Presentation is everything, so the saying goes. Spend hours making a delicious homemade lasagna from your favorite aunt's time-honored recipe, plop it on a paper plate, and hand the recipient a plastic fork. Or, spend hours making a delicious homemade lasagna from your favorite aunt's time-honored recipe, place a perfectly shaped slice on fine bone china, garnish it with Parmesan shavings and a sprig of bright green parsley, and lay it on a table dressed in white linen. Add a glass of vintage Merlot. The more thoughtfully presented lasagna will actually taste better. What better way is there to present a hand-knitted gift item than in a hand-knitted gift box, gift bag, pouch or cozy? The thoughtfulness that went into the knitted gift can be extended to the gift wrap, and this will enhance the recipient's happiness and appreciation. In Hand Knitted Gift Wraps, I explain the importance of presenting a present. Well-planned presentation adds to the joy of the gift-giving experience for the gifter as well as for the giftee. I include a variety of gift wrapping ideas, shapes, and sizes. They range in complexity from a simple garter-stitch wrapping to a more complex, stranded wrapping. There are instructions for gift boxes, gift bags, and a knitted pouch in which to wrap hand-knitted socks that becomes a wearable accessory itself after the gift is opened. I add a special knitted wrap for gifting needles or a needle gauge in addition to, for example, a gift of yarn to a fellow knitter. It gets better. The wrap itself can be re-purposed as a small project bag or a hat. Yup! A hat! Giving a book as a gift? We have knitted book wraps that become book covers or needle holders when no longer needed as gift wrap. Giving a bottle of wine? Got it covered. Who among us has cleaned up all that expensive wrapping paper after a holiday celebration and not thought about the wastefulness? We live in an age when people are growing more concerned and conscientious about environmental issues and the need to avoid pointless waste. Stash busting, another ecologically sound and responsible choice, is an important feature to consider when knitting gift wraps, as well. Use yarns left-over from other projects and turn them into beautiful gift wrappings.
About the Author: Deborah Tomasello learned to knit and sew at her grandmother's knee when she was about five years old. Some of her fondest memories of her Gramma involve yarn and needles. She would start with grand ideas of knitting a scarf, but after working a few inches, when something of a lacy trapezoid would appear, she'd turn that scarf-gone-awry into a skirt for her Barbie. Over the years, her scarves became straighter, and her imagination broadened. Wools and fabrics have woven themselves into Deborah's very being, and she spends all her days happily designing and knitting her colorwork patterns. Deborah has published several eBooks, Stranded Knitting: It's Easier Than You Think, Four Strand Knitting: It's Easier Than You Think, and Stranded for Christmas. She has published two books. Her book, Wrapped in Color: Stranded Knitting in the 21st Century was followed by Knitting 20th Century Art. She has designed and published scores of colorwork patterns on Ravelry, Craftsy, Knit Picks and Patternfish. She has sold patterns to WEBs, and she won first place in Accord Publishing's 2014 Knitting Calendar for her Brilliant Twilight colorwork hat design. Her active Ravelry group, Colorworks by Debi comprises over 3600 members. Deborah resides with her husband and Jadzia, the feisty Pomeranian, on the beautiful Hudson River in Westchester, New York.