Restless Knitter

There are two posts today, which I really don’t like doing. It just seemed too long as one post. One is knitting, one is me blathering on. See, this way you can get the knitting stuff out of the way without having to suffer through my opinions.

I finished the sleeves for the cardigan. I don’t know why, but I’m just not diggin’ the lavender. I tried to start the fronts but tossed them aside after row 3. I like the lavender, but it doesn’t grab me for this project. I haven’t ripped anything out, but I’m going to put it aside for awhile. Maybe it’s just hard feelings because the blue one didn’t work out. Maybe I’ll like the color at some other point.

Or maybe it’s because I’m doing something else in purple.

Sometimes it’s really hard to get pictures when you have pets. It was a matter of clicking as fast as I could to get one without her in it.

If you look close, you can see the hair she left on it. Anyhoo, this is one half of the Mystery Stole. I really wish I hadn’t started knitting from the cone. I’m thinking about ripping it out and starting over now, before it gets any bigger.

Years ago, I was given a crocheted dishcloth. At the time, I could only think “Yuck, why did she give me that thing?” However, I kept it and now I see it in a whole different light. Now I appreciate the gift. When I was reading through some forums recently and saw the old Christmas gift thread raising it’s head, I thought about the dishcloth. After Christmas, there will be posts on how the knitter’s feelings have been hurt because the receiver wasn’t enthused about the gift. The way I see it, the problem lies with both the giver and receiver. Gift giving, especially at Christmas, has become so commercialized. For some people, it’s not what you give or get, it’s how much you spend or have spent on you. That may sound harsh, but I know people who are so focused on the money aspect of gifts that it boggles the mind. Yeah, so anyway. Both sides of the gifting process could use an attitude adjustment.

The receiver: Some of the people we knit for just don’t get it. They don’t understand that we knit those things with love. They wonder what they did to deserve it, why we didn’t spend time in a store picking something out for them. Why we didn’t spend money on them. Those people don’t deserve our gifts of love. Years ago, I was one of those people. Not one of the focused on money ones, but I wasn’t appreciative of handmade either. I didn’t deserve that dishcloth. With an attitude like that, I didn’t deserve anything.

The giver: Yes, we’re to blame too. We love knitting something for someone we love but yet, not all of us take the time to think about the person we are knitting for. I hate to generalize, but I think new knitters are the most guilty of this. They learn to make a scarf that they think is the best thing since sliced bread, therefore everyone will feel the same way and before you know it, every box under the tree holds the magic scarf. They don’t stop to think that Aunt Mary lives in the hottest spot on earth and suffers hot flashes. Aunt Mary never wears the scarf because she’s too damned hot, and the knitter’s feelings are hurt.

I guess all I’m saying is that if you are going to knit (or any type of craft) a gift for someone, take a moment to stop and think about the person you are giving to. Know a little something about their likes and dislikes. If they aren’t going to appreciate what you give them, screw ‘em. Don’t waste your time and energy. And if someone crafts something for you, don’t toss it away because it didn’t come from a fancy store. Anyone can go out and buy you something, but not everyone goes to the trouble to create something especially for you. Even if you’re Aunt Mary, cherish that scarf and see the love that went into it.