How to...
Y
ou’ve got yarn in your stash and time
to make beautiful gifts for some special
people... stop right there! Before you
go any further, I’m going to break one
thing to you I’ve learned the hard way – not
everyone appreciates handmade gifts. It’s
true – there are people who don’t value the
time and effort that goes into handmade
gifts, so my first piece of advice is to make
sure your recipient is worthy. Now that’s
sorted, it’s time to think about what to
make, so let’s consider present making in
two categories: stocking fillers and big gifts.Stocking fillers are items that use small
amounts of yarn and are quick to make.
They’re perfect for children, and great as
tokens of appreciation for a teacher or
neighbour and can be given with a shop-
bought present to add a handmade touch.
For younger children, the obvious choices
are small toys – whether dinosaurs, aliens,
dolls or animals, you won’t be short of cute
patterns. Consider keyrings or bag charms,
bookmarks, coasters, lavender pouches to
keep drawers (or the car) fresh, reusable
make-up scrubbies, pencil cases or gadget
cosies for grown-ups. A quick online search
will find some fabulous patterns
for baubles, Nativity sets, wreaths
and stockings.Bigger gifts are a greater investment of
yarn and time. For simplicity, cushions
make fabulous gifts. Match the cushion to a
colour scheme or theme to suit them – with
designs in everything from DK to aran and
even chunky yarn, there’s something to suit
every timescale. Another wonderful gift,
especially for those with new arrivals is a
blanket. Opt for classic granny squares, or
work a picture design in C2C.Don’t forget that winter warmers (jumpers,
hats, scarves, mittens, handwarmers, socks
and gloves) are great presents for everyone,
and as most people wear them, they’re
usually well-appreciated and well-used. Do
a little research first – it helps if you know
what colours your recipient wears and can
match your project accordingly.But what about friends and family who
don’t need more stuff in their lives? Why
not offer the gift of your teaching? A small
course of crochet lessons and sharing your
crafty know-how might be just the thing
they were looking for.CROCHET 101 WITH THE
BLOGSTARS
Sarah Shrimpton
SARAH’S CROCHET CORNER
On my blog Annaboo’s House, I share
ideas, tutorials and crochet patterns. I
started to crochet just before Christmas
2010, I had given up my career in
teaching to be a full-time mum and was
in desperate need of something to keep
my brain active. I decided on crochet and
armed myself with a few good books and
taught myself. I began writing a blog to
record my progress and now it’s become a
place of ideas and inspirations.Stylecraft Blogstar Sarah gives us her top crochet
gift ideas for Christmas!