A Glitch in the Plan

Hello again,

I know it's been a while since I last posted.  I got busy, then distracted and then I just didn't feel like I had anything of consequence to say.  I finally decided that I would just try and ease back into blogging, so today's post is my first attempt at it.  Please bare with me.

My most recent work-in-progress has been a pair of Jaywalkers that are part of my Mom's Christmas gift.  This is my second time knitting this pattern (which is rare for me!) and I have to say I'm hooked.  It thrills me so much to see each coloured stripe turn into a perky little zigzag; making for quite addictive knitting.  I always want to see what colour is coming next.  

I have a few other Christmas gifts on the go as well: a ribbed hat, and a calm cowl.  There are more on the list, but I haven't got them started yet.  Dad's Sesame Street socks are done, I just haven't photographed them properly, but I think they turned out great.  I should have a post about them up sometime next week.

The gift I'm really stuck on right now is my Mom's birthday present.  Her birthday is December 24th.  I want to make her something really special, but I also want it to be practical, something she can and will use.  First I thought a Zuzu's Petals cowl, so I knitted it up, but it turned out too big (I shouldn't have gone up so much in needle size), so I decided I would knit it again, this time either with smaller needles or a sport-weight yarn.  However, she mentioned to me the other day that she didn't really wear cowls much because she found them too hard to get off when she got too warm, say when driving or while shopping in the mall.  So I crossed that one off the list.  Then I thought I'd make her a nice scarf, that way she could just undo the ends whenever she needed to, but she said she already had so many scarves that she didn't even wear.  Mittens were my next idea, but she said she prefers gloves (the leather kind) and would only use mittens when she walked the dog, so there went my idea of a beautiful pair of colourwork mittens.  She does want a hat, but she already picked out the yarn and pattern for that one, and it's going to be for her Christmas gift anyway.  My next idea was a shawl for her to wear when she has somewhere fancy to go, but in all honesty, I hardly think she would actually wear it.  She never wears fingerless mitts and I'm not knitting her a sweater (which she admitted she wouldn't wear anyway), so now I have no idea.  I have spent days searching for the perfect thing on Ravelry, and still, I've got nothing.  Do you ever have someone difficult to craft for?  What do you do when you're stuck like this?  She honestly is one of my most favourite people to make things for, because she truly appreciates and understands all the work that goes into each gift, so I really do want to make her something.  Plus, I promised I wouldn't buy her anything this year.  We made a decision in our family to not spend much for Christmas (and she included her birthday gift in this), and I have to hold up my end of the deal.  So what's a crafter to do?  Any suggestions?

xoxo