Despite all my good intentions, I cut it pretty close with the Christmas knits this year. Sure enough, I was still stitching away at quarter-to-midnight on Christmas Eve. My fingers were killing me, my eyes were bleary, and I'd finished everything but one mitten – and so my sister got a present with knitting needles still attached for the second year in a row! (Please tell me this happens to you, too. Please?) She was good-natured about it, though, and I'd cast off my stitches and sewn in all the ends by the time we were sitting down to turkey sandwiches on Boxing Day. You can't see her grin in this photo, but it's there!

(Love Bytes mittens from Kathryn Ivy, in Mission Falls 136.)

The robot mitts were definitely the most complex pattern I took on this year – although I did have a few moments of doubt when I looked at the heirloom mitt pattern my mum wanted for Christmas and realized there was no information about what weight of yarn or what size needles to use – just how many stitches to cast on. Thankfully the good people at Romni Wools heard my distress call and came to my rescue. Voilà – mittens!

(Mystery mitt pattern in Cascade 220 superwash sport.)

For my dad, I made a simple ribbed hat from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. Simple, attractive, quick-to-knit (and warm!), this one was a winner – and was pressed into service almost immediately, as you can see.

(Family Ribbed Hat – worsted weight – in Mission Falls 136.)

Whew! Now that the gift-knitting is over, I've cast on a sweater for myself using this super-awesome step-by-step personalized top-down raglan knit-along from the Spud & Chloe blog (check it out for yourself here). I can't wait to show it to you in all its stripy goodness.

How did  your Christmas crafting turn out? Did you get everything finished in time to ring in the New Year with a new project?