Craft gifts that won’t break budget

Here’s a bit of holiday math for you: Take the amount of money you’ve stashed away from various lawn-mowing gigs, baby-sitting jobs and weekly allowances this year and divide by the number of friends, sibs, cousins and teachers you plan to buy gifts for.

What do you come up with?

Not much, right? That’s what we thought. So what’s a kid to do? How do you give supercool gifts to the people you love without blowing your budget?

Here’s how: Learn a craft. And we’re not talking about macaroni necklaces here. Knitting, crochet and embroidery have been gaining popularity among adult crafters, and there’s no reason kids can’t get in the game, too. Once you learn the basics of each craft, you can turn out some pretty cool stuff that you’ll be proud to give to family and friends.

Plus, it doesn’t take a lot of cash – one skein of relatively inexpensive yarn is enough to make several gifts. And once you’ve invested in a few different types of hooks or needles, you’re set for many kinds of projects.

And if you think knitting and crochet are for grandmothers, just do a quick Google search to see how many cool things you can make. (But if you have a grandparent or other family member who knows a craft, ask for a lesson. Learning from somebody more experienced is a great way to get started.)

Kelli Ronci, the author of “Kids Crochet,” started playing with yarn when she was 10.

“We were having a rainy summer at the beach, and my grandmother gave me a ball of blue yarn to play with,” Ronci said in an e-mail interview. “I began to knot and braid the woolly string into bracelets and kept on going until I had used up the entire ball. I must have made about a hundred bracelets by the end of the summer!”

Ronci’s grandma taught her to knit soon after that, but don’t worry if you don’t have someone crafty to learn from. There are plenty of books that teach the basics, and some good Web sites, like www.learntoknit.com, www.learntocrochet.com and www.stitchguide.com. (See our list for more books to check out.)

Once you know what you’re doing, the sky’s the limit. You’ll find inspiration in magazines, catalogs and stores. (And you’ll be excited to learn that the scarf that costs $30 in a store costs you only $5 to make!)

“By using your imagination to experiment with color, texture and shape, you can create your own designs that reflect your own unique personality,” Ronci said.

For inspiration, head to your local craft or yarn store. There’s probably a large chain craft store somewhere near you, but don’t forget about smaller stores that focus on knitting or needlework. They probably offer classes for beginners, and you can admire the gorgeous supplies, like beautiful yarn and fabric. Don’t be overwhelmed when you see sweaters or hats that look like they took forever to make – there are plenty of easy designs that you can whip off in a half an hour once you know what you’re doing.

Don’t feel frustrated if you have trouble at first – it can be awkward to learn how to hold hooks or needles when you’ve never done it before.

“Take one step at a time and have fun,” said Ronci, who’s taught lots of kids to do different crafts, including crochet for her book. “It’s very common to feel awkward holding the hook at first, and to get confused about what to do next, but learning to crochet is very similar to learning how to ride a bike, or how to play an instrument. With a little practice and patience it will soon become like second nature.”