What Gift Do You want?

[JohnDB]

Rumor has it that Santa is coming...

What Gift (small or big) would you like for Christmas this year?

What are you planning on getting someone else that's kinda special to them?

 

[WIP]

Every year I feel the same way. I don't need or want a gift aside from our family get-together. There is nothing materialistic that I need or want.

 

[JohnDB]

Every year I feel the same way. I don't need or want a gift aside from our family get-together. There is nothing materialistic that I need or want.

But aren't you going to give some gifts?

The thoughtful gifts we give always speak to those you give them to and say how much you care about them.

 

[Knotical]

Interestingly enough, a couple of years ago I suggested a change in how my family does our gift exchange. Reason being the old way was everyone in the family, from newborn to the oldest grandparent, would pick a name and you would have a $20 limit to get that person a gift. Well, for big families (like mine) with small children, we would be shelling out quite a bit of money to get presents for everyone my family picked. So, as a solution I suggested each family pick another family and get that family a slightly larger gift (limit of $40). Of course if the grandparents still want to spend money on the grandkids that is entirely up to them, but now we don't have to worry about being able to get gifts for our kids in lieu of participating in the bigger family gift exchange.

Thinking outside the box ftw.

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

First and foremost the only gift that I'm currently thinking about wanting is to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family. After that I'll let you know once I'm actually thinking more about it.

 

[JohnDB]

First and foremost the only gift that I'm currently thinking about wanting is to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family. After that I'll let you know once I'm actually thinking more about it.

Better start thinking about what gifts you are going to give out.... otherwise it'll be whatever Walmart puts on display.

 

[JohnDB]

For my wife...

I dug out my leather...
And I am making her a pencil pouch. I'm in the middle of putting together the zipper now. The rest of the shell is sewn together and will be completed once I get the zipper attached.(two step process) Next will be dying it red and then embossing her name in gold leaf...then a coat of shiny stuff and wrapping it up. It's taken a while to make.

But she's worth it.

 

[for_his_glory]

Since I come from a rather l large family we use to draw names and set a limit, but one complained about others getting better gifts so we quit exchanging names. Hubby and I only buy for my mother, his mother passed away a few years ago. Instead of us buying each other gifts we give to certain charities instead. There really is nothing I need or want and hubby buys what he needs throughout the year.

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

Better start thinking about what gifts you are going to give out.... otherwise it'll be whatever Walmart puts on display.

Lol I know, I was just trying to make a point by saying that I want to have Thanksgiving first (which I believe is also a very important holiday because we need to remember to be thankful for so many things that we take for granted) before I start discussing Christmas on here.

 

[Razeontherock]

Here I figured this was going to be about Spiritual gifts and I'd chime in with a wisecrack about wanting a sled and a football and a pony ...

John beat me to it again, lol

Prophecy is a cool gift though!

 

[Brock]

The gift of a stray bullet flying through my window and killing me the day Christmas break ends.

 

[Edward]

For my wife...

I dug out my leather...
And I am making her a pencil pouch. I'm in the middle of putting together the zipper now. The rest of the shell is sewn together and will be completed once I get the zipper attached.(two step process) Next will be dying it red and then embossing her name in gold leaf...then a coat of shiny stuff and wrapping it up. It's taken a while to make.

But she's worth it.

That sounds nice, Brother.
Is there anything you can't do? Lol

A leatherman too.

I've been looking for someone locally that can sew leather. No luck so far. It appears to be an easy job to me.

 

[Edward]

Here I figured this was going to be about Spiritual gifts and I'd chime in with a wisecrack about wanting a sled and a football and a pony ...

John beat me to it again, lol

Prophecy is a cool gift though!

I thought that too when I read the title, lol.

I bought my brother a really nice knife today as a matter of fact. It is actually a Duct Board knife. It is serrated on one side and straight blade on the other. It's a 5.5" blade and appears to be useful for more than just cutting duct board!

I bought one for me when I was still down in Columbus, and showed it to my brother and he liked it. Said he would like to have one...I saw it today in the supply house and thought of him.

I dunno what I could get for my kids who are still out in Colorado. I'm chewing on that one.

 

[JohnDB]

That sounds nice, Brother.
Is there anything you can't do? Lol

A leatherman too.

I've been looking for someone locally that can sew leather. No luck so far. It appears to be an easy job to me.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

I learned how to do leather because I needed a leather tool bag and the closest one I could find to what I wanted (but really not) was over $150.
I looked online too at many of them.

Soooo...I started reading and studying...

There's a Tandy leather shop here in town. They got all the supplies.
So I got some leather and sinew and an awl and a couple of needles and started working out how I was going to build my tool bag. It come out nice. Copper and black was it's theme.

My wife's pouch (it looks kinda like a shaving bag) has been a challenge. I've never done a zipper before. It's leather is much softer than my tool bag. (Chromate vx veg tan) but it's still difficult. Hand stitching is much more tough than any machines' lock stitches. And those machines are very expensive. (Needles are too)

I've always enjoyed making stuff. You ain't quite so unhandy yourself. You could possibly sew your spot of leather work yourself. It's not horribly difficult...just tedious and time consuming. The supplies you need can be found at either Tandy leather or hobby lobby.

 

[Tessa]

Lucky lady JohnDB !! All that patience will be rewarded when you see her face as she opens it.

I would love a jumper from my daughter or a pair of cosy socks. I have bought her several things , but I think her favourites will be the perfume and the pair of shoes I saw her looking at but she couldn't afford them.

Have to think of something nice for my brother.

 

[JohnDB]

Lucky lady JohnDB !! All that patience will be rewarded when you see her face as she opens it.

I would love a jumper from my daughter or a pair of cosy socks. I have bought her several things , but I think her favourites will be the perfume and the pair of shoes I saw her looking at but she couldn't afford them.

Have to think of something nice for my brother.

I asked my wife to knit me a pair of socks out of some wool....no dice.
I don't get it either. She claims that she can't seem to master the double needles needed to knit them.

But from every report I hear wool socks are the absolute best in cold weather. Especially if the yarn is really fine.

I'm thinking that I'm never going to get any.
Now if my son could start dating and get married maybe my daughter in law could make me a pair....hey a guy can dream can't he?

 

[Edward]

But from every report I hear wool socks are the absolute best in cold weather. Especially if the yarn is really fine.

Wool socks are the best. I remember one year I got called out at night in wintertime. There was a small river flowing down a mans driveway. He was out of town. The furnace had gone out and his pipes froze, then thawed and flooded the basement until it came up and outside to where the neighbors noticed.

And I was the lucky one chosen to go kick in a basement window and make entry to shut the water off. I put on my best wool socks to help. It was only a little over knee deep. I shut it off. and went out to go home. My pants began freezing and getting stiff before I even got back to the truck! My legs were so cold on the ride home, from my knees down to...where my wool socks began. There was such a big temperature difference between my feet and lower legs, that it felt like I had heaters on my feet.

Some people say they don't like wool because it makes them itchy. Itchy wool is simply cheap wool. Good wool isn't itchy.
So it's easy to tell good wool. They do sell good wool socks at the store, but they cost more.

 

[JohnDB]

Wool socks are the best. I remember one year I got called out at night in wintertime. There was a small river flowing down a mans driveway. He was out of town. The furnace had gone out and his pipes froze, then thawed and flooded the basement until it came up and outside to where the neighbors noticed.

And I was the lucky one chosen to go kick in a basement window and make entry to shut the water off. I put on my best wool socks to help. It was only a little over knee deep. I shut it off. and went out to go home. My pants began freezing and getting stiff before I even got back to the truck! My legs were so cold on the ride home, from my knees down to...where my wool socks began. There was such a big temperature difference between my feet and lower legs, that it felt like I had heaters on my feet.

Some people say they don't like wool because it makes them itchy. Itchy wool is simply cheap wool. Good wool isn't itchy.
So it's easy to tell good wool. They do sell good wool socks at the store, but they cost more.

Store bought socks have no special meaning to them...
I idolize the artisan craftsmanship. To me, it's a really big deal. None of the artisans ever started out being wonderful or great at the things they produce. They started simply and made a lot of errors...just like I did whenever I start a hobby like leather work. (The pencil pouch has a few small errors but it will be serviceable enough)

But that's what makes these products great. Each piece produced is hand crafted by a person with care and experience. Not by a nameless factory and mechanical beast with an accountant generated money back guarantee.

And as far as the quality of wool goes...I've heard the same thing by those who deal in wool. I'm thinking about going out west next summer and stopping by the Pendleton Woolen Mill.

 

[Edward]

Store bought socks have no special meaning to them...
I idolize the artisan craftsmanship. To me, it's a really big deal. None of the artisans ever started out being wonderful or great at the things they produce. They started simply and made a lot of errors...just like I did whenever I start a hobby like leather work. (The pencil pouch has a few small errors but it will be serviceable enough)

But that's what makes these products great. Each piece produced is hand crafted by a person with care and experience. Not by a nameless factory and mechanical beast with an accountant generated money back guarantee.

And as far as the quality of wool goes...I've heard the same thing by those who deal in wool. I'm thinking about going out west next summer and stopping by the Pendleton Woolen Mill.

I can't disagree with that because I feel the same way. Anything homemade is better than store bought. When I had just gotten married to that sweet Polish girl who was raised on a farm I wondered what else she could do besides cook. SO I asked her if she could fix a hole in the toe of my sock. She said, sure, and whipped out a needle and thread, and a light bulb! She patched it right up but got pretty tired of my requests pretty quick after that. It wasn't her favorite thing to do, lol. She wasn't much for the knitting needles. It was a necessary chore where she had come from, but one of the things that she would not have to do when they moved to the US! I understood that so layed off about it, lol.

But by then we were living in Colorado and I like to go camping and stuff so I didn't mind buying store bought wool socks and so forth.

Keep on her Brother! She'll knit you some, lol!

 

[Tessa]

I asked my wife to knit me a pair of socks out of some wool....no dice.
I don't get it either. She claims that she can't seem to master the double needles needed to knit them.

But from every report I hear wool socks are the absolute best in cold weather. Especially if the yarn is really fine.

I'm thinking that I'm never going to get any.
Now if my son could start dating and get married maybe my daughter in law could make me a pair....hey a guy can dream can't he?

I used to have pattern for socks using two needles and one using a circular needle. I don't have the. Any more but I won look out for one. If I'm lucky enough to find one I will copy it and post or message it. Can't promise I will find one though.