Are You A Serial Gift-Crafter?

Serial Gift Crafting


Are you a serial gift crafter? Not sure? Consider the following 8 questions.

1. Do you love your craft like a crazy lunatic?
2. Do you make articles of clothing for family and friends without knowing their actual size, their favourite colours, or styles?
3. Do you make items for family and friends but never actually see them using or wearing the item, ever?
4. Do you make items first and then try to think who to give it to?
5. Do you tend to assume that because you loved making it that your family and friends will love receiving it?
6. Do you assume that because you think it's clever or cute that everyone you know will will also think it's clever and cute?
7. Have you ever made something that people thought was a funny joke, except that it wasn't?
8. Have you ever made something as a joke that the gift receiver took seriously?

If you answered yes to 2 or more of these questions you may be a serial crafter. First, don't panic, the world is full of serial crafters who function quite normally in everyday life. I am working on being a reformed serial crafter myself. It took me decades to realize that I had serial crafting tendencies. I have knit countless sweaters for family without knowing their actual size. I did try to think about about choosing styles and colours that my family would like to wear, but I have knit sleeves that are 6 inches too long, slippers that looked like hats and vests that are 3 sizes too big.

So where am I going with this? Christmas is coming. Today is November 1st, this is the date when most crafters making items for the holidays have already started making or planning their projects. If you haven't started your projects, give it some thought. Have you really looked at those "last minute gift ideas" books and magazine articles? Certainly there is usually an item or two that might actually be useful and wanted, but the rest of it, quite frankly is crap. It's crap that you don't want it your house, so why make it to put in the houses of your family and friends?

How often have you wandered through a craft fair and seen tables and tables of crafted items that clearly took a great deal of time to make but the colours, materials and patterns are absolutely ghastly? I realize that ghastly to one isn't ghastly to all, but I suspect you know what I mean.

Are you a craft fair participant who isn't selling your items? Are people walking by your table without looking you in the eye? Yikes, just because you bought that pink and orange tweed yarn on sale is not the reason to crank out 6 baby sweaters, or 20 nasty potholders and try to sell them. Face it, some yarns and fabrics are on sale because they didn't sell. This is an important point, so I will repeat it. Sale yarns and fabrics are often on sale because they didn't sell - nobody wanted them. So if nobody wanted them as a ball of yarn, what makes you think that people will want them knit up as a cover for their spare toilet paper or a tea cosy or a pot holder or mittens or scarves? I think you get my point.

Just because you liked making it (which is absolutely okay by the way), do not assume that your family and friends will want to own it. Certainly someone may want it, but put serious thought into who that person might be. I purchased bright pink and lime green cotton yarn (no it wasn't on sale) to make each of my teenage daughters a summer top. What was I thinking? Fortunately one of my daughters caught wind of the project and stopped it in it's tracks. Too bad she didn't catch me before I handed over $60 for the yarn.

So what do you do with all those items you are making because you love to make them and you love the style and you love the materials? Consider donating them to a charity auction or the hospital auxiliary. Again, do consider what you are making. Are you really sure someone will want that item in that colour? Are you thinking that charities should be grateful for anything you make? We've all seen those dust covered baby sweaters in the hospital gift shop. Ugly is ugly.

As the cataloguer at the Prince Rupert Library, I get to see every book that goes on our shelves. The other day I catalogued a book that is one of my top 10 favourite stories. The book is called "Lester's Dreadful Sweaters" by KG Campbell. Take a peek at the cover.

This poor kid has a relative who knits him crazy stuff and his family forces him to wear it.

I loved this book! It speaks to every horrible gift I've every recieved and to my chagrin, every horrible gift I've ever given - for which I humbly apologize. I really think that "Lester's Dreadful Sweaters" should be mandatory reading for all crafters not just serial crafters.

To sum up. The holidays will soon be upon us. Start your projects now. Really consider your victim (I mean gift recipient) and really think about what you are making and why. Happy crafting!

The Prince Rupert Library Knitters (and crafters) are not meeting the first Thursday of every month, but we are meeting all the rest of the Thursdays at 7:00pm in the Prince Rupert Library multi-purpose room. Everyone is always welcome!

PS. Stop by the Prince Rupert Library and take a look at the Lorax Quilt, made by library staff to donate to the Novel Idea Auction on Nov. 9th. We are all pretty proud of ourselves.

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