Holiday Stashdown Challenge – Week 3

(Join along with me any time if you need a head start or moral support for your holiday crafting. You can read more details here.)

I’ve already made a list of people I plan to make gifts for, and inventoried my stash looking for gift-worthy yarn.  So this week I thought about projects.

Accessories

It’s no secret that I love making hats.  So far, I’ve already made two hats for this holiday season.  I will surely end up making more gift hats, especially since most of the yarn I have available is in single skeins.  I sometimes use a pattern for hats, and sometimes design my own.  I am definitely intrigued by the Coffee and Cream Beanie (knit) by Josie Mercier, especially since it involves dyeing your yarn with coffee and I have a fair amount of undyed wool yarn bits hiding in my stash.

I’ve also been eyeing some Star Wars related hat patterns, since I don’t think I have the patience to design my own (especially when others already exist!).  Two possibilities are the R2D2 Hat (knit) by Carolyn at So Much Yarn, So Little Time! or the Star Wars Droid Beanies (crochet) by Jen Spears.

I’m also considering the Calli Felted Boots (crochet) pattern by Stacey Trock since I have a pair of slipper soles in my stash.

I am currently working on the Pineapple Doily Shawl (crochet) by Laura Garsten, and I might give this as a gift.

There are several ladies on my list who are definitely deserving of a shawl, a funky infinity cowl, or some other accessory that I will design for them.  I generally reach for my stitch guides for inspiration.

 

Seasonal, Toys, and Fun Stuff

I recently purchased the Amigurumi Nativity (crochet) by Carolyn Christmas, which I think will make a really cool gift.  I’ll have to figure out how to make it without buying new colors of yarn!

I’ve been thinking a lot about Christmas stockings for some of my family, and there are two crocheted hexagon patterns that I am considering.  I think these will make good quickie gifts and I can use up some remnants by making each stocking in different colors.

I plan to make a toy for my pre-school aged cousin, so it seemed like the perfect time to pull out Crocheted Softies (reviewed here).  Lala the Panda is (hopefully) gender neutral enough, since I think his parents are concerned about that sort of thing.

(If I make enough progress on the rest of my gifts, I should have time to make MC that Mr. Crabby I’ve been talking about, too.)

Another option for my cousin is something from the Wild Things set (crochet) by Allison Hoffman.

And, I’ll definitely be working up a few of my own, crocheted Chubby Sheep ornaments for various adult family members.

Home Decor

I know you should never say never, but I’m not taking on another blanket project for the winter holidays this year!  I will probably go through my Pinterest Granny Patterns and Visual Inspiration boards in search of some fun washcloth, placement, or pillow ideas for gifts.

Socks

I’ve been talking a lot about socks lately.  I made a pair of yoga socks for my mom, using Pam Daley’s pattern, but I have a few other possible sources of inspiration.

In the winter, I bought a copy of Socks A La Carte: Pick & Choose Patterns to Knit Socks Your Way.

And, of course, I find the idea of making two socks at once very appealing.

To have a chance of actually finishing the socks this year, I will probably have to crochet them .  In that case, I would pick up one of these two great books by Kim Kotary in my collection, Learn to Crochet Socks the Toe Up Way! or You Can Crochet Socks.

Spending the weekend searching through my books and Ravelry has given me some great gift ideas.  What were you able to come up with?

If you need some inspiration for a Holiday Stashdown Challenge post for next week, here’s the prompt for Tuesday, June 5: You’ve made your list, you’ve thought about yarn, and you’ve scoped out some pattern ideas.  Can you try to match up your projects to people?  What about setting some completion deadlines?  Now’s the time to think about how you are going to make this all happen early this year, rather than at the last minute.  Do you have any organizing or motivating tips to share?  Are there any pitfalls you are worried about?  Tell us how you plan to get your holiday crafting done earlier this year.

Once again, I’m trying to share a linky (this time via Simply Linked). If it doesn’t work, just go ahead and link up in the comments .

 

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