Christmas Knitting

It's December, and you know what that means. Knitters everywhere are rushing to finish their gift-knitting.

Except me.

I don't knit gifts. Not worth it. Too much work (especially when I've got a hundred design projects underway), and I hate the idea that something I've put so much love into might not be appreciated.

Ok, last year I gave my niece a Kureyon scarf. I had originally made it for myself but wasn't keen on how the colours had come out. But that doesn't count because I'd made it for me and I'd finished it in October.

In all my years as knitter, I've only ever given a single purpose-made hand-knitted Christmas gift.

It was 1997. Wyla had been on vacation in Scotland with her sister, and she'd fallen and suffered a very nasty spiral fracture of her arm and shoulder.

I bought the most lovely pink mohair with a thread of silver through it, surfed the web (yes, way back then) for some design ideas, and created a garter-stitch shawl with an openwork border. My goal was to create something to keep her arm warm and comfy as it healed.

I wouldn't describe it as sophisticated, and I know it didn't match the quality of work Wyla herself could produce. But I wrapped it up and gave it to her.

Sometime the following year we visited them, and I saw the shawl draped casually over the chair Wyla sat in to watch TV.

It was worth it.