Christmas coming....

Making our own Christmas presents is really easy. This year I started in January! Now my cupboard is full of things I've been doing all year. In the warmer months crochet is good for me. These little wash cloths paired with a matching soap are gifts for some of my internet friends. If you can do any basic crochet then some cotton is easy to turn into something pretty.
For years I did the same stitches my Nan taught me. These wash cloths are very basic. This year I thought it would be nice to learn some new patterns. You tube is amazing, everything you could want to learn is free to learn on You Tube! Sometime Ill post about new patterns and uses for them and how I'm going with that. 
If you can't crochet yet search You Tube for some how to crochet clips. Once you find a teacher you like it will only take about half an hour to get going. 
Yarn is pretty expensive but I've found small projects like these don't take very much yarn and that often in thrift shops you find amazing yarn! I always buy cotton when I see it so I would say most of my wash cloths cost less than a dollar to make. 

There's more.... having handiwork to do is good for us! It distracts us as its absorbing and relaxing. Studies show knitting lowers your blood pressure! If I watch TV I'll be working on something. This time is enough to make all your presents all year round. I even remember my Mum and Nan knitting away in times of worry and stress. They were ever productive and I know this helped them through worrying times. Nan also spun her own wool. The spinning wheel was in the lounge room. She would spin and dye her own wool and my Dad, a farmer, would give her fleeces. I look back now and know Nan was always a worrier but these things settled her and were a huge joy for her. The wool she produced was stunning and smelled of lovely lanolin.

Another gift is pretty pillowcases. You could use a purchased pillowcase. I made up a heap from mixing pretty florals. If you can sew a straight line pillowcases are for you! To do the first round you need to use a very fine needle to get the needle through the cotton. Or you could use a thick needle and sit and poke your holes through in even spaces before you crochet your first round. You could even use a sewing needle and do a blanket stitch as your foundation row. Then a pretty edge in a colour to go with your print. Working a couple of rows of crochet around towels, hand towels and face washers is lovely too. Women seem to love pretty pillowcases, little girls too. Everyone should have a pretty one especially for your travel pillow!

Both my girls were crocheting at about five years old. The younger the better! I remember everything my Nan taught me when I was little. It stays with you. But it's never too late to learn, you follow a You Tube teacher. If you are lucky enough to have a Nan or Mum who crochets or knits ask them to teach you. These are lovely times of talking and doing something together. I think of my Nan every time I crochet a flower as she taught me those.