December 29, 2021

Kindness, crafted just for us.

17 comments
All of the various shawls, hats, scarves and cowls crafted for us in 2021 by the TOM BIHN Ravelry group.

Every year for the past however many years, the TOM BIHN Ravelry group has crafted wearable gifts for our crew. This year's wearable gifts are a variety of crocheted, knitted, and woven shawls, scarves, hats, and cowls. 

Though it's become something of a tradition that each crew member looks forward to, it's never an expectation. As artists and skilled craftspeople ourselves, we know very well the incredible amount of work (and talent and skill, amassed over years) that goes into creating each piece of wearable art. 

These are gifts we appreciate on many levels: they literally keep us warm, allow us to experience the generosity and care of others, offer us the experience of surprise and delight when we see them for the first time, and appreciate the skills of fellow creators. 

From all of us here at TOM BIHN to everyone in the TOM BIHN Ravelry group: thank you! Special shout-out goes to Annie, who organizes and delivers each year's gifts. As we know well, logistics can be complex, so thank you, Annie, for managing all of that so we can enjoy all of this.

Below are photos of each crafted item! We had hoped to snap some photos of the crew with their choices, but between COVID-19 protocols and the icy/dangerous streets here in Seattle this week, that may not be in the cards. So, there's one model this year.... the photographer's assistant. You can see his photo at the very end of this post, modeling the photographer's choice of cowl.

 Close-up of a card attached to one of the crafted items. It says: "Just For You. Handmade by: A TB Fan. Especially For: The Talented TOM BIHN Crew."

Four crafted items are laid out side-by-side; each is a variety of beautiful colors. Colors, clockwise from top: blue/green, pink/purple, silver/yellow, shades of green.
Close-up of a beautiful crafted item in shades of blue and green.
Two crafted works of art side-by-side. On the left, a multi-colored shawl, and on the right, a purple shawl.
Close-up of beautiful woven and knitted crafted items.
Two crafted cowls, side-by-side, in shades of purple.
Close-up of a knitted work of art; white, blues, purples and greens are amongst the colors.
Clockwise: a blue and green hat, a green and blue cowl, a pink and red cowl, and a blue/purple/red cowl.
Close-up of a knitted pompom on a peach colored shawl.
A scarf (rainbow of colors!) and a cowl (deep purple) side-by-side.
Close-up of a gorgeous thick knit in gold, pinks, purples, and blues.
Clockwise: a stunning orange scarf, beautiful rainbow cowl, and a blue/gold/green cowl.
Close-up of a beautiful white knitted scarf.
Clockwise: a multi-colored cowl, thick knit black scarf with long fringe, and a purple/white scarf with fringe.
Close-up of a card attached to one of the crafted items. It says: "Dearest TOM BIHN Crew, thank you for continuing to provide excellent customer service and functional designs."
A peach/pink shawl, alongside a blue/green cowl.
A card attached to one of the items. It says: "Happy Holidays to the TOM BIHN Crew! Wash by hand in cold water and lay flat to dry."
Three crafted items, clockwise from upper right: a vibrant Magenta cowl, a stripy blue scarf, and a scarf in blue/red/green/purple.
Clockwise: a blue/grey/green shawl, grey scarf, and moss green scarf.
Blue scarf, green and black shawl, light grey cowl, and red and white cowl.
Four beautiful cowls. And a dog standing above them! Clockwise from upper left: various blues from dark to light; light grey with speckled red and yellow; dark red and pink; blue, red, brown, and white stripes.
Three scarves ~ grey on top, blue/red in the middle, and white at the bottom.
Three hats! Multi-color, grey, and white/light blue with a pompom on top.
Blue, deep green, and blue/green cowls.
A card attached to one of the items. It says: "Many thanks for all that you do to make TB magic happen!"
More absolutely gorgeous crafted items, this time in shades of blue/green red, light blue, purple and white, and multi-colored (a beautiful rainbow of color!)
Three beautiful cowls and scarves! One is purple/red, blue/green, and white/blue/yellow.
Four beautiful crafted items in blue, dark green, shades of grey and rust red.
Four cowls! Each an interesting shade of dark blue, medium blue, multi-color and green.
Various beautiful knitted cowls and scarves! Light grey, dark grey, chocolate brown, and a multitude of colors in a stripy pattern.
Various beautiful knitted shawls and cowls!  One in shades of green, one in a lustrous dark purple, and another in shades of grey with hints of subtle color within.
Husky dog wearing a cowl: it's covering his ears and he's looking right into the camera, all cute!

17 comments

DPUTiger - December 29, 2021

I spy the two scarves I wove. Pennies are tight these days, and I’m not as active on the Ravelry TB forum or the actual TB forum as I once was. But man, I do enjoy this tradition very, very much. And yes, a HUGE shout-out to Annie. I so appreciate her role in keeping this favorite tradition alive.
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TOM BIHN replied:
And our photographer says: “I too spied the scarves woven by DPUTiger! Beautiful work.” And thank you for your generosity and the shout-out to Annie!

Thomas de Hoop - December 30, 2021

These gifts say as much about you as the people who give them. Thanks for sharing. What a great group of folks
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TOM BIHN replied:
Thanks for recognizing the work of these crafters!

Cindy Fredlund - December 30, 2021

As a customer, a fan of Tom Bihn and a human on this planet, I love this on many levels. Thank you for sharing, these artists are so talented! Cheers to the Tom Bihn crew and the artists.
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TOM BIHN replied:
Thanks for recognizing the beautiful work of these artists! In our humble opinion, the world could use more celebration and recognition, and your comment offers just that!

G42 - December 29, 2021

The Ravelry folks always makes such beautiful creations and this year is no exception – what fantastic work and open-hearted gifts!
Thanks for sharing the photos and Happy New Year to the TB Crew and everyone in our TB community!
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TOM BIHN replied:
Happy New Year to you as well!

gochicken - December 29, 2021

You guys are the best! Doing what YOU ALL do enables us to work, create, nurture, play, and serve… in an organized, prepared, and stylish manner. It’s an honor to knit for you! 🧶 ❤️
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TOM BIHN replied:
❤️❤️❤️

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We're the TOM BIHN crew: we design bags, make bags, ship bags, and answer questions about bags. Oh, and we collaborate on blog posts, too.