Hand made presents are always a big hit which makes the temptation of squeezing one last project before Christmas hard to resist. Although last minute cast on aren’t ideal, with the right pattern, right yarn weight and good time management skills knitting one last gift is still totally doable.
First and foremost keep it small. Projects like hats, mitts and cowls can be made relatively quickly and only requires a small amount of yarn. In many cases you’ll be able to get away using solely leftovers from your stash. They’re also super useful at that time of year and make for very welcome presents.
Second choose your yarn weight wisely. Realistically assess how fast are you able to knit and how many hours a week will you be able to dedicate to that project. If you’re not a speedy knitter stay away from 4ply and sport weight and focus on patterns using heavier yarn.
The Antler Toque by Tin Can Knits is the ideal last-minute cast on. This smart cable beanie is super quick-to-knit and only requires 183 meters of worsted weight yarn. Germantown would be perfect to highlight the cable motif.
The Sunset Mesa cowl is a gorgeous two-tones stranded cowl made out of Malabrigo Rios. Colourwork always takes longer to knit so only tackle such a project if you know you can keep up the pace. Alternatively the Beeswax cowl by Amy van de Laar would look beautiful paired with some Lore. You can even match it to the Beeswax hat and mitts.
Stranded mittens and gloves are quintessential winter accessories which never fail to please. The tree motif of the Kuusi mittens looks very smart but is still simple enough to guarantee a speedy completion. This patterns asks for a worsted weight yarn and we can already envision multiple colour combinations of Gilliatt to go with it. For babies and kiddies the Fox Mittens would make an adorable option.
Colourwork isn’t everybody cups of tea and you may be looking for a more straight forward pattern. Andrea Mowry’s North Country mitts are extremely quick to knit and only requires 69 meters of aran yarn –
perfect to use up leftovers. I made mine using some Soft Donegal I had in my stash and finished them within a week.
Sometimes it’s nice to go for something a little bit different and this Pineapple Tea Cosy by Susan Cowper will sure put a smile on a few faces. The cozy has been designed to fit a 10 cup Price & Kensington teapot. Its elongated shape results from some clever shaping happening under the leaves.
Dani Sushine‘s Circlet is the ultimate last minute gift. This cute little crown was originally designed with 55 meters of sport weight yarn but the gauge and size can easily be adapted by using slightly lighter or heavier yarn. Circlet looks like a cracker hat and could make a nice addition to a Christmas party or a fancy dress outfit.
If you too are stuck in the midst of some last minute projects and have some good pattern recommendations to share with us feel free to leave a comment in the section below.
Until Next Time… Happy Knitting!
