Gifts for the Crocheter…

Jenkins Hooks from Stitch Diva

As fun as it is to make gifts for others, it’s also fun to recieve gifts! Now, for some reason when asked what we want for a gift we don’t say yarn, or hooks, or books. Maybe some of us remember to do so, but others like me forget to ask for specifics that relate to our beloved craft.

Now, my excuse is, I buy it anyway. But, I can tell you I wouldn’t say no to a gift certificate for my LYS, or some lovely wood hooks, or even some specific books that I will list out here (hint hint honey…).

Now you can request yarn, and if you have folks in your life that know what materials and colors you like then WHOO HOO…But I’ve heard a lot of stories by people who say that they’ve been gifted yarn that wasn’t to their taste and they hate to waste it or have to give it away. Yarn and hooks are materials and tools, and trust me just like when I buy things for my wood working husband, I try to make sure that the tools/materials are the right thing. He doesn’t need another Dremmel, know how I know? I bought him one when we first got together and it matches the other two he possessed just perfectly…Now I joke lovingly about getting him another Dremmel, but no I really ask what tool he wants needs in our budget and life’s good. Not like he hated the Dremmel, it wasn’t what he needed.

So here’s some fun crochet gift ideas for the crocheter in your life (and links to go with them!) this list is by no means complete…I can say I spent several hours composing the blog post and searching through websites and links etc…but if there are gift ideas or suggestions you have to offer please let me know!!

• Gift Certificates to LYS (local yarn stores) or Michaels/Joannes/Hobby Lobby/AC Moore (what ever you have around in your area).  Many online vendors have gift certificates too!

 Stitch Diva has great crochet patterns and supplies! A gift certificate would not go unused from here!

• Hook Sets: Interchangable hook sets are very popular, Tunisian Hooks are hard to find and popular, wonderful wood hook sets are also welcome. Good tools are always great 😀

        Lacis is an amazing textile arts store in Berkley, CA with a phenominal catalog with Free Shipping on orders!! Go check it out and make up your wish list! Every kind of hook you can think of can be had there!

       Laurell Hill 

Laurel Hill Hooks are fabulous wood hooks, beautifully crafted and smmmmmooooooth to work with, my personal favorites. I have a D tunisian hook in the Nam Oc wood and it is so nice to work with! It’s unusual to find the smaller sized tunisian hooks any where, and these are a great price for fabulous quality!

For larger sized Tunisian Hooks you can’t go wrong with Jenkins…One of my very favorite hooks in the world is my Jenkins S cabled hook…I love this hook, I have whipped out more stash busting projects and fashion crisises have been averted because of this hook…Did I say I love my S hook…(Pictured above)

• Books! Do I have a list…In fact I gave away my copy of Edie Eckman’s Beyond the Square book and need a new copy (hint hint honey)… Here’s a list of some of the good offerings I’ve seen out there, or have copies of that will NOT leave my hot little hands…

 Another Edie Eckman Book:  Around the Corner Crochet Borders (Oooh I want this one :D), Edie takes you through turning the corner perfectly every time! 150 colorful, creative crocheted borders!

Complete Photo Guide To Crochet by Margaret Hubert! A must have for any library, beautifully written and photographed. Margaret is a master of the art of crochet, even if you are not a beginner this is a must have for your library! If you are a beginner you need to get this book, Margaret explains crochet both visually, and in easy to understand instructions!

Crochet It! Love It! Wear It! By Drew Emborsky ( The Crochet Dude) is another great offering! I hear the little black dress is adorable!

Doris Chan gave us a wonderful offering this year in her book, Crochet Lace Innovations this book covers techniques we have been begging for as only Doris Chan can offer…That means brilliant instructions, designs and charts in broomstick and hair pin lace, as well as tunisian …gorgeous! One of my favorite books!

Dora Ohrenstein helps us play with our yarn in Creating Crocheted Fabric! Learn more about yarns, textures, and stitching in her amazing creative symphonic crochet master piece!

We’ve had suggestions of giving Betty Hechtman’s mystery series which starts with Hooked on Murder. She was the 2009 Flamie Award Winner for Fiction.

Another MUST HAVE is Mary Beth Temple’s, Hooked For Life: Adventures of a Crochet Zealot…I have this book, I have re-read this book…I have laughed so hard I cried…I LOVE THIS BOOK! A must for any die-hard crochet fanatic!

What else can you give a crocheters?

Ooooh well there are pretty stitch markers…Please remember we can’t use the same kind as knitters, we use clasps or markers that can open…here are a few great deals and fun sets from sellers on Etsy.  These beautiful markers and others come to you from CLF Member AbbyNormal owner of In Stitches Emporium on Etsy.

I thought these Reindeer Stitch Markers were too cute, perfect stocking stuffers! These come to you from Etsian Deelicious Discordia

More marker sets yet…

These Drink, Hook, Hook markers made me chuckle thinking of the last night of the retreat! I don’t know if this person is a CLF member or not, but if not they should be! Hook Raised, CLF Salute! You can find these from Paper and Yarn on Etsy.

Ok…not into stitch markers…Don’t need no STEENKIN’ MARKERS…what about shawl pins? My mother in law is the Queen of Gifting, I thought I was good until I met her…She doesn’t craft but she pays attention to what I do and make and one year for Christmas she bought me a beautifully hand crafted bronze shawl pin! I love that pin! She bought hers from a local artists/crafters coop in Port Townsend, WA. But not everyone has access to such fine artisan work…in that case check out these great sellers…

 I thought this twisted copper shawl pin was just too pretty and very reasonably priced, this is brought to you by Ruby Vegas on Etsy.

Another pretty I found…gosh my list is getting longer…

 A copper beaded shawl pin from Bebes Baubles on Etsy. I thought this was very simple and elegant.

This Celtic Twist shawl pin is so nicely made! You can find this from Nicholas and Felice on Etsy.

There are pages and pages and pages of items like this on Etsy.com and Artfire.com. Support other handworkers when you purchase or have gifts purchased from you!

The Art of Gifting

So, I have this cousin, whom I love dearly and for whom the holidays are always a hard time, why? Because her in laws never seem to take into consideration the needs of her family during the season, they always arrange for the other son’s family. Even after addressing the issue with them, nothing much changed, and every year to add salt to the wounds she is gifted something that is completely not her style, to her taste or even something in which she expressed dislike. I am completely dumbfounded by this family’s complete lack of comprehension on the art of interacting and gift giving.

Of course that same family also does not appreciate handmade gifts of any kind, and rebuked her early in her marriage after she made them all quilts…BY HAND mind you (she refuses to machine quilt and her work is phenomenal!)…Did I mention that her husband is kinda of the odd duck in his family? He loves hand crafted items, and is one of the most considerate people on the planet? Yeah, they don’t get him either. It’s not personal against my cousin, it’s just how these people are, but it still hurts.

So, this is why I write about gifting every year, for both gifters and giftees there is an art. So first things first…Not everyone appreciates handwork, I haven’t met very many people who don’t like mine personally, but I know these people exist. For them? Don’t waste your time, energy or precious yarn, buy them a gift card.  There is no point in making people things if they don’t appreciate the fact you made it for them, that being said there is an art to making gifts people will like and possible use, if not treasure!

So, to be a devil’s advocate I have recieved many handcrafted gifts in my life time, some are treasures and some I keep as mementos because of who made it, and some were just down right, “WHA????”  I love to give gifts, I love picking out things whether I buy them or make them, that suit the individual that is being gifted.

Here are some of my gift giving tips:

• Pay attention to the person’s house, style of dress, life style.  How busy are they? Do they like to handwash items? Do they have cats & dogs in the house? Do they have young children? What are the colors in the kitchen, living room, dining room, bathroom, bedroom? Do they wear accessories like hats and scarves? Do they ski or snowboard? Do they like the out of doors or are they couch potatoes? What are their hobbies?



• Ask them what their favorite colors are!  My cousin hates the color orange, she has told her Mother in Law she hates the color orange, and yet what does she get from her? Orange. Seriously. And no her Mother in Law doesn’t hate her, really I have met the woman she’s just not aware.  I try to make sure I don’t automatically use pink for girls, and blue for boys, I find out what the kids like! I ask parents of babies what they want before I make something. Don’t assume you know.

 

• Before making a large project, ask if the recipient wants one. Before making that huge king sized afghan you might want to ask the recipient if they want an afghan. It’s a lot of work, time, and yarn to spend on something someone doesn’t want. You don’t have to tell them what style, and it’s the perfect time to ask what colors 😀

 

• If you have a lot of gifts to make think small. Ornaments, toys etc are great gifts.

 

• Offer coupons for your handwork where the person has a menu of options and you can work on it at another time besides the holidays 😀  You could make a little card that gave options for hat/scarf set, hooded scarf or cowl, fingerless gloves, blanket and then list colors and yarn choices for people to circle. That way you know exactly what will please them!

Like I said there is an art to gifting, and in an ideal world most people would just be tickled to know that you put effort into thinking of them; but sadly there are the inconsiderate schmucks out there. And really, you can’t please everyone…but paying attention and checking in can help not have hurt holiday feelings.

Now for some really cute gifting ideas for the kiddos in your life….

FRUIT! Kids love toy fruits and veggies! These are great ideas for the little ones in your life! Click on the picture and it takes you to the awesome tv show Knit and Crochet Now! You can find this and many other cool gift ideas there! These cute strawberries designed by Rose Langlitz from the book  Tasty Crochet A Pantry Full of Patterns for 33 tasty treats!http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/tasty-crochet-a-pantry-full-of-patterns-for-33-tasty-treats

 Monkeys…who doesn’t love ’em? And SOCK MONKEYS too cute!  Click on the picture and it will take you to the Red Heart Website that has tons of fun patterns for quick and easy gifts! This monkey and hat was designed by Linda Cyr.

Doll Clothes…for those large twin and “American Girl” dolls…I know they make my cousin’s daughter delighted! This cute little peacoat design  by Deborah Cooper can be yours for only $2.75 on Ravelry.com…That’s a great price! Click on the picture to get to the pattern!

What? You’re not on Ravelry.com yet? WHAT??? Ok can I tell you that the pattern search alone is worth it! Let alone communities where you can get questions answered, find out about books and other websites, and look and drool at yarns! Organize your projects! Join TODAY and find the CLF under Groups!! http://www.ravelry.com

Stay tuned for more gifting ideas…

Holiday Crochet: Something for HIM!

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Originally uploaded by lutzheather

For those men in our lives that are just hard to figure out what to crochet for I offer you these gorgeous crocheted moccasin slippers!

Made by Crochetgrl on Ravlery.com using a pattern by Sue Norrad these fetching (size 10) slippers look suave, warm and cozy!

They shouldn’t take too long to make, so if you have been agonizing over what to make HIM, then take a stab at these. Using Lion Brand Suede it should work up fast, and the yarn is pretty easy to come by!

Holiday Crochet: Simple, Pretty, and ooh so impressive!

rustic crochet necklace brown pink fo

Originally uploaded by truknit

One of the things I love about crocheting gifts is how easily impressed people are! In fact some of the simplest gifts look ” oh so complicated”. Not that it doesn’t take skill to make beautiful things like this Earthen Treasures necklace by CLF member Truknit., it does. But simple, and quick projects like this, combined with a good eye for beads, and an artful flare make a great recipe for successful gift giving!

You can find this pattern here it’s by Jennie Atkinson, and really check out Truknits project page for more information!

Definately a winner especially for those who love to accessorize!