Ambivalence vs. Expectation

Everybody is talking about Christmas presents. Some bloggers have had gifts done for months now. I'm just feeling ambivalent about it. With my sister in Utah now, and my brother in Iraq, going "home" for the holidays just doesn't seem that exciting. On Christmas eve, tradition is such that the family sits in a particular order at the table. This year, it will be Stefan and me holding up our end of the table. I'm anticipating a very mixed-emotion holiday.

No one in my family really expects gifts. Now that I have a job that pays a living wage and am old enough to feel guilty for not bringing gifts, I feel like I should give gifts, at least to those who give me one. The question of whether to buy the gifts or to make them is ever present these days. Last year, I was way too ambitious. I ended up giving Christmas gifts in the summer. Because I'm a knitter, I feel like the hand-made gift is what I should give. Since the family doesn't expect a gift from me, they don't expect a knitted gift either. But knitted gifts make sense. It's what I do and who I am, right? It is like giving a piece of myself, which is really the best kind of gift. So, I'm going to make small gifts until I'm tired of them. I'll give those out and buy the rest. I've got three finished already, but I can't show a picture since they will be gifted soon.

The socks are finished. I gave them to Aimee. I bound off too tightly on the second sock and had to redo it so she could pull it over her heel. They are snug, and difficult to get on, but she says she likes them. I liked the pattern--it was as if it were written for me: Turkish cast-on, toe-up, worked on double-pointed needles, in yarn I had. I screwed up the pattern a little bit and made the cables a smidge closer together. It still looks good, but I wonder if that's one of the reasons they are so snug. I think socks may be best knit on yarn with some added stretch, too. Koigu is so pretty, though.