Letters
Life with Wool: Maker’s Month
For makers, life is a series of rituals. This is especially true here in Maine in December.
It begins the day after Thanksgiving, when our postmistress puts out the wreath boxes.
What, you didn’t know that the USPS has wreath boxes? Our postmistress has a stockpile. They’re preassembled and stacked shoulder-high in the lobby, two rows deep.
Wreaths are a very big deal here in the country of the pointed firs. Nearly everyone I know who was born here can make a wreath with their eyes closed—and not a sloppy, amateurish one, either, but the kind that would go for upwards of $100 in the big city.
One by one, families pack their prettiest wreaths and ship them off to loved ones who left, in the hopes that the mere whiff of balsam will bring them home again.
When the wreaths are done, attention shifts to quilting or sewing or knitting or crocheting or felting or embroidering or baking or beading or canning or candying or soap-making or woodworking or metalsmithing or otherwise creating goods to fuel the string of craft fairs and raffles and baked bean suppers that keep our community centers painted, church steeples rebuilt, and oil tanks filled 365 days a year.
I don’t know about you, but I was raised in the era of shiny plastic Fisher Price toys that came in big boxes and used batteries and had electronic components that broke after a few months. That was what the holidays were meant to be about—and it’s what was depicted in ads.
If we cared enough to send the very best, the very best required a product or gadget or device. The worst thing you could do was give a handmade gift. How dare Aunt Kathy knit you a scarf when she knew you wanted an air fryer?
As we got older, the boxes got smaller and the electronics and batteries more sophisticated, but the fundamental expectation of obsolescence never left.
I’ve come to feel about this endless cycle of consumption and obsolescence like I feel about Jack Daniels, thanks to an unfortunate incident my freshman year of high school. I engage as little as possible, and always with a slight twinge of nausea.
Instead, my thoughts go to my hands. What can I do, what can I make with these hands, that would convey my gratitude to these people for being in my life? Friends and family have learned not to expect things that blink or beep or whir anymore.
My mission is to restore the handmade gift to its rightful place in the gift hierarchy. I enter the holiday season with great ambition and high hopes for my ability to carry it off.
Not everyone is a suitable recipient for a handknitted gift. They could be the finest people, don’t get me wrong. But not everyone appreciates a pair of knitted socks or can take care of that cabled sweater in a manner that’s remotely proportional to the amount of time and energy you put into it. It’s just a recipe for disaster.
And so I step into December with a long list of brilliant handmade gifts for everyone I can think of—things that are knitted or sewn or embroidered or embellished in some way that conveys a touch of the personal.
About one week into December comes the inevitable moment of reckoning between my lofty handmade ambitions and the crushing inevitability of that thing called “time.” The conclusion is always the same: If I can’t make everything myself, I can still support someone who did.
Conveniently, I always reach this conclusion a few days before the big holiday craft fair at the Waldorf school. Even if you arrive early, the street is parked up for a half mile in either direction.
It’s a mob of Hallmark holiday merriment with woodsmoke and fir garlands and frolicking children, Dixie cups of apple cider and donuts and $2 hotdogs expertly served by volunteer parents, and a gymnasium filled with things that don’t blink or beep or come with any planned obsolescence.
I find two sweet wooden ornaments that were made by a wood turner whose soon-to-be-husband cuts down trees for a living. (How’s that for a love match?) Then, a small clay tile with a hand-drawn chickadee on it.
A booth heaped with colorful aprons and placemats and oven mitts draws me in. They’re all sewn from vintage fabric the maker spends her year scouring yard sales to find. Do I need an apron with cowgirls and saguaros on it? Why yes. Yes I do.
Eventually, having supported my fellow makers and consumed my fill of cider donuts, I return home to a far more manageable remaining gift list.
And if time gets even shorter, I can always fall back to a few humble pairs of Maine Morning Mitts from my first book The Knitter’s Book of Yarn—not because it’s the Greatest Pattern Ever Written but because I know it by heart and can knit a pair in one night, using under 100 yards of leftovers in my stash.
I also love to fall back on mitts because they’re my way of extending a warm hand to those I love. Which is the whole point, right?
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A wonderful article and so true. I start planning in September or October and here it is December and I haven’t started (this year it’s crocheting instead of knitting) and all I’ve done is gather yarn and patterns. I’m ready to mail what I found at our local gallery fine arts craft show instead. Maybe I’ll get a few cute little chickens done for those living near me. I love the season!
Lovely, lovely essay. Thanks Clara Parkes.
I love everything about this post. We knitters are an optimistic lot when it comes to time vs number of gifts needed. Excellent idea to supplement with gifts from other makers
And thanks to one click ordering……the Knitters Book of Yarn is now my gift to myself!!!!
Oh my goodness, thank you Lisa! I hope you enjoy it.
Clara, your comments landed very, very close to home. Today will be spent working on the last two knitted gifts that can be finished prior to the postal service shipping deadlines. I, too, begin with grandiose plans for a very few knitworthy folks. The closer I get to Christmas I detour from fingering, to DK and worsted. Last week I started browsing Ravelry for bulky projects! I have found, though, that those who are knitworthy not only appreciate the effort, but do not mind a “Christmas” gift bestowed on a random Tuesday in January!
I love your evolution of gauge! This is so true!
Clara, this essay was so lovely! Thank you for sharing it with us.
The perfect post to start the day. Going to get my Knitters’s Book of Yarn right now.
Thank you for the inspiration and sentiments. Extending a warm hand really does capture the essence of the season.
Thanks for starting my Monday on a perfect note! Growing up we were a family of makers for every holiday. I try to continue this tradition for a few friends who I know are handmade worthy. I am intrigued by the mitten pattern… Next stop, Ravelry!
Sharing your passion for home crafted items , and attendance at every possible local fair. I love to see how the artisans in our area allow their creativity to morph each year and surprises with new treasures in their booths.
It IS interesting to see how that local creative spirit evolves from year to year, isn’t it?
You are right that not everyone appreciates a hand made gift, but the people who know us best will lovingly appreciate our gifts of time, effort, skill, and artistry.
I recently bartered making a cabled pullover for a friend, and she painted a large landscape for my living room. She is thrilled with the sweater and I love looking at my painting. Win/win!
What a brilliant barter you two made!
Glad to be reminded of the wonderful book: A Knitter’s Book of Yarn! I’m enjoying dipping back into it.
Much to my delight, the half of my family who live in Minnesota are asking for hats this winter. The 11 year old granddaughter asked if she coulsd also have a sweater, but since she is in a very active growth spurt we decided it ought to wait until next fall (I am hoping that by then she will have out grown the need for everything to be pink, but I am not optimistic.
Pink is always worthy of being in one’s wardrobe. My daughter and I are currently sharing this: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/deeni/sammensat-12
Love that colour of pink!
Ellen, in reviewing pictures taken over the past year for Christmas card and/or Calendar purposes, I realize this has been MY pink era, at 63. But 11 who loves pink IS likely to become 13 who loves black. However, there’s nothing like a sweater that’s a favorite, even if your taste will change.
How lovely to be graced with your writing twice today, Clara! I woke to read of your visitor in the snow in “The Daily Respite” and next opened MDK to find you had stopped in there as well. This is a beautiful essay. What a great morning!
I have been a maker since childhood. I cried reading the opening of Melanie Falick’s book “Making a Life”. I so closely related to using one’s hands to create. I rarely spend a day in which I am not lost in running yarn through my fingers, a brush through paint, or fabric under a needle. (Retirement is truly wonderful!)
Yesterday, I finished watercolor painting and lettering thirty Christmas cards. I also carved a linoleum block and printed the envelopes adding some painting there as well. I never felt the time was wasted. It was a balm to my soul to have all else in my world fall away as I worked. I know the envelope will be opened and then tossed away. It will be passed through many hands though where it hopefully does not prompt “What lunatic does this?”, but instead a quiet moment of seeing something lovely.
Now I need to get on to those wine cork Christmas tree gifts and the hundreds of corks I have amassed! 🙂
Your cards sound wonderful! And I’m curious about the wine cork Christmas trees. They sound fun and I have corks!! Are you using a pattern?
Val, Sharon may have been referring to these: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pint-sized-pines
They’re simply adorable and knit up in a minute!
Thank you for sharing your joys of the days.
Just reading all the gorgeous creative ways you’re expressing yourself, it’s such an inspiration! And I beg to differ, I bet you those envelopes will be saved and cherished, along with those cards.
Wonderful story Clara! Knit on!
The rush to get the local craft show’s Lincoln longwool hat done for my husband (he picked out the yarn, so not a surprise), the hiding away of the WIP second hat for him that WILL be a surprise, and the wish that the grown boys would find wool sweaters not too warm.
Next up – the baked goods for immediate family, as the distant siblings all received Mexican stone-ground chocolate blocks from us this year and are already enjoying them!
Simply put, there is deep joy in making gifts for others, especially other makers. Likewise being gifted a handmade woven towel or a “one of a kind” hat or cowl, or bespoke cosmetic bag, etc…all will carry the memory of the giver and the special occasion far beyond the expected life of those shiny gadgets. My life is full of precious handmade gifts from others and when I pick them up to wipe my hands or warm my head, an ordinary day is transformed by memory and gratitude.
Thank you for sharing your town. It truly conjures up a Hallmark movie. I would like to put that craft fair at Waldorf school on my bucket list.
Such a lovely article and hits home. I know myself by this point and those lofty goals now lead me to making an ornament each year for those I most cherish. I have done this since about 1980 and try to hit on a theme of something about the year that was significant for me. Over the years, celebrations, classes I took, travel I’ve done have all manifested into a memory on the tree (Sculpey clay and a glue gun are my magic weapons!) The recipients love them and I love decorating my tree yearly and reliving the memory of why I made the ornament. Long live handmade!
I wish I lived in coastal Maine! Thank you for this lovely article.
And thank you for Maine Morning Mitts. I made a pair for my daughter and her roommates swooned so much I had to make 3 more pairs!
Mitts for everyone! I love that you did this!
Thank you for putting into words the importance of what I’ve shown my children and what I’m trying to teach my five grandchildren. Handmade gifts are such keepsakes! One Christmas long ago, my son wrote a poem, my daughter made a small doll stuffed with cotton, and these years I have a variety of quirky ceramic treasures. Happy handmade holidays to all!
Thank you for the lovely essay! Makes me realize how much I miss the garden, art & craft fairs I found living in the Pacific Northwest.
Love reading your thoughts and ideas about gifting to others. Knitters always think about knitting for friends, but there are only so many hours in a day. Supporting other crafters is such a caring way to gift. Many Thanks and Happy Holidays from one in MA.
I LOVED your article about makers and givers of holiday gifts!
It is wonderful to be able to give hand made gifts to those who appreciate them and to support other crafters in buying and giving their hand made items.
You have truly captured the real meaning of the holiday.
Years, maybe 20 or so, a co-worker and friend of my husband’s ga pre us a hand crocheted throw. It’s all acrylic, that off white neutral color and the kind you often see in someone’s grandmother’s home. It has been on our bed since we received it,curling up with cats or kids or Covid. It is what I call a “cast iron blanket” as it will never die. I know the time put into it and I mention it everything our paths cross. It inspired me to knit “cast iron blankets” for babies that are meant to be used, first as a nap blanket, the off to college throw for the bed and later maybe the new puppy bed. Love ‘em if you got ‘em.
Great essay Clara! Love the phrase “fundamental expectation of obsolescence” – fits in with the documentary “Buy Now.” We are being taught 24/7 that this is our expectation. The first step is to break this cycle.
Good Morning Clara!! I got a great chuckle this morning when I got to the “Aunt Kathy” in your story! I’m the Aunt Kathy for real in my family! I have gifted sweaters and baby blankets with ‘mostly’ success but they are unendingly kind whenever they receive them. I just never do it for the holidays or birthdays. Deadlines reduce my pleasure in the making. Happy Holidays to you and everyone here at MDK.
Hello Aunt Kathy! Any recipient of your creative efforts, regardless of time of year, is lucky indeed.
Thank you! Everything in the article touched my heart. I make something for my family every year, but since none of them are makers, I am not sure how much it means. I rarely see anything used. Although I do have to say that the scarf I knitted for my grandson (age 15) is used on every boy scout camping trip. It is looking somewhat worse for wear, but I love that. I cherish the items made by my mother and grandmother. Now, off to order the book so it can go under the Christmas tree.
Thank you, Clara for your article and your discussion about handmade gifts!! I’ve always tried to give gifts that I’ve made over the years. Sometimes the gifts were cross stitched, embroidered, or more recently knitted. I’ve even sewed sequins on year round calendars. I often gifted these to my mother-in-law when she was alive. These calendars look great, but sewing sequins by hand is time consuming!!
Happy holidays to you!!
Thank you Clara Parkes! I inhaled your post with joy and not only could identify with every word, but found much “gift” confirmation! I, too, have been known to support many local makers in my quest to meet the mailing date deadline for the holidays. I am gifting myself “The Knitter’s Book of Yarn” ❤️
Thank you Clara for sharing your woolly talents. I had forgotten about all the patterns in The Knitter’s Book of Yarn – I have had this book since I retired and rediscovered what I had forgotten I had! I usually do not wait too long to knit for Christmas – my days of burning the midnight oil ended some years ago – a learned trait in college that aging did not embrace. I am on time this year but closer to the deadline than I prefer. Knitting gifts as you described is such an act of love. We may have to alter our preferences to accommodate the practices of loved ones by using super wash wool….all the while continuing their education in hopes of helping them to see the error of their ways. Of course, it does have its place especially in baby and toddler knits. Love wins over practicality. I so appreciate your desire to share. Merry Christmas.
This post sent me off on a lovely spiral home to Western New York! I followed the link for the Maine Mountain Mitts, then saw a sidebar about Slow Stashing and a comment there about donating yarn sent me off to Stitch Buffalo…..what a wonderful website! I have now purchased 12 of the hand stitched and embroidered pins for all the girls and women in our family. It makes me happy to buy handmade ornaments, from an organization using fiber arts to help integrate and support immigrants. (My pins were made by women from Nepal, Afghanistan, and Burma, and I loved seeing their names and photos.
Thanks for the start of what was a very satisfying morning. My Christmas gifts carry my love, and the handmade love of the makers.
yay to handmade gifts!
Thank you for that tiny glimpse into the girl you were in HS and from whom you have grown. I love the Maine that your being has steeped in and the life to which I am ever more drawn. I have fewer and fewer knit-worthy people in my life (i.e., my children all live in deserts) but I can still bake spritz cookies and learn to pipe better every year.
I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season and (fingers-crossed) uneventful new year.
You write so beautifully and help turn the world into a lovely place. I’m to go pull your book off my shelf and cast on a pair of mints.
Great article Clara. I also have time issues. Wish I had a wonderful holiday fair to help with my list.
I related to this so much Clara. Thank you.
I think I will make some little mittens.
You, my almost-neighbor, are a treasure. As for the Morning Mitts, I’m happy to report that The Book of Yarn was on my wish list for the family this year, so maybe NEXT year I can return the favor with the added bonus of stash busting! Since I get to live in Maine also (I’m hoping I will in a second 20 years be a Mainer by adoption since not by birth), I can just FEEL being in the craft fair, the treats, the joy of supporting other makers here. Yep. MAINE is a national treasure. Thanks for being part of it and part of knitting and sharing.
Up until today I thought this is the year I’m not making for others- I think too many not knit worthy family moments- but this is the better balance since I just haven’t been able to pull the Amazon lever; make for a few, support other kinds of makers for gifts for NKW’s.. thanks! Love your writing!
just broke my elbow so no xmas gifts from me this year. the arthropod said no driving but did not respond when I asked about knitting. glad other makers can make this year.
I love this, Clara! I so appreciate a handmade gift! I have a friend who uses the term “knit worthy” for a friend or relative who she knows will appreciate a knitted gift from her❤️
I just finished a pair of Maine Morning Mitts for my daughter!
But when Christmas required Fisher-Price toys, did you have small children? I have many memories of Fisher-Price Christmases with toys that did not go Bing when they moved and Bop when they stopped and Whirrrr when they stood still. Some buildings and little people are still up in my attic; now that the grand children have grown out of them, I suppose I should give them to some family with small children. There were two precious, sweet, unmechanized dolls; I still have one-she’s not going anywhere! There were a Merry-go-round and a record player that were “wind-up” – no batteries- and played plastic discs and were accessible to small hands with developing fine motor coordination-and a sink and a stove and a doctor kit and a tool kit-cleverly designed to do some realistic things without electricity. And some were hand-me-downs or came from the thrift store, because those puppies were built to last! I could go on and on. I have gone on and on! I have very fond memories of those Christmases and those toys and the kids, two generations at least, who played with them.
I love this in so many ways. My youngest grandson just asked for a pair of hand knitted RED mittens! The knitting Gods have blessed me with a grandchild who loves hand knitted things. He responds to any knitted item he gets with “Did you make this for ME Nana? I will knit that kid anything he wants forever….
Thank you, Clara. As usual your eloquence is superb. And you make me smile and inspired. And it is so needed. I have been a fan for a very long time when I discovered Knitty Reader. Enjoy the holidays, folks. ttfn
Thank you for a lovely reminder to support those who make by hand. I do believe I’ve made a pair of Maine Morning Mitts. Excellent pattern.