Christmas knitting

So, I'm doing it again.

I had promised myself not to do this again... If I remember correctly that's exactly what I was thinking last year too! And same result: yup, you've guessed it - I will be knitting some Christmas presents again this year after solemnly promising myself that this year I wouldn't.

Various reasons: I might not pick something the other person will really like (liking in terms of what it is, as well as liking to wear or use), or all my time and effort might not produce the sort of result that I envisaged (falling short I mean) or the intended recipient might not actually appreciate how much time and effort I've gone to even if all else worked out.

On the last point I am thinking of my brother who appreciated the cute as a button amigurumi puppy keyring attachment that I made for him so little that he gave it away without knowing if that recipient would like it either (he chucked it in with the parcel of an ebay sale).  I suppose I can count myself lucky that he didn't just bin it.  I think that he felt that I should have known that he doesn't need any key rings (he's got one) and therefore he shouldn't have to decide what to do with one that was given to him anyway.  So work the mysterious minds of my male relatives.  Funny species that.

I'm wondering what he'll do with this year's idea of a suitable gift for him (suitable in my mind) - I thought of a hat.  He doesn't wear them (so that would be a point against) but on occasion he does need one.  It can get pretty darn cold where he lives, to the point where snow is blowing round your ears and un-be-hatted ears are no fun in weather like that!  So who knows, if I manage to hit on the right sort of colour, pattern and fit?  He might, just might, possibly, like it.  Though I won't hold my breath.

Dad is getting a pair of socks this year, if he likes it or not.  He's the one who keeps insisting that he doesn't want "any" presents at all! I mean: any!!! As in: none at all. But then he and his wife do exchange just the one present between them anyway.  So I'm not falling for that again.  I reckon he just wants to avoid getting rubbish gifts.  That's what I think.

It has one advantage: if I don't get stuff done for the occasion, I can give it to him later.  I just mustn't make the mistake of telling him that I didn't manage, or it didn't work out, or whatever, - he's just not keen on hearing that.  Better if he thinks he's really not getting anything, and then I can surprise him with a gift that I wanted him to have.  I do hope that works for the both of us.  It does for me.

So that's the two most difficult people in my life sorted: men.  What a relief!  The socks are even coming along nicely (I shall blog them soon) and I'm pretty sure that the hat is not going to present a great challenge in terms of the time needed to knit it up.  Finding a suitable pattern and trying to decide how big it needs to be, that's where the tricky bit lies.  I shall meet this challenge with steely determination and fortitude!

I also already started the gift for my mother.  And I won't say, just yet, what it is because between my sister and my mother it is just possible that one of them might read this blog.  So best keep that to myself.

I have an idea for my sister's present which may change because it involves a fabric I found that I think she might like but I'm not at all sold on whether she might like the item that I'm thinking of making.  It would be the sort of thing that she probably won't wear, doesn't really need and therefore might not like all that much (in comparison to all sorts of other things that I could make for her instead) but it would look utterly darn gorgeous and I think she'd like it - even if it ended up just being hung up and admired.  Err... maybe admired.  I'm not actually that sure about that part either.  Oh dear!

So the plans are drawn up, some of the work has been started, I will keep on the look-out for those materials that I still need - and I'll be doing more thinking work to try and test the present ideas for my siblings against some kind of reality check.  If I can bear to do that...

Just one thing's for sure: I won't be making any more key ring attachments for my brother.  Not a single one.  I wonder why...