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I have been happily buried in holiday preparation over here. Baking, cooking, parties, and a little knitting. Some things are finished and some things aren't going to be but I am trying to enjoy the process and each moment instead of worrying and adding stress.

We have had a couple small snowstorms and with each one the enthusiasm for playing in the snow hasn't flagged. I knit up a quick rib 2x2 hat for my daughter out of a rose colored Patons wool. It was quick, easy, and she always slaps it on her head without any prompting when we head outdoors so a win in every category.

I knit up these slipper socks from Interweave Knits Holiday for my husband for Christmas. I used Knit Picks Swish Bulky to knit them up and they couldn't have been quicker. I have just enough yarn left over that I think I can make a pair for my son too.

With only a few days left until the big day I wish you all a wonderful holiday!

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The gift

I want to thank everyone for all their lovely suggestions on what to get my little one's preschool teacher. I decided to go with the bath mitt after I found a skein of sugar and cream cotton in a peppermint coloring.

I hunted through the stores from some fancy soap :) We found this one that is vanilla and blackberry and smells divine.

The pattern is free here and you can ravel it here. I followed the directions exactly as laid out and wish I hadn't. You knit it flat and then seam up the thumb and the mitt. I don't enjoy seaming (have yet to meet a knitter who does) and after all the mitts I made for my advent calendar I think I could have easily sewn this all up in the round. Oh well, next time. Other then that small complaint it was a super easy knit and very fast (both good things when knitting a gift).

I have a few more finished projects and if I can manage to get my camera and actually photograph them then I will share them with you. Hope your Christmas prep is going well!

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Hannah Hat

I have a small problem with hats. I love to knit them but am not a huge fan of wearing them. The main reason is that my head gets so itchy underneath. Unfortunately I do not live in a tropical climate and the winters here are cold and require some sort of headgear. While perusing Ravelry I found this hat.

A side view...

What is so special about this hat you wonder? Why will it be less itchy? Well my friends the secret is in the back...

There is a secret hole for a ponytail.

This has been my problem all along. I hate wearing my warm winter hats because of my hair all bunched up underneath. With this fun little pattern I whipped up a hat that has this perfect little hole for my ponytail....problem solved.

There are also two little buttons to make taking it on and off easier,

although I don't unbutton it I just slip the ponytail through. I already wore the hat to a football game and it was very warm and I didn't experience a moment of itching! A very fast knit perfect for yourself if you have long hair or a friend who does.

Pattern: Hannah

Needles: DP Size 8

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca, color Chambray

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Advent calendar

In early fall I started knitting up this advent calendar. A few here, a few there. Last year I saw a magazine article that used children's old socks and mittens to make an advent calendar. Well of course I decided to knit one. I finished it and hung it up on the first. Now of course these little suckers are popping up everywhere. You can find one here, you can find one here and Soulemama has a version she sewed up a couple of years ago.

And according to Leslie you can find a pattern here. Sadly I didn't know about the pattern so I just stumbled along with a measuring tape and swatches to figure out my own pattern based on how big I wanted them.

There are little hats...

Little mittens...

and of course little stockings...

I braided up the leftover yarn to make a rope and then hot glue gunned little magnets to the rope and each little piece. I wanted to find an easy way for little hands to easily take them off and count down to Christmas. Of course each little pouch has goodies in it. Some have miniature candy canes, Hershey kisses, Xmas erasers and other little fun things I picked up. It was really fun to knit up so if you have the time I recommend it.

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Xmas Meme

I saw this and thought it would be fun. Join in if you want :)

1. Wrapping Paper or Gift Bags? Both, depends on how close it is to Xmas morning :)

2. Real tree or artificial? Real. The day after Thanksgiving we load up with friends and family and head to the mountains to cut one down.

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the weekend after Thanksgiving

4. When do you take down the tree? New Years Day I'm over it so everything comes down

5. Do you like Egg Nog? No

6. Favorite gift received as a child? My first Walkman when I was 11

7. Do you have a nativity scene? No. We have a huge Christmas village that has been added too over 13 years and it is slowly taking over the house :)

8. Hardest person to buy for? My mother-in-law

9. Easiest person to buy for? My kids

10. Mail or email Christmas Cards? Mail

11. Favorite Christmas Movie? Every Christmas Eve we watch It's a Wonderful Life

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Fudge

13. Clear lights or coloured? Clear

14. Favorite Christmas Song? Do you Hear What I Hear by Bing Crosby. It was the one Xmas CD we listened too religiously at Christmast time when I was growing up.

15. Travel or stay home at Christmas? Stay home. We traveled for every holiday when I was growing up and so now I stay home.

16.Can you name all of Santa’s Reindeer? Yep, but I have to sing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer in my head to do it.

17. Angel or Star on the top of the tree? Neither, it's a glass tree topper from a local store

18. Open presents Christmas Eve or Morning? The kids can open one on Christmas Eve but everything else happens in the morning.

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Seeing Xmas stuff in October

20. Which looks best, theme trees or homey trees? Homey trees, handmade ornaments, stuff from my childhood, definitely homey

21. Gingerbread or Sugar Cookies? I like sugar cookies better and we make a gingerbread house.

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