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The original was posted on /r/bestofredditorupdates by /u/Direct-Caterpillar77 on 2024-11-07 05:00:24+00:00.
I am not The OOP, OOP is u/poptartmini
I’d like to make an advent calendar of crocheting stuff for my wife, but I am a clueless husband. Could you give me some ideas?
Originally posted to r/CrochetHelp
Thanks to u/soayherder for suggesting this BoRU
Original Post Oct 27, 2024
My wife wanted to get the kids smaller gifts this holiday season, as well as try to spread the gifts around. So, we decided to get the kids some advent calendars to that end. Yesterday, she was working on her computer, and I happened to take a look at her screen when she got an email that was a receipt for an advent calendar for me (it’s theme is nothing that our kids would like, and we’ve already purchased the kids’ calendars).
I’m not stupid. While my wife may not be too disappointed if she doesn’t get an advent calendar, I know that she would be over the moon if I made sure that she got an advent calendar as well. So, I’m trying to think of some small gifts that I could put together as an advent calendar.
She has been crocheting for around 30 years, learning at her grandmother’s knee. She’s crocheted everyone in her family a baby blanket. She’s crocheted sweaters and blankets for our kids over the last few years.
In addition, this summer we remodeled parts of our house, and now she has a small 6ftx6ft (2mx2m) “nook” that is all her space. She has an armchair and footstool, and shelves filled with yarn, completed projects, etc.
What kinds of things could I put in an advent calendar for her? I’d like to get at least a dozen items, preferably that would be less than $10 apiece.
Thank you in advance for any help for this bewildered husband!
P.S. what is the preferred word for “someone who crochets?” Is it crocheter?
P.P.S. I make chainmaille as my hobby. Is there anything that I could make that would be a good gift? I know some people who have made stitch markers out of maille, but I’ve never seen her use those?
Update Oct 31, 2024 (4 days later)
Thank you so much for your suggestions over the last week. As I mentioned in that last post I am not going for a full 24 days worth of gifts because, as I’m sure you are all aware, this stuff gets expensive.
I’m going to begin collecting/ordering all of the items this weekend, so if anyone has any last-minute suggestions to make this better, I would appreciate it. Below is my plan:
Day 1: project bag - I plan putting all of the other wrapped gifts inside of the bag, and then wrapping the bag itself. The wrap job on the bag itself will be bad, and I accept this.
Day 2: Crochet tension ring - She mostly keeps the tension by gripping with her hand, but I figure that if she doesn’t like this, it costs $5 so who cares?
Day 3: Curved darning needle - she mostly darns with a crochet hook, so I’ll see if this helps her at all.
Day 4: Stitch markers that I made myself - I make chainmaille as a hobby, so I knew that I had to include something that I made myself in here. I might replace the clasp with proper lobster clasps once I make it to the hobby shop, but this is all I had at the time.
Day 5: Magnetic yarn holder - She unwraps a ton of yarn every 20 minutes, and spreads it across every surface within her reach. Maybe this will keep things more organized?
Day 6: Crochet sticker cards - She first learned how to crochet/knit at her grandmother’s knee when she was 5. Grandma is now 95, but I bet that getting one of these cards will put a smile on her face.
Day 7: Clover crochet hook(s) - good quality crochet hooks that several people suggested. Who am I to argue with it?
Day 8: Hair pin lace tool - Something to give her some new ideas of things to make.
Day 9: “Homemade”/“Made by hand” tags - This was suggested a few times, and I found some that I think are funny
Day 10: Retractable measuring tape - She often measures lengths using her flattened palm. Maybe she’ll want more precise measurements, maybe not.
Day 11: Yarn hoarder T-shirt - In my quest, I found several T-shirts that related how the real hobby is not actually crocheting, but instead collecting yarn. I’ll choose one and give it to her.
Day 12: Tunisian crochet hooks - Another thing to get her to expand her repertoire a bit. If she doesn’t like it, then I’ve wasted a few bucks.
Day 13: Lotion Bar - She often needs lotion, but doesn’t use it much. If I can put a bar in a project bag, maybe she will use it.
Day 14: Instructions and material to make a stuffie - I found some instructions on making axolotl stuffies. Three of our currently four kids love axolotls (and the fourth is four years old, so he’ll go with the flow), so I figure this will be a good item to go with. If anyone would like to give some opinions about the difficulty and time commitment of the patterns below, I would appreciate it.
RELEVANT COMMENTS
chicagoadventures97
“God, I’ve seen what you’ve done for others”
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻.
OOP
May you get all the silly little crochet knickknacks your heart desires this Christmas.
morelamplz
It’s not about the “silly little crochet knickknacks” and more about a person thoughtful enough to notice and want to assemble it all together just to make you feel happy-and loved. 💕 you are a beautiful soul. I hope I am as lucky one day
OOP
It is a skill that I’ve intentionally cultivated, but that’s largely because I realized that I got disappointed with many of the gifts that people give me. The problem is, now that I’ve worked at cultivating the skill, sometimes I get more disappointed at gifts that are obviously not all that thought out.
~
PaleoPinecone
This is just absolutely amazing. The time, energy, thought, and money investment involved here has to make her feel so seen and appreciated. Way to go, OP! You may have just won husband of the year!
OOP
Honestly, some of my things might change once I see prices at the shop.
I also plan on keeping this a secret until we give our advent calendars to the kids. When I do give this to her, I’ll tell her that this is going to be most of her gifts from me this year. I’ll probably get her one additional gift that has nothing to do with crocheting, and that’s it.
PaleoPinecone
I totally understand, this list represents a huge financial investment. As a crocheting wife and mom though, I can tell you that the price would be the last thing that impacts her. The effort, thought, care, and initiative scream through no matter what you end up picking!
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