considering you can buy a nice microfiber for like $5 that would seem pointless. but it's the thought that counts. i used to crochet blankets but the dogs always adopted them so i gave up.

Yeah, I like the idea of making things myself. It's not that he needs a blanket, it's that I'm taking the time to make one for him.

 

Also, I dunno. "Here, I got you a cheap $5 blanket for Christmas. Cheers."

vs

"Here, I spent hours and days and weeks and months knitting this blanket for you, because you're worth the time."

I always appreciate homemade gifts more.

meh. i like to give the presents without the beholdenness. that's why i mainly give them to kids. kids never feel beholden.

blanket thats pretty cool

Cos they're not just an investment of money (if at all), they're an investment of time. And energy. And you can always get more money, but time is one thing you can't get more of.

I admire anyone who can knit

meh. i like to give the presents without the beholdenness. that's why i mainly give them to kids. kids never feel beholden.

I'm not sure what you mean.

i always feel guilty and awkward getting gifts. especially homemade ones. like you can never thank someone ebough for that, and they have a mental tally of how much they should be thanked. not you, i'm talking about people i know.

In my opinion it's pretty much one of the coolest things you could to to just whip out some needles and wool and knit away

I admire anyone who can knit

Ha, I know, right? I am still just a beginner, I learned earlier this year. It's not that hard, the basic stuff, but I am still afraid to tackle the tougher stuff. XD

i mean the more efort you put into a gift, the more the recipient feels like they owe you. socially. it's something the humans keep track of in the back of their minds.

i can't knit. crocheting is easy.

i always feel guilty and awkward getting gifts. especially homemade ones. like you can never thank someone ebough for that, and they have a mental tally of how much they should be thanked. not you, i'm talking about people i know.

Ah, right. Do they really, or is that just how you feel?

 

Cos yeah...sometimes I feel like I owe people something (like when there's no real reason at all for them to give me a gift but they do it anyway), but most of the time, I recognize that it's a symbol of their esteem for me. It's not about them, it's about me. Not everyone feels that way about gifts, I think it depends a lot on your culture, how you were raised, your family, your friends, and your personality; but in general, that's the accepted definition of what a gift is. It's free, no strings attached.

I can't crochet. XD Yet. I learned when I was 7 or 8, but I stopped a month or two after I learned, and I haven't gotten around to picking it back up yet.

My sister sat down to try and teach me, but she's not the best teacher ever...not that she did a bad job, she just wasn't able to present it in a format that I would be able to pick up on easily.

Also, she only had one crochet hook (and a small one, too), because we couldn't find any of her other ones, so I couldn't try it out while she was showing me.

That's how I learn stuff like that the best. Watch someone else do it once or twice. Try it myself. Watch them again. Try it again. Watch and try.

My friend actually gave me a DVD that showed me the basics of knitting.

That's how I learned. XD

And some of the patterns I downloaded free from Ravelry, had terms I wasn't familiar with, so I looked them up online, and watching videos is really helpful.

Actually, probably all of the patterns I downloaded have terms I don't understand.

If I could knit I don't think I'd ever buy a beanie or gloves again

Oh, there's one blanket I started, I'm making it with scrap yarn, so it'll be ugly, but it looks REALLY cool and it's REALLY simple to make, too. It's neat.

If I could knit I don't think I'd ever buy a beanie or gloves again

I know, right? Crocheting, too. And there are so many cool patterns out there!!!

I think a good half of the patterns I downloaded are gloves and hats. XD A few scarves, some socks, and a lot of blankets and other random stuff. XD