Knitting & chocolate

My brother was visiting over the weekend, and came bearing gifts!



The little guy next to the chocolate Santa is his helper, according to the Dutch tradition. I 'm almost reluctant to eat him up!



There was also quite a lot of knitting. I made a hat to match the flap-top mittens I made last winter.



The yarn is Chaco worsted weight on 4.5mm circular needles for both. I used the pattern from Handknit Holidays for the mittens, but I changed the way the flap is attached, and added a buttonhole opening on each thumb, so it can also stick out when necessary. Makes a big difference in the usability of the mittens!



The hat pattern is mine, based on something I glimpsed in the subway once. Then I decided I wanted to add ear flaps, for which the basic guidelines came from the pattern in Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I am not adding links, because I feel everyone knows about these books and patterns, and because Skid is hovering around me and wants attention.



Finally, I made the first of a series of dishcloths that I plan to give as gifts. Once again, it this is the very well-loved pattern from Mason-Dixon Knitting, which I modified only in changing the size of the dishcloth.