anna knits - preemie santa hats

A few weeks ago a friend asked if I would help out with an effort to knit santa hats for preemie babies at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH). I myself was born at BWH, so I was particularly excited by this appeal, and volunteered to knit five hats by November 1.

For my hats I used Cascade 220 Superwash Sport in Really Red (809) and White (871). It took two skeins of red yarn and one skein of white to knit five hats. We used this free pattern by Sandy Davis, which I found easy to follow.

If you are interested in knitting for charity, especially as the cold weather and holiday season begins, Lion Bran Yarn has compiled a list of organizations seeking knitted donations for those in need. Browse the list here.

holidays, etc. - handmade ornaments

There is still time to make an ornament for yourself or a gift this year! Here are three of my favorite handmade ornaments:

Arne and Carlos' 55 Christmas Balls to Knit:



Crochet Ice Skates - tutorial here:

Mini Santa Hat from the blog Wooly Wormhead:

Do you have a favorite handmade ornament?

anna knits - first snowfall

Today Boston saw its first snowfall of the season. The flakes did not stick, but they were a sign of what is sure to come. It is fitting then that I should today be finishing up a knit snowman ornament from one of my favorite knitting books, 55 Christmas Balls to Knit. I will have more to share soon!

Check out some of the ornaments I made from the book last year:

Eight-petal rose

Christmas pig

Selbu

Christmas stocking

anna knits - knit ornament 4

A few days before Christmas I finished a red and white knit ornament from the book 55 Christmas Balls to Knit. These guys are so addictive! I used Dale of Norway BABY ULL Soft Merino Yarn. It is super soft.

You can see the navy and white ornaments I made this season here. 

anna crochets - paperclip ice skate ornament

Still need presents for the holidays? Make a few of these paperclip ice skate ornaments! They are fun, easy, and oh so cute.

I saw a picture of crochet ice skate ornament on instagram (via sheepishknitcrochet), and thought it was a neat idea. I searched for a pattern on Ravelry, and found this one by Suzetta Williams, which I've tweaked to my liking. Here is my pattern - enjoy:

~ Crochet Paperclip Ice Skate Ornament ~

Materials:

Worsted weight yarn (I used Cascade 220) in a Main Color (MC) and White 

G crochet hook
Two jumbo paper clips

Step 1: With the long edge of the paperclip at the bottom, and the smaller loop facing right, put a slip knot onto the paperclip as shown using your MC.

Step 2: Double crochet (DC) 1 stitch around the paperclip into the smaller loop, and then DC 6 stitches into the larger loop as shown. Remember to crochet over the yarn tail!

Step 3: Chain 2. DC 4 stitches. This is the end of the MC for this skate. Bind off leaving a 1 inch tail.

Step 4: Starting from the opposite side as where you ended (in other words at the back of the skate), single crochet (SC) 4 stitches with white.

Step 5: Chain 1. SC into 4 stitches, and then chain 30 stitches.

Repeat steps 1-3 to form another skate.

Step 6: pull the existing white chain through the new skate and use that to crochet steps 4 + 5 (without chaining 30 stitches at the end).

Step 7: Bind off and sew in any loose ends.

Merry Christmas to all!

anna bakes - holiday cookies

I made my grandma's roll out cookies this week - you can get the recipe here.

The secret to these cookies is rolling out the dough super thin. It should be thin enough for you to see your fingers through. Letting the dough rest overnight is also key. 

Happy holidays!

anna knits - knit ornament 3

I finished another knit ornament from the book 55 Christmas Balls to Knit. This one is kind of art deco looking:

Now I've knit three total. You can read my posts about the first two here and here. 

I decided to give two away as gifts. They were fun and easy to wrap!

If you like to knit, these are the perfect holiday gift. The patterns are fast and fun, without being too boring. I hope I can find the time to make a few more in the next week!

anna knits - knit ornament 2

This weekend I knit another christmas ornament. (You can see the first one I made here.)

The pattern is from the book 55 Christmas Balls to Knit. 

I love this project because the patterns are so fun, and the ornaments knit up so quick. I plan to make a few more this holiday season to give as gifts!

knitting, etc. - knit ornaments

I stumbled across these knit ornaments on Twitter. They are so cute!

The pattern is available for free on the blog Wooly Wormhead. I can't wait to make one! 

holidays, etc. - DIY holiday ideas

I love this idea for a DIY melted snowman ornament I saw on Pinterest:

Just a glass ornament, salt, a few peppercorns, and an orange paper cone. You can find step by step instructions here.

Another holiday Pinterest find I love is this Mediterranean food wreath:

The idea comes from Julia M. Usher's blog, which has some other cute DIY holiday ideas here. 

You can see my entire Holiday Times Pinboard here. 

cards, etc. - embroidered cards

I love these embroidered snowflake cards by Koto Designs:

I first saw these cards on the blog Paper Crave, which always features wonderful stationary designs. I haven't done embroidery in a while, but I may try to make some myself!

knitting, etc. - knitting kit

I love this knitting kit from Tickledpink Sheep on Etsy. It is a great idea for a DIY gift for someone who wants to get into knitting. I especially like that it comes in a chinese take out container.

Each kit comes with enough yarn and instructions to make an infinity scarf. 

I may try to put something similar together for Christmas gifts this year!

anna knits - pug ornament update 1

I started on my pug ornament today. I have no idea how it is going to turn out but I am optimistic!

My plan is to blend the patterns I used for my knit pug and my pig ornament. I am not sure exactly what I want to do, but I decided to just start knitting and see how it goes. Hopefully I will get some knitting done while travelling this weekend. Wish me luck!

anna knits - knit ornament update 2

I started my knit ornament a few days ago, and I'm already done. It is a little pig with a heart on him.

The end product came out better than I thought it would, because I wasn't watching the yarn tension much. Stuffing the ball was very easy, and it took away the awkwardness from the tension.

I will definitely make another one of these. They are a fun, fast, and easy project. Here is the book from which I got the pattern.

knitting, etc. - arne & carlos

After writing yesterday about knit spheres, I did a quick search on Ravelry for knit ornaments, and came across the book 55 Christmas Balls to Knit by the Norwegian duo Arne & Carlos.

I have to admit, I was mostly intrigued by the picture, but after looking inside the book via amazon, I thought the patterns looks fun.

I have a bunch of stuffing left from my knit pug project, so I decided to order the book, with plenty of time for Christmas.

I knit some gloves with a fair isle pattern last year and really enjoyed the project. Pattern available for free here.

You can watch an interesting video of Arne & Carlos talking about their knitting (and other crafts...) here: