3 Super Quick Gift Knits

Hi lovelies!

As I was finishing up Aurin's Joy Cardigan over the weekend, I started thinking about what I could cast on now that one of my current WIPs is almost done. And then it hit me - the holidays are just under two months away, and I have this dream of knitting a few sweaters for my nephews. Will I manage it in time? Who knows. But it would be nice to gift them the promised sweaters in time for the end of the year so that they actually get a little wear out of them still this winter!

Are you already deep in gift knitting mode or, like me, just starting to plan? If the latter (or the former, if you still need a few ideas!) I might have just the thing for you: Three super quick gift knit ideas!

1. Weod Hat (even available as a kit!)

One of the quickest (and most fun) things to knit in my opinion is a DK-weight colorwork hat. DK-weight yarn knits up super fast, and the colorwork means your knit is engaging and you just want to get to that next round!

We've recently added a few Marina Skua Kits to our webshop, including one for her fabulous Weod Hat. Botanically inspired, it would make a great gift for anyone who likes plants or the outdoors. Or, if you ask me, a warm and cozy hat!

You can pair any of the Mendip DK colors we have in stock for the kit, but I am partial to Sheep (Sunny) as the main color and Beech (Sunny) as the contrasting color. There's just something about these two that feels festive, but they're neutral enough that the lucky recipient could wear the hat year round!

2. Scintillation Stars

I adore Hunter Hammersen's work. She is the queen of "Tiny Nonsense", and her patterns are impeccable – and Scintillation Stars is one of my absolute favorites!

Every year, when the holiday season starts, I start thinking about the people who make our day-to-day life a little easier. The DHL guy who always meets me with a smile halfway down the staircase. The Ur-Berliner who comes twice a week to sweep the corridor, stairs and make small repairs in our apartment building, and who always has a kind word for Aurin. The folx at my local Kiezshop / post office who will sort subscriptions with me and let me drop off your parcels any time of the day.

The holiday season feels like a good time to thank all of them, and so I put together little care packages. Some years, it's tea and chocolate. Others, it's a hand-drawn picture from Aurin and a little Amazon voucher. If you like to do the same, and add a hand-made touch, a small Scintillation Star would just do the trick!

While I could recommend any yarn that we have in the store for this (you can work them at any gauge, with any yarn), I won't because chances are you - like me - have lots and lots of scraps of yarn around the house. These are perfect to make one, two, a million stars.

3. Cellular Mittens

Your mother-in-law who always has cold hands. Your brother who is typing away at his laptop for work 12 hours a day. Your babysitter who is out walking with a stroller for most of their week. All of them - and everyone, basically! - could use a pair of Cellular Mittens.

This sweet design is knit sideways and flat, with a bit of short-row-ing to get those lovely stripes! A combination of garter stitch and stockinette means they're engaging and fun to knit, and squishy and warm to wear.

I love mittens as holiday gifts if I'm knitting for folx whose size I don't know. They're stretchy and will fit anyone! The design is fabulous in De Rerum Natura Ulysse, and with their wonderful rainbow range of colors, I'm sure you'll find a wonderful combination that the lucky recipient will love. You only need 1 ball of each color to make the Cellular Mittens in any size.

Tell me - are you gift knitting this year? If yes, have you started already?