how do you let a muggle down nicely when they ask you to knit something?

[madgirl66]

Great advice in both of your recent posts, Firefairy. Thanks.

[Firefairy]

Glad to help.  If I can save one crafter from allowing misplaced guilt to make them work with yarn that squeaks (that is the horror story that is sticking with me most from this thread, I am very sound sensitive), then I have made the world a better place.   I figure for those of you who don't want to do items on demand at all, making people take it seriously by bringing this sort of thing up and then saying "so, that's why I don't do commission" might be easier than turning down the "minor" favor they want you to do them.  Cluelessness may be why they do this in the first place, but I am all for the use of clue bats.  

[Silver Ilix]

Firefairy, I really appreciate you laying out your personal guidelines. It really gives you something to think over, and possibly have a better answer next time than "What did you just ask me  ?"
LOL I know that I will think twice about considering sewing easy after I had a corset made for me (for a wedding I was in at a fantastic price.....that now seems REDICULOUSLY CHEAP)
I am also a happy girl in that my fiance is totally aware of how long it takes me to create things, lavishes praise, listens to what I think should be changed and proudly announces that I knit a whole sweater in a 5hr car trip! (He means well, and it's so cute!)

[slb2724]

I saw a new logo at the top of the craftster screen that reminds me entirely of this thread:
DIY (with a line through it)
DIYODS- Do It Your Own Damn Self.

[caledonia_mission]

Oh, my very first inappropriate request came through the other day.

Most of the time, when people ask me to make them something, they are good friends of mine and they ask for it and don't care when and if they get it.  They know that I knit primarily for myself and that I'll get around to it eventually.  It's always in the middle of us laughing and hanging out, and it's a casual, "hey could you do this for me?"  Usually, it's a hat or a scarf or something, and I'm happy to oblige because they don't give me any sort of deadline and I throw my "FOR GIFTS" yarn box at them and a pattern book and tell them to dig around. 

Yesterday, I mentioned to my boss that I knit.  I've had my job for a week and a half.  Her eyes lit up and she asked if I could knit her pregnant sister blankets for her twins.  I was kind of flabbergasted and said "Umm...I don't really do blankets..."

I get it now!  I get why this thread is so long.  WHO ASKS SOMEONE THEY JUST MET TO KNIT BLANKETS FOR SOMEONE ELSE?!

[anakarina]

Oh, my very first inappropriate request came through the other day.

Most of the time, when people ask me to make them something, they are good friends of mine and they ask for it and don't care when and if they get it.  They know that I knit primarily for myself and that I'll get around to it eventually.  It's always in the middle of us laughing and hanging out, and it's a casual, "hey could you do this for me?"  Usually, it's a hat or a scarf or something, and I'm happy to oblige because they don't give me any sort of deadline and I throw my "FOR GIFTS" yarn box at them and a pattern book and tell them to dig around. 

Yesterday, I mentioned to my boss that I knit.  I've had my job for a week and a half.  Her eyes lit up and she asked if I could knit her pregnant sister blankets for her twins.  I was kind of flabbergasted and said "Umm...I don't really do blankets..."

I get it now!  I get why this thread is so long.  WHO ASKS SOMEONE THEY JUST MET TO KNIT BLANKETS FOR SOMEONE ELSE?!

how awkward for you! congrats on immediately saying no. they just think it'd be really cool to have handmade blankets but don't realize how much time it'd take to make and how expensive it would be. i wonder if she planned on offering to pay you or if she thought you'd just do it for free out of the love for knitting.

[alwaysnewproject]

So for Chunnuaka I knit a Calomitry for my friend. She went up to the snow she asked me to knit the Calmitry for her friend. I kinda' brushed it off. She didn't offer to pay, she didn't offer to get the yarn, or anything. Right before X-mas. I didn't say anything... kinda' brushed it off. She is asking me to knit something for her sister, who is pregnant. I am playing dumb. But what bugs me is the original thing she asked me to knit it was for a guy she was dating for a minute, someone she even knew it wasn't going to last...

[caledonia_mission]

Oh, my very first inappropriate request came through the other day.

Most of the time, when people ask me to make them something, they are good friends of mine and they ask for it and don't care when and if they get it.  They know that I knit primarily for myself and that I'll get around to it eventually.  It's always in the middle of us laughing and hanging out, and it's a casual, "hey could you do this for me?"  Usually, it's a hat or a scarf or something, and I'm happy to oblige because they don't give me any sort of deadline and I throw my "FOR GIFTS" yarn box at them and a pattern book and tell them to dig around. 

Yesterday, I mentioned to my boss that I knit.  I've had my job for a week and a half.  Her eyes lit up and she asked if I could knit her pregnant sister blankets for her twins.  I was kind of flabbergasted and said "Umm...I don't really do blankets..."

I get it now!  I get why this thread is so long.  WHO ASKS SOMEONE THEY JUST MET TO KNIT BLANKETS FOR SOMEONE ELSE?!

how awkward for you! congrats on immediately saying no. they just think it'd be really cool to have handmade blankets but don't realize how much time it'd take to make and how expensive it would be. i wonder if she planned on offering to pay you or if she thought you'd just do it for free out of the love for knitting.

I'm inclined to think she was just thinking, "oh cool!" and since her sister is kind of poor, thought it would be a less expensive way to get her some of the things she needs.  There are definitely no hard feelings between us because I said no. 

[kitsue43]

IF they REALLY are so insistent have them come over and you show them how difficult it is, or teach them to do it themselves.

Goodness. My friend knit me the cutest scarf for my birthday but it took her months to do it. She's offering to make me some more, but poor thing I don't want to make her give up her free time for the sake of another scarf.

[dbh2ppa]

I just wanted to comment... The whole "Go to the yarn store, buy the yarn you like and bring it to me" thing everyone mentioned on the first few pages of this thread... never use it!! It can backfire horribly!!!
Three of my friends just gave me a whole lot of yarn to make them stuff (Which I will, of course, cause I love them and all), but... I'm just happy no one asked for a sweater.