Holiday Knitting Saga, Part 1

The holiday gift knitting continues, snuck in here and there in between making piles of cowls, hats, and mittens for craft shows. I am lucky that my family doesn't really get the whole blogging thing, so they're unlikely to see these sneak peeks.

Pattern: Mountain of Light
Yarn: Shibui Cima
Needle Size: I honestly don't remember. I finished this shawl a while back, but just got around to blocking it.

I really love how this came out. The yarn is laceweight, so it's not a quick knit, but the result is simple yet elegant. I had a brief moment of "feeling too attached" to gift it, but I think the recipient will love it. The yarn is 70% Alpaca, 30% Merino, so it's very light and soft. The pattern is pretty straight forward, with the cute elongated stitch detail where the two colors meet. It's a good introduction to intarsia if you've never tried it.

Pattern: Potholder with Textured Heart
Yarn: Lion Brand Nature's Choice Organic Cotton(had been sitting in my stash for at least 3 years)
Needle Size: US 8

Tonight is the Holiday Potholder Exchange at Seed Stitch, so I whipped up this little guy. I considered skipping it in favor of staying in and frantically knitting more hats and cowls, but I realized it's healthy for me to go interact with people. Now I just need to find the motivation to put on "real people clothes" in the next few hours. Locals, hope to see you there!

This is not knitting related, but I've also been enjoying getting to know my new Wild Unknown Tarot deck. I've been collecting tarot decks for about 20 years. I first heard about this deck from Tara when she came to visit, and then Alena, one of my favorite artists, started posting pictures of hers. I couldn't resist, and now I'm totally captivated by the imagery.

Are you making holiday gifts this year? Have you come across any projects you really love? I'm always looking for inspiration!