what i can give

Sebastian working on his new bridge building set.

I've tried it before - giving some little thing randomly, to surprise someone I don't even know and delight them for just a moment. It feels great. Many people are doing that kind of thing right now, to try to make sense or at least look around a little and say hey, some of us are good to one another. It's lifting their hearts, and that is truly remarkable. From what I've read, people have been buying Starbucks cards and tanks of gas for strangers, buying things to donate to shelters, anything.

I don't have much extra money right now. I have more than enough for us, but not that much extra. Not 26-gift-cards kind of extra. I thought about really inexpensive things like letters, but that aren't overly sentimental and  hokey.

In the meantime, I was taking stock of my knitting "career" such as it is, and I figured out that I have 26 knitting patterns that I sell.

When I thought about this, I realized that giving away patterns is self-serving, drawing a spotlight to me. While the 26 acts thing is actually focused very much on the giver, in my opinion, still it seems wrong.

I decided two things. One, I'll do something else truly simple and random for myself and humanity at large. Like leaving dollar bills in coffee shops or books on bus benches. And two, I'll give away patterns separately, as a little way to light up the drear of winter. Starting on January 1, I'll just pick someone from the ravelry queue for one of my patterns and gift it to them.

Before I do this, I have one question. Do you think this would make people feel pressure to knit the patterns I give away? What if they just queued something on a whim and really don't want to knit it? I do that all the time! What if I sent a pattern to you and you didn't really want it? How would you feel?

What do you think?

Comments

[bottleman]

I think you are thinking too hard about this! <3 But I know what you mean. Sometimes gifts seem to be all about the person that gave them. Here's my suggestion: give things away, but don't have or communicate any expectations about what will happen next. Not easy, I know, but "no expectations" might be the real meaning of "free." :)

[Alex]

I don't know if it would make them feel pressured or not...probably not if you just explained that you felt like doing some nice things and that now they'll have it when they want it :-) But one thing you could do is check the RAK groups/threads for mentions of your patterns in people's wishlists- Then you know they're very serious about wanting them!

I also saw some good low cost RAKs around the web, like leaving quarters in those little toy vending machines (or on a parking meter.) Small cost but that would've thrilled me as a kid/would thrill me as an adult who never has enough change for the meter, haha.

[Cathy]

I think it's a really sweet idea. What would be great (and I don't know if Ravelry already can do this or if it's an enhancement) is to be able to re-gift the pattern, for just the case that they queued it, but aren't really going to knit it anytime soon. (I do that too - my ravelry queue is a lot more like a "like" list.)

[Mia]

If I won a free pattern I would be happy. If I wasn't ready to knit it I still would feel happy!

[Faith]

I tend to queue things, especially paid patterns, that I'm not yet ready to knit, but may consider in the future. I try not to buy a pattern until I'm ready to cast on so I'm good with how I spend money and don't buy a pattern I will never use. I think a random gifting is thoughtful and might be the push they need to cast on, but I don't think it would be unwelcome if they're not ready to cast on then.

[larissa]

bottleman, you should know I overthink everything except spending money. <3

[larissa]

Thank you all for these thoughts. Cathy, I thought of the regifting thing too. I think that I can just tell people to regift the pdf if they want to. I'm pretty sure ravelry's system can't do it. I could suggest a person can just send the pdf to a friend. I don't much care if they keep it as well. It would be fine.

[larissa]

Alex, I like that idea of leaving quarters in candy machines. That's really sweet(no pun intended.)

I have done the RAK group once or twice and it's really fun and so easy for me to fulfill.

[suzanne]

I rec'd an unrequested gift pattern (from someone not you even!) and it was a wonderful surprise. I ended up knitting a different pattern, I'll probably cast on the gift one eventually, and I'll always smile when I see the pattern b/c it was such a fun, kind
surprise.

[larissa]

OK, 9 comments and nothing about The Thinker/Captain Kirk? I love how he has this sort of floating command chair in the Christmas sector.

[Amanda]

I think it’s a motivating gesture, even if it were something they just liked in passing the sprit behind it is so inspiring and will hopefully be passed along! I once had the person in front of me at the coffee drive thru pick up my tab and all I had was a small coffee, I didn’t look at it like “crap I wish I would have ordered the triple macchiato” ..I was like “wow I loved that!” it’s something small, low cost and painless, you’re not picking out their house paint or their next tattoo, you’re just sending a little wow you are awesome for just being you kind of thing.

make it so ..whoops wrong Trek !

[jessicac]

I think its a great idea... I love surprise gifts, and think other people would too!

[Heather M]

I don't put things in my queue that I don't really want to knit. I guess it's possible that I might have something in my queue that I once liked but am now not so interested in, but I kinda doubt it, and you could always just pick from folks who have added the piece to the queue in the last 6 months or year, decreasing the chances that they aren't interested any more.

I love the idea of giving something you made away, always, whether it's a pattern to a stranger on Ravelry or something you knit yourself, given to a loved one. I think you should try the pattern giveaway and see what happens. To help you out, I've added a few of my favorite of your patterns to my queue. :-)

[Joyce]

Awesome!! I think the winner would be honored!

[Evelyn]

I think your generosity and thoughtfulness is all that matters. Any knitter would be thrilled to win a free pattern especially one as beautiful as any of yours.

[Tami]

If its in their wish list, then I would think that they would love getting it as a gift.

[larissa]

Thank you, Evelyn. I'm not sure if on ravelry I can tell who has my patterns in their wish lists, Tami, which is unfortunate. A few of us designers have posted an "issue" in Casey's big list to ask that queues and wish lists become visible for us in one place.

[larissa]

I meant, Thank you Evelyn! That was really sweet what you wrote about my patterns.

[Ann Torbert]

What about giving 26 pairs of mittens that you knit to kids in your community?

[larissa]

Ann, that's a really great idea, but I'm a verrry slow knitter. Probably by the end of next year I could do that!