Handmade Christmas: a realistic planning calendar for makers

Every year the plan is a handmade Christmas, and every year mid-December arrives with six unfinished projects. This calendar is the fix.

September: plan and cast on the big things

Write the list. Be honest about hours: a knitted jumper is 40 hours, a pair of socks 12, a hat 4, a crocheted bauble 1. Multiply by the number of recipients. Cut the list in half. Cast on anything over 10 hours now.

October: decorations and cards

• Lino or stamped cards: one design, one evening of printing.
• Salt dough or clay ornaments need weeks to dry and paint.
• Crochet snowflakes to stiffen and hang.
• Fabric bunting from Christmas fat quarters.

November: medium gifts and edibles

• Hats, cowls, mitts, dishcloth sets.
• Candles need a week to cure, so pour by mid-November.
• Chutney and jam mature better with a month.
• Embroidered hoop ornaments with a name and the year.

December: small things and wrapping

• Quick makes only: keyrings, scrunchies, face scrubbies, bookmarks.
• Fabric gift wrap (furoshiki) from remnants.
• Gift tags from last year's cards.
• Finish, block, weave in ends, and stop by the 20th.

Gift ideas by recipient

• The cook: dishcloth trio, jar cosy, embroidered tea towel.
• The gardener: macramé plant hanger, painted pot, seed envelopes.
• The teenager: polymer clay earrings, a beanie, a scrunchie set.
• The colleague: a candle, a card, a small print.

Post your list on the first of September and tick it off publicly. Accountability works.

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