pattern:Wooly Nest Ornament by Marie Mayhew (rav link)
yarn:Frog Tree Alpaca, sportweight
needles: 10 1/2
cast on:December 6
bind off:December 8
modifications:didn’t make the little twig things that come out of the nest
notes: Super-fast knit, adorable results. I made this as a Christmas gift for my sons’ preschool teacher. The pattern calls it an ornament, but I thought it would be cute just as a little decoration, sitting in a window or on a nature table. I thought it was a nice gift for my boys to give a teacher who teaches them so much about nature and science.

I bought enough yarn and roving to make several of these. So far I’ve made three (in fact, the reason this post is coming so long after I made this one is because I thought I might take pictures of all three together before posting. But no, I was doing well to get those babies wrapped and packed up for mailing). This gift can be done in a flash – really the felting of the nest and the needle-felting of the eggs take longer than the actual knitting (or seem to). I do recommend buying the kit if you want to make it – I purchased mine from the Yarnery.

Here’s a picture pre-felting:

I enjoyed making the needle-felted eggs, but I stressed out a bit over getting them just right. Also, I stabbed my finger more than once – OUCH!

verdict:I love this beyond what is rational. It’s going to go on my list of simple gifts to make in a flash.