It looks like someone is snooping around the Christmas presents already!
Here are some quickie gloves I finished for DH - the yarn is Sunshine Yarn's Luxury Sock Yarn which has some cashmere content and the colorway is Coal Creek. I combined three patterns to make the wide thumb angle he needs. I'm going to do a hiking themed Christmas stocking for him again this year with some homemade energy bars and trail mix, these gloves and the socks shown previously, and a field guide.
FREE HOLIDAY KNITTING LINKS
HERE is a free PDF for a Dale of Norway Christmas stocking pattern booklet. All of the stockings are stranded and there is also a photo tutorial on making 2-color twisted cord for embellishment.
DROPS is doing their Christmas Advent Calendar of Patterns again this year and so far this month they've already unveiled two cool new free stranded sock patterns.
And if you want more free stranded Christmas stocking patterns, here are two I've linked to before. The Cascade Christmas Stockings use worsted weight yarn. So do the Spindleknitter's Christmas Stockings but the patterns are more colorful and elaborate.
Frankie Brown has several free patterns to add some knitting to homemade Christmas cards - Santa, Snowman, and Gingerbread House. Frankie also has this adorable Advent Garland pattern.
Spunknit offers these cute Knitted Snowmen that use sport weight yarn. I think the hats and scarves really make them adorable.
This Poinsettia Wreath by Maggie Pace uses felted Cascade 220 yarn.
This Christmas Story Dishcloth should be a quick stocking stuffer.
If your tree is looking kind of bare, HERE's a simple free Candy Cane Christmas ornament using I-cord. Also, PurlSoho has these cute Holiday Bird Ornaments and Torirot offers this free pattern for a felted Gingerbead Couple.
MISCELLANEOUS
Our next Stranded Forum KAL using the free Hippocampus Mitten pattern starts December 26. I'll put a thread up starting the KAL soon but you'll need to scrounge up two colors of fingering weight yarn. The original pattern uses a long self-striping pattern yarn. Everyone is free to join, there are no rules, and we'll have the designer on hand to answer any questions. These forum KALs are a perfect way to learn stranded color knitting as there will be many helpful members available to help you through the process.
Here's a heartwarming story about a woman who teaches male prisoners to knit in Maryland.
Feral Knitter has posted a summary of all her helpful technique posts on Fair Isle Knitting.
This has nothing to do with knitting but check out this huge bunny named Hampton! He is available for adoption in New Jersey and Bubbles say I have to do my best to resist his awesomeness.
ETA: To get the right link for the world's largest bunny Hampton.