ALT.Gifts for Your Family's Distant Holidays

[j44ke]

Time to come up with some alternative gifts for those who expect them this holiday season. Something alternative for someone who would be pleasantly surprised to receive something handmade, creative, crafty, unique.

Liz Hamann - Hand thrown porcelain clay ware and stoneware done with superb technical finesse. We have several large bowls, some rimmed plates and a bunch of tea cups (large ones,) and they are all impressively thin and light in the hand. That takes skill. She is in the middle of switching work spaces, so if you see something you like on her site, then call her or email her and she'll try to match up available stock with your preferences.

Aubry Wood - Run by Matthew and Kyra Hart. Wooden bowls and utensils hand-carved from wood off of their farm property. I don't think they update their website, so you'll need to contact them to find out what stock is available. We have a bowl, several spoons and a spatula from them. We use the spatula almost every day.

Dette Flies - Hand-tied trout-fishing flies by local (probably global as well) fishing royalty. In business forever. Immaculately tied trout flies that trout will do their best to tear to shreds. Used to be in a small shop in Roscoe, NY but now in Livingston Manor. Still the Catskills.

Nordt Family Farms - Hand woven merino wool blankets. Un-be-lievably soft and warm. Not itchy! Very reasonable prices for hand-woven high quality product like this. From sheep to you.

Suga Pottery - I think if we could resist the temptation to buy pieces of pottery whenever we find them, we might end up having all Suga Pottery. Eh, maybe with some Liz Hamann bowls. But really, Ben Suga makes really nice beautiful pots with lots of variety that still works well together as a set. Like most of the hand-makers, contact with questions for current stock.

Blue Skies Workroom - Alyssa Salomon (my sister-in-law but I get nada zilch zero per sale) prints cyanotypes & silkscreens on fabric and paper to create tote bags, zippered pouches, linen towels, clever signs, pillows of several shapes and sizes, and hand-bound creative journals & notebooks, including her "Fill or Fondle books" which are a combination photo & design sampler of Alyssa's work and an opportunity to collaborate by adding work of your own. She also makes terrific linen aprons - check with her directly to see what designs she has available. We've given them as gifts to friends who love cooking and there have been tears each time.

Monolith Knives - Really terrific fixed blade and folding knives. I have one my wife bought me, and after I figured out how to stop cutting myself with it, it has been great. I've done all sorts of things with it that knives shouldn't do but do anyway because, well, you don't have a screwdriver/crowbar/hammer/axe handy at the moment. A+ gift for someone who needs a few scars to help build some character.

Kinderhook Farm - Some of the best meat around in these parts. Or so I've been told. Terrifically well run farm, nice to the animals (believe me, I've spoken with the chickens personally) and staffed by good people. I don't think they ship, but they might. They do have drive up service with plenty of distancing, so if you are in the area or passing through, you can order to go and go.

Richard Messina Designs - A master of hand forged gold jewelry. Incredible stuff. He makes other lovely pieces, but his hand-forged stuff is where the skill shows. Pieces here look smooth and gracefully curved after beginning as a flat bar or round rod of gold. There are often waiting lists for his cuffs and neck rings, understated pieces that are knock out in person.

Happy Chickens at Kinderhook Farms by Jorn Ake, on Flickr