Christmas Sweaters and Finished Projects

No. Not those Christmas sweaters - the ones with the reindeer and the little jingle bells stuck to them (you've owned one at some point, I know it!). My mom and I knit sweaters for each other for Christmas, each without leaking clues to the other. I can't imagine how Carol kept everything to herself, as we were both probably giving her daily updates of how our knitting was going.


Mom knit me this swingy jacket design Milan from Dolce Handknits:
Using 13 balls of Kathmandu Aran in Colorway 146 and a Gita Maria button (with a giraffe on it!):

Pretty nice, huh? That's what I said! It's nice and warm and the shape is very forgiving (read not skin-tight, great for all body-types in my opinion) yet has a bit of visual interest with the wide collar, asymmetrical shape and textured front band. The yarn is even softer wearing it than in the ball!

Plus - tweeds are "so totally IN" right now, aren't they?

I knit mom this Cardigan, Ljod, from the Elsebeth Lavold Viking Knits Vol 1 book:
It only took 6 skeins of the Silky Wool to make the 40" size which fit her just right! She says, "hey, my butt looks cute!" :
In other finished projects news, mom made this felted bag. This is the Wisteria bag from Fabulous Felted Bags by Nicky Epstein (only she cut it in half width-wise by knitting with a DK weight instead of worsted):
It kills me that this is her "second try" at this bag. She had initially planned to needle-felt the flowers while keeping the leaves as they are in the photo. She didn't like the combination of the 3D leaves with the more flat needle-felting so she used scraps to make the felted flowers.

Himalayas color 12 for the background, Galway color 606 (a marled color) for the handles, Lamb's Pride & Galway scraps for the flowers. She buys her beads at the Bead Tree in Falmouth.

I finished this sweater for ME! Well, for me AND Sage, of course. This is the Hourglass Sweater from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. If you want some more details and photos about this sweater I posted some over here at my blog. I knit it using 4.25 skeins of Malabrigo Merino worsted in color #4 Sapphire Green, and knit the 37" size around the bottom but a 33" bust (I'm a peach of a PEAR, doncha know). It's BRIGHT!

boo hoo - I have a cold in this photo

Have fun with the string,

Jen