The theme of today’s post is Winter Wonderland.

Sinterklaas brought me a crochet hook kit and I was itching to try out all the sizes.

 

So when a local organization issued a call for warm clothing, I got to work. I had already picked up lots of thick, chunky yarn to make more gifts for the Angel Tree, but I figured I would have time to make some extras.

From the first ball of yarn — a grey and white acrylic — I squeezed out two toques, an infinity scarf and a cowl. I didn’t follow a particular pattern. I just double crocheted with my biggest hook (12mm) until the size was right. For the scarf and cowl I crocheted in the back loop only, for a ridged pattern.

 

 

Martina and her friend, Jessica, modelled them for me:

 

 

Next I pulled out the brown and magenta yarns from Anna, and crocheted with them together for this:

 

 

Finally, I dipped into the big ball of cream-coloured yarn and made a cozy toque.

 

 

I dropped all those off along with some winter coats that the girls have outgrown.

 

It was time to get busy on the Angel Tree gifts.

I pulled out the cream-coloured ball and made another toque and infinity scarf. This set was for a 40-year-old woman.

 

The toque is based on a pattern from Jenna Windgate designs. The pattern is now retired but I still have a print-out and followed it loosely for the basic cable texture.

 

Martina chose to get a gift for a 14-year-old girl. She picked out another ball of the chunky grey and white yarn and I made an infinity scarf and toque. I made this scarf extra wide and luxurious.

 

 

Next on the list was a gift for a 10-year-old girl. Esther chose a thick red yarn for a scarf.

When I was in Amsterdam two weeks ago I visited my favourite shop. It’s a tiny store devoted to ribbon. Bolts and bolts of ribbon. I love that a store that specialized can even survive. I picked up several lengths of ribbon to use as labels. The snowflake label was the perfect finishing touch for this scarf.

 

 

I used the leftover cream and grey/white yarns for the toque, as well as the grey and red left over from my hat trick a few weeks ago.

 

The last Angel Tree gift was for a young man. I crocheted a toque with some grey and cream, but the cream had a bit of shine to it and it looked too feminine.

 

 

For my next attempt I picked up some dark grey and black yarn at Hema and came up with this striped hat:

 

 

Much more manly.

 

With the Angel Tree gifts complete I moved on to other Christmas gifts.

First I made a mustard-coloured infinity scarf for Martina’s friend, Jessica. I love the Paris label (from my Amsterdam store).

 

 

By this time, Esther wanted in on all the infinity scarf action. She chose out green yarn for herself and purple for her friend, Daniëlle. I made them each a scarf and Esther chose iron-on labels from my stash.

 

 

 

Next on the list was a navy blue scarf for Jessica’s little brother, Jonathan.

 

 

With the last of the chunky cream-coloured yarn I made one more infinity scarf for my friend, Rochelle, the one who started me on this crochet adventure.

 

 

The matching toque, with navy blue stripes from Jonathan’s remnants, went to her daughter, Eline.

 

 

By this time I just couldn’t sit still anymore. Must. Keep. Crocheting.

I scrounged around for any and all suitable yarns and made six more toques.

 

 

These will be going to the Ukraine, along with the non-manly men’s toque. Our church is working with a church there to help people displaced by the conflict there.

Now I’m done with scarves and toques. Unless Hema has another good sale on yarn…

 

Cost of these Things:  50.52 for yarn plus 2.35 for ribbon = €52.87
Cost of all Things to date: €357.46

* note: I forgot to include the ribbon cost when I first posted. This has been corrected above.