Holiday Gift Guide Twenty Seventeen

The holidays are getting closer, and once again I've put together a collection of my fave gift ideas. Some are perfect for the knitting enthusiast in your life but there are lots of super neat things here that anyone on your list would enjoy. Check it!

First up, my fave bags in the universe ... Moop.

I've been obsessed with these Mason Dixon Knitting Field Guides.

Order some Hedgehog Fibers Chubby at my fave yarn store, StevenBe. (Then knit a Ready Steady hat.)

Check out Wool and the Gang's Knitter’s Paradise Embroidery Kit. So cool.

My friend Bergen at Lilla Barn is doing a collab with PoemGrown to make these incredible hand-dyed Soul Scarves. (The poem is printed on cotton and sewn on.) Check them out here.

Do you have the winter issue of PomPom magazine yet? This would make a fantastic gift.

New fave of mine ... Lush's Sleepy body lotion. It's gorgeous. Right before bed. Trust me.

Westknits Bestknits for the holidays! Every knitter I know wants to get their hands on this book.

I need this tshirt. You need this tshirt. We all need this tshirt from Shelli Can.

GGMadeIt literally does it all. Knitting how-to videos. She has tshirts and mugs and all kinds of knitting-related apparel. And she sells her own handknit creations as well. Find her here.

Knit Safari is my hands-down favorite big, big, BIG yarn. Smooth and glorious and zero of that roving shedding, THIS is the yarn you want to use if you make one of those giant blankets. (I know because I made one for my latest book and it's perfection.) Find Knit Safari Jumbo Yarn here.

Trust me when I say that you need the Illest Tarot Vol. 2 in your life right now, featuring all your 90s heroes. It's so good and my good friend Kristi made it so it's extra good. Get yours here before they're gone forever.

For the kids! (Or for anyone.) Grab this ultra fun Art Making with MoMA Action Painting Kit and embrace your inner Pollock.

Twinkle's back. Back again. (No seriously.) Twinkle's back. Tell a friend. Find one of my all time favorite yarns right here at Third Piece. Check out their Funky Chunky too ... another fave.

This is the perfect gift for any crafter! The magnetic Maker's Keep from CocoKnits.

Find the perfect gift for absolutely anyone on your list at one of my fave local shops, Eden.

And last but not least, I can't put together a gift guide without mentioning my knitting books WEEKEND, EVERYDAY, VISIONS and VISIONS KIDS. Treat yourself or someone you love to these gorgeously photographed collections full of simple, modern designs. These books make fantastic gifts – don't forget to add them to your wish list! Find them here.

Happy December, happy crafting and happy giving!

xx - Jen

Swants! Hanging with the Ste(v)phens.

You all know about Swants, right? Swants. The sweater-pant phenomenon created by Stephen West. (Watch Anderson Cooper talk about Swants here. Or check out the Swants Dance video.) If you were unfamiliar with Swants a minute ago, now you know.

So here's a story about a Minnesota adventure. A few months ago, I discovered the Stephen & Steven Tour was making a stop and hosting a Swants workshop at StevenBe, which lucky for me is just a four-hour drive to the Northland. And when Stephen West is nearby (hello, he lives in Amsterdam) you must find a way to see him. I asked my knitting friend Emily if she would Swants with me and if you know Emily, you know that Swants are totally her kind of thing. So we went and here is a massive photo dump of our Swants day of wonder.

 We brought our thrift store sweater treasures and cut them into pieces. With wild abandon.

Stephen West was our fearless leader, and he was a delight. I repeat, a DELIGHT. He was so friendly and fun, spending time with everyone in attendance to make sure that our Swants would be a success.

We practiced our mattress stitch.

We listened to many songs with the word 'dance' in the lyrics, which we obviously switched to 'swants.'  

There was Whitney. "Ohhh, I wanna Swants with somebody!" 

And Robyn. "I keep Swantsing on my own." There were more. I forgot the rest. It was great background music for stitching.

We sewed up our crotches with smiles on our faces. Some took of their swants and stitched in their underwear. It didn't matter. It was a day of freedom and creativity. And crafting in undergarments.

(And selfies in Steven's fabulous bathroom.) We would like to move in, please.

We worked and concentrated and stitched. And before you knew it, boom. Swants were born.

 

 

After our little Swants fashion show, the Ste(v)phens brought out all of their fabulous knits so we could seem them in person with our own eyeballs. Such a thrill!

This large version of Dotted Rays blew my mind. The colors were perfection.

And we were all excited to see this swingy tank!

Emily was thrilled to model (and swing) in Parachutey.

And I got to try on Royally Striped. I really should have taken more pics of their fabulous projects but I was too busy sitting there with my jaw on the ground.

Legendary knitter (and store owner) Steven Berg was fantastic to meet and we got to see his gorgeous pile of Ponchinis.

 

The two Ste(v)phens collaborated on this awesome tour book, which they shared patterns from and signed. And then sadly ... our Swants day was over.

Sigh. We were a bit sad to leave but what fun we had! A huge thank you to Steven Be and Stephen West for the wonderful workshop. I wish I could have stayed all week and taken all the workshops. You made our Swants dreams come true.

If the Stephen & Steven Tour is coming near you, be sure to go. You'll be so happy you did.