Love you can hold in your hands -- holiday gifts

Wow, it is Chanukah. And, nearly Christmas. And Boxing Day. And Kwanzaa. And New Year's! 2009 is nearly upon us.

I am hunkering down as what more can we do when the morning starts out at 1 degree F and zooms up to only 3 by lunchtime? Jackie gives thanks for her crocheted sweater as I carry her outside, put her down, she pees, I pick her up...no words are really needed for my little Chihuahua of 6 years. She knows the drill by now.

What I love about this time of year is making gifts. Thankfully, our family values homemade/handmade gifts and there is no pressure to spend a lot of money. I've made scarves and hats this year; an altered book too. I've learned more about types of yarn and am finding out how much difference the yarn and the needle size make when crocheting. The same pattern in different yarn and needle size makes a huge difference. Without changing my pattern, I worked up several different looks to fit each person's personality and needs. Glamourous and fluffy for one. Natural fibers and hand-dyed colors for another. Soft and beautifully muted Monet's water lilies hues for my mom. Muted blues and blonds in a wool and soybean protein (?) mix for Mark. It's been a joy to work on these things!

I hope the recipients will know the love that went into making them. And I sure hope I guess right on the colors and styles!

Happy Holidays one and all!

PS: The hat shown above was made from a pattern in "Vogue Knitting on the Go: Crocheted Hats" which you can find at Amazon.