in the red

best photo shoot ever.
there we were on a bitter cold friday in december 2013, several inches of fresh snow on the ground, with three kids who just got freed from school for the weekend and a whole pinewoods to let loose in.

how much running do you think we had to do to keep up?

uh—a lot.

and how much fun do you think we had??

even more!

it was the first time nicole and sarah had worked with the kids and i think they were a little stunned—all their carefully planned winter outfits and activities pretty much stayed in that box, once we got the kids into sweaters, hats, scarves, and mittens. you really don’t need to do anything with kids to get great pictures except let them loose, haha.

i would even go so far as to say that the red seemed to charge them up a notch or two.

well after all, that was the point, wasn’t it?

and we weren’t without our moments at rest—these were captured masterfully by david and provide the most wonderful pauses in our raucous fun.

i love these kids because they LOVE our hand knits, haha. they want all of it, even the ones they’re not very familiar with (like “cowls”; what’s that? i don’t care, i love it).

when he first put it on, lincoln thought this rené sweater would get him laughed right out of school, but by the end of the hour, he was figuring how to ask grandma debby to knit him one.

and speaking of grandma debby, lincoln, jude, and roxy kept this WHOLE thing a secret for a couple of weeks so that she could be surprised when the club chapter came out.

but back to the red pieces—these were offered in the december 2013 FIFC club shipment, a trio of multi-sized hat, scarf, and mittens in easy, quick to knit motifs perfect for last minute gifting. and that’s still try—you can knit at least one of these pieces by december 25th if christmas is your target date.

the cowl and hat for instance are just a snap—i promise. i knit one of these hats myself last christmas eve, all in one day. and then i knit another on christmas day as well. plus i cooked two big meals on those days; they are that easy.

and if you are are now shaking your head because you are in desperate need to produce a gift in the next three hours, do not despair—make it a cheery headband; the instructions are included.

the mittens are a fast knit as well—a small pair goes lightening fast in an evening; you might need two evenings for a large pair. but so worth it! choose a yarn that blooms generously to make a dense, impenetrable fabric (like our confection or kent worsted weights) and these will become the household favorite.

the reversible scarf takes a bit more time but is a soothing and very portable treat—the knitting you can cling to in these last few frenzied days of the season. and on size 10US (6.0 mm) needles, it just flies along, you’ll see.

shown above are the chimney sweep scarf and the matching cowl in size small with all boxed up hats in sizes (left to right) medium, extra small, and small. with so many sizes and a cool, bold motif, these will please just about anyone on your list.

springerle mittens in size large youth/adult small (with six other sizes to choose from!). all pieces were knit up in our festivus worsted, which was spun exclusively for the FIFC 2013 club. we unfortunately have too few remaining skeins to list in the shop (i think just two eight ounce ones and handful of two ounce ones; email david if you’re feeling lucky and want to score one!).

if it’s the single pattern you’re after, click to view more information about all boxed up, springerle or chimney sweep. you may also view or purchase them in my ravelry pattern shop.

any of these accessories would be cushy and delicious in our breakfast blend DK, confection worsted, kent worsted,  or classic ghillie sock.

these patterns are also included in the 2013 fall in full color eBook, which compiles seventeen total accessory patterns from the 2013 fall color collection—that’s a lotta patterns! anyone looking for a knitalong around these designs need not look further than the ravelry clubhouse where our color clubs meet—all are welcome and appreciated.

and now it’s time for me to get myself to my knitting chair—i have several christmas gifts to complete myself.

be back in a couple of days; i hope to have that new mitten pattern delivered by christmas (well, i’m shooting for that, anyway). stay warm and keep knitting!