…or [I][B]Is it possible for a new knitter to make all of this by Christmas? :roflhard: [/B][/I]
Good afternoon! I am in a bit of a pickle and wondered if some of you who have knitted longer than I (just 2 mos) can chime in with your thoughts.
This year we are a bit strapped for Christmas. Usually we just charge everything and pay it off a tax-time, but this year we are committed to not charging a single item. I recently took up knitting and so far have made scarves for my parents. I still have two scarves to make, for my MIL and my biological mother, but they are fast and I could be done within a week if I try. I am also trying to learn how to crochet Granny Squares so that I can make my husband the Afghan Squaredon the Lion site.
So, with that in mind, what could I [I]possibly[/I] make for two nephews (1 and 3) and a niece (3) in time for Christmas? Maybe nothing, LOL! I thought about scarves. Simple enough, but I think I’d really like to make hats and mittens to match, and if I am going to do that there won’t be enough time. Maybe “just” a scarf is enough, though? Then I thought about a doll or toy of some sort, but not sure that I am that far along in my skills yet.
What do you think? Is it possible to make them something by Christmas, or should I scrap it for this year and concentrate on next year? FWIW I am an at-home mom and can knit for several (2-3) hours each day, but also homeschool which takes a lot of my time.
Thanks for any thoughts!!! And for anyone who gets this far, check out this ADORABLE scarfthat I am making my nephews for [B]next[/B] Christmas!
Go to Bev’s Country Cottage site - there are tons of free patterns there, and you may find something besides clothing to make. I think there are some real simple patterns for stuffed animals like teddy bears and such. I would think at 1 and 3, they’d still be in the “stuffed animal cuddle” stage. Heck, I slept with a stuffed animal until I got into my teens
Good luck, and let me know if you find anything that interests you there - I’ve found lots of stuff on that site!!!
It might be ambitious to knit for everyone this year in just a month. You can try. But, as a backup plan, I’ll pass along the advice from my sisters: little kids don’t know the difference between expensive toys and toys from the Dollar Tree, and the toys break just as quickly no matter where you buy them. Just in case.
Sounds like it would be an aweful lot of knitting for a seasoned knitter, let alone rookies like us. I wouldn’t even think of it. Biting off more than you can chew can only lead to frustration.
I plan on starting next year’s Christmas knitting soon so as to allow myself plenty of time to get it all done. SHould keep me busy all of next year
Here!It’s that time of year again! The weather is turning cold outside. (Well, for most of us anyway.) And we are getting closer to the holidays. We are so fortunate to be able to live with a roof over our heads, and good food to eat. But what about the less fortunate? We cant forget about them! Okay. I am happy to present to you, (drumroll please!)…samaritans purse! What is this? okay I will explain this.
1)Shoe Box
Use an empty shoe box (standard size, please) or a small plastic container. You can wrap the box (lid separately), but wrapping is not required.
2)BOY OR GIRL?
Determine whether your gift will be for a boy or a girl, and the child’s age category: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14. Print out the appropriate boy/girl label shown below. Mark the correct age category on the label, and tape the label to the top of your box.
3)Fill With Gifts
Fill the box with a variety of gifts that will bring delight to a child.
PLEASE CONSIDER DOING THIS! It is enexpensive, and the best part is, you can knit items to put in your box too! Here is an easy hat pattern you could put in. http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/bevsbasichat.html
Darnit, ya know… I totally forgot I wasn’t a mod on this site (I only frequent two sites regularly, this being one of them and the other not a knitting one, where I’ve modded for years now) and I totally confused myself when I went to fix it after you said that, hehe.
What’s so bad about saying something important? Sheesh. I am not “spamming” up her thread because I gave her a link to a pattern. So go ahead and talk bad about me because I won’t be having any part of it. :yadda:
Oh, and if I was a moderator I would kick both of you off because of insulting people. This site is about learning and helping people. Insulting people is just rude and immature.:wall: Like this little smiley? Thought you might.
TY, everyone! To those of you who suggested it might be a bit ambitious - I agree. I guess I needed someone to say that it’s perfectly OK to not knit something for [I]every single person[/I] on my list this year, just because I learned to knit! Next year will be different, as I will truly start in Jan. and just knit all year (I love it sooooo much)!
Merry Christmas, everyone - and thanks for the reality check!
I think it’s great to get and to make hand-made gifts. I saved the knitted gifts I got for my kids and I’ve given many of them to my daughter for our granddaughter! That said, here’s a suggestion: how about figuring out the kids’ favorite character and knitting a quick hat in the colors of that character (like Hello Kitty is light pink) and then getting a very small thing with that character on it. It can be something to wear or not. Also, many kids have too many toys. How about books? Borders has many really good and still inexpensive books for kids. I hope my opinions help!
One thing you might consider is to “upscale” your yarn. You could make some really cute quick hats using Wool-Ease thick & Quick or Chunky yarn. It’s a nice acrylic/wool blend that is washable (moms love that part) and it knits up very fast. The Animal Crackers hat from Charmed Knits uses a heavy yarn and I knit 4 of those hats in a matter of a single day. It’s simple colorwork. I think the hardest part (for me at least) is braiding the “tails” because braiding is harder on my hands than knitting.
