Thursday, December 6, 2007

Send Out The Knits

There's no denying it, the holiday season is upon us, and with it, the holiday knits. But there's a secret to the holiday knitting this year. You don't have to worry frantically whether or not you can finish Aunt Susie's double-knit fair isle messenger bag in time, or whether you can whip up baby Frankie's cashmere cable hooded afghan by the big day. This year, you can buy your holiday knits at the post office. The post office!

From USPS.com:

For the 2007 holiday season, the U.S. Postal Service will issue Holiday Knits, four stamps featuring classic Christmas-time imagery designed and machine knitted by nationally known illustrator Nancy Stahl: There is a dignified stag; a snow-dappled evergreen tree; a perky snowman sporting a top hat; and a whimsical teddy bear.
That's cool. Send your Christmas cards with some knitted style this year, my friends.

-----

I think it's been enough time; here's Calvin's 2nd birthday sweater:



The Big Digger Sweater pattern is from Lucinda Guy's Handknits for Kids. I found this book at Half Price Books late in the summer, and as soon as I saw this sweater, I knew it was the one.

I used a mix of Butterfly mercerized cotton and Tahki Cotton Classic, some I had in the stash and some I got from the BFF's stash-reduction give-away. My friend Tobie taught me how to do the French knots, and I was good to go. Needles were US5s. The only pattern modification I made was making the sleeves orange and blue, instead of solid blue like the pattern called for. You all know the saga of the running-out-of-yarn, but I think the transition works well, especially since the sleeves run right into the orange and blue stripes at the top of the sweater.

-----

Oh, and I may have added some mittens to the holiday-knitting list. Do you need a quick and super easy pattern for some chunky mittens? Try
Gifted, a free pattern from Kate Gilbert. They're knit on two needles, and there are sizes for toddler's through men's sizes. It's a great last minute gift idea.

(Sounds like a commercial, I know. But it's a great pattern. And it's free!)

5 comments:

JenBut said...

Such a cute sweater. You're setting yourself some mighty high standards for future gifting, you realize... :)

Thanks for the mitten link - I've been looking for a good pattern for some Christmas knitting.

bean said...

Hey, hey!!!!

Hang on a second!

That sweater is TOOOOOOOOO perfect for me to just throw up any old picture of it on the little man. And the little man is too wild and un-tame to be easily photographed to show off the sweater's true beauty. AND the weather here is too icky to get good light just any day for this perfect picture.

I have chosen the complete outfit, I'm working on taming the baby man and we're waiting for the light.

Don't worry, it will be worth it.

Oh, and he loves it, just like all of us do. It's awesome!

~Tonia~ said...

The sweater is adorable!!!

KelInCal said...

What a great little sweater! You're such a good auntie.

Thanks for the link to the mitten pattern - that may be just what I was looking for. But wait - I thought you weren't knitting Christmas gifts this year?? Or maybe that was me?

Kimmie said...

Awesome sweater. I was just thinking that I need a bulldozer sweater - you can never have too many! Now that you know how to do french knots are you going to join us on the dark side and become an embroiderer?