What is he doing in the knitting department, you may ask?
I don't knit unlike my mother who for many years was a star at it.
This holiday season, I have been looking at many ways one can create his/her own gifts whether it's baked goods, homemade drinks, turning vinyl records into book ends or in this case knitting.
With Knitivity (Andrews McMeel, Fall 2011), Fiona Goble gives the DIY (do it yourself) treatment to the nativity.
Knitivity offers detailed instructions on how to create wooly Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the Wise Men, Sheep, Shepherd Boy and the rest of the cast.
With 8 days to go before Christmas, it might be too late to finish them all for the 2011 holidays. It could be done as a group effort.
Fiona starts the book by offering a few suggestions (excerpt below):
In the beginning
Knitting dolls and creatures like the ones in this book is a completely different experience than knitting clothes. And though I’m a little biased, it really is a whole lot more rewarding and entertaining. In fact, since I started making knitted dolls and creatures, I’ve become something of a knitting addict.
How can you compare the satisfaction of knitting a cardigan or scarf to knitting a doll with a unique look and personality, which you’ve created yourself?
Knitting toys is also much quicker than knitting clothes—unless you’re talking about a tiny pair of mittens for a newborn baby. I promise that in this book you won’t face instructions like “continue until your work measures 20 in (50 cm)”, which you know will take forever. Your characters will start coming to life in no time.
What’s more, every single one of the characters is straightforward to make.
There are no fancy patterns or scary cables. If you can knit, purl, increase, and decrease, then you won’t have any problems at all knitting the entire Knitivity cast.
Satisfaction starts here
The satisfaction starts at the very beginning, with choosing the yarns and colors for the first character in your collection.
Then, while you’re knitting, you’ve got the excitement of seeing the character develop, often in a way that you don’t expect when you begin. If you don’t believe me, try knitting the Ass, or Baby Jesus and his swaddling wrap. I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised. When you’ve finished knitting your characters, you can make the manger and the fold-out stable, provided in this book, and set up your
Knitivity scene. Once complete, take a step back, admire your work, and invite your family and friends to do the same.
One step at a time
If you don’t fancy knitting the Knitivity in one go, why not do it in stages? In the first year, for example, you could knit Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, and an animal or two. The year after you could add the Shepherds or Wise Men. Over a few years, you will eventually create a beautiful and detailed Knitivity that you and your family will treasure for ever.
Get it together
The Knitivity also makes a great project for school groups and knitting clubs. Pool your resources of yarn, take a character each, and, before you know it, your Knitivity will be complete. You may want to donate your set to a school or community group. Alternatively, it makes a great prize for a competition or Christmas raffle.
Whether you choose to create your Knitivity by yourself or with friends, I really hope you have fun and that you are as thrilled with the results as I am. But if you find yourself becoming a knitting addict, don’t blame me.
Knitivity will also be a wonderful gift for seniors, someone who is home recovering from an illness or a surgery, balm for their spirit.
(* Book excerpt and images from Knitivity by Fiona Goble reproduced by permission of Andrews McMeel Publishing, all rights reserved)