Angora Deliciousness

I have been dying for luxury yarn lately. Now, I love my merino and acrylic is great for every day projects. But I've been wanting to make something that could one day turn into an heirloom. Problem is, I can't afford $22 for 130 yards of yarn. So imagine the proverbial leaps for joy I did when I came across angora / superfine merino blend yarn - for $8! Who am I kidding, I was literally leaping. Not so much out of joy though, more to entertain the three year old who rules my life.

Two of the balls of yarn. (I am not sure if the actual term is spelled skein or skien, or if it even has a 'k' or a 'c' so I am going to avoid using it altogether, as I really don't feel like looking it up.) And of course, as soon as the box arrived, I had to start knitting.
And I got so many compliments on the stuffed elephant I made, that I decided to keep going with the theme:

I interrupted her coloring, look at that sassy face!

Hat, toy, and baby...who is really a toddler but refuses to be called such. So, I think angora is my Favorite thing right now.
Aaaand Holy Cow, I listed the pattern for that cap on Etsy an hour ago, and it already sold! Now I AM literally Leaping for Joy! (Notice the caps, that's how happy I am.)
Holy Cow times two! Within five minutes of updating this post, I sold a stuffed Zebra toy! I just about fell out of my chair.
Shameless plug - Like "Natalie's Knits" on Facebook to get 11% off your next order! Now through Christmas Eve.

Owl Washcloth Pattern

Owl Washcloth Pattern

(You can view the PDF here: Sorry the website is down, please e-mail me at sqquee@gmail.com for the pdf.) YARN: Knit Picks Dishie, less than one ball, any color. (Shown in #25404, Crème Brulee)
NEEDLES: US size 6 straight or circular
NOTIONS: Needle to weave in ends
GAUGE: Doesn't really matter
INSTRUCTIONS:
Cast on 50 stitches. Work chart, starting with five rows of garter border (K every row) and remembering to K5 at the beg and end of every row. BO. Weave in ends. (Remember, first row is the "right" side.)

Pattern © 2011 Natalie Gonzalez. Please purchase patterns available at my Etsy store if you wish to make these to sell. Do not reproduce and redistribute pattern.

Sock Monkey Hats!

Ps - anyone else confused by this new Blogger? PPS - I think I just figured out how to respond to comments.

Candy Cane Cookies

This has been reblogged: https://nantucket-knitter.com/2017/12/03/candy-candy-cookies/

Handmade Christmas...and the winner is...

Using this ingenious device:

I have randomly picked a number from all eight entries...

And comment number one is...

Yay Katryn! I'll send them out in a few days! Congrats!

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SO one of my best friends is coming to the island on Thursday, to work for what we call Christmas Stroll. (The first weekend in December. It started as reduced priced goods for locals as it's so expensive here, then became a huge thing that many people come to the island for.) So I had to hurry up and get my first gift done. And I am so proud of it, I just had to share it!

So what's pictured there is a handmade makeup/beauty bag and a handknit washcloth. Bag by Seaside Sewing. Doesn't look all that impressive.

Add a handknit mini stocking with lotsa treats, and some organic fair trade dark chocolate, and I think it makes a pretty nifty gift. Now if only I had been quick enough to stop my daughter grabbing the chocolate bar with her sticky, having just ate a candy cane fingers. But it's wrapped in some pretty expensive recycled type paper, so I think my friend will understand if it's a bit sticky!

Kani

This is Kani, on of my daughter's Christmas presents. (Kani is Finnish for Rabbit. I don't know what it is, but I have always been fascinated with Finland.)

She was so fun to make, and I am so proud of her. I think Magdalena will love her!

The Day After Thursday

Lazy days rock. My daughter and I are spending the day watching old movies, knitting, and basically lazing (is that a word) off Thanksgiving. And eating Turkey Terrifics (Thanksgiving feast between two fresh baked pieces of bread). And baking more pies for our "eat the leftovers" get-together, which is really more fun than Thanksgiving.
Some pictures of the holiday:

Those are from the Cold Turkey Plunge. Basically, people jump into the water for 32 seconds (why 32 I don't know) to raise money for the Atheneum.

Christmas is being put up around town. The Tree Lighting Ceremony is tonight, and the Christmas Stroll is next weekend.

Some fun before and after dinner.

And lounging around today.

PS - don't forget my Knitted Ornament Giveaway.

Photos of Fun

Today we went to one of our playgroups, and for once I remembered the camera:

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Over the weekend we went to the Polar Express. We didn't get many good photos, but here are what we did get:

PS - don't forget my knitted ornaments giveaway

Favorite Thing Friday

My favorite things is the fact that my best friend in the entire world (we call eachother "hetero life-mates", à la Jay and Silent Bob) was offered a full time, year round job as a nurse in the hospital on the island. Which is really hard to get. So yay.



PS - Remember my Knitted Ornaments Giveaway.

By the way - if you're a quilter, enter this giveaway!

The Cutest Pirate / Gypsy EVER

A picture of my daughter from Halloween.

And massive project just completed, a week and a half or so ahead of schedule:

PS - Remember my Knitted Ornaments Giveaway.

Knitted Ornaments Giveaway

I have decided to host my first giveaway. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post to win the set of five hand knitted tree lights pictured below. (Plus, possibly, a couple of extra goodies!)

On November 30th, I will use to random number generator to pick the winner, so check back on December first to see if you've won. That's it! Good luck!

UPDATE: Blogger seems to be giving people trouble with leaving comments...I may have fixed it, but if you still can't leave a comment, them message me ( natalie@nataliesknits.com or on Facebook, linked to the right) and I will leave a comment on your behalf. Sorry for the issues!