When I say that I don’t knit gifts for people any more that makes me sound pretty Scrooge-like so I feel I have to add a few qualifying statements.
I don’t knit to a deadline - I can be knitting away merrily and all is right with the world. Add a deadline to the project though and I drop it faster than you can say boo to a goose. Deadlines are like the kiss of death to my creativity and my motivation. I don’t know why, it’s just my inner toddler taking over I guess.
But I just know from painful experience that once a deadline is applied, every time I pick up the needles there will be a nagging sense of resentment and duty hanging over me - and no one needs those vibes knitted into their scarf.
Over the years I have adapted a system of knitting for those who appreciate it (more on this later), casting on something whenever I have the urge to. Then I either save the gift away for a birthday/Christmas or I just give it to them as a ‘thank you for being you’ type of thing. It works for me and no one has complained yet.
I only knit something the recipient has chosen in advance - there are so many variables that go into a knitted object (colour, yarn softness, weight etc) that it’s a really personal choice. Just as I would never go out and buy my mum a ribbed, purple polo neck from M&S and assume she would love it, I would never knit her a jumper (or a hat, or mitts) without first checking that a) she wanted the item in question and b) it was in a yarn colour and weight that she liked.
Every year in knitting groups the world over, knitters race to finish Christmas gifts, then on Boxing Day the feeds are full of people complaining that their handknit gifts weren’t well received.
If someone would never wearing a pink, lurex beanie in a million years, the fact that it is handknitted rather than store bought is rather beside the point. It’s not what they want to wear.
I only knit for those I deem worthy* - I’m obviously not implying that someone’s moral worth is tied up in whether they can appreciate the finer points of a handknit sock. But more, this is something I’ve arrived at over many years of giving gifts to those who don’t really appreciate something handmade.
It’s a sad but undeniable fact that not everyone is enamoured with handknitted fabric as we are. Some people would be just as happy with a hat or gloves from a store, happier in fact and that’s absolutely fine. We aren’t all the same - and thank goodness otherwise we’d be back to the days of sitting round the fire by candlelight darning the holes in socks.
But it does mean that I get to devote my knitting time to those who I know will truly appreciate it.
Let’s be honest, 9 times out of 10 that person is me.
This photo is from a few years ago now, when I decided that I absolutely had to have a pair of sparkly handknit, knee high socks. So I spent most of December knitting them and they made me very happy indeed. They still do, to be fair.
Time is short, and the time I have available to knit things for me (as opposed to designs) is even shorter. So if I have a sudden urge to cast on something pretty for myself you’d better believe I’m putting myself at the top of the knit list.
I wish more knitters would do this to be honest and put themselves first. Those around you understand and they just want you to be happy at the end of the day. They don’t really mind that they get their Christmas socks a few months late.
Where do you land on the Grinch to Angel scale of Christmas knitting (or crafting in general)?
Why not leave a comment below and let me know.
Let's just add knitting for oneself to the list of healthy self care approaches. The act of knitting and the wearing of a self knit item: a double benefit.
This resonated with me so much! I just had a conversation with my family declaring that I would not be gifting anything handmade this year - knitted or otherwise - and I immediately felt a huge amount of relief. Nearly every knitted gift I ever gave has been met with little enthusiasm, I suspect for the very reasons you cite above. And the one baby blanket that I spent months working on for my god daughter was well-loved, but then lost in a matter of months! I was feeling guilty about reverting to just knitting for myself this holiday season, so I really needed to hear this. Thank you Louise!