~A few of the blogs I’ve visited lately have discussed the issue of giving one of our cherished hand-made objects to someone who just wasn’t worthy of receiving the item. One of the posts by Opal, writer of my favorite new blogs Celebrate Life!, was entitled: Are They Fiber Worthy?” She had this fabulous Do You Knit the Gift or Do You Buy the Gift? flowchart from the-panopticon blog. This chart still is getting a chuckle from me! You have to go to his site for a real chuckle.
This is my new guide! Hubs is going to be mad, but he’s on the BUY side. He knows why! 😎 I have my mental checklist, and I do have the “BUY” list. This chart goes beyond fiber, it really says “is the person hand-made worthy?” Every object is infused with our care and hours of time and to see it so cavalierly disregarded is hurtful, upsetting, and “I-want-to-stomp-on-something-so-I-don’t-scream! How many of you have wanted to take back an gift because it wasn’t appreciated or treated properly. Raise you hand! Mine is up! Share with us the worst scenario for your hand-made gift, all of us will sympathize. Go ahead, make something for me! I promise I am “hand-made worthy” and will cherish it. 😎
Curls and Q 
I was gonna leave a long comment…but decided to turn it into a blog post instead. My story of unloved knitted objects and covert reclamation.
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Yeah! Have to read it. 😎
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Q, thanks for the mention. I’m happy I discovered your website. I’m really enjoying this website.
Yep, that’s why I don’t make items for too many people I know. I don’t think too many of them are worthy of a handcrafted item, even though some of them are amazing. They simply wouldn’t take care of the handcrafted gift, and so the hours devoted to creating a unique item, is best left for someone who will appreciate my efforts.
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Thanks! I really liked your post about this. It was timely. 😎 I didn’t post, since my husband reads it, that he left a wool scarf I made for him in the garage and the mice got to it. 8-( I’m a day-dreamer and when I knit a complex pattern REALLY have to pay attention so my mind doesn’t wander. His scarf pattern was one where the first row was k5, p1 across, next row, k4, p2 across, etc. I really had to make sure I kept to the patterns. I’d find that my wandering mind would lead to frogging. So, when I saw the condition of the scarf I was, needless to say, upset! He really is not good about taking care of things, so no more! 😎 PS We’ve been married 40 years this September, I knew he wasn’t handmade-worthy when I made the scarf, he just really wanted to have one made. He understands now why I was reticent! 😎
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I tend to be a bit of a dreamer too, knitting has always put me into a relaxed state. Sometimes, when working on a complex pattern, I have to make sure I won’t drift off since sometimes I can treat a complex pattern similar to a “mindless kitting pattern” if I’m too relaxed 🙂
Congrats on the upcoming marriage anniversary? My parents have been married for 44 years. Sometimes that’s hard to believe, but they were married three years before I came along, I’m 41. 😉
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40 years in September. 😎 As the hubs would say, “Forty long tedious years!” He thinks he’s so cute! This has been his saying since our first anniversary. 😎 Congrats to your parents too!
Is this day-dreaming a Lutheran thing? 😎
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If your husband is joking about it, he obviously has enjoyed all those years together, and that’s great! It sounds like something my father would say to my mom. Last year, while in South Caroline, he told my mothers sister that my mom passed out the first time she saw him. He told her sisters that she was praying so hard that he’d speak to her, that she passed out. Of course my mom didn’t do that, but that’s my father, he loves to tease those he loves. I’m a lot like him.
Oh you’re Lutheran too, perhaps it is a Lutheran thing. I was raised Baptist, but last year I became a member of a local Lutheran church. Our church has a school, my daughter has attended their since kindergarten. In fact, I went there when I was in kindergarten, before my parents switched me to a Baptist school.
Perhaps daydreaming is a Lutheran thing… although I (teasingly) tell my daughter that I lost a ton of brain cells during pregnancy. She just shakes her head and laughs at me. Some of the “head in the clouds” things I did during pregnancy, were fairly embarrassing, especially since I never did them pre- pregnancy.
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My husband is a big tease! 😎 I used to tell the kids “Don’t laugh, you’ll only egg him on!” 😎 Love what your dad says about your mom praying so hard! LOL! I’m like that too! So was my dad. The kids friends say that our family always cracks them up!
My mom was born and raised in Minnesota and of Norwegian descent. So, yea Lutheran! 😎
LOVE the pregnancy angle. I have a new story to tell the kids whenever I’m forgetful! Thank you! 😎
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