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If I told you I love you, you’d probably recoil at the sound- unless you were one of my girl friends. The kids have shouted it at me through window panes during lockdown, and before March 2020 it used to be kisses on cheeks goodbye with a “Love you, beautiful!” in tow…

Not all friendships are created equal, that’s for sure. As I’ve gotten older I’ve strived to only tend to the ones who are there for me… the ones who I deem “knitworthy”. The ones who deserve my love completely.

I can say I love you with my words. But are words always enough? I know that 5 year old Eliza doesn’t say “I love you” just to hear the sound, but because she knows that I’m the aunty who comes to look after her after school, the aunty who got her her first camera, the aunty who crocheted her and her sister matching blankets for Christmas last year.

The most valuable thing in this world is time. Some peoples is cut short, some people’s time is marked by endless tragedies, and some are blessed with an abundance. Either way, time is the one thing we can’t get more of than what’s destined for us. It’s already written in the stars.

So tell me why I’d spend 20 hours crocheting you a blanket if I didn’t love you? Tell me why I’d push my knitting skills to learn how to keep your hands warm with a custom pair of mittens? Every stitch, every hour, is my time where I’ve put you before myself. I don’t know how to put it more clearly. If you’ve ever been gifted a handmade piece- know you have been deemed “knitworthy”.

Time, yarn and so many excited thoughts about whether or not you will like your gift have passed through makers minds everywhere as they’ve spun their love into every yarn over in their work. More likely than not, your gift-giver has probably drifted off to sleep dreaming of all the modifications they can make to a pattern to make it extra-special for you – I know I have…

I promise you, buying shop bought would be so much cheaper than yarn and the time invested in refining my skills. So for when words are not enough, take comfort in the fact that you’ve been deemed knitworthy.

You are blessed. I hope you know that.

How do you feel about gifting handmade? Is it something you avoid or do you jump at the chance to share your skill? I’d love to hear your thoughts!