Unlike Pam, who likes her scarves short, just barely long enough to cover her neck and tuck in her jacket, my mom likes her scarves long and wide. Mom’s scarves get wrapped over the head, around the neck, and tucked in. Mom likes her scarves huge and warm!

One of the nice things about hand-knitting Christmas scarves is that I can make Pam’s small the way she likes it and make Mom’s huge the way she likes hers.

I remember mom walking across campus at the University of Wisconsin attending plays and musical events – and I remember her being cold. Ever since we’ve gotten alpacas, I’ve been wanting to make her a nice, warm, dressy scarf to wear to these events. Campus has changed. I think she still attends the events. I have no idea if she needs a dressy, black, scarf, but I had this wonderful alpaca yarn that Mette produced for us – yarn with fiber from Percy and Del among others. And, mom rather liked Percy, so …

Mom got a scarf for Christmas.

The pattern is a very basic garter stitch. The scarf is about six feet long – maybe longer – and just over a foot wide. That’s 40 stitches on size #10 (6.0 mm) needles. The garter stitch is very simple, but it makes for a nice, springy, scarf and it ought to be warm. I love – I mean love – the way the fabric turned out. The fabric of the scarf is just wonderful. There is no way I could have achieved this feel with crochet. I’m so glad I learned to knit. I love crochet. I do fun things with crochet. I do good work with crochet. But, I can only make an alpaca fabric like this by knitting.

There is a story behind the starting of this scarf. I knew I wanted a wide scarf. I don’t know if I’ve ever used those #10 needles before – maybe on my first practice piece. Most of my knitting has been with size 0-3 needles. I knew I wanted a wide scarf, so I cast on 100 stitches.

(Ok you experienced knitters, stop laughing, the story gets better.)

My #10 needles have 9″ of working area. I knew I was jamming the stitches together on my needles, and I expected the stitches to expand a little bit. After all, I had just finished 64 stitch socks (on size 1 needles) with a similar yarn. I figured I’d have about 15-18″ of scarf – exactly what I wanted.

I started happily knitting away. Each row was taking a while, but that didn’t bother me. I got to four inches of length, then five. The free edge of the scarf was starting to ruffle like the bottom of open curtains. I expected that. After all, I was compressing the stitches very aggressively to get them all on the needles. Finally, I had six or eight inches of fabric and I was starting to get worried. At this point, I figured sure the free end would be relaxed enough to get a reasonable read on how wide the scarf was – and I wanted to make sure I didn’t need to start over with a few more stitches.

(Ok, ok. Stop laughing!)

I got my yarn needle and some waste yarn and pulled the scarf off the needles to allow it to relax, then I pulled more scarf off the needle. Then some more. The scarf started growing … and growing … and growing. I think it ended up being 32″ wide. It was almost a neck wrap. In fact, I considered binding off to create a neck wrap. Instead, I ripped back and started over. I think I had almost two feet of the final width scarf knit before I pulled more yarn out of the ball.

Mom, enjoy your scarf. It was almost a blanket.

That first pair of socks turned out very well – and just a little large for my feet. Dad spends a lot of time working outside in cold Wisconsin winters and his feet are one size larger than mine. What can be better than a pair of 50% wool / 50% alpaca socks?

My first finished pair of knit socks.

Berroco Ultra Alpaca (50% wool, 50% alpaca) in a basic toe-up sock pattern.

One of the coldest jobs in the woods in Wisconsin is plowing snow. Logging and cutting firewood is active work. Plowing snow means sitting still in the cold and wind on a frozen tractor seat, holding a frozen steering wheel. Dad has a long driveway, and he plows a lot of snow.

Dad, I hope these keep your feet warm while you’re plowing snow.

It seems that the powers that be have decided that since some of the people involved in the gifts won’t catch up with the gifts until later this week, none of the gifts will be opened.

And thus, my plans, are spoiled.

I had it all organized. Some gifts would be opened. I’d post those one at a time. That would provide delay until the others were opened. I’d post those one at a time. Blog fodder all the way to the new year.

On to plan B.

It’s Christmas morning. Presents are under the tree, therefore, the wrapped packages can be revealed.

The contents of some of the tins are long gone – opened, devoured, and appreciated. The packages – well – they’re waiting to be opened.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Gifts have been mailed. Packages have arrived. Boxes have been opened. I can begin the process of revealing the Christmas knitting. This is going to be a gradual process because after the boxes were shipped, plans got changed and now certain presents won’t catch up to recipients for several more days.

Today’s reveal is a scarf for Pam. My wonderful wife has sensitive skin – so sensitive that even the softest handspun baby alpaca from our softest animals can cause here skin to itch. I’ve talked, often, about the chin test. I despair of ever finding alpaca that will pass the chin test with Pam. I made Pam an alpaca hat which isn’t much of a problem because it’s worn over the hair – and not against the most sensitive skin of the neck. Pam can feel some itch in her hat – there are days she debates between the itch and cold ears. She loves the hat!

Pam’s neck gets cold. I’ve been wanting to make her an alpaca scarf to match the hat – and I’ve held off because she would probably be uncomfortable wearing it. A few weeks ago, I mentioned I was heading to Yarn Expressions to look for nice, soft, yarn.

That yarn turned out to be Ty-Dy by Knit One Crochet Too in a color called Cafe Latte. It’s not the softest cotton around, but it doesn’t scratch and we’re hoping it will soften up with wear. The color coordinates well with Pam’s alpaca hat.

The pattern is a very simple garter stitch – nothing fancy. The style is what we call a neck wrap – a short, medium width scarf – designed to go around the neck once with the ends tucked inside the jacket. The purpose being a scarf that’s very easy to wear. This one is about 4.5″ by 30″.

I can reveal this gift because it was never wrapped. Pam has been in on it the whole time and helped pick out the yarn. I did fold it and put it under the tree, but with the on-again, off-again threat of cold weather here, I wasn’t about to let Pam have a cold neck with a brand new scarf waiting under the tree.

Merry Christmas, everyone, and check back soon. I’ll reveal more projects as they get unwrapped.

Still very few fiber projects – and still a couple more days before I can show pictures of or talk about those I have completed in the past month. It’s not like I haven’t been busy. As I said earlier, I’ve been having a Christmas!

Today’s Project: Christmas Cookies.

Gingerbread cookies. Pam found a wonderful recipe for soft, chewy, gingerbread. They’re wonderful. They were so good I made two batches this year – this is the last of the second one.

I’m glad to see I’m not the only one slowing down on the blogs these days. Christmas can be pretty distracting – from fiber and from blogging.

Saturday, we got all the packages that have to be mailed in the mail. This officially ends my Christmas fiber projects because they are blocked, wrapped, tagged and gone.

Christmas cards – see Pam’s blog – have been this week’s project and with one exception, they’re in the mail.

Shopping, Christmas cookies, and the cello have been my other distractions from fiber this week.

Pam found a wonderful soft gingerbread recipe and I’ve made two batches so far. I made sugar cookies, too, because, well, it’s not Christmas without sugar cookies. Between those we’ve eaten, (oink!) and those we’ve mailed, the Christmas cookies are gone. Must make more cookies!

Christmas isn’t Christmas without music – and that means as bad as I sound, I get out the cello. Twenty-five years ago, I went to college on a cello scholarship – and promptly changed my major to science. When I was in high school, I could pick a carol out of the air and hit the notes in any key – and make it sound good. Today, having not practiced except at Christmas for twenty years, I squeak, scratch, and fumble my way through even the simplest carol. I find myself learning how to practice all over again.

No spinning. No knitting. But, I’m having fun with Christmas so I don’t care.

“You should get a poinsettia.”
“But I don’t have a good place to put it.”
“The coffee table”
“The coffee table is covered with my knitting.”

And so the discussion went. I’ve been really wanting a nice poinsettia – a pretty, jumbo, beautiful, Christmassy poinsettia.

And we’re truly in a tiny apartment.

The Christmas knitting is done, washed, blocked, and ready to wrap. We’ve still got plenty of time to ship. The coffee table is clear.

Time to get a poinsettia.

It’s not a big poinsettia, but this isn’t a big apartment. It is a pretty poinsettia, it’s a Christmassy poinsettia, and it makes the whole apartment feel a lot more like Christmas.

I’ve been busy – in many ways. I have finished several objects. In fact, all my deadline Christmas fiber arts are now finished objects. Spinning, knitting, crocheting, and stitching are complete. Washing, blocking, wrapping, packing and shipping are not. Naturally, these completed projects will remain under warps at this time.

In addition to fiber projects, it’s Christmas time. We’ve been going to Handbell Concerts, dining out, attending live nativities, viewing luminaries and Christmas lights, and otherwise enjoying the season. Huntsville has some very old and beautiful holiday traditions and we’re both enjoying being close enough to town to really enjoy the Holiday festivities. Having a new job with real hours so we have the freedom to attend these events is also a blessing.

Here’s hoping my readership is enjoying the holidays as much as I am.

Thank you to Sarah, Delia, and Enjay for comments on circular needles. Thanks to the above three plus Lillian and Karen for suggestions about keeping yarn on my needles. Much appreciated. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I found a way to get me through the project in question.

Today, I’m off to the sale at Yarn Expressions to look at circular needles and find a nice, soft yarn.

I’ve been looking at the Boye set of circular needles which looks like it gives you all necessary sizes and lengths of circular needles. Some people I’ve spoken with say Boye is fine. Others say the higher end brands are noticeably better. I know I want sizes 0-3 and because I don’t know exactly which sizes I need, I think I want a set. This rather limits my options. One side of me wants to rush out and purchase circular needles. The other side says patience and research. Get good needles and get exactly what you need. I’m not quite sure what I want. Other than the yarn to stop falling off my needles, I don’t have a clue what I need.

I have somebody on my gift list who, unfortunately, finds even my softest handspun baby alpaca to be scratchy. She can wear the alpaca hat I made her because most of the contact is against her hair. Now she needs a scarf and scarves wear against the tender skin of the neck - chin test anyone? I’m looking at a soft cotton and considering some of the microfiber synthetics. The color has to be “just right” and it must be comfortable. We’ll see what I find.