Homemade gifts are thoughtful and inexpensive. (Photo: Lauren Blackburn)

For her daughter-in-law’s first Canadian Christmas, Carol Manship knit her a Christmas stocking.

“I could go out and buy a pre-made one, but she knows that I’ve made it for her,” she says.  Manship works at Yarn Forward & Sew-On, a knitting and sewing store on Bank Street. It’s one of many places students can go when looking for supplies and information about handmade Christmas gifts.

With only a few weeks left until Christmas, Manship says students strapped for cash and pressed for time can make scarves, hats or socks. A funky new type of wool, Gnocchi, knits up quickly to form a colourful, bumpy mesh. A huge skein of ecologically friendly wool, enough for a large scarf, costs $19. That’s less than many similar store-bought scarves, which can cost $25 or more.

If jewelry is more your style, The Sassy Bead Company on Bank Street sells beads and beading supplies. Katie Hurdon, the manager, says she thinks the homemade gifts she gives to her friends and family are more personal than a store-bought item. “As you’re choosing for the person, you’re thinking about them . . . you’re taking them into consideration. There’s something special about that,” Hurdon says. Students on an already-tight budget may have difficulty finding the cash for Christmas gifts. The Sassy Bead Company has a lot of options for students.

“The beauty of the store is you can spend what you want. If you have $5, you can do something for $5,” Hurdon says. Although making an entire necklace may cost more than a simple beaded necklace from the mall, students aren’t restricted to necklaces. “Earrings and bracelets are great because you don’t need as many beads, and the clasps and wire are cheaper,” Hurdon says.

For another gift option for crafty students, head to The Mud Oven, which sells blank slate ceramics shoppers can paint and write on. Most of the blank items at The Mud Oven are slightly more expensive than a store-bought equivalent. For example, a mug costs between $18 and $25. The price includes paint, studio time and glazing and firing the item. However, Katie Hately, an employee of The Mud Oven, says store bought items can’t be tailor-made for a person in the same way as handmade ones.

She says people that she has given hand-painted ceramics to appreciate the personal touch.

“People don’t spend a lot of time on things anymore,” Hately says.

Hately, Hurdon and Manship all agree a student with little or no craft experience can make a homemade gift. “Most people that come in here say ‘I’ve never painted anything in my life.’. . . As long as you have a little bit of creativity . . . then you can absolutely make something,” Hately says. Handmade gifts offer a unique, personal touch to gift giving. They vary in price, but are generally affordable.  Manship says her grandchildren look forward to receiving hand-knit socks from their grandmother every year. “There’s a great deal more appreciation nowadays of handmade gifts,” she says.

Handmade Gift Ideas:

1. Take necklaces you own but don’t wear, and cut them apart to make new ones. Reusing old beads can keep costs down. Katie Hurdon of Sassy Bead Company says using a mother or grandmother’s old jewelry can add sentimental value and provide unique beads from different generations.

2. Katie Hately of The Mud Oven suggests making a personalized mug. Write things about the recipient on it, such as their favourite foods.

3. Carol Manship of Yarn Forward & Sew-On suggests buying a cheap, basic scarf or clothing item and embellishing it. With a reusable appliqué tool, students can decorate any item with yarn and fabric without sewing or gluing.