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Friends and family refusing to buy yarn! (little rant sorry)


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Wow...epiphany here. I have never thought to put yarn or crochet books on present lists! :lol Thanks for the great idea. My husband asked for a list a couple of years ago so he'd know what to get me if he ever felt the need to get something. I have books, CDs, DVDs, and piano sheet music on there...but never thought till today to put crochet stuff! :D

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My family rarely, if ever, asks what I want. Instead, they buy me random stuff that has nothing to do with my tastes or interests -_- Last Christmas, my dad gave my a HUGE jewelry chest - and I have very little jewelry. Oh well. And my mom gave me a bath set that still had the price tag on it. Made me feel a little uncared for, considering it was super cheap, not a scent I like, and I hate taking baths. Honestly, I would rather her put $10 on a Wal-Mart giftcard so I can buy yarn or other craft stuff, than waste it on bath crap I'll never use.

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My family rarely, if ever, asks what I want as gifts. Last Christmas my dad gave me a jewelry chest - when I had very little jewelry, and I already had a box for it. My mom gave me a really cheap bath set (it still hat the price tag on it -_-) in a scent I don't particularly like. I don't take baths, and I'm really picky about my bath stuff. Honestly, I would rather that people put the money on a WalMart/Michael's gift card than randomly guess at what I want.

 

I did get lucky though, for my birthday (right after Christmas), my best friend asked what I wanted, and I said SnB:HH. He went out to Chapter's that night and bought it for me. He's such a sweety, *lol*. And my hubby yesterday commented that he should buy me crochet patterns/hooks/yarn for gifts, so I hope he follows through.

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I've told people before ~ especially my Mom who crochets & knits & so knows yarn, etc ~ that a GREAT gift for me would be to pick a pattern out of my pattern stash & buy the yarn needed for it. I mean how cool would that be? All they'd have to do is write down the yarn that the pattern calls for & ask a worker in the store to get it for them. But, does anyone ever DO it? NO!

I do at least get gift certificates to Hobby Lobby from time to time, but something a little more thoughtful every once in a while would be nice.

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Up until this past christmas, no body gave me anything crochet related. But my parents gave me two crochet books (i don't remember the names thought) and my in-laws gave me two crochet books and a 365 craft a day book and the best part was it was all my DH's idea.

I would love to receive gift certificates, I have yet to get those (for yarn stores or michael or joann's)

Val

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I think it's sometimes hard for us to put ourselves in the place of the recipient. We should really try to think of the giftees personality, hobbies, needs and if known, yearnings, when we buy presents. This often means that our gifts to someone become repititious (another cookbook for our daughter? another certificate to a computer store for a son-in-law?) but if that is what they like, then it usually works.

 

Yes, I would often prefer different gifts from what I receive, but always I try to feel the love of the person giving the gift rather than concentrate on the item itself. I'm afraid I haven't always been so generous, but I'm trying...

 

That said, a few times I have wanted something very specific and asked my husband for them. He might not be comfortable going into a yarn store but he LOVES to shop for books, so all I have to do there is give him a title and he's off to purchase it. Or maybe I have taken him to a certain website and pointed out something I would like to have. I want to make it easy for him, too, you know.

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I tell people the same thing every year, crochet supplies and patterns or books to read. Very seldom do I get these things except from my DH and he frustrates me to eternity when it comes to my crochet related gifts from him. He knows I've been dying to make myself a sweater out of Lion Suede but with the way he buys yarn, it would take me 5 years to get it finished. He buys me one skein at a time once a month :think. In the 5 years we've been together, I've reminded him repeatedly that if he wants to buy me yarn, he should get me 4 or 5 skeins at a time so that I can actually enjoy working with it without having to wait 3 or 4 weeks to continue on a project. I'm gonna take everyone's advice and just ask for gift cards from him.

 

Hugs and Cookies

Auntie K

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  • 1 year later...

For many years I went through the same thing- getting gifts I would never use or wasn't my tastes. Not that I did not appreciate the thoughts because I so do). A few years ago I started making a list about this time of year and broke it down to smaller " What To Buy For Mom List(s)" for each of them. With 6 grown children and 7 grandchildren it was so hard for them to figure out what to get us for gifts. And they would not go by our wishes to not purchase anything. Now they can't wait for the lists and I get everything I want. Nothing goes in a closet or back to the store either.

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I jsut took up crochet again so I've never run across this but from my husband's reaction to my requests for cooking supplies (I SO want the top of the line Kitchenaid mixer but I'll never buy it) I'll never get yarn either. He does get me great gifts but not kitchen stuff and I love to cook. The thing about the crochet yarn is its a double gift -- the pleasure of the craft and the finished project.

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OH YES!!! My husband used to think I have this huge stash of yarn, I probaly have less than the rubbermaid that you have(but I have shown him pics of others stashes that were like a yarn store itself,and no longer thinks my stah is to much). I tell people all the time to give me yarn, they say thats cheap no way, I tell them that Its not and that I would be in hog heaven! My husband does get me crochet supplies. I also get GC's for my LYS. I dont mind that either, I can get what I want.

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I get that from my family alot, especially my mom. She feels that anything such as yarn or even a gift card to my favorite craft store is "so impersonal". But what she doesn't realize is that for me, it is very personal and such a great gift.

:manyheart

 

 

I agree totally! When someone pays attention to what YOU like to do (even if they can't understand why you like it so much) and gets you a gift that supports your interest, it is a personal and thoughtful gift!

 

Two years ago my brother apologized for getting my sons gift cards to a video game store. He said he would get something more personal when he got to spend time and get to know them (we live in two different states). I told him that the gift cards were perfect because gaming is what they LOVE to do!

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The only way I get yarn is by giving a specific type to family members (crochet/knit buds at work just buy me pretty/soft/stuff I wouldn't normally buy/unable to afford yarn). So I tend to just ask for ACMoore gift certificates...though this year I will add my lys' name to that.

My gma said that most are afraid of buying a yarn or color I won't like...even though she has told them as long as it's purple I'll love it:lol

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I usually get the same response & then have people tell me "you are SO hard to buy for". No I'm not!! Just give me what I ask for even if you think it's a lame gift. At the very least, give me a gift card to A.C. Moore.

 

OMG! Same here. My family never knows what to get me (though I'm always dropping ideas). When they ask and I say yarn, I usually get an eye roll.

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I don't like gift cards for Christmas because it can end up everyone trading cards! I'd feel really embarassed if I gave someone a card and they gave me one for more than I gave. I think it is great to give them for birthdays and other special events, just not Christmas. I think it is a good idea to gift crocheters with yarns, pattern books, and other supplies. My family just hasn't figured out that yet.

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Aside from one cousin who lives in another state, DH and I are all each other have. We exchange small gifts with friends, but the only ones that we spend any appreciable amount of money on are each other. He will surprise me with something, usually a piece of jewelry that he picks out himself (he knows my taste VERY well and always comes through with flying colors!) and then I'm allowed to take a couple hundred dollars and shop either online or in the stores, and I buy him something special and then instead of him taking money and getting things for himself like I get for myself, he tells me to just shop and get him whatever I want to get him. He hates to shop and he knows I love to, so he trusts me to pick out things that he'll love. But I'm getting off the track here...

 

Whenever I take the money and shop for myself, I will sit for HOURS monitoring Ebay auctions and I'll go to the Smiley's site or to Knitting Warehouse, and within a week all KINDS of yarn starts arriving at my door! DH knows that I'm going to buy yarn, in fact, he expects me to. He always tells me "You know I'd shop myself and get you yarn, but I don't know what kind you want or what color, and I know you love to shop almost as much as you love to crochet, so it's better for me to just give you money and let you go nuts!" And he's right! :lol

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I am specifically asking certain people for certain craft related items. I asked my daughter for a lighted hook. I even sent her an ebay link to exactly the one I want. Bet she orders it today. The rest of the family is getting a list of yarn, by brand and color. Of course, these are all the people who are getting gifts that have cleared out my stash, so they understand!

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Maybe it's too intimidating for them doing the shopping. I've been doing handwork for years, I know where to go, what to look for, etc. Analogy --kinda be like me going to the hobby store for my significant other (he does trains). Yeah, I'm more than capable of doing it and have done it, but even with written out instructions BY HIMSELF, I never feel like I'm doing it correctly, and don't want to come back with the wrong thing. Personally, I love gift cards -- online or not. If someone gives me one, I send them a picture of the "gift" I chose (and sometimes they are the recipient of the spoils, too!).

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My mom will buy me yarn and g/c's to Joann's and WallyWorld so I can buy yarn. My BIL also has given me g/c's to Joann's. But my husband absolutely refuses to give g/c's to anyone and he thinks yarn is awful tacky as a gift. He did buy me the SnBHH book for my birthday last year, then apologized profusely for the "super-lame" gift. I guess giving a book is lame nowadays. Anyway I told him it was by far the best gift I had received and would love it if he would buy me more things like that. We'll see if it actually sunk in when Christmas rolls around! LoL

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In my family they don't hesitate giving me project books but will not gift yarn. In their opinion, if they give yarn as a gift, they are in a way giving someone a gift other than me. Many of my crochet projects are used as gifts and my family knows this and wants to get something for me, not something that will eventually be given to someone else. Makes sence to me. At least I have gotten a few pattern books.

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My mom sometimes buys yarn or pattern books if I give her specific titles as she knows how much I love to knit and crochet (she was into crafts for quite a while too).

 

Hubby won't buy yarn for me but last year I bought about $100 of really pretty hand dyed wool and also some pretty mohair yarn on Ebay. I just told him to consider it part of my Christmas gifts.

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