Most people just dont realize the time (or expense) that goes into a hand knit project. I’ve always done little projects for people – flower wash cloths were a big gift for a while. They only take a few hours each to make and when packaged with a nice bar of soap, they make a nice gift.
Last year I got a bit more ambitious and made fuzzy feet for family and some close friends – Looking back I’m still wondering how I managed 9 pairs of slippers without going insane…then again I havent made a pair since (fuzzy feet burnout perhaps)
Of course there is that rare time that I knit specifically for someone else – like the stained glass felted bag for my mother. Huge project, but her excitement was contagious, so I finished it pretty quickly.
In the fall I started to wonder what do you do with projects you made that dont get worn or used. For example – the hat I made for myself that I just never wear (because I would rather cold ears than hat head). See now my friend Nancy thought it was perfect – and it fit her perfectly too.
Then there was the dance shrug that I made for my daughter that rarely got worn when she was home and then was left behind when she went off to college. Enter my friend Diane who dances all the time (yes my daughter said it was fine to give it a new home!). Diane wears it often and was even kind enough to tell me other dancers were envious (positive reinforcement is so nice you know!)
My latest share was with my friend Beth. I discovered her feet were a bit bigger than mine, I had my Crazy Monkey socks in my drawer, knowing that I’d never wear them with shoes because they were a tad too big so the heel was too far up for me. Beth was very happy to take my “Those Crazy Monkeys” socks off my hands (or feet if you want to be technical).
Maybe its having more time to knit than I used to, maybe I’m even knitting faster than before, but somehow I’m getting much more of a kick out of sharing my projects with people. Of course it will be a long time before I share my knits with people who dont understand my obsession – but I may even consider taking on a project that is meant for someone else from the start!