soft and shows cables beautifully. The collar is a bit smaller in Malabrigo than in some of the sturdier yarns that I've used, but I think it nestles so sweetly around the neck.


I was particularly pleased with the button, which is an amazing mother-of-pearl with pink and purple understones. I made a special trip to Windsor Button for it when I was in Cambridge before Christmas. It's really the icing on the cake! And I was so happy to make my sister so happy.


And for my mother-in-law, I knit a pair of delicate gloves in Hand Maiden Casbah, color 'peacock.' This was the first pair of gloves I'd ever knit. And though they came out very well indeed, I think it will be the last pair I'll ever knit!!

Gloves turn out to be quite fiddly things to make if you're trying to get an exact fit. For example, I spent five hours knitting and re-knitting the couple of inches from the thumb to the base of the fingers to get the proportions right.


It's a good thing that the yarn, which came to me via One Planet Yarn and Fiber, was such a delight to knit. It's a super lux wool and cashmere blend, with a touch of nylon for durability. The colors are a work of art.


And in the end, I was very proud to give these to Mountain Man's mother! It was worth all the difficulty to make a pair of gloves that could bring her such a smile.