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What do you do with your shawls once you've crocheted them?

mason204

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mason204 Collaborator

mason204

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Hi everyone:

 

I confess that I love making shawls. Crocheted and knitted.:manyheart:manyheart:manyheart

 

At first, I always wanted an heirloom shawl. Something made with really nice yarn that I could "pull out" every now and then and just stare at amazement. :c9 Once done, I started another, and another.....

 

Now I have a drawerful of shawls. All styles, knitted and crocheted. My daughter loves them and we pull them out every once in a while. :yes

 

Problem is, I'm not really a shawl wearer. :eek I have a few shawls that wouldn't be considered "dressy" but I'm tall and long-armed and I find that shawls seem to get in the way of "everyday work". I've made seraphina shawls and I know you can tie them in back but I have to make a "really long one" just to look decent on me and it's still awkward when moving around.

 

Next, I started giving them away as comfort shawls to close friends. Unfortunately, the people I made them for have "passed away" and now the shawls are starting to come back to me. :cry

 

I thought about selling them but most of the patterns I use are copyright. Also, considering the time and care I put into each one, I couldn't (just couldn't) sell them for less than I think they're worth, if you know what I mean. Each one has a story...

 

I'm just curious--what do you do with the ones YOU make?

*Keep them and wear them?

*give them away?

*sell them?

 

How do you store yours?

 

I want to keep making shawls but lack of storage space and the non-practical use of shawls in my world are an issue right now. I guess this is the voice of an addict trying to justify her addiction. :devil

 

Cheryl. :hook

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LaurieE Enthusiast

LaurieE

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I love shawls but I don't wear them out in public. I use them mainly for wearing around the house.

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Selune Enthusiast

Selune

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I've only made one shawl. I, too, just find they get in the way of doing things. I guess they are good if you're sitting around in front of the TV or something, but right now, I'm always moving. :)

 

Currently, my one shawl (which is Homespun) is used to cover the screen on my laptop when I'm downloading overnight. I don't like all the light from the screen (even when it's black), so use the shawl to dampen it.

 

The kitty sometimes uses it as a bed, too. :)

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Needle Arts Contributor

Needle Arts

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I made friends with several residents in the assisted living facility that my mother was in. I often went to their knitting group on Weds (to keep my Mom company) and after she passed away, I kept going for a few months. The shawls that I made while visiting them are given to the administrator and their activity director has passed them on to various residents. It has surprised me that I usually get a thank you card from the resident, or a member of the family and when that person passes, it has been a family member that kept the shawl. Our local Project Linus will accept them also although they are not considered their requested blanket size. Our fire department also does a once a year blanket drive and they accept shawls, as do many of our churches. I've even donated to Goodwill. I find my comfort in making them as I don't like making wearable for myself and know that regardless, someone will benefit from them. It is hard to part with some as the yarn was a particularly fun find, given to me by a loved one, etc. I love to try new stitches and patterns this way. By taking a picture and recording the pattern name with a scrap of yarn I've been able to have a recorded memory of selected items. The empty feeling that I initially feel after a donation is quickly filled by the next project.

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Debbi-a1 Rising Star

Debbi-a1

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I wonder if you could donate them to a nursing home or care facility? The women there might like them, either as a shawl or lapafghan.

 

You could also put them around your house. I have a blanket I fold into a traingle shawl and use (in the winter when I'm eating ice cream:yes). It stays on my chair for decrative purposes too.

 

I took the pineapple shawl/cape I made and put it on my window as a curtain (on my blog if you're interested in seeing it). I'm leaving it there for the summer to decide if that's what I want or not... it's getting warmer now and I have others, so I'm just leaving it for now.

Debbi

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ReniC Grand Master

ReniC

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Hi everyone:

 

I confess that I love making shawls. Crocheted and knitted.:manyheart:manyheart:manyheart...............................................

 

I'm just curious--what do you do with the ones YOU make?

*Keep them and wear them?

*give them away?

*sell them?

How do you store yours? I want to keep making shawls but lack of storage space and the non-practical use of shawls in my world are an issue right now. I guess this is the voice of an addict trying to justify her addiction. :devil

Cheryl. :hook

 

I know a lady that makes shawls for the local Senior Citizen Center. They use them for raffles, birhthday gifts at the Chat & Chows and their fund raisers. She also makes them for the local nursing homes. She does not use expensives yarns, she gets them at yard sales and Dollar Stores, some is donated to her, etc. Between the shawls and also making afghans for charity, she is one busy little lady.

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RelicRaider Enthusiast

RelicRaider

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I wore mine every day, all day, until I finished my sweater, which I'm currently wearing. I do wear mine out. I've made them as gifts. I hang mine on the back of a chair for now. Hubby is going to put some hooks up in the bedroom for me to hang them on. Since I sit in front of a fan so often, I find it really helps to keep my FCBC from acting up too badly and keep my upper arms warm.

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Joyannerose Rookie

Joyannerose

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I have a question and a suggestion. What is a seraphina shawl? I was also thinking about donating to nursing homes. Older people, especially when they're on blood thinners are always cold. You could also consider donating them to a cancer center. Alot of people on chemo get cold. Mine uses those cotton blankets, but I bet people would love a shaw when they're cold.

 

Joyannerose

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Elle Collaborator

Elle

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I love wearing shawls! They're so cozy to wear in the winter. I love the way you can cuddle up in them. I don't wear one if I'm working around the house doing any cleaning, but when I'm at the Front Desk downstairs I always have one on because we don't have any heat in our lobby. :eek Actually, it's not that bad, it's not like it ever gets bitterly cold down here, but it DOES occasionally get down into the low 40s for a few days at a time, and that makes the lobby feel cold and damp. We have a fireplace, but the lobby is HUGE, so the fireplace can't possibly heat the whole thing, so I park myself behind the Desk with a small space heater and my "Shawl-of-the-Day". I have six of them that I have crocheted for myself. Well, I HAD 11 of them, but when someone remarks about how much they like the shawl I'm wearing, I have a habit of giving it to them. I can always make others. The ones I have now are my absolute favorites, so I won't part with them, I don't care who likes them or how much! :lol I love the Seraphina, I really want to make one for myself. My shawls are all my own design. I like a lot of shawl wrapped around me, so they're large and most are made from a very soft chenille that I had bought a huge lot of (125 skeins!). I made them using double strands of this ridiculously soft chenille, so it's like being wrapped in a big, soft, fluffy cloud! Yep, I loves me some shawls! :lol

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kookaloo_starr Collaborator

kookaloo_starr

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I wear mine. Indoors when it's not cold enough to use the heating but not warm enough for me and outdoors too either instead of a jacket in the Spring/Summer or with my winter coat in the bleak midwinter ;)

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Titus2woman Community Regular

Titus2woman

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You pass them on to ME! LOLOL! Just kidding~but what a treasure trove you have going!!!! If I had a shawl stash going I would like to keep a couple in my trunk to give out here and there as I meet strangers along the way that seem weary in the journey. Moms with crying children in the grocery store are one such group that come to mind, but this takes on so many forms! (((((HUGS))))) sandi

 

I know I'm a NUT, but I have this on my mind often. Right now I just have a song I sing those bedraggled mamas~LOL~but not because I have the best singing voice, it's just a really, really beautiful song! "Maker of the Home"

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BlueRidgeMtnGrl Rookie

BlueRidgeMtnGrl

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I work for a non profit hospice and if anyone has handmade shawls, blankets, etc. that need homes, I would strongly encouage them to contact their local hospice, nursing home, etc. You would be very surpised (and saddened) to find out how many elderly people there are who don't have anyone, and blankets and shawls can bring great comfort, both physically and mentally/spiritually. And like another poster said, even for those with families or others who care for them, these items can bring a lot of comfort to them after their loved one has passed.

 

Blue Ridge Mountain Girl

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darski Grand Master

darski

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I make them and stick them in the closet as my local nursing home did not what anything to do with them.

 

I have a friend asking around at other places to see if she can get someone to take them. Seriously.. I am thinking it's time to dump them and just move on.

 

I wish I didn't love making shawls so much.

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Carol Contributor

Carol

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I have made tons of shawls. I just love them. I give away most of them (but only to those who really want them. I no longer make crochet gifts unless I know the person really loves crochet, but that's a different thread...:P) I also give shawls away to a charity thrift shop in my neighborhood.

 

I've kept a few shawls and wear them a lot. We live in an old building and sometimes in the winter it can be drafty, so I just throw on a shawl. In the summertime, I take a lightweight cotton shawl wherever I go because you never know when the a/c will be blasting.

 

I love to make shawls because it's easy to incorporate interesting stitches. They're not as daunting (to me) as making an afghan, and they're wearables without the shaping, which I have not yet mastered.

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Timeflies Rookie

Timeflies

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I have make 6 or 7 shawls, and I belong to a Prayer Shawl Ministry. So all of them go there. It is so neat when we get a thank you card from a recipient. My first shawl went to a young girl with a very serious virus.

 

I wish I would have taken pictures of each one.

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