Gift Knitting

I love gift knitting.... to me I love nothing more than a handmade gift. When my kids were growing up that was the only thing they could give us was a gift made by hand. We taught them that the love and time one took to make something from the heart was the most cherished present you could give. Sadly this Christmas the grandkids (except for the babies) are getting a card with money. Simply because they are at the awkward tween and teen age that buying something they will actually like more than money seems impossible when even their parents are having a difficult time. Besides, many gifts I kill myself making go into the category of, never seen again. Anyone else have this encounter?

So the years that I don't do much gift knitting I try to take on other knitting adventures.... there was the year I made 67 wool hats for veterans in NY many of whom were homeless... I made scarves too but i can't remember how many.

My husband modeling them for me before their ribbing.... I used an Addi King which i only use in mass bulk hats or pouches as in the case for Australia.

Then there was the year a wool company I purchased from reached out and asked if I could make natural fiber pouches for animals in Australia, when wildfire decimated their country, well of course I'd do anything for an animal... who could resist. So my little sister came over and she cranked out 82 pouches, while I added ribbing and finishing as she cranked.

Normally if I have the time throughout the year I knit stuff along the way and put it in a gift chest. I use to carry hand made hats and scarves in my car in nice bags in case anyone was in need. When we were stationed in NY I think is the most I've ever given out, due to the number of homeless and the inclement weather conditions. There were more homeless in Southern California which was were we were stationed for the majoriety of my husband's 30 year career, but I think that was only because the weather was so much better. Although in winter in SoCal I could give them out since winter there is a chilly 40-60 degrees and usually rainy and windy off the pacific, making it feel cooler.

This year I did very little gift knitting, but I did however, pull out an oldy but goody pattern... The Gallatin Scarf.

Gallatin Scarf (can be found on Ravelry for purchase)

The Gallatin is a one skein project so I grabbed a couple skeins from stash and figured I'd make my mom one in blues since that's her favorite color. I should make her some warmer gear since she's been diligently sewing away on project bags in her workshop (which she told me yesterday that they moved her stuff into the garage just for the winter). The garage was just built onto the house and has a coal furnace so it's nice and toasty.

I made another Gallatin (just to have that gift you carry in case someone you didn't expect gives you a gift) and this way you don't have to scramble it's waiting in the car and you can simply say "0h, I forgot yours in the car"... life saver! I plan to make one more out of RiverRat Yarn so I can use it as a 1 skein sample for worsted yarn and I may for the first time ever put beads on it! I bought some perfect ones for some soft beige worsted I dyed for it.... if I do it with beads I'll post it to Instagram.

Then the last knit I made which I'm not sure I can give away... its that good ! So I will have to make another one to replace the one I made that I was going to give and now i'm going to use it as a sample for a 2 skein yak dk yarn sample.... was the "Jaunty" by Andrea Mowry. I made it out of RiverRat Yakky Yak/Silk DK in the colorways "oh natural" and "burning brook" and man it is so soft and squishy.

"Jaunty" by Andrea Mowry. RiverRat Yarn Yakky Yak/Silk in "oh natural" & "burning brook".

Now the "Jaunty" takes more time to knit and take one more skein than the Gallatin but if you have anyone knitworthy in your life, it will not disappoint!! Thanks to all of you... I haven't had much time to do any gift knitting this year, even samples have been a struggle.

Also, last year was the first year I had my very own garden, this year we expanded it by adding 2 more raised beds, 2 trellises and 1 more rolling raised bed. Gardening takes alot of time but it's been so worth it in my journey of canning and trying not to eat processed foods. We went to a local farm and bought corn and 1/2 bushel of green beans as well, to can more than what the garden produced. We got a good amount of green beans from the garden but I wanted to make some for my granddaughter who is an extreme celiac and green beans are one of her favorite. I also water bath canned my usual bushel of tomatoes with my mother that we split, but this year we also made my homemade spaghetti sauce with meat (that I pressure canned) out of a farm bushel we bought and tomato bisque soup made from the garden. I normally make bisque anytime i have enough tomatoes, onion and peppers from the garden to fill a tray... I just drizzle olive oil and spices cut a couple garlic bulbs and roast until it's ready to blend... now I make boujee grill cheese for myself... with fancy cheese and drizzled honey but my husband won't eat that so he just gets a plain one. This is the easiest way I have found to use the garden tomatoes since they come out all at different times. We eat a ton in salads and sandwhiches and just plain, but we had a ton this year and mostly cherry... which we gave alot away.

Does anyone have any favorite quick-knits for gifts they like to do? Do you see your gifts on recipients? Do you have any favorite yarn adventures you like to take on for charities?

Alright, well I'd better get to work dying. I have the rest of the Yarn and Fiber Club Colorways to dye up today and dry so I can package them up and send them off as Happy Mail!

Stacey