>Clueless about what to get that deserving crocheter on your gift list? Here are my top ten Gifts for Crocheters, from tiny treasures to a total mind-blowing finale.

1) Yarn. First, foremost and forever it’s about yarn. Whether it’s one really special ball of yarn to stuff in a stocking, or a basket filled with enough to make an afghan, yarn is good. If you aren’t comfortable with choosing yarns and colors, then go with a gift certificate to the store or site where your crocheter likes to shop.

2) Crochet hooks. Don’t think that just because your crocheting loved one already owns dozens of hooks that a few more wouldn’t be welcome. One can never have too many hooks. Hey, what if the H-8 (5.00 mm) hook you’re using for that scarf accidentally gets dropped and jammed between the sofa cushions. Extras come in handy. If you are in doubt as to which style or size hooks to purchase, simply peek into the tool chest and see what’s in there. Get one of the same. No kidding, this is not a stupid gift. It’s thoughtful. From 2-5 dollars at the craft store, but up to 20 or 30 dollars for hand carved, special woods and fancy doo-dad ones.

3) Stitch markers. For crochet you need the kind of markers that can open and shut, like those round split ring or little plastic safety pin ones. I’ve lost so many sets of Clover safety pins and swear to have back-ups at all times. Around 5 dollars.

4) Storage. All that stuff had got to live somewhere. For yarn, projects in progress and for those nasty UFOs (unfinished objects) I like medium sized pop-up hampers. They can be flattened when not in use, pretty handy when space is limited. Also consider crates, baskets and totes, or carry-alls created specifically for yarn crafts. Anywhere from a couple of bucks for a plastic basket to 50 or more for a designer bag.

5) Really good scissors. I mean REALLY good. I splurged on my first pair of Gingher 4-inch embroidery scissors and they’ve become indispensable. Around 15 dollars.

6) Magazine subscriptions. See which ones she buys, the ones you find lying around the house everywhere. Interweave Crochet, Crochet Today, CROCHET! are some of my must-see mags. If she already has subscriptions, check to see if you can add time to them. Maybe 20-30 dollars for a year.

7) Hand cream. For soft, smooth hands and happier handwork.

8) Books. Stitch guides or dictionaries are superb additions to any crocheter’s library, no matter what her skill level. Great for reference or for inspiration. My favorites are the Harmony Guides. 20-30 dollars, with possibly better online deals at sites like Amazon. Or design books. May I do a bit of shameless self-promotion and suggest the volumes listed to the left on this blog? From SFTD (Straight From Today’s Designers) you can find Crochet Belts From the Hip and the first two volumes of Strapped for Bags. And if she doesn’t own my two books Amazing Crochet Lace and Everyday Crochet, be assured they are terrific gifts.

9) Lighting. The better to see the crochet with, my dear. I swear by Ott lights that provide true color, non-glare, full spectrum illumination. There are other manufacturers, too. You can find desk and task lamps for around 30 bucks. I especially like my portable rechargeable battery lamp that can go with me anywhere, around 70 bucks. Floor lamps are versatile choices, some with bend-y necks or add-ons like a magnifying lens, from a hundred bucks and up.

10) And… the sublime grand finale…. celebrate your crochet independence with a Crochet CRUISE to Canada, July 4-9 2009 sailing from New York! Starting at around 700 for an inside cabin to over 800 for ocean view, this would be the ultimate gift. More about the cruise in future posts. For now you can see some of the early details here.

Only a dozen shopping days left, so get going. Happy, happy, joy, joy to all.

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Ah-ha! Made one. I used the new Caron Simply Soft Eco, made from acrylic and 20% recycled plastic bottles, in 0012 Wine Country, 0018 Greenfields, 0003 Wheat. Rather a Victorian Christmas colorway.

I’m offering the pattern as a free download from Ravelry. Click here.

>It never fails. Immediately after Thanksgiving, after the last dinner guests have been kicked out… uh, I mean have made their fond farewells and head home… I start hankering for Christmas. Not in a hurry-up-and-please-be-Christmas kind of way, as a kid would wish. My thoughts center on making the holiday season last as loooong as possible.

My parents had little experience with or reverence for American holiday traditions. Our little family had to make it up as we went, trying our best to assimilate and fit in with our neighbors. So we hunted for Easter eggs. Ate turkey and cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving. And even though Mom and Dad had no idea about the Christ in Christmas, they grudgingly went along with the tree, the decorations, Santa and presents because it was the thing to do.

The first tree in our house that I can remember was the most magnificent sight a five-year-old could behold. It was a tinsel tree. Yup. Silver, with a color-wheel. And it was real metal foil, not the soft mylar of today’s silver trees. This was a tree with (ouch) teeth. Gingerly, Mom put her own spin on the decorations, draping the branches with strings of Chinese lanterns and origami birds.

My mother truly enjoyed the decorating part. Long after my brothers and I fled the nest she continued (to the consternation of my dad who was sort of a grouch about most holidays) to put up garlands and lights and Christmas doo-dads all over the house. I don’t know where she learned or copied it, but one year I came home to visit and found these little handmade stockings hung everywhere.

She demonstrated how easy it was to crochet. With a few strategic tweaks to the design I was off and running my own personal stocking factory. It was my habit to begin crocheting them every season, starting just after Thanksgiving. Over the years I cranked out hundreds, as ornaments for various trees, as gifts, gift enclosures, as handy holders for candy and lucky money.

I can’t find a single one today, so in a bit I will scrounge around for some appropriate yarn and make up a sample for photography so you can see it. But for now I will post the pattern I developed from the stocking my mother showed me.

Mini Motif Stocking
Skill Level Easy
Size about 4 1/2 ” tall as shown
Materials
small amounts of worsted weight yarn in three colors
The obvious red (A) /green (B) /white (C) for Christmas come to mind, but feel free to use unexpected colors
Size J-10 (6.00 mm) crochet hook
Yarn needle
Gauge (not critical)
Hexagonal Motif, before assembly= 4 1/2″ at widest point
Instructions
Body of stocking is a six-sided granny motif. This is dense motif, that is, it has no chain spaces between the groups of stitches as you’d use in a traditional granny square. I find this leaves fewer smaller holes for the candy to fall out.
Motif is crocheted in rounds with RS always facing. Fasten off and change colors after each round (or not).
With A, ch 5, sl st in beg ch to form a ring.
Rnd 1: With A, ch 3 (counts as dc), 17 dc in ring, sl st in top of beg ch, fasten off A — 18 dc
Rnd 2: With B, join in any sp between dc, ch 3, 5 dc in same space between dc, [sk next 3 dc, 6 dc in next space between dc] 5 times, sl st in top of beg ch, fasten off B — 6 6-dc corners

Weave ends.
Assembly
This motif ruffles a bit, but that is a good thing. Fold hex in half along the dotted line as shown in diagram, with wrong sides together, matching stitches all around. RS facing, begin at the tip of fold at the toe, with A, join with sl st through the back loop only in the middle (2nd) dc in the 3-dc group. Ch 1, sc in same back loop. Going through the back loop of both thicknesses each time, sc in next 21 st, mark last sc for clarity. To form the top opening, going through the RS of one layer only, make 2 sc through the front loop in each of next 11 dc, ending up at the last of the joining sc (marker), sl st in marked sc. For hanging loop, ch 15, sl st in same sc (marker), fasten off. Weave ends.

Cute, EH? Hope to have an image of a finished one here soon. How many will you make?