The Great Christmas Knit begins

I hope to present Mum with an Emma King 

Daydreamer handbag this Christmas

It's no accident that knitting and craft magazines are currently being given prominence on the racks at newsagents and supermarkets up and down the land. We like nothing better than a homemade knit, homemade decorations (though that's rightly the domain of school craft lessons, in my opinion) and a bit of home comfort. 

I'm not immune, of course. No sooner had the latest issue of Let's Knit dropped through my door and I'd learned that its Let's Get Crafting-based sister title was touting eight whole balls of wool as an incentive gift on its front cover, than I was plotting my visit to the nearest large branch of WHSmith to bag myself a copy. 

Given my recent abortive attempts to create proper garments with too little yarn, eight balls sounded like a surefire winner. As it happens, I've resisted the urge to buy the magazine after all (it's a great deal, but a mix of colours wasn't quite what I was after)

Nonetheless, this weekend has very much been about planning out the knits for the coming weeks and working out who's getting what and what I can fit in to my post-work evening knitting schedule. 

First priority is a knit for mum. My big plans for a cardigan ended up being scrapped due to poor planning and I'm hugely conscious of . Having scoured my books and magazines, I've chosen an Emma King Daydreamer handbag I think she'll like. It's a Rowan Big Wool knit, so it will be speedy to make. Sticking with the recommended wool for this one and already have the necessary bamboo handles. Assuming my smocking skills and the yarn colour come up to scratch, Mum may finally get a Rosie handmade knit this Christmas. 

Naturally, I couldn't resist the lure of online yarn shopping even once I'd ordered some Big Wool, so a 'standby' order of reddish yarn with which to create the Peony bag from Let's Knit and some Sirdar Chunky to create a simple hat are also on their way. Time to invest in some more storage…