Handmade Gifts

I am constantly surprised at the fact that people in general just don't appreciate handmade gifts. I guess they don't stop to think about the time, money, energy and love that a person puts into a handmade item. Yarns that are soft and warm are very expensive and some gifts take hours of knitting or crocheting. A good example is hand knit socks. Yes, knit socks are sold in all department stores, cost anywhere from a couple of dollars to $20 or so, but they are not even slightly comparable to a pair of hand knit socks. Once you have worn a pair of custom fit, hand knit socks, you will never be the same. It has been my experience in the past, that some people just don't get the idea at all. It takes anywhere from 8 to 40 hours to knit or crochet a handmade item, depending on what the item is and the amount of time the artist has to devote to creating it. Not to mention the cost. Good sock yarn averages about $20 per ball and it takes 2 balls to make a pair of socks for an adult. Yes, you can buy several pair of socks for $40, but they won't be the same. Blankets and throws take much longer to knit and much more yarn. Then there are quilts. Hours and hours of cutting, measuring, constructing and then quilting. Artists make handmade gifts because they love doing it, and cost and time is no object to them. They love the people they are doing the item for, and want to do something special for them. They put all their love and creativity into these gifts, as well as many hours. The next time you are given a handmade gift, stop and think about what goes into making one.