Nothing to Show for Christmas

Last year was extremely busy for me. The teaching gig I so enjoyed last spring has morphed into an actual job, in a good way, and I am currently tackling my third subject in three semesters. Basically what that means is I haven't had the pleasure of re-teaching a course, for various reasons, and have been unable to re-use all of the lectures/quizzes/projects etc I've developed for each class. Some were more work than others, and fortunately this semester's class requires less of my time to prepare which means I've had a little more time for knitting!

So for the past 9 months or so I have been teaching as well as getting back into an architecture firm that has been more or less keeping me busy on an hourly basis so I can maintain my teaching schedule. Throw in the typical end of the year holiday craziness that is buying gifts, baking cookies, making handmade presents, and decorating the house, and I regret to inform you that I failed to take a single photo of my handiwork this year.

I can tell you that despite the time crunch, I did complete a gift for everyone on my list, and for at least three of them, there is at least a pattern I can reference to show you.

Socks for Aunt Mary came from the Quick Sneakers pattern and were really cute in a green and blue colorway.

  

I made these headbands for several of the ladies on my list after a friend raved about the matching ones I made for her and her daughter.

I then proceeded to make myself one once the holidays were over since I’m not really a fan of hats but needed something to cover my ears when walking through the city to get to work on an especially chilly (or windy) day. After taking a bunch of pictures of myself I realized that I look like a cancer patient in mine, but that's better than having cold ears.

My favorite project to make had to have been the giraffe I made for my niece, Lilly, which had been in my favorites folder over at Ravelry for a while. It went together faster than I imagined it would, but was much tinier than expected, standing only about 6” high when complete. But he was adorable, and I will definitely delve into this pattern again if for no other reason than to share pictures of my own work. Maybe even to use fun colors that are a little less true to life. J

A few other crafts I made included an apron for my mom, made with the sewing machine she gave me for my birthday, a necklace and bracelet for Aunt Anita, and an infinity scarf for my sister who appears to be allergic to the yarn and has asked for another since she loves it so much and is sad she can’t wear it without breaking out. All-in-all, a successful holiday crafting season, aside from the lack of picture taking.