'Tis the Season...

... of unbloggable knitting.

I usually give people a mix of bought and handmade gifts, depending on the person and how speedily I've been crafting (since not all the handmade presents are knitted). One of my sisters always used to get handmade socks, but then she moved to a warmer climate and I had to start keeping my socks. This year, she's asked for a shawl, but left all the details up to me. So I'm working on that (I made a lot of progress on the plane and in Sierra Leone). She knows about it, and her internet access is intermittent, so I could probably write about it, but it's not very photogenic. (To make matters worse, it's garter stitch lace, so it's doubly squished.)

Kevin has asked for gloves to match a sweater he wears as a jacket, so once I get started on those I'll be able to write about them... of course, they'll be mostly black, and unphotogenic.

Other than those 2 presents, I'm just starting to think about what I might knit for which giftee. I'd like to make another shawl (I do, after all, have TWO sisters, not just one! Hi Sibbies!), but I'm not sure I have a shawl and two-thirds worth of knitting time between now and Christmas (naturally, I started with the present for the sister I won't see till January!).

The trouble is that except for my dad, everyone I'd knit for either lives in a warm climate or knits themselves. I like giving knitters knitted presents, but it does mean I need to pick a bit more carefully--ideally, I'd like to make them things they like but either can't or wouldn't make for themselves, not projects they've already bought the yarn for. [New Haven SnBers, do not panic! The knitters I am thinking about knitting for are not you. No need to add me to your holiday knitting list. Unless you want to, in which case tell me so I can add you to mine! I like fine gauge sweaters but would never knit one myself.]