Lots of Gift Knitting In the New Knitscene

Lots of Gift Knitting In the New Knitscene

It’s that time of year that I have lots of gift knitting on the mind – for myself and for all of you. The newest edition of Knitscene arrived at Wool & Grace yesterday, with so many great projects that are especially well suited for the upcoming gift-giving season. I’m all about hats, mittens, scarves and cowls for holiday gifts. We don’t have to fuss over sizing the pieces properly, and the scale of these projects is such that we don’t get too bogged down in one particular project. I’ll jump right in and talk to you about some favorites.

I’m loving Jessie Ostermiller’s Enkel Cowl. This simple cowl has a chevron texture (which happens to make it beautifully reversible – yippee!!) and is worked in a bulky yarn. The pattern calls for an i-cord cast-on and bind-off, which are beautiful finishing touches, but if you’re feeling lazy you could forgo those details all together! This cowl is worked in a bulky weight yarn, so my first suggestions include Rowan’s Brushed Fleece for a super-soft and light result, Odin for bright, saturated color and stitch definition, and Roma Weave to add a bit of color variation into this piece. Alpaca lovers could totally use Herriot great for this, as well!

The Kostbar Cowl is another textured cowl, this one with a modern lace pattern to it. Seriously, this one is as easy as pie, and it’s knit in a worsted weight yarn, giving you so many yarn options. I’m first seeing this piece knit up in Iris, the new merino/cashmere blend from Pure Bliss. This yarn’s color palette is so incredible – and I think the brightest colors would make this cowl (which is shown in grey in the magazine) really come to life. I also think that Noro’s Tennen would add another layer of texture to this piece. All of those workhorse worsted-weight yarns are also great choices for this, whether you choose Pure Bliss Falkland, HiKoo’s Sueno, Juniper Moon’s Moonshine, to name a few.

I’ve had color-work on my mind for the last several months (so much so that you can see our other blog post about it), and there are some fun patterns using stranded color work. The Dancing Deer Hat & Mittens is so fun and festive, and would be a fantastic gift (either on their own or as a pair) for anyone with a hint of whimsy. Knit up these cuties in something like Juniper Moon’s Herriot, Blue Sky’s Woolstok or Shepherd’s Wool.

The Bearly There Cap is another great hat using stranded color work. This project is an awesome choice for someone ready to dip their toe into color work, and using a bulky weight yarn will make this one knit up quickly. For this project, use Blue Sky’s Extra or try it in Juniper Moon’s Stratus.

The Checkers Scarf is the most indulgent gift, if you opt to make it as one. This two-color scarf is knit up using Shibui’s Pebble (yummy), and uses a twisted ladder stitch. Once you get in the hang of this stitch, it’s smooth sailing, and using Pebble like this promises to be a ton of fun! This one is so gorgeous, you might consider keeping it for yourself!

The Hoppers Cowl is another quick color work project. Hoppers also uses two colors of worsted weight yarn, and is another perfect choice for your first color work project. This one has “teacher gift” screaming all over it, with a simple pattern that is easy to memorize. Iris, Falkland or Lhasa, all from Pure Bliss, seem like the kindest choices for this project. If you’re going to make it for someone knit-worthy, you might as well make it some super duper yarn.

One last piece which I LOVE (but isn’t exactly gift knitting) is the Lykke Sweater. Simple cables adorning the hem, neckline and cuffs exist with minimal shaping. The Lykke sweater is a comfy and effortless sweater that is bound to make the wearer feel good. The magazine has it knit up in HiKoo’s SimpliWorsted. So often, we go to this yarn for baby sweaters and blankets, but it feels awesome to make something for yourself that could go in the washer and dryer!