Are you spinning last minute gifts?

Staying focused on the important things

I love this time of year. I always have. But it can get really busy. I try to stay focused on what is important and enjoy it for what it is—a celebration of many things—Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa (or all three for some of my friends!), friends, family, a hope for peace, the winter solstice, the end of one year and the beginning of the next.

I love the ritual of gift giving—of appreciating the people in my life for the things that they give me throughout the year. I love the excuse to spin something special while thinking of that person and how the yarn I'm making suits them perfectly and reflects the joy that they give me. Those feelings get drafted into the yarn I'm making, knitted up into the hat or mittens, woven into the scarf, crocheted into the ornament, felted into the oven mitts—and then throughout the year as those items are used and loved, the feelings are present.

I still have a couple of scarves on my loom that I'm hoping to finish before Saturday. It would be really nice, but I'm not going to stress out about it too much because I know that I'll get them done eventually. There are times that I stress out about completing things on time (you know, like magazines), but I try to keep that kind of stress away from my spinning, knitting, and weaving life—I mean, that's counterproductive, right?

But maybe you're in the same boat, and you need a last-minute gift—like really last minute. If you're looking for last-minute gifts for the crafters in your life, we have some electronic options that might help. We have recently partnered with Zinio, a company that turns hard-copy books into electronic books—eBooks. That means you can peruse, purchase, and deliver your gift as you sit in your pj's in front of your computer while you finish up the knitting or crocheting or tying off warp ends on other gifts.

The great thing about Zinio, and the reason why we've partnered with them, is that they are geared toward publications that are chock full of images, such as the magazines and craft books that we at Interweave make. One of our first books that is available in this format is _Get Spun _by Symeon North, an art-yarn spinning book with lots of colorful fiber, yarn, and inspiration.

With that, I'm off to throw a few shuttles while gingerbread is baking. Chances are a small child will crawl up on my lap and we'll make some cloth together. What joy!

I wish all of you a very happy holiday season and a great start to the New Year filled with fiber, yarn, and time to make things.

Happy spinning,

P.S. And, of course, a subscription to Spin-Off is always a great gift that gives throughout the year!