Commissions - giving and receiving!

I love handmade and homemade.  Homemade cakes taken into work for birthdays (we had several birthdays in the department this week, which I won't complain about!), handmade cards, handmade Christmas presents.  Yes, admittedly, it's often cheaper to go to a shop and buy an item rather than buy the craft materials, but when handmade is good, it is very good.

I've had a few items recently made just for me - I wanted a specific item for my mum for Christmas, Vikki recommended a seller on Etsy and I had a look at the items.  I found the sort of thing I wanted, but I wanted it to look a bit different.  A few messages back and forth and a fortnight later the item is in my hands, just as I had wanted! I'll divulge more after Christmas.

Last month the amazing dressmaker that is Char made some drawstring bags for me so I can more neatly store all my knitting and crochet projects - I gave her a few different sizes and said I had no particular choice about the fabrics used, other than that I hate dogs and I really don't want a project bag with dogs on.  Having stayed with her, and seen first hand the incredible collection of clothes and shoes she has, I knew her fabric stash would produce some excellent bags for me.  It was a win-win situation really, I got some lovely bags and she made a teeny weeny dent in her fabric stash.  Her price was very reasonable and she has taken commissions for all sorts of things - she is one talented lady!

I do feel pleased when friends ask me if I can make them something - I like that they think I'm good enough.  I'm currently making a blanket for a friend to give to a friend expecting his first baby next year (can you say that? Or do you have to say 'whose girlfriend is expecting a baby next year'?).  Lots of bright colours and a super-easy pattern to memorise so I got lots of rounds done yesterday when I was binge-watching Masterchef Australia (so much better than the UK version!).

Earlier this week I had an email from my stepmother asking if I could crochet some sausages.  Of course!  Obviously, the internet has patterns for this sort of thing, I used this pattern (although I sewed the sausages together rather than use buttons) and in a couple of hours made this string of sausages:

A string of sausages - please excuse the dirty hobs!

I love it! I'm still not entirely sure *why* she wanted a string of sausages, I'll see if I can find out!

And of course, the baby blanket and yarn is being stored in one of my bags from Char.  I do so love handmade!

Edited to add:

Apparently the sausages are for a reminiscence box - there are a team of people putting together memory boxes on a variety of themes, so elderly people and their families and carers can use these boxes to trigger memories.  The sausages are for a person who has lots of sausage-based memories (I don't know the details, but I presume they used to work in farming or in a factory) and obviously you can't put real sausages in a box...so crocheted ones it is.  Isn't this such a lovely idea?  I'm even more pleased with my sausages now!