We've been busy gearing up for the holidays around here, unpacking the remaining boxes (even though there's always a few that never get unpacked, yet we continue to drag them from place to place, right?), hanging up Christmas lights, sending out the cards and wrapping gifts. I've been wanting a knit this cool clock cozy I saw a few months back for a while now. I even went so far as to buy the clock I wanted, grab yarn from my stash and leave it on my desk as a reminder that it needed to get done. It languished for months, gathered a bit of dust, got thrown in a box when we moved and once again, lay on my desk in the new place, mocking me.
So I decided to get down to business.
I've had this lofty yarn in my stash for years. 2 hanks of it, to be precise. I wasn't really sure what to do with it other than make a cool hat for my kid or one of my zanier friends who would wear it proudly. We wrote about it back when I was co-Editor of knit.1 magazine and I liked that it was called "32 Flavors" and handmade by a woman in Vermont. I tend to flock towards bright colors and having 32 of them in one hank just about blew my mind. However, I'm not a huge fan of not-so-subtle variegated and was never sure what it would turn into.
The free pattern on Ravelry by Inger Lise Næss didn't give much info, but truth be told, you don't really need much. Needles, yarn, a clock and a tape measure. It's all garter stitch (and perfect for scrap yarn or crazy variegated) and you simply knit around the edge of the clock until you get the length you want. Weave the long tail through the back edge to cinch it shut, then single crochet around the face of the clock for a clean, even edge on the front. It knits up incredibly quickly and is easy to set down, walk away, come back and not miss a beat since there's no fancy stitching or chart to follow.
I find it important to have a clock in my son's room. I can get carried away when it's time to read a book before bed, or he needs something done at a certain time (nap time, or medicine, a bottle or whatever) so having a clock that doesn't tick loudly in his room has been helpful to keep us all on track. It would also be a fantastic gift for a knitting friend or someone who needs a clock and would appreciate having it wrapped in yarn.
If you've left some gifts until the last minute, this one you can stitch up in no time. Everyone needs a clock, right?
Tick, tock...