So, it is May and there is the usual amount of Mother’s Day hype: jewelry, flowers, brunch, bath products….and the not-so-typical gift suggestions made by other retailers and service providers that want to get on the “Gee, you love your mom, don’t you?” bandwagon (car detailing, pest inspection, plumbing fixtures…).

What do you give the mother who knits?  Well, yarn is the obvious choice, of course.  But the reality is that most non-knitters get nervous about selecting yarn for knitters.  I don’t blame them – we are a capricious lot, loving sock-weight merino one day and dk-weight merino the next…And even if we mention this change of affection over breakfast, it doesn’t sink in.  And there the poor non-knitter is at the yarn store trying to find duck-weight merlot….

Knitting bags, knitting needles, pattern books, blocking wires, row counters, swifts…?

How about something the non-knitter can understand?!

Manicures.

Is there a knitter anywhere who would not prefer to knit with smooth hands free of hang nails?  We look at our hands all the time, so wouldn’t it be nice to have even nails with a coat of pretty varnish?  Practical pampering! 

And what is better than a manicure?  Regular manicures!  Once a month, twice a month?  This could be a great “let’s go in together and get Mom something really nice” gift. 

And if your knitter is not your mother, well, it is a little known fact, but half of all knitters will have their birthdays in the next 12 months.  And, hey, Christmas will be here before you know it!  Manicures.  Think about it.