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A few things I have read on this forum and in the blogs made me recall an incident. I once had an acquaintence who was truly poor and had to retire on social security disability due to her arthritis, but she told me that crotcheting was good for the arthritis that was in her hands. I'd lent and given her small amounts of money for years, as even before she retired she made only nurse's aid wages and had children to support with no mate. Her crochet work was beautiful. I wanted to help her, but I did not want to turn into just the person who supplies her with money, so it seemed logical to buy custom-made afghans from her. She like the idea, and I paid in full ahead of time for the first one. I planned in my head to give afghans as presents and to give some of them to the womens' shelter. I was really enjoying the idea of the good and happiness that I imagined could come from this alliance. I figured I wanted to put about five percent of my income into this; it was a commitment on my part. If we kept the alliance for years, I could resell some of the afghans, but profit was not important too me. It could provide her with a significant addition to her small income.
Well....it took forever for the first afghan to be finished, and when she finally brought it to me, it reeked of cigarets. It was made for a twin bed when I had paid for queen-size. It was very plain with no special techniques at all. Might as well have been machine made and $18 at Walmart. She told me the project had been really boring (that is why she made it samll) and that she was never going to sell the service of crochet again. She was annoyed and disgusted to have had to do this project. Message loud and clear! She should have just said no to making the afghan in the first place. She shouldn't have taken my money....I notice her other plans to sell baby sets (afghans, hats, booties, mittens) never went anywhere either.
So have you ever tried to help some one monetarily and you both ended up unhappy about it?
Well....it took forever for the first afghan to be finished, and when she finally brought it to me, it reeked of cigarets. It was made for a twin bed when I had paid for queen-size. It was very plain with no special techniques at all. Might as well have been machine made and $18 at Walmart. She told me the project had been really boring (that is why she made it samll) and that she was never going to sell the service of crochet again. She was annoyed and disgusted to have had to do this project. Message loud and clear! She should have just said no to making the afghan in the first place. She shouldn't have taken my money....I notice her other plans to sell baby sets (afghans, hats, booties, mittens) never went anywhere either.
So have you ever tried to help some one monetarily and you both ended up unhappy about it?
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