Christmas Etsyfied

This Christmas, I decided to 'Etsyfy" it up and give mostly homemade presents. Now, before you start rolling your eyes in anticipationg of a blog post about Kleenex box covers made out of construction paper and sequins, know that I actually have some pretty good chops in the DIY department, as long as it involves yarn. What I DON'T have is good time estimation skills when it comes to making things out of yarn.

Christmas 2012 Mission Etsyfied Project Summary:

• 5 pairs of mittens (4 of them with a "convertible" top for a free-finger option),
• 1 scarf, 
• 1 pair of granny square mittens,
• 1 hat, and
• 1 pair of less-granny-like slippers

With that many projects, you would expect me to start them in ... oh ... mid-October, right? That is what I should have done. That is not what I actually did. Instead, I decided to start them on December 1st. And I also kept adding projects because I thought of new people who would like a pair of mittens or a slouchy beret hat. Needles to say -- Okay, I know that's supposed to be "needless to say" but I typed "needles" in some sick sub-concious spelling tendency. And, in a tribute to how knitting-brained I am right now, I'm leaving it -- I wound up staying up until about 2AM for the past two weeks, knit-one-purl-one-ing the night away. Keep in mind I still went to work. I shudder to think about the email mistypes I must have sent out during the month. There and They're and Their, oh my!

Sadly, this isn't my first error in time estimation when it comes to homemade holiday gifts. A few years back I crocheted my mom an afghan. Well, that was my intention. What I actually did was crochet her 108 tiny granny squares. I assumed that, once I finished making each little square, it would take me about twenty minutes to whip-stitch them together.

It took me two hours to just lay them out on the floor in the guest room.

That left me about ten minutes before we left for church on Christmas Eve to finish it up. Always quick on my feet in a Christmas gift crisis, I cleverly scribbled a note on a piece of paper, placed the note in the middle of the squares, and shut the door. Three hours later, I led my mom back to to the guest room, let her "open" the present by opening the door, and voila! There was my mom's present: 108 granny squares lying below a note that said "Some Assembly Required."

I find that, if you can luck into a joke that genuinely makes someone laugh, they'll mostly forgive the fact that you half-assed their Christmas gift.

Sewing those squares turned out to be a two-day project I did finish sewing them together during that holiday break, but forgot to do the finishing embroidery stitches. So, instead of an afghan of four poinsettias, my mom now proudly displays every Christmas an afghan of abstract triangles of red, green, and white. This tradition always elicits laughter and jokes at my expense. I take these in stride, since I don’t really have any defense. I gave her that afghan six years ago and it still isn’t finished. I deserve to get a little ribbing about it. (Ribbing! As in the knitting pattern on the cuff of mittens! How AM I doing this?)

I hope that your holidays were merry and bright! Wishing you a new year filled with health and happiness.