Countdown to Knitmas: Day 6!

Wooo! Tomorrow is our annual Holiday Party! This day is one of my favorites all year long. We have a potluck, a drive for Food Share (both food and/or money are beyond welcome), and, of course, camaraderie and tons of fun. There are more details about all theses features at the top of our events page. Last year, we added a homemade ornament exchange. Some people made things that were yarn inspired and some included other crafts; it was fun to see what festive items people made to share. I have been collecting ideas on Pinterest.com for since last December. Here is a link to my board and, from there, as you fall down the rabbit hole, you can find lots of fun ideas. If you want to be a purist as far as keeping it in the fiber arts, you should do a pattern search on Ravelry.com.

Here are some of my favorites by searching just on Ravelry.com:
1. (what I made last year) Wreath Christmas Ornament
2. (what I won last year, or similar) Yarn Basket Ornament
3. Snowman Diorama Ornament

4. Christmas One (a collection of cuties)

5. Tiny Top-Down Pullover Sweater and Cardigan

6. Lace Tannenbaum

7. Santa Hat Ornament in Three Sizes

8. Christmas Stocking Ornament

9. My Paperclip Ice Skate Ornament

10. Ornamental Charms: Six Christmas Tree Decorations

11. 7 Colorwork Christmas Ornaments

Lois won Terry's last year.

A pretty handmade one by Lois

This one always delights me when I put it on the tree.

Happy Holiday Needling,

Anne

Countdown to Knitmas: Day 5!

Hi guys! I hope you are having a great week and that you are enjoying our blog posts so far!

Last year I wrote a post about cute things you can make with Pom Poms, and I want to share some more fun ideas I ran across. If you need to brush up on your Pom Pom making skills, we have a bunch of Pom Pom makers in stock in various sizes:

First off, decorate your hair!

I LOVE this idea! I'm pretty sure next time you see me I'll have Pom Poms in my hair. Find the tutorial here.

Next, decorate your shoes!

Pom Pom shoe clips, genius! I have an old pair of flats that could use some jazzing up! Find the tutorial here.

Decorate a Pillow!

Isn't it gorgeous? You can learn how to make it here.

Decorate your keys!

Cute Cute Cute. Find the tutorial here.

Decorate a sweater!

Throw some pom poms on a plain sweater and suddenly - instacute! Tutorial here.

1. That's all I have for Pom Pom cuteness today, I hope you enjoyed!

Don't miss the Hitch! Trunk Show this week

Our very own Karin Wilmoth was recently published in a really cool book called "Hitch" - patterns inspired by the films of Alfred Hitchcock. All this week and during our party, we will have a trunk show of samples from the book so you can see them in person (Brenda Castiel's Riviera Nights Stole is soooo lusciously soft)! We hope to have copies of the book available for purchase during our party, and we will be taking orders for copies if we sell out.

Countdown to Knitmas: Day 4!

Have you accumulated a long list of loved ones to warm with knitted gifts? I am anticipating some busy and tired fingers as we work them to the bone. So, to care for your hands as you work through that list, I would like to share a couple of resources for hand stretches.

(Could not resist including the cutest hand that I have access to.)

The first one is called ergocise.com.

The second one is called Finger Yoga.

Both have a great variety of exercise, good pictures, lots of info, and detailed descriptions of each exercise.

Happy Holiday Needling,
Anne

P.S.
There is also an important disclaimer here that I am going to quote right here:

Please note - we are not trained physicians, nor do we claim to be.
We are simply suggesting stretches which may or may not help your physical condition.
Please consult a health care professional before attempting any of these exercises.

Thank You, The ergocise folks

Countdown to Knitmas: Day 3!

Today, I want to share with you 8 cute t-shirts, tote bags, and other products I found while surfing Pinterest the other day that you can use to express your love of knitting or crocheting, or to say the things you would love to tell people if you weren't too busy counting. Wear them and tell people how you feel.

1.

I know it's true for me! You can find this cute t-shirt from the fun Etsy Shop Ice Cream Tees.

2. 

Don't you hate that? ;-) Another cute shirt from Ice Cream Tees.

3. 

This shirt cracked me up. You can buy it here from Cafepress.

4. 

For all you Happy Hookers out there! This is available on Cafepress as well, and you could also get it as a T-shirt, Coffee Mug, and lots more. Click here.

5. 

The movie buff in me loves this tote. This tote is from another fun Etsy Shop called KellyConnorDesigns.

6. 

If you are feeling particularly sassy today, this may be just the knitting bag for you. You can find it here. This Etsy shop also sells a crochet version, for those of you who crochet so you don't kill people.

7. 

Maybe you prefer something a little less extreme than that tote bag above. This mug perfectly reflects how I feel many days. Just pour me my coffee, hand me my knitting, and back away slowly...

8. Last but not least!

I NEED THESE. They crack me up, especially "Real Live Knitter. No you can't touch me." and "Must stash". These cute buttons are from SlippedStitchStudios, a SUPER POPULAR Etsy shop that sells Handmade project bags and supplies.

Countdown to Knitmas: Day 2!

I hope that your favorite Christmas tunes are blaring in your cars and homes, as have been in mine since a little before turkey o'clock at my abode.

One of the highlights at our house is the opening of the Lego and Trader Joe's Advent calendars. I am always wishing for one with treats for me. This jar of fun looks like just the thing to get my holiday fiber festivities rolling. Last Advent, this cute countdown tutorial was given life at the blog Poppytalk. Those are little felt balls in there and they give you detailed instructions on assembly.
 There are not details on how to make the felt balls, though. For that tidbit, you can turn to this tutorial from the blog NaughtsandCrosses.

I was playing with the roving we have in stock and daydreaming about fun color palettes -

When you are done with this fun, you can then try out needlefelted toys and designs to use up what remains of your roving. (Or make a second one for someone else in need of an advent calendar.)

Happy Holiday Needling,

Anne

Countdown to Knitmas: Day 1!

Hi everyone! Today is December 1st, which means that today is the beginning of our Countdown to Knitmas!

If you are new to our blog, Countdown to Knitmas is a fun way that we like to celebrate the holiday season here at AnacapaKnits. Me (Kaity) and Anne will take turns writing new blog posts everyday in the month of December up until the 25th! You'll see Holiday themed posts including tips, tricks, patterns, music, and just general holiday fun!

We'd love for you to follow along, stay tuned for all the fun!

If you'd like to check out past Countdown to Knitmas posts, you can click here.