A Spot of Gifting

4:03 AM Creative Space , Crochet , gift , knitting 1 Comments

I love to give handmade gifts but tend to be a little slow on the actual gifting side.

Take my sister's socks for example.  They were intended as a Christmas present but never got finished until June!

Or my Mum's socks.  These were intended for a birthday present - her birthday is in October and I finished them in May!

Or, more recently, the NB size top I made my latest nephew.  I never got around to sending it in the post before we saw them over New Year's (he was born in October) and forgot to bring it with us as I'd intended.  Though, when I saw him I could tell I was already too late and he was no longer NB size!

Now, socks for adults don't matter if they're gifted a little late - they should still fit - but clothing for babies have deadlines.  As in, you have to gift them before they out-grow them!

So, what do you do when you're too late to gift baby clothes?


Make it again in a bigger size!

It actually worked out more sensible as my nephew would've been fitting the warm woollen top I made in Spring/Summer but this one should last him through Winter.

I used the exact same pattern (Puerperium, but used the full version - Beyond Puerperium) and exact same yarn (Vintage Purls Sock in Chaff with random choc-brown from stash), but made it the 6-12mth size and used a giraffe pattern for the border instead of the elephants.


(And in case you're wondering what happened to the original NB size - I gifted it to a friend's new baby boy and it's getting good use!)


The next gift I made I was a little more organized.

I wanted to make something quick for my sister's birthday but had no idea what.  Then, when shopping with Mum, I saw the perfect tea-for-one cup - complete with a tea leaf strainer and lid - and thought it was exactly her.

But, as tradition is starting to dictate, I needed a yarny gift to go with it.


So I whipped up a quick cup cosy.  And to make it extra special, I used the last of the wool (Vintage Purls Sock in Noel) that I knit her socks in.


Actually, it wasn't that quick as I changed my mind on the pattern twice before I decided to crochet this one.  But I was very happy with it and so was my sister!

And the best thing about it?  I managed to have it arrive ON her birthday!

What sort of crafty gifting do you like to do?  And, unlike me, do you actually manage to gift it on time?

Joining in over here with My Creative Space - it's been a while for me!




Click on the pictures to go to my Ravelry project page if you're interested!