gift giving

[wdwfan16]

Can you knit well? Do your gift recipients live in locations where sweaters, hats, scarf, gloves and the like can actually be used?

 

[brittanyherndon]

Can you knit well? Do your gift recipients live in locations where sweaters, hats, scarf, gloves and the like can actually be used?

I will admit that I am just learning and prob not although for that purpose

 

[wdwfan16]

I will admit that I am just learning and prob not although for that purpose

Then DO NOT DO IT. I am a knitter and can easily tell a beginner. Your stitching will not be consistent etc.

You say you are in school, is this to exchange with your other teen friends? I would just do a name pick between all of your friends.

 

[brittanyherndon]

Then DO NOT DO IT. I am a knitter and can easily tell a beginner. Your stitching will not be consistent etc.

You say you are in school, is this to exchange with your other teen friends? I would just do a name pick between all of your friends.

Duh were is my brain of course

Mike and I are extanng gifts

what about cards for everyone else that way I can persnalize the message

 

[wdwfan16]

Duh were is my brain of course

Mike and I are extanng gifts

what about cards for everyone else that way I can persnalize the message

Perfect

 

[minkydog]

Duh were is my brain of course

Mike and I are extanng gifts

what about cards for everyone else that way I can persnalize the message

I'm one of those who likes small heartfelt gifts, especially if there is a personal note in there. Here are a few fun and cheap gifts:

Christmas Pockets to Hang on the Tree
Christmas cards
A long length of 1/4" or 1/8" red ribbon, or use raffia*you can get this in a craft store, cheep)
hole puncher
candy
a sprig of holly or an evergreen twig

*Hold the card upright and punch holes around the edges of 3 sides.
*Put a little piece of tape on the end of th ribbon. Thread the ribbon in and out of the holes so the edges are tightly closed. Leave the ends about 8" long. Tie in a nice little bow or knot.
*Fill your "pocket" with candy. Slip a handwritten note in there with a small twig of holly or evergreen.(You can leave off the twig, if you want to.)

These pockets are so cute. They are big and brightly colored. You don't need wrapping paper and you can do a bunch of them in an afternoon. Decorate your tree with your pockets. As friends come to visit, take their pocket off your tree and give it to them.


Night at the Movies
1 large Hershey bar or other large box of candy(hershey bars go on sale in Dec, sometimes for just a dollar)
Movie theater gift card

Tape the gift card to the back of the candy bar. Wrap it and you're done.


If you have particular recipes that you like or that you are famous for, consider writing them down and then giving a sample of the "secret ingredient." I am famous for my wonderful applesauce cake. I write out the recipe and tape it to a jar of applesauce. You could include spices, nuts, whatever.

Have you ever made homemade vanilla flavoring? You have just about enough time to do that, if you start now.
Fill a 1 quart jar with rum or vodka. Take real vanilla beans and cut them in half, then slice them open down the middle. Dump them in the liquor and seal it up. It takes about 3 weeks for the vanilla to "ripen", but longer is better. When Christmas comes, get some of those little jars with the seal and the wire on top. or pour the vanilla into a small jelly jar(you can buy these in the grocery store.) Cut a large circle out of tissue paper and tie it over the top with a ribbon or raffia. If you want you could write out a cake recipe to include with the vanilla.

and if you really want to go traditional, get some oranges and cloves. Poke holes in the orange with a toothpick or a fork. Put a whole clove in each hole. In about 30 minutes the room will be filled with the delicious smell of spice and citrus. If you want to go fancy, wrap a ribbon around the orange and secure with a straight pin.

 

[klacey1]

Honestly, I don't know anyone that wouldn't appreciate a lovely scarf. HOWEVER, if you are a beginner, you might end up getting frustrated. No one needs that at the holidays!
I think the story about the eldery lady who knitted was horrifying. What a group of ungrateful, terrible people. This older woman put lots of time and effort into making gifts for people she cared about. Apparently, all the cared about was getting a gift that was coolr or good enough. It's people like that who give gift giving a terrible name. Whatever happened to being grateful?
Love the Oriental Trading Company idea. These snowmen are only $15 for a dozen:Snowmen Ornaments

You can personalize it by putting a picture of you and the person to whom you are giving inside the frame. Then, get some holiday cellophane bags, stick some candy canes or other festive candies, like Hershey Kisses, and tie with a pretty ribbon! That would be appreciated!
Or, you can go to Michaels (or order off Ebay) and get some candy molds of candy canes, ginger bread men, etc. Then, you can buy chocolate wafers and make specialized chocolate lolipops or little candies! The Christmas Tree Shop or any craft stores sell beautiful boxes that you can line with parchment paper and place the treats in. Wrap with a beautiful ribbon and viola! There are LOTS of cheap ideas that people will love and appreciate!

 

[Handbag Lady]

I am not really a gift person. For christmas I get something for my nephew and one of my friend's kids that I am very close to. I usually get something for my mom also but that is about it.

I much prefer experiences to things so if I am dating someone, which won't be this Christmas at the rate it's going certain other threads asside, I would rather go somewhere together. One of my friends and I are both pretty active and like to travel so we go take weekend trips and do marathons. Last year we went to Italy and biked Tuscany. I usually date people who either run or bike so that is the kind of thing I would get as a gift; a 3 day weekend somewhere we want to go at the same time as a local marathon. I know I am in the minority on this one, almost everyone I know does not think this is a good idea.

I just think that experiences are much better than things, even as gifts.

I agree with you. I'd much rather do a thing than give/get a thing. For my DH's birthday last week (it landed while we were on vacation in Hawaii), I made him Parasail! It was great. His other present was a long weekend in SF, which we will do in January.

My dad asks what we want each year and we always ask for Southwest gift cards or hotel gift cards.




ETA: I would TOTALLY love a knitted scarf! I didn't mean to say that I would NOT like a homemade gift, I just prefer to not get purchased things. We live in a small apartment and have ZERO room for things.

 

[FireDancer]

I agree with you. I'd much rather do a thing than give/get a thing. For my DH's birthday last week (it landed while we were on vacation in Hawaii), I made him Parasail! It was great. His other present was a long weekend in SF, which we will do in January.

My dad asks what we want each year and we always ask for Southwest gift cards or hotel gift cards.

That sounds like a lot of fun. My great grandma just died at the age of 102 and she always used to talk about the trips she would take with my great grandpa. She always said that she couldn't remember anything that she had ever gotten but she could remember everywhere she has been. That was what made me realize that I want my life to be more about adventures than things.

I hope you guys enjoy San Fran. I have a friend who used to live up there and he always says that the public transportation is terrible so do yourself a favor and rent a car. I have never been so I can't verify but he is usually pretty much dead on when it comes to travel.

 

[Handbag Lady]

That sounds like a lot of fun. My great grandma just died at the age of 102 and she always used to talk about the trips she would take with my great grandpa. She always said that she couldn't remember anything that she had ever gotten but she could remember everywhere she has been. That was what made me realize that I want my life to be more about adventures than things.

I hope you guys enjoy San Fran. I have a friend who used to live up there and he always says that the public transportation is terrible so do yourself a favor and rent a car. I have never been so I can't verify but he is usually pretty much dead on when it comes to travel.

As long as you are sticking to the tourist areas, their public transportation rocks. And yeah, I am comparing that to Los Angeles and we don't really have public transportation. If we rented a car, we'd have to pay $35 a night for parking! We just take cabs and walk!

And I wholeheartedly agree with your great-grandma. She knew what she was talking about!

 

[Darsa]

I would surely hope that someone I have the gift I crocheted wouldn't sit there and go through the whole thing to check and make sure there are no missed stitches or small errors, and rejecting the gift I took the time to make with my own two hands because there's an imperfection. I personally do not count these things as "errors". I believe they are what makes a gift unique.

If you have a stash of yarn and a few hooks, and some extra time... GO FOR IT!! I'm sure there are people on your list who will appreciate a gift specially made for them with your own hands. The potholders I made for my mom are still displayed proudly in her kitchen, even though they no longer match the decor. And the afghan I made for my sister is the only thing her son wants to be wrapped in for story time. And he knows that his aunt "Rayjoo" made it.

 

[mmackeymouse]

I hope you guys enjoy San Fran. I have a friend who used to live up there and he always says that the public transportation is terrible so do yourself a favor and rent a car. I have never been so I can't verify but he is usually pretty much dead on when it comes to travel.

I have been to San Francisco, and I just loved the transportation. We bought a weekly pass, and experienced it all, streetcars, trolleys, buses.

Now, we were very loosy goosey with our time, and did not really have a strict schedule to follow. I can see how if you actually have a daily schedule to follow it might get annoying.


Listen, I did not mean to make anyone feel badly. I think handmade gifts are GREAT. And, if someone could not afford a gift, and only gave me a nice card, I would be thrilled to bits. But, I think the recipe idea with an ingredient is a super idea! Some people just don't like knits. Nothing against you, the knitter. But, it is a very time-consuming process, and I would hate for you to go through all that hard work for people who may never even use it.

Just like carrot cake. I hate carrot cake. And someone could spend all day baking the perfect carrot cake. From scratch, icing every inch just perfectly. Now, I would be very grateful for the time they put into my gift. But, I would probably just end up taking it to work or one of the neighbors. And, if someone bakes me a carrot cake every year, yeah it would probably induce a smirk or two. I mean, which is worse, to say, "Enough with the carrot cake, already!" or to just accept it, then laugh about it later? I love the effort that goes into it, and I love that the person thought enough of me to put so much time into it, but I hate the gift!

I just think if you are gonna go handmade, you may want to go with something a little simpler, a little more widely appreciated (who doesn't like food?)

 

[ksjayhawks]

What are you thinking of crocheting? Do you have the yarn and needles already? How many people will you make gifts for? You may find that if you have to buy all the supplies, that it will not be as cost effective as you think.

Also, do the people you are giving these to like this type of gift? If so, go for it; otherwise, I would be on the lookout for bargains--Black Friday is a great day to pick things up at bargain prices that would be geared towards everyone's likes.

 

[Lisa_M]

What type of yarn are you using for the wash cloths?

OP - Sounds like a great idea to me! My Grandma knits a lot and my DS and DD are always wearing her beautiful sweaters and cardigans.

I lost track of this thread the other day, so I'm late in responding. I use cotton for the washcloth. Just the cheap $1.50 balls from walmart or a.c. moore. I have some nicer cotton from a local yarn shop, but I'm not using it for this purpose.

I didn't realize the OP was a beginner. If you're not that great at knitting YET, I would suggest something quicker and easier and make handmade gifts for next year. That way you have a lot of time.

My family knows I'm knitting and they are the ones that told me what they wanted, so I know they will like it. I have to admit, it's upsetting to hear that some people would just send a handmade item to goodwill. I know my family wouldn't do that to me. So sad....

 

[ksjayhawks]

. . . it's upsetting to hear that some people would just send a handmade item to goodwill. I know my family wouldn't do that to me. So sad....[/QUOTE]

It is sad; however, should they have to keep it just because it is handmade??? If the person it has been given to is not into handmade gifts or it is not their taste/style and they will not use it, they have several choices:
**regift, which could be hard since it is handmade
**throw it away (hate to see this happen if someone else would like it/use it)
**donate it
**freecycle it

Once a gift is given, we cannot control how it is used, if it is kept, etc. Some people are just not into handmade gifts. That is why before you put a lot of time and effort--and sometimes expense depending on the project--it is good to decide if the person you are gifting would really enjoy it, use it, appreciate it. And this can also apply to crafted items that you might buy other places.