Monday, November 20, 2006

A Handknit Holiday Season

There has been knitting of sleeves in the wrong places (oh, hello new parent, does your child have an arm extending from the center of his or her back? If so, I have the perfect sweater.) and soon there will be frogging of baby sweaters. I have not started the fair isle sleeve. I unfortunately went out and bought 18 tons of baby yarn in an overly ambitious project to knit sweaters for all of the babies due to arrive in the next six months (six, at last count). I am now sick of baby sweaters and want to knit something for my selfish self. Just in time for the holidays.

Last year I had a “No Knitted Gifts” policy. I didn’t want to make my hobby feel like a job. Last year I was a lawyer and I could afford to spend more than $36 total on holiday presents. This year I am a cook and my annual salary puts me well below the poverty line. I made so little that I don’t think I’ll owe any income tax. Lavish gifts are not an option. Family and friends – I bet your hands feel chilly, don’t they? I bet you wish you had some nice warm mittens. Don’t run out to the store just yet – Santa may have something special for you!

9 comments:

spajonas said...

:) it IS tough doing the whole knitting-for-christmas thing! i find that if i pick two or three people each year to knit for, then i can hit almost everyone in the family over a 5 to 7 year period. i'm sure they love the randomness of it all.

Anonymous said...

Oy, six baby sweaters? We've had a similar baby boom in my circle and I just gave up. My niece got a bonnet; everyone else gets a card. If they're lucky.

--Deb said...

That's much the same reason that my sister bakes for her Christmas presents . . . who need extravagant??

Anonymous said...

Holiday Handknits and I are taking a break this year too, we're going to see other people.

Soap or candle making is also a very good and inexpensive gift. Everybody loves edibles....

Anonymous said...

I always have high hopes about holiday knitting, but it never works out. I've finally given up my dreams of knitted gifts. Good luck! You're going to be a mitten expert soon, I would think.

schrodinger said...

I (really, really, honestly) decided to try and avoid the nightmare of making handknit gifts this year. However, that never stays a permanent decision, and now have to get off my arse and actually knit pressies. I'm with you, it's all a bit overwhelming really isn't it?

Anonymous said...

Ha! Every year I swear, no more knitted gifts, and now it's almost Christmas, and I have no money--but I sure do have a lot of yarn! Too bad they're not all knitters, and we could just give them the yarn unknitted, eh?

carrie said...

i never know how many gifts to knit. usually my mom, maybe a close friend. but you are right -- it *is* a cheap alternative!

Anonymous said...

Forget the baby sweaters and cast on that fair isle sleeve already - I want to see how it comes out! I'm with Steph - a few people each year get handknits and the rest have to wait their turn. My dad got a sweater last Christmas and my mom got one the year before (plus socks for her birthday), so no knitting for them this year - it's the husband's turn. If the awesome neighbors are lucky, they'll get more than half a mitten to share between them. And I'm cheating by finishing an old sweater for my mother-in-law. Good luck - I can't believe it's almost December already!