They both said "Yes!"

I recently wrote about making gifts for people and realizing that I didn't know in either case if the gift was wanted, or more importantly, whether or not it would even fit.

They both said "Yes!"

Two years ago I knit a scarf [Irish Hiking Scarf by Adrian Bizilia] in beautiful Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Marron Oscuro for the guy who cuts my hair. He loved it and proved himself knit-worthy by spending the next ten minutes running around the salon showing it to everyone. 

When I asked him if I could knit him something this year as a gift, he said "Yes!"

It turns out I was right, he isn't interested in a hat unless the weather is minus 10 degrees, because of hat hair. When I suggested finger-less mitts, he lit up. He has been looking for a pair and hasn't found any that fit well. I just happened to have a tape measure handy, so I took his hand measurements and I have been knitting finger-less mitts for him using the pattern arden by mikka. I am shortening the mitts at his request and will be mirroring the cables, including the oddly crossed cable in the first mitt. It is now a design feature.
All going well I will be able to give him the newly made mitts the next time I see him.

"Yes!"

Coming to my senses

I finally came to my senses today. I am using some of my vacation time to clear up the knitting backlog and to make a couple of gifts. But I soon realized that I needed to be more realistic. Way more realistic.

For example, a wine bottle cozy that was supposed to use up "deep stash". The main part of the knitting went quickly in February, in 2011, but I put it aside awaiting a knitted icord. As I picked it up again and started in on the icord, I realized that I needed to come to my senses. Why was I knitting yards of icord? I can't knit as much as I used to, so why was I spending time on knitting a length of icord. I wove in the ends, found some ribbon and it is done.

I then moved to making gifts for a couple of people, the guy who cuts my hair and the woman who cleans my house. I bought the yarn and spent lots of time searching through patterns on Ravelry.

The hat is a cute pattern, Windy City Hat by Jodi Haraldson. Despite making a swatch, despite washing the swatch, despite careful measurement, the hat is too small. At least I think it is too small because I realized don't know what size to make. Love knitting with Madelinetosh Vintage in Cousteau. Love the pattern. But I forgot that knitting in the round requires a swatch knit in the round. Set aside without finishing for now.

Started fingerless mitts, but even at gauge they seem too small, and I can't be sure because I am in the dark again about sizing. Beautiful Malabrigo Merino Worsted in a Marron Oscuro. Didn't even set the one I started aside, frogged it.

And I came to my senses. I need to go through everything and see what is doable and what isn't, what is worth doing and what isn't. When I give my end of the year gifts tomorrow, I will ask if they want the knitted things that I was planning to make and if they do, I will get actual measurements. If they don't, I will chalk it up to a lesson learned.

Feels good.