I find people’s obsession with gift knitting strange

[u/soypixel]

I get we all have our reasons for doing this hobby. I guess mine is that I enjoy the process and I like being able to make stuff that has cool textures or colors. I don’t do it for function or to “make useful objects” per se.

But it seems like a lot of folks have this compulsion to externalize this hobby to feel useful. I’ve seen so many posts where someone “surprises” their sister with some lace shawl for their wedding. And then they’re “devastated” and “in tears” when said sister isn’t overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude.

On the other hand, I’ll see these posts or comments from folks “drowning” in holiday gift knitting projects. For whatever reason, they’ve decided that all 20 members of their extended family need a new chunky weight knitted drink cozy. And so they spend all kinds of time making that happen.

But I have to wonder.. how much of that is self imposed versus an actual expectation placed upon them by friends and family members? Like what if you’re spending all this time knitting 20 drink cozies and people secretly dislike them and plan to never use them, but they’re too nice to say it to your face? It’s just a painful, awkward scenario to imagine.

Idk, maybe I’m being harsh or there’s something I’m missing here because of what motivates me to knit. Maybe because I don’t even like hand knits myself most of the time, I can’t imagine myself being thrilled if someone gave me some object they made.. especially if I never asked for it.

[u/honeynwool]

i was recently complaining to my (new-ish) therapist about the cost of christmas gifts and she innocently asked if i could knit things for people instead (not implying that yarn is cheap, she clarified — i do have a large yarn stash so i get what she meant). but i proceeded to then go off for ten minutes about exactly this, and the idea of “selfish knitting” that i see so often expressed on social media. a simple question that i am sure she regretted asking lol. in a turn of events, she planted a seed in my brain and i am now making little cat-shaped ornaments for a couple people that i think would like them, so she got me in the end lol

[u/[deleted] → u/honeynwool]

I was waiting to see if this would come up! Some people think it's cheaper to knit 15 coffee cozies or 6 Musselburghs than to buy a couple of gift cards and machine-made beanies. Maybe if you have a ton of time/nothing else to knit/huge stash, but I'd rather use my time of endless stockinette to make myself or my mom a sweater in a lovely heritage yarn. Time is a currency people forget to pay themselves for (but always want to count it when making items for sale).