Now that the holidays are over, I’m sure many of you are like me and have a small pile of things to return or regift. Today I have the ultimate regift of the season…

Yes, the Snuggie. We played Dirty Santa with my in-laws and guess who got stuck with the Snuggie? Naturally no one would take credit for bringing such a lovely gift, but they were thoughtful enough to get the gender neutral beige color. I thought about returning it, and when they asked the reason why I’d reply “you have to ask?”

I especially like the stereotypical picture on the side of the box -

So do I have a deal for you today! I have decided to regift this lovely Snuggie to a lucky commenter. Simply share with us one of your more interesting gifts this holiday season. If you are wondering why anyone would want a Snuggie - I can promise you that if you bring this to a Dirty Santa event you just might get lucky and not be invited to play again. Now that is motivation! And I am sure there are many out there who secretly wish they owned one of these. That’s okay, we won’t laugh at you…much.

Since the 24 Days of SWAK are unofficially over, and I am just going to continue with the fun sporadically we will accept comments on this through New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Day we will announce the lucky(?) winner.

I have been taking an extended holiday away from the store, but will be back in action next week with lots of new yarns to tell you about. In the meantime, slide on by either SWAK location to get first dibs!

Today’s winners are (drumroll please)….

Renee and Kate

Both of you win a Prairie Gypsies product of your choice. You can pick up your prize at either SWAK location.

Even though we’ve already had our drawing for yesterday’s contest, we’re going to leave comments open so if you would like to share your recipe we’d love to post it!

We have something special for all of our faithful readers, who have stuck with us through Christmas Eve. This is a busy day for many of you, so I’ll keep it short & sweet.

Wouldn’t it be great to open a candy bar and find the golden ticket? Well all you have to do is comment to this post letting us all know what project you hope to start for yourself after the holidays and you’ll win a special SWAK ticket!

Everyone who leaves a comment will win a SWAK Personal Coupon Book filled with fun savings for every month of the year, and an extra coupon for your birthday. Our tickets are pink instead of gold but I think you’ll like them just the same.

Merry Christmas everyone!

When we started carrying the Prairie Gypsies products we adopted the motto Eating is our hobby, Knitting is our passion. When I posed the question “where do you like to shop, other than for yarn” I found it quite telling that most of the responses involved FOOD. I was worried that my readers might not enjoy my favorite holiday recipes, but it looks like I was worried for nothing.

Since most of us seem to share this hobby, please share with us the recipe for your favorite holiday treat. Two of today’s commenters will win a free Prairie Gypsies product of their choice.

We’ve already selected our winners, but we’re going to leave comments open. If you have a recipe you’d like to share, we’ll be happy to post it for you.

No we haven’t been hitting the Christmas spirits. Today I have for you some awesome tips and insight courtesy of mom. You’ll be hard pressed to find a knitting instructor with the insight and experience mom has to offer - you really should take advantage of our classes and come let some of it rub off on you too!

#1 Count and Admire Often
Anyone who had taken a class with mom has probably heard her repeat this more than once. It never hurts to count just to make sure something hasn’t gone wrong. Admiring is more than just feeding the ego - it sometimes damages the ego to discover a mistake! The sooner it is caught, the better your options are for fixing it!

#2 Pick Up Stitches like a Pro
When picking up stitches for a band, collar, etc. use a needle 2 to 4 times smaller than what will be used for the knitting to follow. For example, if you will be using a size 6 to knit a band, pick up the stitches with a size 3 and then change to the 6 for the first row. This will transform your pick ups from frumpy to superb.

#3 Is your Bind Off too Tight?
To avoid a too-tight bind off, use a needle 2 to 4 sizes larger for the bind off row.

#4 Stumped by Slip Stitches?
Always slip stitches purlwise unless directed otherwise, except for decreases. If the slipped stitches are part of a decrease, always slip knitwise.

#5 Long Tail Cast On
When using the long tail cast on, the cut end of the yarn goes on your thumb.

#6 Making a Sock with a Heel Flap?
Measuring the flap is tricky and often ends up a bit too short. As a general rule of thumb, the number of rows in a stockinette stitch heel flap is 4 to 6 rows less than the number of stitches across the flap.

And we haven’t forgotten about you hookers out there. This tip is courtesy of yours truly…

#7 Skip the Slip Knot
If your crochet pattern begins with a joined ring, skip the slip knot for a perfect ring. Instead use a “twist-on” start by simply twisting a loop of yarn around the hook in lieu of a slip knot. Simply chain into the loop to eliminate the lumpy knot.

While this works wonderfully for crochet rings, this isn’t such a great way to start your knitting. All knitters really should try to catch mom’s Cast On class sometime. She’ll dissect the cast on for you and explain why this isn’t such a nifty trick.

and last but not least, mom’s most important tip…

#8 Enjoy Your Knitting!
Knitting should not be a chore - it is an activity that you should enjoy. While it is a process full of new things to discover and learn, do not let others intimidate you. This isn’t rocket science - you can do it and it should be fun!

Renee ~ Denise ~ Betty ~ Melissa ~ Anna H

So if you were thinking yesterday’s prize was a lame T-shirt and didn’t bother to post, well we have a little surprise tucked into our SWAK Pack for our winners.

The winners will also receive a 20% off coupon that is good through 1/15/10. Congratulations everyone!

Each year at Christmas mom makes sausage balls. I can’t quite figure out why this item has become part of our Christmas food because we really don’t put them out for people to eat. We bake up a big batch the week before Christmas, put them in the freezer, then pop a plate full in the microwave whenever we want a greasy yummy snack. They are most delicious and are appropriate for any meal - breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack, and midnight snack. Since two of the three yummy food groups are included (sausage and cheese), throw in a Christmas cookie and the yummy food pyramid is complete.

If you feel the need to round out the yummy food pyramid with something sensible like fruit, I think you’ll enjoy mom’s world-famous fruit salad dressing recipe. Again, not exactly world-famous but it looks good in print.

I thought you all would enjoy these recipes because they are great for any occasion. I made a big batch of sausage balls right before Mason was born. They were a much needed easy treat for a sleep-deprived mommy. Enjoy!

Sausage Balls
1 lb hot sausage
2 cups Bisquick
1 1/2 lbs grated cheddar

Shape into small balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350º for 15-20 minutes.

Fruit Salad Dressing
1 C pineapple juice
1 1/2 T Flour
1/2 C Sugar
1 egg, beaten

Heat pineapple juice. Add flour & sugar to beaten egg. Mix with juice and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Cool.

Easy and yet so good. Serve as a dressing on the side with fruit salad or a dipping sauce for cut up fruit. This is also very good when blended with whip cream.

Every family has their own set of unique traditions during the holiday season. We have always opened presents on Christmas Eve. When I was young Santa came in person to our house delivering our “big” gift. As we got a bit older he must have been in a hurry because he would drop it off on the front porch. We’d anxiously wait on his arrival, which was conveniently timed after the dishes from dinner were finished. We’d keep peeking out the window until he arrived, then rush out to the porch to retrieve our gift. Then the rest of the present opening would commence. We must have been extra special kids because Santa would make a second trip to our house to fill our stockings.

We continued this tradition with Mason last year. While digging through photos looking for a picture I ran across this little movie we made of Mason’s first big gift from Santa. It is pretty funny.

Mom had reindeer in her yard and it seems he was a bit more interested in the reindeer than his gift. I had to chase him down. I’m happy to report that there are NO reindeer in mom’s yard this year so hopefully he’ll notice his gift this time.

What are your family holiday traditions? We’ll be selecting FIVE WINNERS for a SWAK pack of fun (Intarsia book, SWAK tee or sweatshirt, and an “I Brake for Yarn Shops” license plate).

One aspect of the holidays that is often overlooked is the big mess that comes along with it. Now if you’re one of the lucky ones who get to be the guest and not the host, you may be blissfully unaware. Along with all of the decorating, cooking, shopping, wrapping, and everything else the holidays bring - any host can also plan on a lot of CLEAN UP. Ya gotta clean up before everyone comes, then after all the wrapping paper and dishes are cleared away you are often left with crumbs, sticky spots, and who knows what else.

So for all of you out there doing the holiday clean up, we’re giving you patterns to knit and crochet for these beautiful dishcloths. Yes, they may be too pretty to use but hey, it’s the holidays! A little pretty may just help keep you in the holiday spirit while cleaning up after those beloved, but messy relatives. Are you one of the beloved and possibly messy relatives? Why not treat your gracious holiday host!

Did you miss out? You can get these patterns, along with several other designs on our website.

Congratulations Missy, collector of fiestaware and handkerchiefs. You can now add more to your yarn collection with a $25 gift certificate to either SWAK location!