Every year I tell myself that this Christmas is going to be the year I’m going to invest time and put some effort into making a present for the special people on my list. Prior years I have failed, been unable to create something that would be suitable.
My Mom used to knit, but due to the arthritis in my fingers, shoulders and neck, I have not been able to follow in her footsteps. Then, while shopping in the craft aisle of a local chain store, I spotted a round loom. I used a tiny one when I was a child, but these were people versus doll-sized.
My Aunt spends months knitting hats, which she donates to the city’s disadvantaged. She came over one day and was knitting hats on the loom. One hat took her a few hours. It sparked my interest wondering if the loom could help me to achieve my goal and overcome my arthritic joints. Living in Canada, our winters can be long and cold. A nice hat would be perfect for most of the persons on my gift list.
So at the end of July, I decided to start my holiday gift-making quest. Instead of using standard yarn, I purchased a large skein of Bernat Blanket yarn. It is soft, colorful and extra thick. This meant I only had to wind each peg with one string yarn instead of two. I found a video to show me how to start and I was on my way.
While I can only loom knit for a half hour a day due to my joints, energy and pain levels, I was able to knit a hat in roughly a week. As the hat grew, I must admit that I was unsure as to how to get it off the loom once I was finished. Again I referred to a video, which gave instructions to tie off the end row.
With the large skein of yarn I purchased I will be able to make several economical gift hats. And each person who receives a hat has something that I made with my own two hands, something not sold by the hundred in stores. Each person who receives a hat will receive a gift of my time.