Xmas comes but once a year...

This year I've decided to take the Handmade Pledge for holiday gift giving. I started this a few months back, as I'm doing a lot of knitting and need to give myself plenty of lead time.

My game plan? I've started out with writing a list of everyone to whom I'm planning to give presents. For small and basic gifts, I'm going to do a lot of knit wash cloths. They're quick and a great way to try out new stitch patterns. I'll be doing both wash cloths out of coarser cotton. These will be used more for household activities... doing dishes, wiping down surfaces, etc. For face and body wash cloths, I did buy a lot of KnitPicks CotLin in an assortment of colors. This is a Tanguis cotton and linen blend which they say is perfect for wash cloths and spa-type gifts. With these wash cloths, I plan to buy an assortment of handmade soaps from Etsy or a local artisan and package them together. To the right is a picture of a wash cloth in progress. This is the CotLin in Island Coral.

For the most part, I'm trying to tailor my gifts to the individual so they will be used and loved. It is ruining the surprise a bit but I've been talking to people about it so I can gauge who wants what. My dad? He mentioned that he'd like a scarf that is a little on the luxe side without being too flashy. My brother? He was really enthusiastic about getting a pair of fingerless gloves to wear while he's doing outdoor work in the winter. My sister-in-law wanted a wrap, which is also doubling as my Ravelry Knitting Olympics project. My mom? She said she'd be happy with anything I made her. She asks for so little that I wanted to so something really special so she's getting a Clapotis in Handmaiden Sea Silk. She loved the idea.

I am also building a small cache of gifty type items that I can pull out and give if I'm in a pinch. Most of them are projects that I just wanted to work on. Scarves, hats, etc.

Most of my friends and family have been really receptive to the idea. I've been really fortunate to have people in my life who really appreciate the things that I do for them. The wildcard is my boss. He's so funny about what he likes and what he doesn't. Handmade items are fine and dandy in some respects. As an example, I've done a lot of sewing for him. But he's got no use for handknits and doesn't like 'crafty' things in general. I might offer to cook him a dinner with a menu of his choosing.

I need to buckle down and get cracking on everything. I have my bigger projects ahead of me and it is already August. Lots of knitting and sewing to do!