Kinda….
Since I would like to make a lot of my gifts, if at all possible, it has occurred to me to start early, as knitting, and other crafts, can be time consuming, as I am sure you know.
First I decided to look at what I have on hand, my Christmas list, and what each person might like.
- sock yarn, about enough for 5-6 pairs, if the pairs are short, ankle socks like I wear.
- fun fur type yarn, 5-6 balls of it, none the same.
- random skeins of acrylic yarn, in random colors, mostly pastels, and left overs from baby blankets
- wool, some really nice, some not so nice, some undyed, some hand dyed. Various amounts of each.
- Some cotton yarns, mostly in earth tones, all kitchen cotton.
People on the list, who might appreciate hand made items.
- mom, she really likes the socks I have been making, might like a pair or two
- kids, my 3, and my niece, would love scarves made from the fun fur, if nothing else will make great dress up toys.
- hubster, says he will wear socks I make him, but not in “foofy” colors
- dad, he will wear anything I make him, any color, he likes bright colors too.
- brother, he is hard, he is 11, but they live where it gets cold, maybe he would like a hat and scarf?
- step-mom, she would appreciate a lot of things, but she is allergic to all animal fibers, so anything I make has to be non-animal, maybe hat/scarf or a set of facecloths..
- Mother in law
- father in law
- step mother in law
- grandfather, he gets cold in the winter, maybe a hat, in green, his favorite color.
I have more on my list, but I don’t think some of them would appreciate a hand made gift, and some, we have other things in mind for already.
Second, What I have done so far…
No, no pictures, at least not now. For two reasons. #1, though I don’t think any of my family reads this, lets not take chances, huh? and #2, And really, the one most influencing the no pictures decision… Hubster has my camera in Germany.
Looking through my stash I found 3 skeins of an alpaca / acrylic blend in a bulky weight, having no clue what else to do with it, I cast on my size 15 needles, and in 2 days I had a hat, and 6 1/2 foot long scarf. No clue who it will be for, it will go in the Christmas Bag, and that will be decided later.
On the same needles (after the hat and scarf were done, and off of them) I made several (I think I have 4 so far) fun fur scarves. Very simple, garder stitch scarves, from a single skein each. I made 3 in just a couple hours, very fast, but that stuff is a pain in the ass to work with. The kids will love them. Dropped them in the Christmas Bag too.
Knowing my father (really, I have know him all of my 31 years…) I opted for a washable wool product, and I decided I wanted to make him hunting socks, so they need to be thicker… best washable worsted weight wool I can get around here? Wool-ease, yeah, it isn’t the best thing available for socks, but it should last better than the $30 pair of wool socks he bought last year, and wore a hole in the first day. I picked up 3 skeins, cast on a week ago, and I am about 3/4 done with the pair, and let me tell you, a mens size 12? These things look like you could fit aircraft carriers in them. When they are done? You guessed it, into the Christmas Bag.
I also had on hand 2 skeins of Knit Picks Risata, in biscuit (off white), which is enough to make real socks, that you know, go up the leg a little bit, not just the hide in your shoe style I wear. So I will make these for Hubster. Off-white counts as non-foofy, right? Anyway, they are about 1/4 done, when they are done, they too will go in the Christmas Bag.
Hopefully I can finish these two projects, and maybe another fun fur scarf or two before hubby gets home, and have moved on to more.. We all have dreams.
