Holiday Central - It's That Time of Year!

The Pucker Up Cowl

Usually the holiday season sneaks up on me.  There I am, counting my Halloween candy, and the next thing you know - BAM! - it's mid-December and I'm asking, "How did that happen?"

But winter is not quietly slipping in this year!  The headline on weather.com is "Arctic Blast Will Leave No State Untouched!"  On Sunday the low overnight in Galena was 4 degrees!

So how do I respond to an early arctic blast?  With an early jump on holiday knitting, of course!

But where to start . . . We have thousands of yarns and patterns, and while you are certainly welcome to scroll through each and every one looking for gift ideas, you don't have to.  We've made it easy with our Holiday Central.

Gifts to Knit

You'll find great projects categorized into:

Changing Ribs Cowl

• Gifts to Knit for Her
• Gifts to Knit for Him
• Gifts to Knit for Kids and Babies
• Gifts to Knit for the Home

That's still a lot of choices, so I've cut it down further with my top three favorites: 

• The Pucker Up Cowl is a lighter-than-air beauty knit with Filatura Di Crosa's Superior yarn, a blend of cashmere, silk and a small bit of wool.  It only takes one skein of Superior - and the pattern is FREE with your purchase of Superior.  Take your pick of over 15 colors!
• The Changing Ribs Cowl is a quick-knit, warm cowl knit with HiKoo's Helix, a fun thick-and-thin single ply yarn supported with a binder thread.  The fun texture and terrific colors make this a great gift for someone  - or for yourself!
• The Baby Cable and Rib Hat has constant cables and ribs.  The pattern holds your attention - a great way to wind down and keep your mind on your knitting and away from the stress of your day.  I recommend using Tahki's Cotton Classic Lite (and the yarn is currently on sale at 20% off until the end of November!), but the hat also knits up well in wool.

 Gifts for You

We've also got gift suggestions for friends to give to you under

Baby Cable and Rib Hat

• Gifts for Knitters and Crocheters
• Stocking Stuffers
• What's Hot for the Holidays
• Gift Certificates

The two Stocking Stuffers that are always on my list: 

• Nothing is worse than putting on hand lotion and  being too greasy to knit!  Stop waving your hands around in the air waiting for your lotion to dry and use Lavishea lotion bars.  The bars are made with unrefined fair trade shea butter and 100% natural soy, complimented with premium skin-safe fragrance in your choice of eight different scents.  It absorbs quickly and completely without  leaving a greasy residue.  Moisturize, and then get back to your knitting!
• Take good care of your hand knits with Eucalan's Wool Wash.  The lanolin enriched formula helps to naturally condition fibers and keeps static away, and the Eucalyptus oil is a natural moth inhibitor.  This wash is a must-use before storing your wool items away for the season!

Happy Knitting . . . . Amy