For The Unselfish Knitter -- Kar{e}tpostal Care Tags by Über den Traum

I admit it. I am a selfish knitter. I knit primarily for myself, and when I imagine that maaaaybe I could take the time to create something for someone else, it has to break all possible Barriers of Importance.

Like this epic La Dolce Vita shawl for my friend Christina's wedding:

Or the Friedrich baby cardigan for my friend Eva's first sprout!

When I first started using Ravelry, I immediately joined the group Selfish Knitters and Crocheters. First, the name was highly amusing... but second, I liked that I wasn't alone in my narcissism.  The group has over 10K members!  Here is a classic snapshot of discussion topics:

But the truth is, I have always loved the act of giving gifts, and it's very possible that I've spent as much time finding the perfect item as I would knitting one. Maybe I need to bring that giving element into my knitting obsession!

What better way to celebrate a desire to be a more UNselfish knitter than to find a great gift tag for my future Very Charitable Acts?

One of the scariest things about giving knitted gifts is explaining in a simple way how to care for an item. And naturally, the most beautiful yarns tend to be the most difficult to care for. If the giftee is not a knitter, it's not always clear how to convey the right information.

Über den Traum, a store run by a mother-daughter team from Greece, has come up with a stupendous option! Kar{e}tpostal Care Tags provide an array of whimsical hand-drawn images for different fabric care instructions. All you need to do is circle or check off the right ones!

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15% off anything in the shop till May 15, 2017

Code: "DAYANA17"
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They come in 2-sided .pdf format or pre-printed on 3 types of printables:

1. Black and white on yellow paper
2. Rainbow gradient (see above picture)
3. Transparent vellum sticker, shown below.

It's not only about the ones you check -- your gift recipient will love looking at the clever little icons because there are mysteries in each one:

Here are my favorites! I love the temperature symbols...

From the chilly rocky coast... (*this has got to be my home Bar Harbor, ME)

...to blustery European seas...

...on to warmer diving waters...

...and then the balmy islands!

The low temperature iron setting is fab, decorated with slowly flapping bunting implying that not much heat is reaching them...

...and then the drying settings (watch out Indiana Jones!!!)...

...and the instruction to dry flat where a cat is laying right on top of your blocking, OF COURSE.

Tiger Shrimp approves.

The other side of the tags come with several colored notecard options, with or without lines, where you can mark the name of the recipient and more info.

Photo from Über den Traum

Photo from Über den Traum

I only have a black and white printer and I found that the tags were too floppy on regular paper, but  firm card stock is only ~15 cents per sheet at the photocopy shop.  Simply print them out double-sided and the lines guide your cuts.

For those of you in North America, remember that the paper is A4 size, and you must check "shrink to fit" so that they fit on 8.5" x 11" paper!

Or, don't mess around and just get the pre-printed card stock labels! They're great quality and I love the option of a sticker.

I used this card on a gift for my husband, Balkan by Brandon Mably (blogged here). He's a lucky guy and breaks the barriers of my selfish knitting rules because he LOVES his handmade sweaters!

I've got to find another recipient though -- I would never let him wash his own sweater LOL! 😂

Even if you're not in the market for care labels, I encourage you to check out the shop for other knitterly and non-knitterly items. I got some stitch markers and a fabulous MAGNETIC Portuguese knitting pin (what the cat is trying to steal below) that I want to try out ASAP.

Visit Über den Traum!

15% off anything in the shop till May 15, 2017

Code: "DAYANA17"

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