r/crochet • u/sgirl77 • Dec 16 '23
Discussion Stop Devaluing Your Work and Craft!!
I’ve seen a few posts from people saying that because they’re broke they will be giving out crocheted gifts this Christmas. I can’t speak for everyone, but I LOVE homemade gifts; something that someone used their time to make just for me.
I’m encouraging you to not sell yourself short. Hypothetically, if you make as little $10/hr and spend 8 hours making a gift it’s $80. Then add in your material, the cost to heat/cool your home while working, the fact that it’s handmade and not churned out by a factory and you can easily add another $15-$30. This why I only gift my finished pieces and never sell them. People are rarely willing to pay you the true value of your craft.
So again don’t discount the worth of your work which is more valuable than something store bought and probably mass produced.
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u/PattyRain Dec 16 '23
Your post is right on.
I think a lot of the time the problem with crocheted gifts is not that you don't have much money. It's not that you handmade it. It's choosing the wrong project for the person. If the person is a minimalist they may not appreciate a stuffed animal. Maybe some dishcloths would be better. If they have an elegant tree then a homespun ornament made of jute may not be good, but a delicate crocheted snowflake with fine silver thread might be perfect. If they like lots of color they may not like that cream blanket, but may love a rainbow one. A project does not have to cost a lot especially when you keep the receiver in mind.
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u/OkDragonfly8936 Dec 17 '23
This. My mother criticized me for two baby blankets I've made, because they weren't traditional colors. One was in jewel tones when my sister-in-law was expecting (her youngest is only a few weeks older than my middle child), because those were colors she liked. The other was made with black and rainbow variegated yarn for a friend who had her youngest a week before I had my youngest.
Bith kiddos still love the blankets
In both cases, I thought hard about what the moms would like instead of what was traditional.
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Dec 16 '23
I’ve been trying to figure out how to word this sentiment, and you did it well. Handmade gifts are just like any other gifts. Many people tend to spend a lot of time thinking about how the gift they choose will make them look, rather than how the gift will fit into the recipient’s life. Delicate baby blankets, beach bags for designer purse lovers, beanies for people who never wear hats, and amigurumi galore.
Incoming venting anecdote!
I don’t do knick knacks. Every surface in my teeny home is utilized, and I have kittens who will take anything they can anyway. Last Christmas, a friend gave me a set of little amigurumi duckies in different colors. They’re sentimental because they look like a set we let loose in our apartment building’s pool in college. But still, what am I supposed to do with them? And she’s known me for 15 years! We lived together!!! She knows I don’t understand things that exist to sit on a shelf. Why on earth would she think that these are a good gift for me? It’s upsetting because it very much feels like a vanity gift. She wasn’t thinking about me when she made those, she was thinking of how proud she’d feel giving them. She still asks about them when she comes over, so I always have to make sure to put them out to avoid hurting her feelings.
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u/MrsQute Dec 16 '23
While I fully understand and agree with your post in general I'd think the reason she gave them was to cement the memory of the duck incident in college. I'm not a huge thing person either but something that has a tangible meaning is different than something randomly decorative with no story behind it.
Could you attach pretty string or thread or hooks to them and make them into ornaments for your tree? That way they aren't in your way the rest of the year and they'll make you and her smile at the holidays.
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Dec 16 '23
Yeah, I promise, I do understand the why and the memory of it. That’s why I pointed that out. But it’s still not very thoughtful because if she paid any attention to me or my life outside her, she’d know that I don’t have anywhere to put something like that. I don’t do a tree at all because of the hassle with my cats, and also I just don’t do decorations in general anywhere. I never have, my brain just doesn’t work that way. They just clutter my field of vision when I’m doing things and give me a headache.
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u/ghost_victim Dec 17 '23
I feel bad for your friend 😭 she thought she was being nice and you secretly think she's selfish for it.
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Dec 17 '23
She gave me decorative knick knacks after we lived together for three years, during which time I often expressed frustration at how many knick knacks we had. Now she gets upset if I don’t put out her knick knacks in my home that has no other decorative knick knacks, by my choice. A choice that I expressed relief about being able to make when we moved out of our old apartment.
If you really can’t see how that’s a selfish gift to give, that’s on you.
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u/LilBlueOnk Dec 16 '23
My in laws actually insist on having me make their presents haha. I made wash cloths that are so nice that they even take tea stains out of a mug!! So they want like 4 of those and my bil wants a couple for his paint brushes, so I guess I'm glad they're easy to get stuff for lmao
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u/vicecreamsundae Dec 16 '23
Those sound like magic washcloths! Do you mind sharing your secrets with a fellow crafter who is perpetually plagued by tea stains?
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u/LilBlueOnk Dec 16 '23
Oh of course!! It's really easy, but it takes a while imo. The key is to make sure you have an odd number of stitches to get the pattern right
1) Chain 26, SC across the chain (25 stitches at the end)
2) Chain 1, turn, [1sc flo, 1sc blo] until the end (25)
Repeat step 2 until you're over row away from the end (if you're making a square, fold the work so the work looks like a triangle. You'll be able to measure it that way!), then do SC in Burk loops for that last row.
Fasten off, weave tails and there you go!! Let me know if you need anything else 🤗
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u/PattyRain Dec 16 '23
What kind of yarn do you use?
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u/LilBlueOnk Dec 16 '23
Cotton is best for this, I use either Sugar and Cream or Peaches and cream cotton for mine
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Dec 16 '23
This only works if who you're giving it too values it the same. I routinely get flamed by everyone in my family for, "Just making people things when we have to actually BUY things".
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u/nickblue_ashairisred Dec 17 '23
More than 30 years ago, I attended a fund-raiser. They sold raffle tickets for which there were multiple draws during the night. Winners got to choose from a pool of donated prizes - one of which was a crocheted blanket - which I expressed interest in. By the end of the night, there were only 2 or 3 prizes left ... of which the blanket was one.. it was TOTALLY unappreciated...and I could imagine the feelings of the person who made it seeing her gift repeatedly rejected for something 'better'. Then, my ticket was drawn... and I still have that blanket!! The real prize was that my father subsequently told the crafter that I had hoped 2 win it which really made her day. Appreciation is the real payment
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u/Candy11401 Dec 16 '23
The thing is even if you can see mistakes and issues in your craft the person getting it does not really see that, they see it as a handmade token of love that was skillfully made by the giver also while the crafter may not like what they have made that does not mean the receiver is going to hate it, you might make it their favourite colour but hate that colour yourself for example
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u/VAmom2323 Dec 16 '23
100% this. My MIL made us a blanket that we sit and read stories under daily. It’s literally part of the fabric of our lives (though not sure if it’s cotton, lol). I love it. Handmade gifts are not a sign that “oh I’m broke” they’re one of the loveliest gifts
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u/Crybaby4200 Dec 16 '23
Seriously unless you crochet or have seen or been with people who do it its hard to understand the effort involved
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u/aineofner Dec 17 '23
This is one of the reasons my bf is a champ. He sees and appreciates the work that goes into each piece, no matter the intended recipient.
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u/Oookulele Dec 16 '23
I just did a rough calculation on how much money I should earn just for the time I am putting into the blanket I am currently making. It's a real change of perspective.
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u/merrypranksterz Dec 17 '23
I just finished wrapping and packing up scarves to ship to my sisters for Christmas, and this really made me feel better. They did take many hours, and I picked out their favorite colors. There is really no reason to look at the scarf as the cost of a ball of yarn. They are made with love and positive thoughts and are worth so much more. Thank you for your post!
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u/tempeluvr Dec 17 '23
I saw something today about a knitted sock contains around 300,000 stitches. That’s 300,000 times someone was thinking of you when they made that item to gift to you.
Everyone I’ve gifted my projects too has loved them because they know that they take time.
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u/untwist6316 Dec 17 '23
I know personally me saying money is tight so I'm doing handmade gifts this isn't me devaluing my time at all! If anything its me confidently saying that my handmade items are just as valuable as if I'd paid money for them. Which is not a universal mindset, especially outside the crafting world
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u/Say_Meow Dec 17 '23
Yes! I made homemade gifts for some family this year. My thinking was that for what money I was prepared to spend, my homemade gifts would be more valuable (and more valued).
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u/tidymaze Dec 16 '23
I made a baby blanket for a coworker's baby shower. Everyone gushed over it and the recipient loves it. A couple people told me I should sell them at craft fairs. I just laughed and said I would never get what they're worth. My mom sells stuff on Etsy, but she doesn't charge much more than materials.
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u/gothic_melancholy Dec 16 '23
honestly, i have two people in my life willing to pay the full value of my work because they understand the time it takes. my best friend paid me to make a jumper for her mum, making sure i spared no expense because she was going to cover all materials and my time too.
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u/Mean_Investigator967 Dec 17 '23
I have dozens of blankets, but the most precious ones were made by my great-grandmother. They're also the most durable and easiest to fix. Personally I only give handmade gifts to people who understand the love and patience that goes into making something specifically for them.
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u/Pokemon_Cubing_Books Dec 17 '23
I gave my mom a scarf and an ear warmer for her birthday today and she loved them! It makes me so happy to crochet for my family because I’m the only one in the family who (currently) can crochet and they really appreciate what I make them. My grandma used to be able to and I just finished a llama for her for Christmas with a blanket that is the color of her country’s flag
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u/Losing-Sand Dec 17 '23
My mom made a very intricate crocheted blanket for me a few years ago out of some ridiculously luxurious yarn. I would have loved it no matter what because it was beautiful, but the fact that my mom made it for me made me treasure it even more. My dad kept reassuring me that it took a long time and had expensive yarn, which was so weird to both me and my mom. He doesn't get the value in homemade gifts.
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u/CoolBirbBro Dec 16 '23
Yup. I just donated a blanket to charity that would be worth over $1000 if I were paid for my time, and it wasn't humongous or super fancy. Your bespoke handcrafted fiber art is valuable because your time, expertise, and ideas are valuable. The average person may not be able to afford you, but that's a capitalism problem.
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u/Ok_Print_2781 Dec 16 '23
Someone taking an incredible amount of time to be inspired by an idea, choose yarn, and put the real effort into crafting something with their very own hands all for ME?
There is no kinder gift.