Prepping for Christmas Crafts

I'm learning skills I will use for the rest of my life by doing homework... 

procrastination and negotiation.

~ Bill Watterson

As you may know, I'm planning to weave rag rugs for my friends and co-workers this year for Christmas.  They mostly don't know my exact plans, with the exception of one or two who read my blog.  ;)

In preparation, I've been buying "cakes" of recycled t-shirt yarn in a variety of colors (from assorted Etsy sellers).  Here is my collection so far - I'm only waiting for four more to arrive in the mail (colors: apricot, butter yellow, royal blue and dark hot pink):  

While they don't know exactly what I'm planning, they do know that they get to choose their colors.  I'm not going to reveal the cakes, however.  Instead, I've just snipped an inch or two off each.  

This is what I'm going to spread out on the meeting table on Monday, with the request that each person choose three colors that they like and that go together nicely:  

I've written each person's name on an index card and will ask them to staple their three yarns onto the index card in a pleasing sequence.  That's the sequence of stripes that I'll weave into each rug.  

Hopefully they can negotiate among themselves, such that each person is pleased with his or her ultimate three selections.  (We'll see who picked up the best negotiation skills from years of doing homework...)  

Normally, when I (foolishly) plan these huge, mass projects for Christmas, I end up not making myself anything - because I'm so "over it" by the time I make a dozen of anything for other people that I'm not the least bit interested in making another one for myself.  ;)

But this time I decided to be selfish and so, not only am I planning to weave myself a rag rug, I also picked out my colors first.  My rug will have stripes of these colors:  

I do feel a little bit guilty for not letting other people have first crack at these beautiful colors...  :(

But I'm keeping them anyways!  ;)

Including mine, I'll be making 12 rag rugs.  And I've worked out my plans such that I can make 4 each time I prepare the loom - so I'll only have to prepare it 3 times.  That sounds manageable to me.  

Well, it sounds manageable now, anyways...  

We'll see how it sounds in late December.  ;)

Do you have plans to make any of your Christmas presents?  How are they progressing?