We are big fans of the wonderfully creative products made by the super talented Sharilyn Wright of Lovely Design (you can find tons of great gifts on her site).  In fact, we've used her beautiful rolodexes in our shops for years. Recently, Joelle came across an incredibly sweet yet modern Christmas Tree Quilt on Sharilyn's Flickr page (while you're there, you may want to look around at her photostream a bit, it is filled with amazing, inspring ideas!).  We loved it so much and knew that you would, too! We asked Sharilyn if she would be willing to share her pattern with our Purl Bee readers and she generously agreed.  We think you'll agree that her quilt is charming, graphic, modern, and very, very lovely.  We love that it is both playful and sophisticated and can be enjoyed by grown-ups, children and everyone in-between.  It's the perfect decoration for the holidays or you could even keep it up all year as artwork in a child's room.

Since not everyone has a lot of time to make a quilt before the holidays (including us), we made a small version that went very quickly.  The beauty of Sharilyn's pattern is that you can make it as small or large as time allows! Joelle and I made this quilt together while sitting in front of a cozy fire.  We hope you'll find the time to enjoy making one of your own.  You can find the instructions for this project at our Little Forest Quilt Project Journal.  Thanks Sharilyn!!  --Page and Joelle

I vividly remember the first time I went to Purl. I thought I had passed through a portal into a beautiful jewel box. Colors whirled around my head and twinkled off the walls; my eyes didn't know where to rest! Thankfully a kind Purl employee took me in hand to guide me through this dazzling array of yarns.

This time of year, we could all use a little extra guidance, a helping hand to make choices clearer and decisions easier. And so every holiday season we offer you our very best gift suggestions, expert ideas that we guarantee will delight the knitters in your life. Or if you are the knitter, be sure to send a hint out to your family. Someone is sure to be thankful for the tip!

Happy Holidays! - Whitney

For the Luxury Knitter

• 1 to 8 skeins of Lobster Pot's Worsted Hand Dyed Cashmere, 100% cashmere. These colors, from the top, are Salt Rose, Boiled Lobster, Lobster Bisque, Drawn Butter, Sea Lettuce, Hydrangea, Cape Sky, and Shoreline Heather.

There is simply no softer yarn than Lobster Pot's Cashmere. It's deep powder; it's goose down; it's whipped cream. Hand dyed in actual lobster pots, the colors are truly inspired. Knitting with this yarn should be on every knitter's before-I-die list!

Give all eight skeins for a spectacular baby blanket, three or four skeins for a scarf and one or two for a hat.

For the Classic Knitter

• 2 skeins of Swan's Island Worsted, 100% Organic Merino Wool. This color is Brown.

Created in Maine, Swan's Island Worsted has it all. This organic merino has the versatility of a clean spun midweight yarn and the unique character of lovingly hand dyed fiber. Made with natural dyes, the colors are rich with surprises and subtley shifting shades. Everyone from beginners to experts will appreciate the superb quality of Swan's Island's special yarns.

Give two skeins for a generous scarf or for a hat and mitten set.

For the Natural Knitter

• 1 skein of Imperial Stock Ranch's Desert Exotic, 60% Wool and 40% Alpaca. This color is Natural.

This yarn is as plush and deep as a cloud. The secret is in the spinning. Instead of being frame spun, as is usual, Desert Exotic is "mulespun", which means that the yarn is periodically relaxed during the spinning process, allowing it to fluff up into unbelievable loftiness. Add alpaca to the mix, and a very special yarn is born!

Give one skein for a hat, handwarmers, or a newborn sweater.

For the Fine Knitter

• 1 to 5 skeins of Koigu's Mori, 50% Wool, 50% Mulberry Silk. These colors, from the top, are M1240, M1200, M2100, M1521, and M2343.

This yarn is Koigu's classic KPM on a luxury vacation. Mori maintains everything we love about KPM, its unsurpassed colors and beautiful spin, but also has the incredible luster and drape of mulberry silk. What is mulberry silk? It comes from silkworms who spend their lives in highly controlled environments feasting on mulberry leaves and spinning the world's most durable, even, and beautiful silk. When knitters get their hands on this yarn, they'll be thanking you and those little silkworms!

Give five skeins for a gorgeous shawl or shell. Or give just one skein for a Purl Beret.

Our Favorite Books of the Year

Pet Projects, a new book from Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne is a welcome addition to the world of knitting books. Way beyond the regular collection of dog coats, this book takes a tasteful, funny, super creative look at projects for all kinds of pets, from birds to horses. One look at this Hamster House and I was totally sold. Oh, and there are lots of dog coats too!

Judy Sumner's "Knitted Socks East and West" is an exciting exploration of the world of japanese stitch patterns. Sock knitters, notoriously insatiable for new ideas to apply to their craft, will be thrilled to discover techniques that most western knitters haven't been exposed to... yet!  Thoroughly explained and clearly illustrated, knitters will broaden their horizons at the same time they create gorgeously crafted socks for the whole family.