In Which I Am Not Totally Selfish

I love to give things I make as gifts. I always feel sort of nervous doing it though- will it fall apart or burst into flames in the recipients' hands because I am a hack? Will they hate it? Am I deluding myself to think it's better than, say, one of those pine cones made to look like owls via googly eyes and pipe cleaner beaks from the 80's?

The scarf above was made for a very dear friend of mine, so dear I think of her more like a sister than a friend. She hasn't had the best of years this year, and I wanted to be able to give her something special this year. If you will remember my moaning and wailing from a few months ago, I am limited on my budget this year. Real estate is not that most lucrative of fields right now, but that's not the point. The point is that I still feel that I accomplished a special gift with limited resources, and that carries a sense of accomplishment with it. I mean, I didn't build a replica of the Vatican with toothpicks or anything, but it's still a comfy scarf that I know she will be able to use. All around I would call it a Powder Blue Triumph. Yes, I am that pretentious.

First of all, it was a $4 cashmere sweater scored at the Goodwill. I wanted to keep it for myself because it was so so so so incredibly soft. Disarmingly soft and squishy, and it only got better when I washed it a few times on the hot cycle. So, then I cut it up, which was a victory in and of itself, because I have a tendency to hoard materials I love, waiting for the absolute perfect project, which I can never readily identify. I know she will love it- good color for her, and there is something about cashmere that is a fantastic band-aid for any metaphorical bullet wounds. I don't care for many of the finer things in life, which is good because I cannot afford them either. But, cashmere is one of those things that I believe has magical feel good powers for the wearer, and this gal gets that. Finally, this is a triumph because I sewed it and managed not to break the machine in a million pieces and I am still in awe of when I can say that I finished a sewing project, it went well, and the house is still standing.

I still have the entire front of the sweater without the sleeves. I am thinking another neckwarmer could be in order. Cashmere, buttons- all we are missing is a pincushion and I could really work myself into a lather here. I swear, it really is the silliest things that turn my crank.

Baby steps, people. Baby steps.