Homemade Christmas Prezzies

Yup, you read that right. Christmas Prezzies.

Last year I was so inspired by my friend J and her husband’s homemade Christmas gifts for their loved ones, I decided that I would like to do the same this year.

By the way, check out these awesome chalkboards that her and her husband made for her nieces and nephew. Go ahead, I’ll wait . . .

Awesome and creative, right?! I know! I’m going to have to make one of these for AJ when she gets older.

Attempting to make said gifts anywhere close to Christmas would be setting myself up for failure so I’m going to start now. I will work on one project at a time; of the Christmas-related gifts anyway. I have yet to meet a knitter that only has one project on the go. Heck, if you look in my knitting bin, I’m sure there are at least five unfinished projects.

But I digress . . .

So here’s the list of what I want to make:

1. A sweater for my hubby. He’s been harassing me for the longest time for a knitted sweater. I’ve never tackled a sweater before and I find it really intimidating. I have all sorts of anxiety that despite my best efforts it will come out all lop-sided and ugly. I was also hesitant because of the sweater curse, but I’m married now and I don’t think it applies if you’re married. For fun, here are two sources that talk about the sweater curse: i. Knitty, and ii. Wikipedia

I’m going to do it! Here’s the sweater I want to make for him.

I think this will look really great on my hubs. I can see his broad shoulders in it already. Ahhh . . .

Most of his sweaters are grey or black, but I think I want to make him a green sweater. Something earth toney. Green brings out the green in his eyes more. I just need to find the right yarn and shades of green. My man is like a furnace so I need something light, but masculine. Perhaps a luxe cotton blend of some sort.

2. A stole/wrap for my mum. Picking a colour won’t be an issue, but finding the right pattern will be. I’ve found a few that are ok, but they aren’t quite what I had in mind. I bought one from Value Village a few months ago that’s perfect. It’s knitted too, just not hand knitted. I’ve been looking for a pattern that resembles that, but have had no luck. I may have to make my own pattern. Yikes!

This is the front-runner so far based on what I’ve found: Velvet Stole

3. For my pops I’m thinking of a few pairs of diabetic-friendly socks. I don’t have a particular pattern in mind, but for this it will be about the colour and feel of the yarn. And maybe a hat . . . a toque to be exact. Again, the project is all about the colour and the feel of the yarn.

4. I’m a bit at a loss as to what to make for my beautiful step-daughter. I don’t want to (for lack of a better word) waste my time knitting her something she won’t wear or use. I have to put some careful thought into this over the next few months. This should probably be the last gift I make for Christmas to give me enough time to find the right item. Maybe I’ll start with a Star Crossed Slouchy Beret. I made one for my cousin who’s a couple of years older than her and she loved hers.

5. For my colleagues, something fun like the stash-busting coffee clutch. I have sooooo many little balls of leftover yarn in my stash and this is the perfect way to use them up.

6. And finally for my little squish, there are so many things that I would like to make for her.

6a. First I’m going to knit her another pair of socks. I made a pair for her before she was born which match a pair that I made for myself.

6b. I would like to knit her a cute little poncho. I had one when I was a kid and that’s all I wanted to wear for a period of time.

6c. She definitely needs a handmade sweater.

6d. And maybe some legwarmers if they are still in style.

Ambitious? Perhaps, but it’s been a while since I’ve challenged my knitting/crocheting skills. Who am I kidding? I’ve NEVER challenged my crocheting skills.

But first I have a special project to work on for a friend of mine.