My knitting production amped up somewhat over the last few months and I have a backlog of finished things to show you. Some of the backlog was created because I was busy telling you other things or taking a blog vacation but some was due to gift knitting.
That’s right, friends, I said gift knitting. If you’ve been around long enough you know that I do not knit for Christmas. And yet this year, with an empty social calendar and plenty of evenings and weekends at home, I did actually knit a few gifts for very special friends. First up? A scarf for my bestie, Jo-Ann. (I feel the need to clarify, I am actually fortunate enough to have two besties. There is Jo-Ann, my in-town late-in-life bestie. And there is Doreen, my original bestie. The OG Bestie, if you will.)
Now back to the scarf.
The pattern is Ashae by Elizabeth Howard.
The yarn is one skein of Emma from Kim at The Woolen Rabbit. Jo-Ann and Kim are also friends and I love that I got to make this extra connection between them by using Kim’s yarn for this gift.
The pattern is simple but engaging and perfect for one skein of a really lovely yarn like this one. It’s great to work on while watching TV or listening to a podcast or audiobook, something I’ve spent a fair amount of time doing the last little while.
Jo-Ann came over a day or so before Christmas and we had a socially distant gift exchange, complete with masks and outside. I told her this scarf was meant to be a hug from me, one she could wrap herself in whenever she needed one since I can’t give her a real one these days. I hope it warms her neck as much as it warmed my heart to make it for her.
Turns out this Christmas gift knitting is kind of cool.
Lucky her! That yarn is beautiful, and the pattern looks just interesting enough for knitting and the resulting scarf is gorgeous. That color is one of my favorites. Hmmm, I will have to look up that yarn.
Beautiful!
Love that scarf. Hand made gifts are the best. Beautiful work!
Lovely pattern and gift! I am still working on the last of my gift knitting for an understanding recipient.
If we can’t hug, this is a pretty clever substitute.
Ooo! That is a cute pattern! (and I love the hug idea!!)
That is a gorgeous color and lovely pattern! I’ve never knit with yarn from The Woolen rabbit, but I think I need to remedy that!
What a beautiful gift for lucky JoAnn! And . . . the most perfect way to share a hug these days. XO
The idea of giving a hand-knit gift as a long-distance hug is a brilliant one. I hadn’t thought of it that way before, but now I think I understand why I was so motivated to knit for my family members this past year.
Beautiful finish and what a great pattern! Love the color yarn you picked.
I love that pattern. 🙂 I did some gift knitting for my OG Bestie, too, a blanket. She was without words, she was so touched by it.
Lucky Joanne. And Emma…so cozy!
That yarn looks SO soft and squishy. Almost as good as a real hug <3 I'm sure Jo-Ann loved it!
I have worn this several times already, and I always think of giving you a hug when I’m putting it on. It’s deliciously warm and squishy! Kim’s yarn is my favorite, so it’s like a double hug. Thank you again … I think I love it even more because I know you don’t do Christmas gift knitting!
Oooh, I like that pattern! What a lovely gift/hug!!
Such a pretty scarf. I bet she loved it! (I just bought the pattern; it looks like a fun knit.)
Lovely-one of my favorite shades of blue.
Great scarf. A knitted hug is the next best thing to a real one.