You Can't Please Everyone

[Sakkasie]

A co-worker of mine has been bugging me to make her a hat. Now I don't particularly care for this person but in the interest of departmental harmony I figured what the heck. Of course she had no idea what yarn she wanted me to use and no time to buy it so I go to WalMart, pay for the yarn myself and get it done.

 

Today I gave her the hat which I must admit looked rather nice on her. Ten minutes later she brought it back to me. Out of the 1,020 stitches in this hat (yes, I counted them) ONE of the stitches was a teeny tiny bit higher than the others. It looked as if it might have caught on something, or perhaps my kitten was using it to practice his fighting skills on last night.

 

This simply would not do. There was no way she could accept this hat and pay me the princely sum of $5.00 for it with the hat in this condition. I needed to take it home tonight and fix it. After all, I couldn't very well expect her to walk around with "THIS THING" sticking out.

 

Lordy.

 

April

[melectric]

That is plain silly. If you are wearing something that is handmade you can't expect it be perfect, especially if it is as little as one stitch. It sounds like is isn't very nice to be around.

[mudpie]

I would apologize profusely, take the hat home and find another person to give it to. Never mention it again.

[Tapanga]

Did you shove the hat down her throat? Sorry to say, but thats what I would have done. Well....ok ok I would have shoved the hat down her throat and the money up her.....nose.

What a freaky person.

[Lynn]

I don't think down her throat is where I would have shoved it!

 

I think you have a real "button pusher" here. There are some people that we just shouldn't have to deal with and I think this "lady" is one of them.

 

Take the hat home and give it to someone who appreciates all the hard work you put into it.

 

Lynn

[dhaunae]

I agree with Mudpie. I'd apologize for failing to live up to her high standards, take back the hat, insist on giving her the $5 back, and she could hold her breath and wait until she saw anything handmade from me again.

 

I have a coworker who asked very tentatively if one day I might be able to make a scarf for her daughter, and offered to buy the yarn. Last week I was bored and brought some scrap yarn to work, whipped up a bright, pretty scarf, and handed it over to her total shock. She's had it on her desk for over a week now and proudly shows it to everyone who walks by ... "Lani made this for Michelle! Isn't it wonderful??". You'd think I'd made it from silk and gold, and it's just a scrap yarn scarf! THAT is how to treat a handmade gift. Your coworker could give the Grinch lessons, and I'm sorry that happened to you.

[irikel]

Way to go!!

Did you shove the hat down her throat? Sorry to say, but thats what I would have done. Well....ok ok I would have shoved the hat down her throat and the money up her.....nose.

What a freaky person.

[losingmymind2]

I agree, you work with a true Grinch. I whipped up a scarf with some yarn I got in a swap and gave it to a coworker for her daughter's Christmas and she is so totally over the moon about it. She's just so excited, and thankful and honestly, it was just a plain dc scarf. That makes me want to make more for her since I don't have a young lady to crochet for.

[omibunnydotcom]

Wow, yeah, i would have lost it if a coworker did that to me.

 

Everyone on my team at work has asked me to make them something. So far, three of my coworkers have scarves, and nobodies complained, everyone's been grateful and in total awe that i know a skill like crochet.

 

i would have gone off on that lady and explained:

 

"You wanted a handmade item, you got a handmade item, that i spent a good amount of my time making. If you want perfection, that's the closest i come to perfection. Obviously you're not familiar with the quality of home-made items. I suggest you take your 5 dollars and go see if someone can hand-make you a hat for the same price. I believe that 5 dollars can buy just the yarn used to make that hat, or you can go to the store and get yourself a 'perfect' hat."

 

Of course, i'm mean, and thats the type of thing i would say.

[Kiki]

What an ungrateful *&(*^^%^%!! I think I would have shoved something other than the money or the hat. The hat would be too pretty and the money, well,... 'nuff said!!

[mbcabbie]

Even my teenage kids and DH appreciate handcrafted gifts. My daughter made a comment tonight about her camo scarf - how it is one of a kind and it makes her feels special that she is the only one who has one just like it. Gave me the warm fuzzies (kind of like her next scarf (WIP) which IS warm and fuzzy!!) LOL

 

I would have had something to say to that lady right then and there, coworker or not. Rude is rude. Ungrateful is ungrateful. And a &^$#@ will always be a &^$#@ until someone humbles her a bit.

 

Once I got over the shock, I would have given her a dose of her own medicine. I'm with everyone else. Take the hat, return the $$ and give the hat to someone who will appreciate it and pretend like the whole thing never happened. If she asks about it later, just tell her you don't do consignment work for people who can't appreciate the thought, time and effort that goes into something like that. She had her chance a blew it. If that doesn't get through to her, then cram it (somewhere other than) up her nose.

[Pink]

I am so sorry you have to deal with someone who is so unappreciative - she's a snotty b&*ch who doesn't deserve a handcrafted anything. But it could be worse - at least you only work with her, imagine if you had to live with her

[Sakkasie]

Thanks everyone for your kind words and support. This woman really is difficult to deal with so I shouldn't be surprised. When I go into work tomorrow I'm going to tell her that my cat puked on the hat and just leave it at that. Given that she hasn't even paid me for it I'll be sending it off to the Pine Ridge Reservation for one of the elders.

 

If she wants a crocheted hat she can blinkin' well learn to crochet on her own.

 

April

[crochetdiva]

LoL, puked on the hat....you should tell her that you told the cat the lady wore it ..then the cat puked on it. Ok, and that was mean.

I would make no excuses...and simply say that your time is precious (especially this time of year) and you wasted enough of it on her.

Ok, so you probably wouldnt say that...I know, don' t say anything until she asks about it, then tell her someone bought it from you for $30. HA! Then tell her to learn to crochet herself...as if she would.

Boy I am wicked tonight....sorry.

[Sakkasie]

Andrea,

 

I like how you think. Must be because we're both Canadian.

 

April

[crochetingmom]

I would wear it myself and tell her nothing is wrong with it, and you'll make her another one with the earth reverses it's spin.

I can see why you don't really like her. I am glad I work alone.

[Suebee42]

I know, don' t say anything until she asks about it, then tell her someone bought it from you for $30. HA!

 

I like this idea!!!!!!

 

Oh, sorry, I ran into someone on the street on the way home yesterday, and they offered me $30 for it, so I sold it to 'em.

[newfiegal]

Tell her to go to Walmart! Some people always look for something to complain about. It takes all kinds to make the world go around. Have a nice Holiday Season!

[CrochetKitty]

If she wants a crocheted hat she can blinkin' well learn to crochet on her own.

 

Better still, offer to teach her.

[Cuddlefish]

Whoa, I would have wanted to smack her with it. Yikes!

[The Shrone]

I'd take a passive-aggressive approach and just not return the hat. If she asks about it, say you gave it to someone who didn't mind the "imperfect" stitch!

 

I can't believe some people! But, it takes all kinds, doesn't it? This is a learning experience: don't make her anything every again.

 

I wouldn't make a hat for someone for $5. Your time is worth more than that. Hats generally sell for $15-25, depending on where you live. And these are just the basic style of beanie hat. If it is something fancier, it costs more.

 

~ Lori

[badrhinogillett]

People that make Persian Rugs purposefully make a mistake in it, as they believe the only perfect thing in the world is God, and to make something perfect is arrogant.

 

I would have pointed out that you were being kind by selling her something for $5. Ask her to think about how much money she makes an hour, and then ask her to think about how much time she thinks the hat took you. Plus add in the yarn and see if she thinks you undercharged her.

 

Then, I would just never bring the scarf back in. If she asks about it, I might show up with a skein of yarn, and an old crochet hook and tell her she can make one herself! When she points out she doesn't crochet, I'd tell her that she then shouldn't have been so critical of what you did!

[13bodies]

LoL, puked on the hat....you should tell her that you told the cat the lady wore it ..then the cat puked on it. Ok, and that was mean.

I would make no excuses...and simply say that your time is precious (especially this time of year) and you wasted enough of it on her.

Ok, so you probably wouldnt say that...I know, don' t say anything until she asks about it, then tell her someone bought it from you for $30. HA! Then tell her to learn to crochet herself...as if she would.

Boy I am wicked tonight....sorry.

 

Crochetdiva, that's mean and immature.

 

I love it.

[seagull1993]

>> I would wear it myself and tell her nothing is wrong with it, and you'll make her another one with the earth reverses it's spin. <<

 

Oooo -- I like that! That is pretty much what I would choose to do. ;-D

[omibunnydotcom]

tell her someone bought it from you for $30. HA! Then tell her to learn to crochet herself...as if she would.

Boy I am wicked tonight....sorry.

 

That sounds like an awesome idea....so delightfully in your face! I seriously don't know what i would do if someone at my work did that. Everything i have crocheted or Needle Felted and given to coworkers has been greatly appreciated.....I wonder if your the only coworker that feels the way you do about her. That woman needs a reality check big time. I hope you bring your crochet into work like i do and just sit there and crochet right in front of her.