Hands up those who are currently on the homestretch of the gift scarf or sweater made with their own loving hands. Thought not. No, those fingers have been wrapped around a mojito more frequently than a crochet hook, haven't they? And what do we have bearing down on us like an avalanche? No prizes for getting that one right, either. The bad news: unless you're willing to abandon your social life for the next month or so, you've probably blown it in terms of hand-stitched presents. The good news: right across this great country, large numbers of people who do all that stuff with great skill year round, bring scads and scads of it to the annual Circle Craft Christmas Craft Market.

Regulars storm into the market every year and not just to fill their bags with never-fail Christmas gifts like beeswax candles and specialty soaps for moms and aunts. Clever fashionistas realized long ago that the show is a spectacular source of the one-off and the offbeat, clothing and accessories that won't show up in the mainstream stores. List in hand, some shoppers head straight for designers they've come to know, like Frances Dickinson, who makes faux wrap skirts scattered with felted leaves (hence the Vancouverite's Frances Felt label). Note that this time around, in addition to those, she's bringing along one-of-a-kind hand-dyed-and-felted wool shawls with silk and chiffon details. These are super-soft wear. More techy altogether are the flat bags made by Nelson-based snowboarder Shannon Hames, who recycles bike inner tubes and unusual fabrics for her Snowline Designs. Then there's the deftly named Mother of Purl label from Ontario, which was ahead of the trend last year and is now right on it with knit shawls and hats in luscious hand-dyed yarns like cashmere/silk and alpaca. If these are warm as a hug, Alisa North's Hat Heads Millinery Co. designs are more of a memorable quip. Dorothy Parker wannabes should check out this retro-inspired, dizzily feather-trimmed headgear. Meanwhile, women of normal proportions will be tracking down Nikki Babie from Victoria, who--what a concept--fits her clothing on real bodies and sews tops, dresses, and outfits in 15 sizes. Simple design makes them ideal canvases for the market's outstanding stash of jewellery: geometric, organic, and abstract shapes; sterling silver, sometimes with gold or semiprecious-stone accents; or, in the case of Bijoux du Monde, rings and things that incorporate real insects. If you don't lose your heart to at least one piece here, you deserve to be stripped of your Visa card.

Sans Souciehas a to-dye-for way with pantyhose

For starters, check out Jennifer Broeska's Riot Designs, which team sterling silver with handmade glass beads to create what looks like sophisticated ethnic jewellery, and don't miss sculptural sterling pieces by Emma Bracefield. Regulars circle in on the fresh talent, designers who have made the cut (the show is juried) in terms of originality and technique. Awarded last year's Circle Craft scholarship, Katherine Soucie of Sans Soucie already sells her lissome creations around town. Working with generic medium-weight pantyhose (no, they don't run), she silk-screens and dyes them in intense, rich colours--tawny reds, blue-greens, and deep purples--describing the results as "a stained glass approach...spawned by an interest in mosaics". Each piece is constructed on a mannequin, with vertical seaming and rolled hems adding graphic edge to svelte little tops that look as good with denim as they do with silk or velour pants; Soucie is also introducing skirts, dresses, and a big clutch of scarves.

A believer in born-again clothes, Torontonian Susan Harris transforms found fabrics into head-turning separates. (Take a gander at www.susanharrisdesign.ca/.) Gentler in feel are Yoriko Oki's designs in hand-dyed natural fibres. Trained in architecture and fashion design, Oki, now a Richmond resident, hails from Tokyo, and her woven shawls and purses evoke the delicacy of a Japanese art print. Babs Lucas works with weavers in Cambodia to create a line of lustrous fabrics that glow with colour. She cuts them into mod Asian styles, often fastened with traditional frogs. (Lucas's Web site, www.babs.ca/, should be running by the time you read this.) These beautifully tailored pieces redefine fusion fashion in a way that is global without being costumey; Diana Krall is one customer.

For seawall hikes, hunt down Lajla Nuhic's crisply crocheted hats, which she calls "textile landscapes". Small three-dimensional nubbins take them light-years from the generic-tuque category, as do tweedy colours. Just don't grab that deep-purple one before I do.

The Circle Craft Christmas Craft Market happens Wednesday through Sunday (November 10 to 14) at the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre (999 Canada Place). Adults, $10; students and seniors, $8; multiday, nontransferable show pass, $12; 12 and under, free. Circle Craft offers a $2 discount on-line (circlecraft.net/).