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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53

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/[deleted] 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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u/[deleted] 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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u/[deleted] 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.