|
6/20/2004 5:41:35 AM
|
Shui Kuen Kozinski
Posts 13217
|
A friend gave me two jars of local wild berry jelly. In return, I gave my lace PC alpaca socks to her with label shows how to wash the article.
Yesterday, I had her for dinner, she complained that with one wash (in washing Machine), it shrunk to unwearable.
It took me longer time to knit than for her to wear. Do I make a mistake to use alpaca? I know there are a lot of superwash wool for socks.
|
|
6/20/2004 6:33:03 AM
|
Les
Posts 4243
|
Oh, Shui Kuen, I want to cry for you!! Were they those "Silver Islet" socks? The only mistake you made was using Alpaca for HER!!
Get them back and add a loop and use them as a decoration on a Christmas Swag. Make her a bottle of BBQ sauce. LOL
Les
|
|
6/20/2004 8:10:27 AM
|
ScullyKnits
Posts 2451
|
Sad news. I think she should have followed the instructions. It`s hard to know in advance what people will do.
|
|
6/20/2004 8:48:32 AM
|
benne
Posts 19258
|
Oh Shui Kuen,
That is so disheartening. You made a beautiful pair of socks, and to have the washing instructions disregarded out of carelessness or whatever possessed her, is just sad. All I can say is, there is no excuse for not taking proper care of fine things, and some people, do not recognize quality. I think I too would ask for them back. You might know a child who could wear them and appreciate all your beautiful work. I don`t think I would make your friend any more socks. Les`s idea works for me. ;-}
Benne
|
|
6/20/2004 11:05:25 AM
|
Shui Kuen Kozinski
Posts 13217
|
Les, it is the one which you called it "silver islet".
|
|
6/20/2004 11:07:53 AM
|
Shui Kuen Kozinski
Posts 13217
|
My DH said that is my fault. I should use nylon instead.
|
|
6/20/2004 11:12:44 AM
|
|
Guest
|
Oh, Shui Kuen - how heartbreaking, and what a painful question.
I think that we generally want to give someone something very nice, if we want to give them anything at all. However, different people sometimes require different nice things. One time I went to dinner at my aunt`s house, and I brought a bottle of wine from the part of Italy where her mother was born. I thought it would be special to her. It was not a vintage wine, but for me, at the time, it was expensive. She liked that I bought wine very much. She did, however, prefer the Asti Spumante, $4.00 a bottle, which I think I also brought. I realized then that, to my Aunt, even though the wine from her part of Italy was a better wine to people who know about wine, the cheap wine she liked would be a better present for her.
So, maybe sometimes it is better to give up some of our pleasure in giving something we think is really special. We give the person something which is special for them, and then everybody is happy. The big problem is, if it is a first time gift, you do not know what is special to them. Also, you know this lady is careful enough to make jam, so you think she is careful enough to read washing instructions. She is a better cook than laundress!
I always tell people, in a careful voice: "Do NOT wash this in the washing machine - it will become Dolly clothes!" But I am very bold.
I do think this lady has terrible manners - if she ruined the socks, she SHOULD have either said nothing, or made a big deal out of how stupid SHE was. Maybe she is a person who is not good at some things.
Anyway, Shui Kuen, I agree that maybe for this lady, a jar of Barbeque Sauce, or homemade salad dressing, or something like that, is a better gift, if she gives you jelly in the future. But I am very sorry you had this happen to you, and I think that your wonderful socks deserve better homes in the future!
|
|
6/20/2004 12:22:07 PM
|
Sandra D
Posts 4496
|
So sad to hear about the socks. One almost feels like a knitted article is one`s baby, especially if it turned out so nice like your socks, and then to have it treated with such carelessness is very hurtful. I agree with the others, get your socks back, and no more knitted presents for this friend!
|
|
6/20/2004 1:05:04 PM
|
thechartreuseshepherd
Posts 1913
|
That is a sad story!!! May sound harsh, but I have found that unless someone does this type of thing, they really don`t appreciate the time and energy that went into making it. (you know, the flip comment of, oh you knit, make me a sweater.....) And most don`t appreciate the variety of beautiful fibers that can be used.
|
|
6/20/2004 1:05:57 PM
|
|
Guest
|
I have a feeling that I`ll be writing in with the same story in a few weeks...for Christmas I made my Dad some boot socks out of superwash merino light (very soft and thick) and he LOVES them. And my mother is happy because she`s a "washaholic", and she can machine wash and dry them. But now I`ve made him another very handsome pair out of Bartlett wool, and even though I will warn my mother about machine washing them, I have a sneaking feeling that she won`t be able to resist. It`s my experience that some people (including my mother) are just not satisfied with hand washing and air-drying. They feel in their hearts that the item would be SO MUCH cleaner and BETTER if it were given a good agitation in the old Kenmore. And people who are not used to wool really don`t understand the whole "felting" concept - it`s a mystery. I know that before I started knitting I used to wash my own sweaters rather haphazardly and sometimes I got lucky and sometimes I didn`t. But I never really understood why I got unlucky until I started working with wool yarn.
In any case - if I were you I would feel cheated that your friend didn`t even understand enough about it to express regret at having ruined the socks! Mistakes are forgivable, but it sounds like she thought you did something wrong?!?! I guess I would just find a tactful way to mention how many hours it took you to make them, and never, ever knit for her again. I bet if you knit her superwash socks she would probably complain that they "pilled" or faded in the machine. Hey - I just thought of this - you could even offer to teach her how to knit, and within an hour she would realize all by herself how much time it must have taken you to knit those!!!
|
|
6/20/2004 1:20:19 PM
|
HeatherL.
Posts 61
|
Sorry to hear about the socks. It brings back memories to a time when I had part in the shrinking of a beautiful Scandanavian sweater that my MIL knit for my daughter when she was about 4 years old. I felt absolutely terrible and was afraid to tell her about it. My MIL had knit each of her grandaughter`s a cardigan(there were 7 of them) out of a fine fingering weight yarn. It took her a year to knit them up. It was over 30 years ago now and she used 100% wool. When it was time to wash it I was a chicken and took it to the cleaners and they shrunk it so bad it could fit a small doll. They felt awful about it too(they replaced the yarn for me). When I finally got the courage up to tell my MIL, she was really upset but understood it was an accident. After that she only used acrylics or washable wool when she knit for the kids. This has happened a few times to some things I have made and I know how you feel. Sorry.
HeatherL.
|
|
6/20/2004 3:13:02 PM
|
Jamie
Posts 3462
|
My dear Shui Kuen, U..... that hurts! What an unfortunate event. Those socks were works of art. Too bad she didn`t read about caring for them. I have knit two wool afghans for my daughter, and both have ended up as doll blankets. They were light weight but warm. To replace one I knit an acrylic one which lives on. When I visit this DD I wash any woolen articles she has (there are few because she lives in Hawaii). I also do mending and button sewing for her. She knows how to handle wool but accidents do happen. Many, many years ago I knit a pair of argyle socks for a friend (made in wool and nylon). After 40 years they are still wearable. Again, I am so sad about your socks. It`s a wake-up call for many of us. Your knitting is so beautiful! Jamie
|
|
6/21/2004 7:24:16 AM
|
Shui Kuen Kozinski
Posts 13217
|
Thank you every one that you all understand my feeling. I don`t think I want to see that socks again.
Shui Kuen
|
|
6/24/2004 4:50:00 PM
|
bets
Posts 18976
|
Hi!
I am so sorry to hear about your poor socks! They were beautiful! I find it is easier to keep a "present shelf" of assorted goodies I pick up-that way I am never short of a gift!
Every so often, we have a debate around here over washable vs. gorgeous. I avoid "gorgeous" except for people who I am certain will wash their "knitties" with care.
I am a BIG fan of Euclan, for people who NEED to wash things in the machine (cool water, no agitation, just soak and spin) so that`s something to keep in mind to give to MILs.
Your poor socks-had you known, you would have kept them!
B
|
|
pages:
1 |
|---|
