Gifts

Well I got some great Christmas gifts this year. I'm not sure I could pick a favorite! Funny enough, most of my gifts were fiber-related! The most useful are probably the new digital camera I purchased with gift money from my husband's family, the set of interchangeable needles my husband bought for me, a new purse (that I quickly determined was going to be my amazingly fashionable project tote), and a sweater that I can be seen wearing around the house many days of the week - the last two both from my mom.

This was the first time Matt has ever bought me something that I had to ask for in a specific way. I didn't want just any needle set. I wanted the Knit Picks Options. And since you can't buy those in stores, I basically sent him the link and he purchased them. I felt kind of bad doing that, but it was truly what I wanted. I had set aside money to buy them months ago and ended up getting something practical instead. But now I can make anything that takes between a size 11 and size 4 needle!

You can see I've stuffed it with all my other circulars as well - my much preferred knitting utensil

I spent a long time researching and pricing out digital cameras. I feel like I got a good deal on a really nice camera. Its about one step down from a Digital SLR, which is what professionals use, but it still has options to change the shutter speed, aperture and exposure (a "superzoom"). I hope to one day master all of the settings and use it to its full potential. For now it takes great shots in its auto mode and has an awesome macro setting that allows me to take photos of small objects (like my handmade items) with amazing detail! It also takes up to 8 min of digital video which was a huge draw for me!

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28K

The tote is from Khol's. The color here is a bit off, but give me some grace, I'm just getting used to my camera settings! Its got a huge inner pocket with a small zipper compartment, plus two side zipper compartments on the outside. These are brilliant, as they allow you to compartmentalize things without adding bulk to the bag. I use them for storing my notions or cases, or just for extra yarn so that its not getting confused or tangled up with the skein I'm working from. You get a little sneak-peak on the second photo of the baby bluebird I'm making as a part of a baby bird pattern set (goes with my baby owl). You can see that yarn is a skein of Super Saver, which only takes up a small portion of the bag. This tote can haul!



And lastly, but very beloved, is my sweater from my mom. I wish I could say that I or someone I know knit this lovely piece, but alas, its not true! I LOVE this sweater. I wish I had one in multiple colors, honestly! I included a couple up-close shots to show off the macro setting on my camera.