Category — crafty friends

Over at Scoutie girl, there is a very well-thought piece on paying the true value of ‘stuff’, and being more considerate of the ‘stuff’ we buy.

Though my involvement with Craft2.0, this issue comes up constantly. About the people who poke and prod our crafters’ precious things and say ‘I could make this myself’ or, ‘Wow, that’s a bit expensive.’

I’m curious as to if said people do go home and make the item themselves. Or, if they consider the time and effort gone into creating beautiful things. From the concept, to buying or making the materials, to the careful attention given to the small details, to the packaging, the emails, the customer service…

There is so much we don’t see of the process of making – in fact, the majority of the time all we see is the finished product. Surprise is often the first reaction when I tell people what I do. The second question they ask is, ‘oh, so you knit stuff and sell it?’

Most tend to be taken aback when I explain how much I would charge for a pair of hand knit socks if I were to fully value my time. Somewhere in the region of $400.

I suppose the point I am trying to make is – what we create is of value. Everything you knit (or sew, or crochet) is of value. In fact, it is the unique and one of a kind qualities push that value up even further. We invest ourselves in everything we make, and should be proud of what we produce. Even if we feel it is imperfect – think of the value of the lessons learned through making mistakes. Virtually everything I sew, or knit, or whatever, has something wrong with it – but that is just part and parcel of the hand made process.

Moral of the story: everything you create is worth something – don’t devalue it. And recognise the hard work of others.

Disclaimer: This isn’t a rant, or something I needed to say to prove a point to anyone. Just puttin’ it out there 😀

Once upon a time, I lived in Wellington. I loved it – loved walking the streets, popping in to Midnight Espresso or Deluxe to loiter over a coffee and read, mooching around looking at beautiful things and spying great graffiti. I’m now resident in another great place, the one and only Petone, but I do so miss being close to central Wellington.

Last night I had the great pleasure of joining some crafty types for a CraftUp at Blondini’s, upstairs at the Embassy. Driving in, the city showed me all the reasons why I love it – moody winter clouds, grey buildings and shining yellow lights. I adore being so close to the hills and the sea, and being able to walk from one end to the other.

It was a perfect evening for red wine, brownies, crafting and talking about crafty business and general gossip. The craft community really are so open and welcoming, and I always go away from catch ups with a big smile on my face. Last night in particular, a few plots were planned…so there is plenty to go on with in the background!