I've got big plans for next Christmas

[~Megan~]

I figure if I start right now I should be able to get homemade gifts knitting for everyone next year. I'm focusing mainly on socks. Handmade socks are so comfy! The people I'd be knitting for understand handmade and I think would definitely appreciate the gifts.

I'm planing boot socks for dh, some lacey socks for dd1, striped socks for ds, not sure what for dd2.
Socks for mil and fil too. Socks for grandpa and something for his wife, not sure.

Hats for the nieces and nephews perhaps with matching scarves, if not then the hats will be something complicated.

Fingerless mitts for mom and sister. Not sure what for bro because he will be deployed then but I'm not sure where so I'll need to wait and see what would work best.

If I do two projects per month I'll be in great shape for Christmas!

Anyone else starting really early?

[Sailor]

I have this plan EVERY year.

I finished none of my knitted gifts this year. I did manage quilts for everyone (small, blanket size). But, I was finishing the last one on xmas morning, lol.

So, as usual, right after xmas, I said to myself "I'm starting now for next xmas."

We'll see. I haven't started yet.

But, I really want to make my mom a sweater, my grandmother a shawl, my partner a scarf, my grandfather a scarf, my aunts shawls. It's a lot of knitting, and maybe some crochet thrown in. So, I really DO need to start now if I hope to finish by the holidays!

[1growingsprout]

I always have a couple projects in the works... i crochet so that goes pretty quick... right now im in a blanket groove

[weliveintheforest]

I'm thinking about doing this, but don't want to make scarves and hats that may or may not get worn. I am thinking about knitting stockings, maybe felting them.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

I would so love to do this, but unfortunately most of the people I give presents to don't appreciate hand made. I would most likely get an "Ummm... Oh... Thanks." I am going to try to give my son a hand made Christmas, so he should be ok with it. I would LOVE to make one of the play mats I have read about on here. I also want to make him a sweater and I am not sure what else.

[Kabes]

I don't think I could do it. Even if I was an accomplished ennough knitter make all those things. I would never to hold onto a FO from March until December I would be too excited to gift it (not enough will power!).

[gingerstar]

Good idea, Megan. I should start planning, too.
And for your brother, what about a knitted helmet liner? (Of course, this is a little presumptuous, since he could be going out on a submarine and not need a helmet at all... )

But I think I'm like Kabes, would have a hard time waiting, especially if I was pleased with how it turned out. I made BAWK hot water bottle cozies for my extended family members, and it was all I could do to keep them a surprise, and I knitted them in Nov and Dec!
(Non-Rav linky here)

[NiteNicole]

I'm not doing much knitting but I have started for next year (with a few birthdays thrown in). What keeps me from giving stuff away because I'm just SO EXCITED? That pile of finished stuff. It's just very satsifying to look at a stack of things I've finished, all sitting there in one place. It's only small now but I can tell I'm going to miss it when it's gone.

[kennedy444]

I saw this in the Garnet Hill cataloge and thought it would be so much fun to make for next year. I plan to find some great colors and start on it later this month. Good way for me to practice mittens. (never done them)

[courtenay_e]

I'm a newbie and mittens large enough for a real person's hand are pretty easy...I made three pair in a week that were giftable. But I saw that, too, in the catalogue, and thought that perhaps I'd start later in the year trying to make it...because I thought the smaller versions might be more difficult to make well!

[courtenay_e]

Oh, and Megan, I am planning on starting soon, as well! I'll be at a lot of births in the coming year, and will need to work on at least a few things that are mindless and can be put down and picked up without a WHOLE lot of attention to a pattern...so I'll have varying degrees of easy gifts to make. I DO have an immediate family who appreciates handmade for gifts (they loved their hats, scarves, mittens, and dishcloths for christmas this year, and used the cold weather gear on their way out to the car when they left!). I would LOVE to try my hand at socks in the near future, and make at least three of them socks for next year...two of them boot socks (used to buy them hand made boot socks every year when we went to ireland, but since we're poorer and can't afford to go see extended family, I'll have to learn to make them myself!), and one just a cozy pair of warm socks. We have a couple of shops in the area who teach the class with two socks being worked on at the same time, which would be a GREAT idea for me! We'll see...it means I'll have to look at some fun sock yarn. Whee!