To Make & To Give
With a few weeks to go until Christmas day, it's about the time to start thinking about gift giving, and if for you that might mean sewing or knitting a little something - now is the time to get to it!
Here's a quick roundup of some of our top picks for making this year. Something for the little people in your world, for him, for her. The whole family!.
Top knitting projects to give:
Mouche & Friends is the most delightful knitting book - included are patterns and detailed knitting instructions for 12 knitted toy animals, plus their garments and accessories. What a joy to receive on Christmas day - a new heirloom to be treasured for many years to come.
The patterns have been designed to be knit in 4ply / fingering weight yarn, and as such are a perfect match for soft Along Avec Anna pure merino. The Along Avec Anna yarns come in a wonderful palette that is just perfect for Mouche and her friends!
10,000 Hats - a hand knitted hat - always a wonderful gift to give that is warmly received. If your family is anything like ours, hats often get lost. It seems like we're always having to replenish! While, perhaps knitting 10,000 hats might seem a little excessive - this knitting pattern book by the same name is fun, interactive and makes choosing a new and original hat for everyone easy and lots of fun!
The book is a flip book, enabling you to mix and match the crown, body and rim of each hat. Your imagination really is your only limit!
Designed for DK / 8ply yarn, we've got lots of lovely options available - or perhaps you've got a skein or two in your stash waiting to be used?
Lover of hand knitted socks? Always well received and a super portable project to keep your hands busy. Excellent while commuting to work; waiting back stage at the school / dance show; or while sharing a cuppa and a knatter with friends.
We've got a small but beautiful range of sock knitting patterns and sock wool yarn for you to find the perfect match.
Or how about a gorgeous cowl - a beautiful addition to any wardrobe and a relaxing knit not having to worry too much about the finished size. We're big fans of the Cobbles Cowl by Elizabeth Smith. Designed for soft and squishy Malabrigo Mecha, but also equally as nice in the lighter weight 10ply Malabrigo Rios. We've just finished knitting one in Rios - it has a lovely drape and is a great weight for chilly summer evenings.
Top Sewing projects to give:
With the promise of sunny days (and burning sun down here in Aotearoa!), keep the sun at bay with a one of a kind Lucent Visor. Pair it with the Lucent Visor kit, and you'll have all the haberdashery you need - all you're left to do is choose the perfect fabric and get sewing!
A fun match with our Ditsy Japanese Poplin Fabric, or lovely in classic Washer Heavy Weight Linen
Something for him? These loads of inspiration and projects in the Gentleman's Wardrobe sewing book. How about a small stash busting wallet? An oilskin messenger bag? Or a classic shirt paired with one of our pure cotton shirting fabrics.
Summer pyjamas are another great 'don't-have-to-worry-about-the-fit-too-much' project. The Merchant & Mills Winnie Pyjamas come in two size ranges and are a perfect match for our light weight Indian Hand Printed Fabrics.
And for the person who has a lot of gear to cart - the Jack Tar Bag is a classic favourite. Often described as a tardis - this bag seems to fit just about everything! Make one in rugged oilskin, or perhaps a denim or linen for a softer look? We've also got handy Jack Tar haberdashery sets which includes the leather handles, and hardware required to whip up your own tardis!
Even more gift ideas to make....
While we are very realistic about how busy life gets, if we can find a little time, it really is quite satisfying to be able to use our hands to craft something unique and special for our loved ones. Most years there are grand visions of hand crafted gifts for all - reality is that if just one gift is handmade, then that's a success!
We love giving handmade so much that we've created a dedicated Gift section to our blog - here we've curated gift ideas, free patterns and a little inspiration for gift giving. Discover more in our Gift Ideas for makers and from makers!
And don't forget to be easy on yourself - if you only get as far as ideas and then run out of time to make....remember, it's the thought that counts! :-)
Perhaps wrap a little collection of supplies with a Makers greeting card promising to craft something with love over the coming days or weeks?
