Christmas Knitting

For my Core I paper, I wrote a "This I Believe" essay about the magic of Christmas. My thesis statement was "I believe in the magic of Christmas, which makes people grow in their relationships, in their beliefs, and in their sense of self." It's a pretty big deal to me because this time of year has always meant family, cookies, wrapping, spending time with my loved ones, and thinking up new and better ways to make them smile through personalized, thoughtful gifts. This year, my roommates and I decided we would only give each other handmade presents, not only to cut down on cash but to really make it personal.

I, of course, chose knitting. I trolled Ravelry for days looking for hat patterns that perfectly matched their personalities. I can't say too much because two of my roomies are in the class and have access to this blog. I can only say about Kate's that it perfectly matches her inner eco-freak. Sarah was hard because I had to design a brand new hat, I used a few different colors, and it took me four tries to get the sizing right (and it's really kinda epic). That's all I can say about their presents, but I can tell all about Megan's (as long as you promise to keep it a secret).

Megan coveted my entrelac hat, which uses different colors and a special technique to make it look like strips of knit fabric are criss-crossing over themselves like a basket. Her favorite color in the world is teal, so I found a soft teal yarn and paired it with black and white (to match just about all of her clothes). I made it slightly larger than my own head, and it will have a little bit of a slouch. Here's a picture.


She's gonna love it.

I am really enjoying making Christmas gifts this year. Certainly, not everyone gets a knit object for their presents, I'm buying stuff offline and in stores as well. But by knitting these presents, I spend hour upon hour thinking about how much their going to love it, what their face will look like when they unwrap it, how they'll proudly put their new hat on their head and model it for the whole world to see, grateful and happy because I put in the extra effort to get their present just right. By knitting these presents, I am extending my Christmas season, stretching it out as long and as happily as I possibly can.