“No One’s Ever Made me anything Handmade Before.”

Now that I’m incapable of knitting as many gifts as I can dream up, I do a lot of spying before pulling out needles or hooks.

There’s even a checklist:
• Does this person understand wool?
• Will I enjoy an alternative fiber?
• Does this person actually admire the hat/scarf/set of socks/mittens they have seen or were they just being polite?
• Do I want to make that pattern again?
• Can I afford the time and yarn to make it for them?
• Very few non-crafters are able to see how something will look before it’s finished, especially in a different color, so they usually ask for something just like something I’ve already made.
• Am I up for the repetition?
• Is that yarn still available?

But One winter, I dove in without really thinking very hard, or even going over my list; and I’m glad I did.

The lady at church was always cold, ever since that car accident. I mentioned how warm my hooded cowl kept my ears and back neck, and she tried it on. “Oh, this is cozy!” she gasped. “You look medieval.” her husband joked. “I want one, in BLACK.” She smiled, handing mine back reluctantly.

I actually had some black yarn at home, fuzzy mohair and a strange thick wool probably from the last time strange thick wool was in fashion, it was from the box of 1960’s yarn my uncle’s mother-in-law’s friend’s mother sent me so she could get it out of her attic. That thick yarn knit up so fast, I had the hooded cowl ready in two weeks. It may actually have been only one week, this was before Ravelry and I wasn’t keeping track. When I gave it to her, she teared up and said, “No one’s ever made me anything handmade before.”

That winter she wore it everywhere. Her husband joked that I’d created a monster. She grinned at me across the foyer and told me how warm she was. They moved to Arizona later to keep her healthy, but I like to think I helped too. Her appreciation sure warmed my heart.

What are your gift crafting stories? Any photos of your giftalong adventures? JackieES is collecting them at http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/gal.shtm