Reactions to your knitted gifts...

[SandraS]

I did a long tube scarf for my adult son and was sure he would toss it in the closet. Imagine my thrill and delight when I found out he was wearing it and showing it off as in "see what my Mom made"! Needless to say he gets a new one every Christmas now. I told him a man in a scarf is very GQ.
I did a blanket for my step grandson that he loved to pieces. He drug it around until it had holes, then asked me to fix it! The hole was big enough to put my head through. He also wanted another blanket and he got it! It's always a thrill when your work is appreciated, and a real bummer when it's not. I'm careful about who gets my hand work just for that reason.

[blueygh2]

I haven't had the joy of giving something as a present yet, but I'm working on it. This afghan is going to take ages, and then assembling, oh oh... Hopefully it will be appreciated.

[phisch]

I knit a Danica scarf in Patons SWS for my MIL. She loves it! She wears it as often as she can (I made sure the scarf's colors were in her wardrobe) and likes tell me her friends can't believe it was hand made.

I love her. Heehee.

[Cynamar]

I haven't made a gift yet, either. I made a scarf for Julianne after she picked out yarn from my stash. She says she loves it but I don't know if she has used it. I made another with my Knifty Knitter Flower Loom thingy and made one for my cousin with it. I haven't seen the cousin to give it to her but I think she will love it. I wish I could make Julianne want more hand-knitted things.

Like everyone else, I have all kinds of horror stories about presents that weren't liked, but I have one nice story that makes it all worthwhile. I knitted something for the women in my family for Christmas, and they met their presents with varying degrees of delight. Some, I am sure, are not being worn at all, and some set about immediately altering theirs so that they would be more to their liking.

But my darling Nana, who taught me how to knit in the first place 1 1/2 years ago (with help from the videos on this web site - shush, don't tell her) looked at the hat that I had made her, really looked at it, turning it all over in her hands like most of us would with a bit of knitting, and then she looked at me and said, in this absolutely sincere tone, "I'm really proud of you."

Few people have said something in my life that meant more to me than those few words.

[msoebel]

I made my dd a sweater that she loves. Actually, since then, I have made her several things because she appreciates them soooo much. There is a moment of pure pride on my part when my little girl walks up to someone and tells them, "Do you see this?(holding knitted item to be examined) My mommy made it for me because she loves me. Isn't it beautiful?"

No wonder I knit for her so much!

[margz3]

What a beautiful prayer shawl! Well, let see...one year I made scarfs for all the bartenders at my local VFW for Christmas - they all loved them (I work there PT too). I have made them for my DD (who is always asking for more) and some of her friends. When I first got back into knitting, I made my mom an afgan which she loved (along with giving her a "lap blanket" - aka a crocheted afghan that never was finished and now I can't buy the yarn ) I recently made a baby sweater for the baby of someone I work with. This was the best - he and his wife loved it - said it was one of their favorite gifts and dressed her in it all the time. Only the 2nd sweater I ever made

[dustinac]

That is wonderful! It brings her a lot of comfort I'm sure...

My kids are the same way...I know there will come a time when it will embarass them but for now they love when I knit for them

I have a friend in town that is a lot older than me (she tells everyone I'm her adopted granddaughter) and I make her slipper socks...she will wear them bare and then I will go over and see the holes and know it's time for another pair...she also loves knitted dishrags so those usually leave with her too

This Christmas I decided to knit something for our n'bors...they have been so good to us and to the kids...he will load the kids into the wagon and pull them around the field in his tractor and she is always baking them cookies...makes it nice when our families are in WV (we are in OH)....so anywho back to my point ...I made them both scarves...her a lacey one and him a cabled one...they wore them all winter and told me their friends were so jealous of them...'cause they had someone who would knit for them...they told me they showed them to everyone... ....I was so happy about this 'cause I really had no idea how the gifts would be accepted...

It makes you feel great when your things are well loved...

[gingerbread]

I was making the Irish Hiking Scarf just because. My granddaughter came over and she fell in love with it. Of course she started going through my stash. She pulled out some yarn that I bought and said can you make this color for me. So now I am making the scarf in her color. Like everyone else says it is so nice to knit something that will be loved to death.
I bought that yarn because my computer color was off. So when I got it the color was not what I liked. So now I can get rid of it and now that she is happy with that yarn she loves.

[vaknitter]

I think I give away more than I keep....my hubby has gotten 3 things and while he says he loves them he doesn't wear them as much as I would like.
The first couple of prayer shawls I made I was nervous how they would be received as I am more religious that many of my friends. I have the blessed at church and then send them on their way. Having said that I have made 4 prayer shawls and they have all been very well received.
The last pair were for 2 older ladies that I used to live next door to when I lived in my apt. They are so adorable and have outlived most of their family and friends. I think btwn them there is one son and DIL to take care of them. I wish I had taken a camera.
Another prayer shawl went to a friend from grad school who just a few months after receiving the prayer shawl died of metastatic cancer. Her husband and son called to let me know she had passed and that she cherished the prayer shawl. Her words were "it meant more than you could ever know." She was in her 40's.