I completely agree with you, and I can't imagine how I'd feel if I were in a similar situation... but my mother constantly reminds me that we can't control what people do with gifts once given. As classless as I think this person is, it would probably be even worse for you to ask for your gift back.

It seems your coworker doesn't understand what knitting means to you and she may have seen a hand-knit gift as a cheap way out of a Secret Santa if she didn't know anything about yarn or time investments. When I first started knitting, my boyfriend thought that knitting a scarf for a friend was a lousy gift idea because, in his words "Come on, it's just a scarf." (He knows better now).

Your coworker is probably responding to it as "just a hat," the likes of which you could get at H&M or a street corner for five bucks.

The most graceful response would probably be to say nothing and not respond. If she says anything tacky again, perhaps privately tell her how much knitting means to you and how you really put a lot of thought and consideration into that gift, that it's insulting for her to talk about it as if you gave her macaroni glued to construction paper or your hand print in plaster. Whatever she does with that information is her choice. It doesn't make her a bad person if she doesn't "get" knitting, but if you give her the full story and she still chooses to be rude, then you may know better what kind of friend she is.

For what it's worth, I think Gloss would be a wonderful yarn for those because it feels so nice against the skin and has just enough silk for a subtle sheen and luxurious look. (I'm a little obsessed with it right now).

The burgundy is actually pretty close in color to the suggested yarn, but really you can't go wrong with any of them. If you're a member of Ravelry, you might want to look at the colors on there, as the Knit Picks ones are quite a bit off on their website.

Three colors are on sale here for $5.70 a ball on Webs.

There are also a handful of yarns on Elann that look like they'd make good substitutes.

Hope you find what you're looking for!

I agree with the scarf idea that madscientist suggested, and wanted to point out two nice patterns that do this, both from Knitty:

Just a Little Fizz

Rockstar Scarf

I like the baby sweater idea, though it seems you might have enough worsted weight to make yourself a cute striped sweater, if you like the colors together.

I often hear about knitters losing their mojo and couldn't imagine how I'd feel in that situation.

I really agree with Kokeshi about not making your hobby into a chore. If you're dreading the Christmas knits, excuse yourself from them.

If you really have your heart set on plowing through, maybe find a special project for yourself, with a yarn or pattern you really love, and use that as a reward or escape from the projects you dread. Even if you never finish your Christmas gifts, you'll be enjoying yourself and end up with something that made you happy throughout the process.

Good luck! Have fun!!! 

I think navy is a great alternative to black for babies because it is still dark, gender neutral, and classic, but a little gentler in connotation and can be coordinated better with tans, olives, and other earth tones.

Some of the most striking baby knits I've seen lately have been rich shades of gray, which escape the aversion to saccharin pastels while still being a softer, lighter color.

All that said, I know I will be whipping out the pinkest of pinks and butteriest of yellows if I should one day find myself pregnant with a baby girl. 

It's a zipped cardigan, but you could maybe try Joseph?

Yeah, I recognized this was a great opportunity but also realized that I don't know any patterns before the issues featured on the website... and I compulsively bought every issue back to the beginning of 2005 (a year before I started even thinking about knitting).

I wish they had photos from their back issues.

Maybe some more experienced IK knitters have some suggestions? (With photos?? )

Does anyone else think this kinda stinks?

At first I did, but then I thought about the overall subscription cost. At present, as a subscriber I pay $6.00 per issue, and they are always packed with good articles and patterns I definitely want to make. Plus I'm guaranteed a copy and they show up at my door. Hoorays.

Were they to include the holiday issue, which only had a handful of patterns I was even kind of interested in this year and almost none last year, then it would add $8.00 (or $7.00 if they knock a dollar off as they do with the regular issues) to my subscription cost and not quite provide the bang for the buck that we get in regular issues.

So my thought on it is that it's okay to go to a store, look through the patterns, and make a case-by-case decision on the holiday issues rather than pay another $7-8 a year for a fifth issue I'm not thrilled about.

Of course if they were to add the holiday issue for the same price I already pay, then yeah, I'd be right on board with that. 

Wow fishie & Erika, those are both just stunning and look fantastic on you!