The postie knocked on my door today bearing gifts!

This is from Nadine, who was my spoiler for the UK Swap.

I have lots of goodies! The nibbly things have already been passed straight on to very appreciative small people and one big person! But I received a lovely crocheted scarf and slippers, useful magnetic things to mark my place in charts, two balls of purple Wendy Bamboo yarn, plus some handcream and stickers and a yoyo also for the small people but I might play with them too.

What is your favourite style of hat?
Beret, no question! I love beanie hats in that they are quick to knit, use very little yarn and are just so cute (!) but they look like crap on me, whereas berets allow for a moon face and three chins.

Do you have a favourite yarn for making hats with?
Anything squishy. I tend to choose machine washable yarns, especially for the men of the house, because they’re a little more forgiving when the hat has been used as a football…

What hat patterns are in your queue at the moment?
Not many, as I’m not planning to knit any for a while. I recently spied Selbu Modern, though, which is gorgeous and will hopefully get knitted for next winter.

Do you have a favourite handmade hat that you (or someone else) has made?
I love all the hats I wear, but I really want to say the 70s Ski Hat I knitted for Mr B, which I class as a complete success as he has worn it twice.

This might just be triumph of the cold weather over his image, but knowing him, he would rather his ears dropped off than have to wear a hat that he didn’t like.

Well, this post won’t take long, as I have never knitted a blanket. At least, not intentionally. The Large Rectangle in Leaf and Trellis pattern (Ravelry link) I knitted for Diane did end up being ginormous and a blanket of sorts, though.

If I *was* to knit one, I think I’d jump on the Hemlock Ring blanket bandwagon. I like the idea of blankets very much; it’s just the actual knitting of something so big and flat that bothers me!

No, it’s not Friday. Even though over Christmas I completely lose track of the days and have no idea where I am in the week. I’m just catching up on the inspiration posts for the UK Swap.

What is your favourite way of keeping your feet warm?
Handknitted socks! Though sometimes even they can’t keep my feet wam enough. I should make some alpaca bedsocks like the ones I made for my grandma:

Do you have a favourite pair of socks you reach for to keep your toes toasty?
Usually whichever ones are clean. All of them are lovely to wear.

Is there a pair of socks/slippers you have been wanting to make for ages but haven’t got around to?
Probably too many to mention! Looking through my Ravelry queue, I have the Norwegian Stockings and Laila’s Socks (both by Nancy Bush) lined up, so I think I have a hankering for colourwork socks at the moment.

What is your favourite finished object that warms your feet?
I rarely knit socks for myself. Of the few that I do have, I guess my current favourites are the Clover socks:

The yarn I used, Shelridge Farm Soft Touch Ultra Solid Colors, is divine.

What is your favourite yarn to use for socks/slippers
It’s boring, but I love Trekking XXL and Opal. I do like the ability to handwash socks wherever possible, but I am a complete sucker for any squishy yarn that won’t last five minutes but feels wonderful on my feet.

Do you have a favourite FO?
Currently the Beth scarf I knitted my grandma for Christmas. I love the fact that it’s so light and floaty, yet is still a warm fabric.

I prefer thinner scarves because they’re less bulk under my coat. I’ve been wearing my Ene’s Scarf from Scarf Stylea lot this winter as well.

What is your favourite neck warming pattern?
Probably the Lace Leaf Scarf by Shirley Paden from Vogue Knitting. I’ve knitted this a couple of times and just love the way the pattern forms. It’s not the style of scarf I’d usually wear myself, but I think it’s gorgeous.

Is there a style of neck warmer you particularly like?
I like wearing triangular shawls as scarves as there’s lots to tuck in and keep me warm. I’m not so keen on thick bulky rectangular scarves.

The first of my Friday Inspiration posts as part of the UK Swap.

Until very recently, I’d never knitted mittens. In fact, I’d never really knitted any handwarmers at all, save for a pair of Voodoo Wristwarmers for my sister. So this is a hard topic for me to write an interesting post on.

My first mittens were from the Selbuvotter book:

I used RYC Cashsoft 4ply in cream and black, which makes for nice soft mittens. They are like little works of art and I often just admire and pet them because I can’t quite believe I am so clever to have knitted them.

I’d like to have the confidence to use interesting combinations of colours in a pair of mittens, other than just black and white. These and these mittens, for example, are beautiful.

Edited because I completely forgot about the Endpaper Mitts I made.

I gave these ones away as a gift, and always intended to knit some more, but never got around to it.

Handmade Item Swap
What kind of items are you interested in receiving?
Scarf, mittens or socks.

Do you knit, crochet, or both?
I knit. My crochet is so bad that it’s scarcely worth mentioning. Except that I just did.

What is your favourite colour?
PURPLE!!!

What is your least favourite colour?
Yellow.

What’s your style? (elegant, traditional, glamorous, girly, natural, sporty, outgoing, etc.)
Introverted couch potato?

Do you have a favourite type of fibre or brand of yarn?
Wool or alpaca. Not being presumptuous, but if I was to receive socks, I’d rather they were knitted with a machine washable yarn so that they last as long as possible. I seem to get holes in them much quicker than normal people…

Do you have a least favourite type of yarn?
Acrylic. Oh, and possum, the Yarn of Death.

Do you do any other crafts?
I make exceedingly good cakes.

Are there any knitting accessories you are interested in receiving?
Other than a complete set of KnitPicks Harmony Interchangeables? I’d like some sort of widget to help keep my place when I’m using mitten charts. Post-It Notes remove ink, I have discovered.

What do you like to eat?
Chocolate, but I’d rather not receive any as it’ll tempt me away from the path of goodness. Actually, right now I have a craving for Licorice Allsorts, except the round ones with bobbles on because they are evil.

Any allergies/preferences (fibre-wise or treat-wise)?
None at all.

Anything we missed that you’d like your partner to know?
I am truly very easy to please!