It’s time for the second weekly topic for the Winter Doldrums Dischloth Swap! Here we go:
There are many people who ADORE receiving hand-knit or crochet items; but there are just as many who have no appreciation whatever of how much love, work, and time goes into a hand-made item. Share a story of a hand-made gift you gave to someone and how it worked out – good, bad, or ugly!
I’ve made many handmade gifts and I guess they have gone over pretty well. If the people I gave them to didn’t like them, at least they didn’t tell me, LOL! I’ve made many dishcloths as quick gifts, including this one I gave to Lisanne. I knit my husband the Irish Hiking Scarf as a gift one year. I made my sister-in-law a felted bag. I knit a cupcake for a friend’s birthday. Plus back in the old scrapbooking days I made a few albums as gifts. I hope that people do appreciate my efforts and if they don’t I think I’d rather not know about it, LOL!
Thank you for the lovely note on my blog! Where and how did you come across me? Just curious!
Your blog is lovely and, as an avid reader, I may have to check out some of Mr. Brautigan’s work from my library – thank you for the referral!
Regarding your post – my beautiful great grandmother, who is 93 (I think?) is an avid crocheter. She does beautiful work and even though she can’t see well, she can still count ( and does so when she crochets.) One of my most favorite gifts from her is a beautiful crocheted piece in fine thread of my name, which I’ve framed over a piece of dark red fabric so that you can see the detail (and, ahem, my name) – it is about 4×8 inches square) and I’ve had it up for several years. Such a special piece for me. Unfortunately, one of the gifts that I do have and that I don’t particularly use is also from her. She has taken dish towels and cut off the tops and crocheted “tops” on top of the tops she’s taken off with buttons that go around your drawer handles. Not only do I not want to use them because she is so old and I don’t want to “mess up” something she may never be able to recreate, I’d rather be able to pass it on as beautiful as I received it, but also, as I mentioned, she can’t see well, nor does she have much extra income, so the dish towels she uses are rather ugly. As in, kittens wearing Santa hats on dishtowels from the dollar store ugly. So in the one hand, I’d love to display this beautiful talent and art that she has, but in the other, I don’t want to ruin it by using it for I fear she doesn’t have much time left and the third (if I had a third hand), the towels are god-awful ugly. Forgive me Lord.
So, in terms of handmade gifts, I appreciate them and LOVE the art and sentiment she has, but feel that I should both keep and not use them. It’s a vicious circle. But, as one who also makes handmade gifts for others (mostly sewing and food-related items) feel like it might be one that I might enter someday as well!:)
What you make sounds lovely and so useful, though! I’m looking forward to reading more of your blog!
Best,
Sarah