Progress report

Christmas may be rapidly approaching but I'm not freaking out over the fact that I have yet to complete a single gift. I may not have finished anything but I've started four gifts and plan on starting three more before the end of the week. Furthermore, of the four I've started it looks like two of them will be finished by the end of next week. So really, I'm doing just fine for someone who waited far too long to start knitting her Christmas gifts. Here's what's currently on the needles:



That's "Forbes Forest" and it's going to be a gift for Zeb's brother Bjorn. This picture was taken last week when I'd just started working on it but I've done a lot of work on it since then and it should be done by next week. Can I just say how much I love this scarf? I'm so in love with the pattern that I find myself stopping at the end of each row just to fondle the scarf. The pattern may look complicated but it's really just made up of basic knit and purl stitches with a few cables, bobbles and popcorn stitches thrown in to jazz things up a little. I'm always amazed by the fact that you can create such beautiful designs just by arranging simple stitches in a certain pattern. It's one of the things I love about knitting. Forbes Forest has been knit by quite a few knit bloggers out there but if you want to see a particularly gorgeous specimen I suggest you check out Brooklyn Tweed's version.

Up next is a gift for my friend Kelsey, who loves all things soft and pastel. Presenting, Misty Garden:



And if you think that looks wonderfully soft and fluffy, take a look at the yarn from which it sprung:



Aaah, such glorious fluffaliciousness! For those of you who can't be bothered to read the print on the tags, those are two balls of Jo Sharp's Rare Comfort Infusion Kid Mohair which is now being produced under the brand name Queensland Collection Comfort Mohair. Don't you just want to bury yourself in a tub full of this? Misty Garden is a very easy knit which is perfect because after all the cables and chart-reading, it's nice to be able to sit back and relax with an uncomplicated project.

I can't share gift #4 with you because the recipient reads this blog but to make up for that, here's a gratuitous yarn shot instead:



I'm a KnitPicks virgin no more! My very first KnitPicks order arrived last week and I'm impressed by the quality of these yarns. I'm no yarn snob but I'll admit that despite all the positive reviews of KnitPicks yarns I was a bit skeptical. How could yarns as inexpensive as these could be any good? Silly me! I'm using some the Merino Style yarn for Forbes Forest and it has a nice, soft texture and great stitch definition. The Andean Silk (the gray skeins) feels exquisite although I can't comment on its performance because I haven't used it yet. But I'll keep you posted.