Christmas cool down/ knitting recap

*Sigh* As much as I love Christmas, the introvert part of me likes the quiet week following a little more. A return to more healthy eating, a slightly slower pace of doing things and having my family at home. 

Don't get me wrong, I do love the feasting and drinking that comes with Christmas! It is the one time of year that I make cinnamon rolls, and who doesn't enjoy an extra round of one's favorite adult beverage!

As I promised before, here is a glimpse into this year's knitting presents. I like to pick one pattern that will work for most, if not all, of my recipients and just mix up the color palette.

This year's pattern is the Big Herringbone Cowl by Purl Soho. It has been wildly popular on Ravelry and it has been in my Queue for quite some time now. 

To make this work with my needs/time restraints/budget, I resized it to require only one skein of yarn. The first several rows I knit with a very tight gauge and then loosened as I went on. This meant that the cowl was close-fitting at the top of the neck and more loose towards the shoulder. 

Do you have a method for accomplishing your Christmas knitting list?