Quick Last Minute Gift

I have a tendency to overdo it with presents. I get it from my mom, “Just one more little thing to open, you know…just cause.” Which means even though I think I am done with my Christmas presents, I’m really not. But who wants to go out into the madness of the shopping malls and centers at this time of year? Not me! You know what that means. Yep, I am casting on something.

I found this pattern for mini socks in a past webletter. They are small, quick and simple. Perfect!

Each “sock” only takes about 20 yards, so you can get lots of socks from a single skein of Alpaca Sox (available in Solids, Kettle Dyes or Hand Dyes)  or Liberty Wool Light.

I hoped over to Ravelry to see what some of you have done with this pattern in the past and there are lots of great ideas. I saw it used as a gift tag with the person’s initial on it, as an ornament on trees, as an advent calendar on a garland and even as doll socks.

Although there are only 3 knitting days left to Christmas, you still have time to make a few of these.

Unfinished Business

With over 130 pieces to photograph for our Fall 2012 collection, completing sample garments could be a little down-to-the-wire. Here, Kim binds off the sleeve on Lone Wolf, a pullover in Alpaca Sox from the new booklet Cascading Waters, while model Mackenzie looks on.

Going to Knitting Lab? Want to Win?

Interweave Knitting Lab is next week! Who's going? What classes are you taking? Interweave promises:

Hands-on learning experiences in how-to classes filled with "aha!" moments

Deep, immersive instruction presented by icons of the knitting world including: Barbara Walker, Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez, June Hemmons Hiatt, Clara Parkes, Ann Budd, and Shirley Paden

Rarely-offered classes on unique regional, ethnic, and historical techniques, taught by authoritative experts in an intimate setting

Presentations by some of knitting's cleverest luminaries makes it worth a visit alone! Tea with Alice Starmore? Need I say more?

We know that these events are often the best places to show off your most impressive FO's. Rhinebeck is a veritable fashion show of handknits, and with a four-day immersive event teeming with intermediate to advanced knitters, this one will be a doozie too. Our sales manager Heather will be there, walking the floor and mingling in the tasting area. If you are wearing a FO in Classic Elite Yarns, say hi! (If you can't find her, follow @ceyarns on Twitter for updates). She'll give you one of these awesome pins to write what CEY yarn you're wearing.

Then, you're entered in a drawing! We will randomly choose one name to win a gift basket valued at over $75, containing a grab bag of CEY yarns including Kumara, Alpaca Sox, Silky Alpaca Lace Handpaints, and Liberty Wool Print, and the recently published Quick Knits, a book of 100 patterns compiled from our pattern archives.

So what are you packing?