Do you gift your needlework? Do you do specific things for the holiday, any or all?
The Knitmore Girls, Jasmin, Gigi, and Genevieve, subscribe to grinchiness. They suggest that there should be no mad dash to finish Christmas gifts you are making for people. To a point, I agree. To a point, I disagree. Hear me out.
If there are those in your circle who are worthy of your handcrafted goodness, do you really want to have the harried last-minute cursing that goes along with hurrying and making mistakes inserted in your project? I don't mind finishing things at the beginning of the month the holiday is a part of. Or two weeks before, whichever comes first. This way I can enjoy the process and enjoy the decorative things this season. I don't really want to finish things and have to pack them away until next year at the same time. I'll probably forget them.
Right now, I'm working on a very large gift that is not a Christmas present but will be given at Christmas because this is when I will see this part of my family. There are so many things going on and I can't enjoy any of it. My husband wanting me to go off with him every other minute doesn't help. But there we have the wonderful chaos of life.
As soon as this large thing is done, I have a couple pairs of slippers for my granddaughter and a quilt for her new bed.
Fast forward to a new year and a new holiday season. She received store-bought slippers and bedding for her new bed and she is thrilled. She also got sheets that were her great-grandmother's and those made her very happy. They were plush sheets with blue flowers. The tie to Nana will deepen in the years to come I think.
This is a queen to king-size afghan. The pattern is courthouse steps taken from quilting. I don't remember where all the yarns came from. The center of each 30-inch block is the basic diagonal knit dishcloth. This is a 10-inch center. Each strip is 5 inches deep. All blocks are mattress stitched together. The colors are special to my daughter-in-law to remind her of home no matter where she goes.
This new holiday season will probably be just as chaotic and just as full of fun and life as previous years and I wouldn't miss it for the world. Happy holidays friends. Much of my joy of knitting and crocheting comes from working on things when the mood strikes me. If I don't have a deadline things can get forgotten.
