These are for the boys

Every year around this time I go crazy with the Christmas Knits. Some how I fool myself into believing that I can complete a ridiculous number of hand made gifts. This year I have vowed not to drive myself crazy. I usually end up being stressed out and not really fully enjoying the holidays. The funny thing is I usually end up being disappointed that I could not finish all the gifts that I set out to complete. I have no idea why I am disappointed it's not like the recipient had any idea that I was making them a handmade gift. Well this year its gonna be different.
This Christmas Eve I will not be up til 5 AM finishing a sweater or any other hand made gift. Ahhhhh! I feel better already. Sorry for the blogging absence I have been fighting a cold.

So onto the Christmas gifts that I did decide to tackle this year. The gifts for the boys! I decided to make some sweaters for my brother and my cousin who too is like a little brother to me.


First is the Cobblestone Pullover. I loved this sweater from the moment I saw it. I knew it would be perfect for my brother. I decided to use Plymouth Tweed in color 5309 which is kind of a charcoal gray color. I love the yarn and the best part it's affordable. I am done with the body of the sweater and am now off to sleeve island. My brother is 6ft 2in so there is going to be a lot of sleeve knitting. The good part is it will be mindless TV knitting.

The next sweater I am making is the Seamless Hybrid by Elizabeth Zimmerman. The pattern can be found in the Elizabeth Zimmerman book Knitting Without Tears. I first saw this here. I fell in love with the sweater and the detail that Jared added to the cuffs and bottom of the sweater. I decided to add the same contrasting color detail. I really think it makes the sweater lay much nicer and gives it a finished look. I used knit picks Essential Tweed in Inca Gold and Flint. In order to get proper gauge I am holding the yarn doubled. This is a fingering weight yarn and I wanted a warmer sweater so holding the yarn doubled should help me achieve that and will also speed up the knitting process.

Don't be intimidated to make this sweater. If you are unfamiliar with it you have to determine your gauge and then do some calculations to determine how many stitches to cast on. The best part is that you can pick the yarn first without having to worry about the gauge because you with the help of EZ will determine for your yarn how many stitches to cast on for the perfect fitting garment. I am finished with the body on this one also and am off to sleeve island. More Christmas Knits to follow.