It's been quiet here because I've been a tad sick. And when I say "tad sick" I mean, I'm death warmed over. I had a sinus infection, ear infection, stomach flu, cough, cold, runny nose, and overly painful sneezing fits - all in the last three weeks! I have felt a little like Doc Holiday over the past few days, but lucky for me it's not Tuberculosis. It's just a cold.

The bad thing about being sick is that sleep is more important than knitting. The good thing is that when I'm not sick, I can rest on the couch or in bed with my little projects that require little thinking and work away. This is very conducive for knocking out my Christmas gifts. :) Pictures after the jump.

My sister thought this cute little newsboy hat would be great for pulling on when she ran out to do errands. I took my queue and knit it up as one of her Christmas gifts. I used less than a skein of a superwash aran that JennyRaye gave me. I used one of Logan's old reading folders to use as the brim. Unfortunately it is Hazard Orange so it shows through if you look closely, but we'll just pretend that it doesn't matter. But if you're looking for something to use for the brim, these folders are a great option!

Pattern: Headline News
Source: SnB Nation
Yarn: Tivoli Celtic Aran
Needles: US 8s and US 10 1/2
Ravelry Users Queue it up here

I was planning to knit a cabled beret for my friend Charity (to go with her Palindrome) but I decided the plain one was cute, and I had a bit of cable overload with the Central Park Hoodie so I just went with the Last-Minute Purled Beret.

Of course after I finished it, I decided I liked the knit side better! So I used an old plate to block it into shape and then modeled it in all my sickness glory. Ignore the dark bags under the eyes. That was from stomach flu week in which we didn't sleep much. Plus, red is so not my color.

Pattern: Last Minute Purled Beret(opens PDF).
Source: Knit and Tonic
Yarn: Cascade 220 Wool
Needles: US 7s and US 8s
Ravelry Users Queue it up here

Knocking out two hats over the weekend was pretty satisfying and a nice way to kick off the holiday knitting. I've finished another gift, the Buttonhole Bag, but I need another comparison photo after it's dry so I'll blog about it tomorrow. And as soon as I get healthy and don't look so on-my-death-bed I promise photos of the recently finished Central Park Hoodie in action! <3