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The 12 Knits of Christmas:
Week Twelve
(we made it!) |
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Hello, knitters!
Can you believe it's been 12 weeks already? And one week from tonight is Christmas Eve. If you're ready for the holidays, I'm proud of you. (And I aspire to be like you, one of these days.) If you're like me, you're juuuuuust starting to gather your thoughts. I like to think I work best under pressure. Let the sleepless nights begin!
You should know that there was one customer, Michele Greenan, who came in to Inish Knits--without fail--every single week to participate in the "12 Knits of Christmas". To thank you, Michele, there is a little something waiting for you here at the shop!
Many, MANY of you have mentioned that you (or your husband--whoops!) have accidentally deleted the previous emails. Some of you have only just signed up for the newsletter (welcome, friends!) As of this writing, there are almost 700 people that are on this email list, making it rather difficult to resend individual email newsletters. To make things easier, I've uploaded photos AND patterns to a photo album on my personal knitblog,The Land of Wool and Honey. You can always view the album and its contents by goinghere. (You may want to bookmark this site so you'll always have the address handy.)
Another tip for those of you who've got archaic printers like mine, or eyes that have a hard time seeing small print: instead of printing this email as you see it, try copying and pasting the text into a Microsoft Word document. That way, you can enlarge the font and change the color as you see fit. Life made easier.
If you've done this before, scroll down to reveal the pattern and yarn of the week. If you're new to the program, here's the deal: Every Thursday afternoon (or into the evening!), you'll receive a FREE pattern--either an Inish Knits original creation or from another clever online crafter--that we've deemed "do-able" within the course of a week. These patterns are super simple, and there's a reason. You've got kids. Sports. Dogs. You're working 40-plus hours a week. We want you to feel like you can actually get something done during these crazy weeks leading up to the holidays. (Sorry--there's nothing we can do about the 17 sing-a-longs you've got on the list!)
And that's not all. The yarn that's featured in each week's project is available at 20% OFF for the entire week*, so the projects are as easy on your wallet as they are on your brain. With 12 full weeks ahead of us, if you try your best to keep up, you'll have a nice collection of gifts come December 25th.
Feel free, too, to pick and choose patterns that you like--you may find you like some more than others. Or, stick with one pattern and knit 12 of those. No rules here--just fun. It's yarn, remember?
*Can't stop in to see us? Call (231) 228-2800--we ship near and far!
Frostbite, the Christmas Elf
a whimsical hat pattern
Sure, it's a little goofy. But if there's any time to pull off a crazy hat, it's Christmas. Pass the 'nog!
(L to R: Fuschia, red, peach, sienna, yellow-green, moss and hunter.)
(L to R: Ecru, silver, pale blue, teal, navy, purple, lavender and chocolate.)
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Luxury Tweed Chunky, one skein.
Gauge: 3 ½ sts per inch on US 10 ½ needle.
(Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain gauge.)
Cast on 70 sts. Join to begin knitting in the round, being careful not to twist sts. Work in stockinette stitch (knitting every round) until piece measures 4 inches from cast on edge.
Row 1 (decrease row): * K8, K2tog; repeat from * across row.
Row 2 and all even rows: Knit all sts.
Row 3 (decrease row): *K7, K2tog; repeat from * across row.
Row 5 (decrease row): *K6, K2og; repeat from * across row.
Row 7 (decrease row): *K5, K2tog; repeat from * across row.
Row 9 (decrease row): *K4, K2tog; repeat from * across row.
Row 11 (decrease row): *K3, K2tog; repeat from * across row.
Continue working in stockinette stitch on these sts until piece measures 8 inches from cast on edge.
Next row (decrease row): *K2, K2tog; repeat from * across row.
Knit one row.
Next row (decrease row): *K1, K2tog; repeat from * across row.
Knit one row.
Next row (decrease row): *K2tog; repeat from * across row.
Cut yarn, leaving a tail and pull through remaining sts. Make a large pompom and attach to the top of the hat. Weave in all ends and block lightly, if desired. Enjoy!
Abbreviations:
BO: bind off
CO: cast on
K: knit
K2tog: knit two stitches together
P: purl
psso: pass the slipped stitch over
sl: slip
st st: stockinette stitch
sts: stitches
YO: yarnover
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Just because the "12 Knits of Christmas" is over, don't think you're rid of me! I rather like the weekly email newsletter. I'm excited to share with you my thoughts for the New Year, including knitting resolutions, winter classes, new products, kits, patterns, workshops....none of which would be possible without each and every one of you. Thank you so much for the best year yet--a wonderful 2009. May the next few weeks be full of happiness and peace....and of course, knitting! Merry, merry.
Best,
Melissa |
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