**Dear Close Family & Friends. If you are here on my blog, thank you. I am honored that you know me so well AND still want to read what I have to say here. Maybe I am not as crazy as I think I am most of the time. This post includes some spoilers about your holiday gifts. Please don't read this unless you want to have to pretend to be surprised on Christmas morning. If you do choose to read this, you'd better be good actors!**

I've been thinking a lot about holiday knitting lately and I'm beginning to worry that I'm not going to finish all of what I want to do in time. It's a little stressful, and it shouldn't be. I think it's because I feel like this year has flown by seemingly faster than years past and I can remember last Christmas like it was yesterday. From what I'm told, it gets worse as you get older. Oh good.

This week I released a new pattern at Jimmy Beans. It's a lovely wintery star holiday garland called the Luxury Holiday Garland. It uses our Luxury Fiber Sampler that my team has been working on creating for the past month. The sampler includes 12 mini-balls of our most high-end luxury yarns.

I used those mini balls to create the stars shown in the garland, and then a cotton-linen blend yarn for the garland strand which is also included in the kit. We thought it would be a neat way to give people a chance to try out some high-end yarns they might not otherwise think to buy for themselves and actually make something with those mini skeins.

I am pretty proud of this design. I think it's stunning and I can't wait to decorate my home with more of these little stars this holiday season. I am thinking about making star ornaments for everyone in our family with the year on it. Maybe I'll do a new color/yarn every year and in 12 years, they will have a garland! Maybe...

To that end, I've decided I really want to go all-handmade this year. We have a really big family that just seems to get bigger every year. It is becoming increasingly tough to hand-choose individual gifts for everyone, especially when I'm never quite sure what they really want or will use. Usually it's a shot in the dark.

This year, I've decided to make handmade soap and lip balm for everyone. I've bought all of my supplies and plan to start the process this weekend. I have a couple recipes I am excited to try this Lip Chap Recipe from Wellness Mama and I even got some cute little tins to make them in. I am thinking about having special little labels made too.

The soap process I am going to attempt is a cold process that is supposedly the way to go for really good soap. I am so excited. If all goes well, I plan to make all of my own soap and lip balm from now on.

I am also toying with the idea of Body Lotion Bars, also from the Wellness Mama Blog (my new favorite, thanks Lizard!) I've already made them and they are awesome! I may make more and put a little less beeswax in to make them slightly softer, but so far I am loving them and they are only three ingredients! Uber natural!

Along with all of these little items, Nick and I (yes, the hubby knits too, sometimes) are going to tag team some hand knit items for everyone as well. It's been a while since everyone has had new hats and my MIL has been dropping hints that she would like some fingerless mitts, so I figure a few smaller hand knit items are doable. It's also a great opportunity to use of some of my enormous yarn stash. Yet, the shear number of people to make things for is freaking me out a little as I mentioned above. The next two months are going to look like Santa's Workshop around here. Now to go put some needles and yarn in Nick's hands and get him knitting! Like this picture from our wedding day. He was finishing up his last groomsman's beanie. :)

Happy holiday crafting everyone, if that's what you are doing! If you are going the shopping route this year, godspeed. I will wish and hope for your survival.

Kristen

PS. If you are on Ravelry and would like to favorite or queue up the Holiday Garland, please do!