Tuesday 29 November 2011

Knit-worthiness

There is some debate among knitters about giving handmade gifts for Christmas, about whether or not potential gift recipients are "knit-worthy" or not.  I am not totally sure about where I stand on this issue.  On the one hand, I would love it if gifts that I make and give are loved and used and cared for properly, but on the other hand I really enjoy making things and then giving them to people.

I have heard horror stories about gifts gone bad.  An heirloom sweater being thrown into the washing machine and felted beyond recognition, a scarf getting full of burrs and then burned, dogs chewing holes in woollen blankets, etc.  But something almost as bad is giving someone a knitted gift, and having them feel that it is "too precious" to use, so it gets put carefully into a drawer or closet and never sees the light of day again.

I settled the debate for myself by deciding that if I wanted to knit something for someone, then they were knit-worthy.  As a result, most of the gifts I'm giving this year are handmade, which also accounts for the lack of project pictures on the blog up until now.  I wouldn't want to ruin any surprises!  I feel pretty lucky to have friends and family that seem to appreciate handmade gifts.  Either that or they're just being nice to my face and they secretly hate everything I've ever made.

So, a word of advice to all of those who receive a handmade gift this year (whether from me or someone else), if you want to remain knit-worthy, use it, and take care of it to make sure it lasts as long as possible.  If you don't know how to take care of it, ask.  If you don't do these things, don't be surprised if you don't get anything handmade next year.  But keep in mind that if you're not knit-worthy, then it must be determined whether or not you are mall-worthy.


Note: Almost nobody is mall-worthy.  I can't stand shopping malls.

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