So... it's time for the Bloggy Giveaways carnival that is so much fun. I am joining in the fun... I had a blast last time... and found lots of great new blogs and won three contests! I'm going to give away a copy of Knitting Rules that the Yarn Harlot wrote. It's funny, witty and extremely helpful to the starting knitter or the experienced pro. There is a legend about the Boyfriend Sweater Curse among knitters that says if you give a handknit sweater to a boyfriend... he'll probably dump you. So for this contest, you must:
- tell me about a handmade gift that you gave someone that flopped! (as in... it was not appreciated)
- provide your blog address or email address if you aren't a blogger
- live in Canada or the US
- enter before 7:00 MT on Friday night.
I'll post the winner on Saturday morning! Good luck:-)
50 comments:
I'm just learning to knit so this would be awesome!
I made a wooden house sign for my grandparents for Christmas one year about 10 years ago. It's never been on the house so, I guess they didn't like it too much.
I covered a bankers box in padding and fabric and put a wedding shower gift into it for my BIL and his wife. I figured they would use the box for some type of storage - they threw it out! I asked him why and he said well it was just a box right? I was so miffed! I would have kept it myself if I had known he would do that.
I crocheted a beaded angel with crochet thread for my MIL about 7 years . . . this was the most intricate project I ever made . . . and I have never seen it in her house since. It makes me shake just to think about it!
I made a scrapbook for a relative who shall remain nameless, and she said she had no room for it and gave it back to me.
Ugh!
I worked on that for 2 months straight!
ndisilvio at gmail dot com
I'm a beginning knitter...one year I made a scarf for my husband's family Christmas swap (now mind you, this is in addition to regular gifts...it's supposed to be a $10 swap, just for the "enjoyment" of the swap...) anyway, one of his aunts got it, and looked at it like it was made from donkey hair or something like that. It was obvious that she was disappointed...ugh - what a waste of my time! Now keep in mind that most everything in this "swap" is total junk...like I said...ugh!
when I was first starting to knit, I made the most horrific scarf and gave it to my mother. She wore it a few times for me. Now it's in her room and there it will stay, until it gets thrown out
I'f baking counts as homemade. I have had to buy stuff for kids parties at school after I've burned my iniatilly attempt.
daldak01@yahoo.ca
Oi. Anything I've ever made to give to somebody in my husband's family...ungrateful beasts....I spent months making a quilt for my MIL....
i made an afghan for my m--i-l....i mean worked on it for HOURS thinking i wanted to do something special for her. ummm...yeah...she didn't say thank you and i have yet to see it anywhere in her house since i gave it to her. and yet i keep knitting and hand-making her gifts all the time!
I made a scrapbook for my adult daughter and she thought it was a "cheesy" gift--I guess she wanted an ipod? Oh well, I guess it's NOT the thought that counts, LOL.
Please enter me in your drawing.
I made my husband's step mother a piece of filet crochet that had to peacocks facing each other so I would have a gift the first time I met them. she fussed over it telling me how nice it was and then promptly put it in her garage sale
Denyse
I'm not sure if this counts or not...
I sewed a dress for my great grandma for a Christmas present. She died Christmas eve, so she never got it.
When I had just started knitting a couple years ago I gave my sister a scarf. . . she told me she didn't like the color, and asked for a different one
laurawinn(at)gmail(dot)com
Dude! I just came home from knitting night and had the strangest urge to read Knitting Rules in the bath.
So make me win, k? just kidding, just kidding. I already own it. Just kidding.
I made a doll house out of cardboard boxes and handmade the furniture and dolls for my three little sisters. They loved it for about five minutes before they forgot about it.
I made an afghan for my mom and it started unraveling the next day. Oops! I've learned a lot since then.
Every thing I've ever knit for a gift was a flop. I made my mom a beautiful scarf out of this soft novelty yarn - which matted up when she wore it and looked awful. And then there's all the dishcloths I gave at Christmas which NO ONE will use. My MIL has them laying about as doilies.
I love the yarn harlot but don't own any of her books... I've made some handmade Christmas ornaments that I have thought were spectacularly pretty but that the recipients have felt don't go with "their decor." I guess that's why I don't have decor!
Ma wanted silk wall / closet coverings. I got a yard sample, finished it along the edges, and mailed it off. She approved the material. It became a drape for a small table. I got the measurements for covering the sliding closet doors. Purchased the 15 yards of silk. Measured twice, cut, sewed, finished the edges. They were a really good job of sewing. Sent them off and she did not like the material. ... ... I did send her a full yard (not a 2x2 swatch) to look at before I began. No, I can not return it.
(sigh) Gift flopped.
lol thanks for asking
This is why I do not craft.
Dont want the book either:)
Should I actually win, give it some other poor soul who actually crafts.
BTW all you wonderful crafters, you can send me anything (except a card) and I would TOTALLY appreciate it:)
I LUVVVE Stephanie, she's incredible! I love to knit, but am not very good, but practice makes perfect right??
I made a pillow for my mom - a lavender pillow. Within two days, the lavender was falling out. It was my first attempt. The second one was much better!
My ex boyfriend had a unplanned baby with his next girlfriend. I felt sorry for them so I tried to sew something for the baby, forgetting I have zero sewing talent, but I AM cheap. So I made a burp cloth which came out pretty good and a hat that was extremely lopsided. I gave them both but I think the hat went in the trash. Fast forward 6 years and they gave me a bag of hand me downs from their son to mine. The burp cloth was in there. Tee-hee!
I a gave a friend a baby sweater I made for her baby shower, she later donated to a garage sale fundraiser we both worked at before the baby was born. The person who bought just loved it!!
I made my mother-in-law one of those wrap around towels with velcro for when you get out of the shower/bath. The look on everyone's face when she opened it was priceless! Her elderly father said,"I don't know what that is but it seems inappropriate!".
I knit the Mr. a scarf when we first started dating, he didn't dump me, but I think he wore it once - it was horrible, it curled in on itself and was pretty much useless as a scarf :S
Not sure if this counts, but I wrote a poem and framed it to give to someone, and they just looked at it like they didn't know what it was. Ouch!
When I first started sewing, I made a not so great dress for a friend's daughter. The stitches were petty lopsided, like the hem around the bottom went from 1/4 inch to half an inch back and forth, my seems didn't stay consistant, etc... Back then I thought it was pretty good, but now I realize I should have trashed it. When I gave it to her, she acted greatful, but a few days later told me it didn't fit... Now I realize she just said that so she wouldn't have to make her poor child wear it!
I knit my daughter a beautiful, soft pink merino scarf, but erm, it was a bit too short! It is usable, just a bit short, but she doesn't like it anyways!
http://www.quiverfullfamily.com/blog for another giveaway :).
I once worked for weeks on a scrapbook for my daughter for her birthday. As all teenagers do, she was angry with her "mommy" sometime much later and ripped up the scrapbook. She regretted it later.
Thank you for doing this giveaway.
Tiffany Rosson
tiffanyannrosson AT yahoo DOT com
I made a VERY unappreciated afghan once.
I would love to win this! Please enter me.
taradawnrobertson[at]hotmail[dot]com
I made a button up shirt for my mom once and she actually wore it once or twice. :) Poor thing. :)
Thanks for the chance to win this. :)
adashofsassitude(at)gmail.com
I made a cross stitch for someone and haven't seen it anywhere since! :)
gitrecca (at) gmail (dot) com
I made a scarf for someone and I could tell they would never wear it...
For my sister's wedding, I drew this picture of her, me, and our deceased mom together. Well, she didn't appreciate it at all and I was so mortified!!!! I'll never do ThAT again. But I'm a knitter and would really appreciate the Harlot's book! Great giveaway - I'd love to win. Thank and please enter mine, too!
I'm not the greatest cook, and there are definitely meals that DH would have preferred I avoided entirely! Take-out, anyone?
This sounds like a terrific book though--I'm a newbie knitter, so no opportunity to test the boyfriend sweater curse...
f dot chen at comcast dot net
I'm a new knitter, I'd love this prize! I'm pretty selfish with my creations for fear of rejection, so I can't think of a flop. I'll share a success instead! Last Christmas I found out last minute we were participating in an ornament exchange and didn't have a chance to get one - so on the way there I made one in the car (it was about an hours drive) out of felt and beads and embroidery thread - I made a beaded Christmas tree on a circle of felt, then stitched it into a little pillow ornament with a ribbon hanger. I was so self conscious as all of these great (store bought) ornaments were opened, and of course mine was left until almost very last. The girl that got it seemed to LOVE it and I got a lot of compliments on it, so that was such a relief and very flattering :). Thanks for entering me - tonaly at gmail dot com
Please enter me, a novice knitter here.
I made a scrapbook for my cousin's new wife of their wedding pictures. The witch, change the w to a b actually had the nerve to say that she didn't want anybody taking shots of the wedding or at the reception. That is why they had hired a photographer.
I tried quilting a few years ago and I was making quilts for everyone. I made one for my dad with cowboy boots and denim on it and he actually laughed at it saying he was not a cowboy! Needless to say my mom kept it and said she loved it with the denim.
Thanks for the giveaway! I love the Yarn Harlot and her traveling sock!
When I was probably ten, I made some handmade handkerchiefs for my grandfather. After my mother died, I found the handkerchiefs still in her dresser. I guess she was too embarrassed to send them to him! Funny that she kept them, though!
Love the Yarn Harlot!
I'm in luck actually...everything that I've ever given has been a big hit. I know the day is coming when it won't be but so far so good.
What a wonderful giveaway you are doing here.
Have fun with your giveaway. Don't forget to head on over to my blog and enter mine!
Darn it, you just made me realize, where ARE all those clay things we made in elementary school? Clearly under-appreciated.
I once made my husband's grandmother a pretty embroidered bookmark. She basically said "That's nice" and then set it to the side. Thanks for the giveaway!
I had a hand knit baby blanket thrown in the trash by the recipient.....little did they know I saw it on the way out the door and snagged it. Then gave it to someone who did appreciate it.
Awesome giveaway and thanks for participating. Now I sure hope I win.
i made a bunch of valentine's day cards when i was little and some of my friends cared about them as much as they did the store bought ones.
I know I'm too late for the giveaway but I had to comment anyway :-) I'm not a knitter (I know how but haven't in years). My last yarn project was a baby afghan. Now normally I'm a quilter but I was in another state taking a post grad class when I found out my sister was expecting her first baby -- at age 38! I was too excited to wait to get home and start a quilt so I went and got yarn and a crochet hook. From here on out, the story isn't pretty.
Instead of taking 4 skeins like the pattern called for, I USED 16 SKEINS OF YARN!!! That afghan weighed so much it would have crushed my niece. But it "shore looked purty"! :-) My sister hung it over the crib railing as a decorative element. I put away my crochet hook and went back to quilting.
But I love handmade crocheted and knitted things and appreciate those who CAN make them!
I made a birthday cake for my grandmother when I was about 13 or 14. Everyone laughed when we cut it because the layers separated....I didn't know you were supposed to use icing between the layers; I'd only put it on the top and sides! :0)
Thanks!
meg.wilson@gmail.com
I knit my hubby a pair of socks. It was my 2nd pair. I have gotten MUCH better since then. But now he doens't want any. He would rather have a hat
Great giveaway! I hope i'm the lucky winner! :) i'm JUST learnin crochetin g and knitting from the "girls" :)
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