Gifting

I’ve always been the type of person to give an not expect anything in return. Whenever I have money can I treat my friends to coffees or snacks or little presents. It’s not to show them that I love them through the things that I buy them, because it’s definitely mutual when it comes to covering things. This is mostly when we’re out and about and we get thirsty or hungry or snacky and want to buy something small. And it’s always nice to not have to worry about owing someone $4 when they buy you a coffee, because you know that it will work out in the end.

Every year around this time I start thinking about gifts that I’d like to make or get for my friends and family. Mostly because by the time Christmas comes I never have any money and I feel guilty about not getting anything for them, but partly because it’s all in the hunt. The right fabrics, the right ideas, the time you put into it, the little trinkets you find along the way… They’re more meaningful than gifts you find while rushing to the mall on Christmas Eve scrounging around the mall that’s teeming with a million other people doing exactly the same thing.

I started learning how to knit the summer of 2007, and promptly started making scarves for Christmas presents for all of my friends, and my parents. People would come up to me in the park where I’d have a long fuzzy scarf in my lap, and ask what it was for, and why on Earth I had that out in 35˚ weather. By Christmas I had about 5 extra scarves that I didn’t know what to do with, so I ended up giving them away for birthdays or Christmas presents the next year.

Last year I made everyone little plushie toys made out of felt, and they were awesome! I made Steve a plushie Pacman and for Taylor and Kaity I made plushie Etch-A-Sketches with their names embroidered in them. I also gave away little flower broaches and arm warmers. Last year it was a lot easier to find the time to make things because I was unemployed for a month and a half before Christmas.

Anyway, the whole point of this blog is that it’s on like Donkey Kong. I’ve started my collection, and I can’t wait to actually be able to give everything away at Christmas, even though it is 4 months away.