Year of Projects Update 12th December

I've been quiet this week, you may have noticed. Christmas does funny things to a routine! The combination of Christmas parties, shopping and preparation has left me little time to blog.

I've not been neglecting my crafts, however. Given that I started out this holiday season determined not to make anything, I think I'm doing pretty well. So far, all I've committed to is knitting two giant colourwork Christmas stockings for the house, some mini ornaments for work Christmas presents and a birthday hat and gloves set for a colleague!

Things are going well with the giant stockings (one finished, one about a third done) but as they are not technically YoP projects I won't share my progress today.

Remember this yarn? It, and it's green cousin, are in my list of stash yarns to use up this year. I have two balls of red, and just over a ball of green (remaining from my leafy fingerless mitts). Red and green are perfect Christmas colours, so when I found myself in need of a Secret Santa present, I decided to dig it out and have a go at knitting some mini Christmas ornaments for my colleage.

The pattern I have used is Mini Christmas Stocking Ornaments by Little Cotton Rabbits. Each stocking is knit flat, then seamed. I chose to use the zig zag chart from the pattern for my first sock, and stripes for the second. (You can tell I'm really falling in love with colourwork, can't you!). I will package these up with some chocolates or something (we only have a £5 limit - accountants are all cheapskates).

Emboldened by my success with the tiny stockings, I went in search of other mini knits for the tree. I found the world of tiny sweaters! I knew I had to make one, but as Jamie had already declared "I'm not having my tree turn into a washing line!" I had to find someone to give it to. Salvation came when I remembered a chance remark from one of my friends in work the other week, as he saw me teaching another of my colleagues how to crochet.

"Could you knit me a onesie?" he asked. I wasn't sure if he was joking or not. I told him in no uncertain terms that asking me to knit him an adult size onesie for Christmas, with just two weeks to go, was not going to happen. He seemed disappointed!

I used the pattern Noel Knit Sweater Ornaments from the Red Heart website. Rather than follow their instructions for patterns (the samples use a multi-coloured yarn that self stripes, as I only had solid colours I needed a colourwork pattern) I figured out a chart to put red zigzagged stripes across the jumper. It was a little fiddly, but I think it came out alright in the end (even if my increases ended up a bit wonky on the sleeves).

I wrapped it up with a note that read: Not quite the "onesie" you wanted, but all I could manage in the time I had... I took the opportunity while he was away from his desk to leave it on his keyboard, imploring my colleage sat next to his desk not to tell him it was from me until he opened it, and only then if he couldn't figure it out for himself. I needn't have worried, as soon as he opened it he laughed and asked her if I'd left it there. He very much appreciated the joke, and said he would take it home to hang on his children's Christmas tree.

He also agreed that I needed more advance warning for a commission of that sort. I don't think I will be knitting him an adult sized onesie at all, but at least he has proved himself knitworthy should the need to give him a present arise again!