Apparently, the online knitting crowd has gone full-on Vlogmas crazy on YouTube this year. It seems like a blast, but honestly, I can't muster the time (or the holiday spirit) to churn out something jolly every day for almost a month. Ho ho ho, no thanks!
I juggle this tiny website, my online shop, and all my social media like a circus clown, all while holding down a day job that demands more than the standard 40-hour workweek and sometimes sends me on adventures far from home. Not exactly the best recipe for consistent content creation, even on a good day. Throw in some extra family and social shindigs, plus the frantic scramble to ensure everything's shipshape at work before all the regulatory bigwigs shut down, so you can finally enjoy that bizarre twilight zone between Christmas and New Year when nobody knows what day it is. For my neuro-spicy brain, it's like a perfect storm in a teacup, just waiting to flop. No thank you very much!
I absolutely love getting my fix of vlogmas and snooping through everyone else's Blogmas posts. I confess, I'm a tad green with envy at those of you who have the magical powers and dedication to pull it off. With a case of FOMO (and a dash of holiday spirit), I wanted to jump on the festive bandwagon too, but maybe without the second full-time job level commitment!
So alrighty then, welcome to the 12 WIPs of Knitmas! It's exactly what it sounds like—a festive yarn-tangle of unfinished projects. As I dove into my pile of 'works in progress' at the end of November, what did I find? Not one, not two, but eleven glorious UFOs (UnFinished Objects). Most of these are destined to be gifts or things for me to strut around in. Some kicked off this year, while others hail from the ancient past (Do I even have the pattern or needles for these relics? I'm not even going to consider whether they'll fit once done). Most of these masterpieces are crafted from vintage patterns, now so old they've entered the public domain, so I can totally share them with you without a hitch!
To give myself a breather amidst the holiday madness, I'm planning to tackle these projects during the Christmastide stretch, which runs from Christmas Day to about January 6. Conveniently, this aligns with my own holiday break, so there's a slim chance I might actually finish and document them for you all to witness—or chuckle at. Yes, I'm getting a head start, but who cares? There are no rules, it's not a contest, and the only prize at the end might be some snazzy new togs and a bit of free space in my workroom. No harm in jumping the gun... Oh, and I did cast on project number 12 earlier this month, just so we're at a nice, even dozen.
Introducing WIP 1: the snazzy watch cap! I stumbled upon this gem of a pattern in "Knitting for Defense," a vintage U.S. publication from 1941. The matching pullover? Oh, that's on the to-do list for next year's mountain of unfinished projects!
If you're itching to knit yourself a WW2 style watch cap and channel your inner vintage hero, I've plopped the pattern down below for your crafty pleasure. This one is heading off to a WW2 reenactor friend (hopefully in time for Christmas morning).
A quick note on gauge
I do love a good WW2 era pattern. This one knits up quickly using DK/worsted weight yarn, known as 8ply here in the Land of Oz. Pattern calls for a 4mm needle (Old UK 8/ US5 or modern number 6 US), but I got gauge with the yarn I was using (Spotlight 4 Seasons 8ply Entwine Pure Wool) with 3.75mm (that's a number 9 in old English money or a number 5 in modern US terms).
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