Comments on: Homemade Gift Series #7: Crocheted Hat and Scarf

By: Kai

Kai — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 03:28:19 +0000

For those who like this sort of stuff, it can be great. You don’t really need patterns for tuques though. Once you’ve done one or two and get the idea of how they go together, you can simply leave it all to your imagination. I knit and crochet, and have made all kinds of tuques. The only one that came from a pattern was the first.

By: Karen

Karen — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 15:37:52 +0000

Little model in the making….she is adorable.

By: Darla

Darla — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 17:47:11 +0000

In addition to the Lion Brand tutorial, I recommend YouTube for videos to help you learn. I especially recommend The Art of Crochet by Teresa, she has covered about any aspect of Crochet you want to learn. YouTube is a great resource to help you learn how to do so many things, or how to repair something. I learned how to fix my sewing machine, saving me a $59 service fee.

By: Courtney

Courtney — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 21:09:20 +0000

Pretty hat and scarf and very cute little girl!

By: Hope D

Hope D — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 20:44:49 +0000

I would love to learn to make a Dr. Who (Tom Baker) scarf.

By: Carole

Carole — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 17:47:16 +0000

Another thought–I was bald in the winter a couple of years ago because I underwent chemo. I purchased several of this style of cap because I didn’nt like to wear my wig very well. So if you know anyone in this situation it would make a helpful gift.

By: Kittie

Kittie — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 16:46:39 +0000

@Renee Far kinder to give it to anyone who might admire it. One person’s “gaudy” is another person’s “fabulous”. You might suggest what colors you really prefer to this person who puts their hard effort into something you dispose of.

By: renee

renee — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 15:23:23 +0000

I love home made gifts. My G’ma must be related to Jane’s Uncle, I always get gaudy scarves, but what a conversation starter. Wear them until you see a homeless person, then give the scarf to them.

By: Jane

Jane — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 14:09:48 +0000

You have to be sure that people like knitted scarves and hats, though. I have an uncle who hands out girly scarves every Christmas to all the ladies in the family, and while they are well done, the colors and yarn he chooses just aren’t my style. I feel bad, but I don’t wear them. Having said that, the blankets he knits are fabulous and we always fight over them in the winter!

By: Kathy

Kathy — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 14:08:12 +0000

Knitpicks.com is a place I go to get yarn at a decent price. They have natural fibers/natural-synthetic fiber blends (which I prefer over 100% man made fibers.). You can get a skein of 100% wool for $2.00.

You can also hit the thrift stores for sweaters, unravel them, and re-use the yarn that way, too. There are tutorials online on how to do this. I once found a cashmere sweater at a local Goodwill for $8. I decided that this sweater was for wearing, but I could have easily decided to recycle the yarn. You can’t even get 1 skein of 100% cashmere yarn for under $10.

Knitting and crochet are also very tactile hobbies and that’s something people should keep in mind because that can factor in whether or not someone enjoys the craft and what kind of yarn they are going to buy. Synthetic yarns will always be cheaper than yarns made from natural fibers. If you take up the craft, and you don’t like how the synthetic yarns feel as you work with them, that’s going to affect how much you spend on materials and it’s something to keep in mind. But there are deals to be had out there if you know where to look. :-)

But that being said, I’ve knitted and given things to other people, who really appreciated the time and the effort I put into making something that was unique and made just for them. Money never factored into my decision to do so. I decided to knit and give these to people because I wanted to do something special for them. Perhaps this may not be the most frugal way to give a handmade gift, but time and effort and thoughtfulness always trump money. :-)

By: Diane

Diane — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 02:36:26 +0000

I have to second the Ravelry recommendation. It’s a really great resource for looking for patterns and other knitting/crochet information.

By: Looby

Looby — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 02:11:25 +0000

Your daughter looks so like you!
A great source for free knitting and crochet patterns is Ravelry, you do have to sign up to access everything but it is great. I particularly like that you can record all the yarn and needles that you own, so you don’t accidentally buy duplicates.

By: Riki

Riki — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 01:40:40 +0000

Needle crafts like knitting or crocheting generally make me want to jam the needle in my eye . . . so maybe that’s why I always really appreciate getting these types of items as gifts. Really good idea, although it’s important to remember to leave enough time to finish without stress. It takes practice to produce work that neat.

Sarah did a great job! Perfect work.

By: friend

friend — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 23:41:11 +0000

This would be super-easy to knit, too (and then you could use your needle). Cute!

By: Molly

Molly — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 23:14:25 +0000

Cheap yarn store I recently found online: smileysyarns.com Caveat: minimum $50 order plus $13 S/H, but the yarn is as low as A DOLLAR A SKEIN. Quite cheap if you’re going through it fast.

By: Stacy

Stacy — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 22:00:12 +0000

That is a beautiful picture of your daughter… the scarf and hat are awesome, too. I’m loving the gift series!

By: Tamara

Tamara — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:14:32 +0000

You actually need a hook, not a needle to crochet.

By: Aerin

Aerin — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:04:20 +0000

Beautiful! I love to crochet, and enjoy making gifts for other people. You can keep it extra-frugal by looking for yarn at 2nd-hand stores. I often find brand new balls of yarn at Value Village. I guess people plan to learn to knit or crochet, then change their minds and donate the yarn. I recently got enough colour-coordinated yarn (nice blues and grays) to make a whole afghan, and the whole batch cost less than $20. Considering that one ball of quality yarn can cost $8 or so, this was a real score!

I love this home-made gift series! I love to make and receive home-made gifts. Don’t let the haters bitching get to you. Anyone who doesn’t appreciate a hand-made scarf doesn’t deserve one.

By: todo es bien

todo es bien — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:03:35 +0000

What a beautiful daughter you have! Congratulations on being blessed and wealthy in so many ways. jcw