Now I Get It

***Originally published on December 9th, 2011***

This time of the year holds a really weird energy for me.  Right around now of every year, when it feels like the whole country — both online and off — is deeply entrenched in fall and holiday craziness and shopping frenzies and steaming hot beverages in mitten-clad hands, I jump right on the bandwagon, promoting gift ideas and commiserating with the woes of endless gift lists that we just didn’t get an early enough jump on.

But in reality, I don’t personally celebrate any of these holidays, and haven’t since sometime around middle school.  I get so excited about the excitement about the holidays that I kind of dissociate from the idea that all the family get-togethers and gift-giving and cookie eating actually does happen, while I’m at home enjoying a cozy night of cooking and knitting, or the cliche Jewish Christmas of Chinese food and a movie, in an eerily silent city.

Until I was invited to spend this Christmas in Wisconsin, with Jesse’s family.  A real Christmas, on apparently every level imaginable, right down to the tree and stockings and snow.  And apparently a lobster dinner on Christmas Eve.  Is this normal?  I guess if we’re going to do it, let’s do it all the way, right?  I think there also might be sledding involved.  I need some new boots.

So here’s the deal.  All of a sudden, there is a family (whom I’ve never met before, let me make clear) to get gifts for, and while my split personality of retailer and anti-consumerist plays an incessant game of tetherball in my head, I have to say, I’m excited about this idea.

And now I get it!

I have a deadline, people, and things to knit and crochet for people I don’t know (but special people, like moms and dads and brothers and sister-in-laws).  So here’s my plan: supplemented with savory bath and home goodies from some of my favorite UCU vendors, his mom and dad get a set of knitted dish cloths, and his brother and sister-in-law get a set of crocheted coasters!

Now I’ve shared my enthusiasm with you before about dish cloths, but here I just have to reiterate.  Best project ever. There are few other projects for which you can have absolutely no plan, and just wind up six baby cones of yarn (two-ouncers!), grab a pair of needles, and three hours later find yourself with a beautiful gift set.

It’s been awhile since I’ve indulged in the dish cloth, so in a selfish plan to explore not one but two different patterns, I went with two solid colors for a Ballband Dish Cloth (which looks fabulous in solid or semi-solid contrasting colors), and two blended colors for a Feather and Fan Dish Cloth (which still shows up really well, even if you’ve got a very heathered yarn like this one).

Total cost for this fabulous dish cloth set: $15.50 (great gift idea! I’m saying this with authentic enthusiasm now).