Christmas: time for crocheted caps and Nutcracker collections

By Joan Janzen

Nutcrackers and crocheted gifts are a few of Rosi Housser’s favourite things during the Christmas season. She and her hubby Paul are surrounded by 900 nutcracker figurines on display in their living room in Kindersley. She started collecting nutcrackers 33 years ago, and friends and family keep giving her more.

Rosi Housser stands in front of a small portion of the 900 Nutcracker figurines she has displayed in her home. She’s holding a nutcracker she crocheted. Photo by Joan Janzen

A family member quilted these nutcracker wall hangings for Rosi.

Rosi’s granddaughter proudly wears a crocheted cupcake hat her Grandma made for her. Photo by Rosi Housser

“I saw this, and it made me think of you,” a friend will say as Rosi is given another Nutcracker gift. She’s even had family and friends make her Nutcracker wall hangings and ornaments. Every gift comes with a story, the name of the gift giver, and the date written on the bottom.

“I have them everywhere and Paul had to make me special shelves to display them all,” she said. It takes Rosi three or four days to arrange the display. Not only do they fill the shelves, but they’re draped over the doorways and windows, and hanging on the walls. Each year, she insists it will be the last but then relents after her family convinces her the nutcrackers have to come out of storage at Christmas.

Unfortunately, the six-foot Nutcracker that stood outside their front door finally succumbed to the elements. Paul and Rosi made it, using ice cream pails for the body, plumbing pipe for legs and arms, and a flower pot for a hat. “We had so much fun doing it, but it finally wore out,” Rosi said.

Rosi recalled seeing a Nutcracker set at Midtown Plaza in Saskatoon. The Wizard of Oz theme attracted her attention. When she asked about it, she was told the set could be purchased for $25 if she presented $200 worth of mall receipts. Within minutes, Rosi was collecting receipts from shoppers and purchasing her set of Nutcrackers.

A few years ago, Rosi combined her two favourite things by crocheting a nutcracker ornament. She’s been crocheting for the past seven years. Although she fashions creative quilts and dolls, her favourite thing is designing and making crocheted hats.

When I asked how many hats she had made, she said, “Oh, I lost count years ago!”

She makes hats by special request. “They’re not just caps, they’re also a lot of fun!” Rosie said. Her hat designs have included moose, whales, cows, pandas, Spider-Man, bears, birds, mice, unicorns, dinosaurs, Sponge Bob, cupcakes, and Christmas trees. “The Christmas tree hats take me such a long time to decorate,” she admitted. It can take Rosi up to two days to make some of the caps.

Her grandchildren wear many of her hats. Rosi remembered being at the mall with her grandson when a woman stopped to ask where he got his hat and if he would sell it. Rosi promptly plucked the hat off her grandson’s head and sold it to the woman. Her grandson didn’t care because he knew he had unlimited access to more hats.

The 7-year-old grandson drew pictures of all the different types of hats he needed his Grandma to make for his friends and family. He said, “You can do anything, Gramma!” And when his teacher asked him who his hero was, he quickly responded, “My Gramma!”

“I want to make something really special for gifts,” Rosi said. Her crochet designs are definitely special gifts, and her 900 nutcrackers make quite a grand display.