Do you do it?

Holiday Knitting. Do you do it?

The giving of hand made gifts is like walking a tight rope. What are your expectations when you give a gift? My number one expectation is that it be used by the giftee. When I made baby quilts, I intended for them to be used, dragged around, loved and then washed and dried in the dryer. I did not want them on the wall or put away.

Knits are a little different in that they are not as durable, at least not what I knit. Most of my gift knitting goes to my nephew who lives in NY and DD. I can tell when they visit that my nephew is wearing the sweaters and his mom is taking care of them. DD selects the designs and tends to wear the knits. She is not tidy with her belongings so I may find them on the floorboards of her car or bedroom floor but since I am the washerwoman in the house, they are treated gently in the wash.

How bout this one: One of our do-workers went to the mountains for the weekend and brought back pillowcases with tatted edging. He said they reminded him of our boss and gave them to her. Later in the year a different colleague retired and our boss wanted me to make a remembrance quilt for her. I really didn't have the time but it was a wonderful idea and so I got started. My boss offered me the pillow cases and said she thought I could use the tatting in the quilt. I was horrified. !. That she would want something so lovely cut up and 2. It was given to her to enjoy. When I pointed that out, she said it was given to her so she could use it in the way she saw fit. I did not cut them.

What is this all leading to, you ask? Well, a couple of weeks ago, we were invited to a coctail party at my alma mater. The college colors are black and garnet. I had the essential little black dress. The weather was starting to turn and I thought it would be appropriate to wear a shawl. Then I remembered, I knit my mom a shawl for christmas last year, a burgundy shawl that could pass for garnet.

I blogged about this last December. My Dad died in August. My mom saw this shawl in the Knit Picks catalog and asked me to knit it for her. She wanted white but I just didn't think that would work well with her coloring. I knit like a fiend to get it down and had images in my mind of the comfort it might bring her. Welllllll, when I called to see if i could borrow it for the reception, she could not find it!!!! No, she had not left it anywheres, she had not used it at all. It finally turned up and it was perfect for my reception but I was so disappointed.

I guess the point is, once the love leaves your hands, it is up to the recipient to decide. It is difficult to let our babies go into the world. I am not sure if I will knit any gifts this year. I guess by waiting so late, I really am making a decision.