During Stitches West 2013, I did something that every knitter ought to try: pick up a ball of luxurious qiviuk yarn to knit something special all for myself. That walnut-sized skein of gray qiviuk blend cost nearly $30 and didn’t look like much, but it was the softest thing I had ever had on my needles.

For those who love cats and socks, here is a pair of socks with cats on the toes. You can make these into ankle socks or regular sized socks, but either way, they knit up quickly on size 2 US needles with fingering yarn that falls on the heavy side, and make a good last-minute gift.

My friend let me crash at his house for a week in Seattle, so I made him this chalk bag since he recently started climbing again. The bag is lined with pale blue polar fleece, which I chose to machine sew, but which can be stitched on by hand.