What do you do with your finished crafts?

Dear users, dear authors,
what do you do with your handmade items once they’re finished?
Sell them?
Give them away?
Unravel them?
Let me know.

It really depends...

I give a lot of them away. But I only do that if I’m 120% sure that the person will actually like the item and appreciate it. (Which, luckily, is the case with most people I know :))

I keep some of them (especially amigurumis, because of the whole CE thing).
The ones that don’t live on my dad’s “board” are kept in my glass display cabinet in the living room.

I keep a few pieces of clothing for myself.
I keep some on hand in case I need a last-minute gift.

And anything that’s suitable for kids or teens, I donate to an organization.
I’m sure they’ll be happy to have them :)

I generally only knit and crochet things that I like and that I can use myself—or that I’d be happy to give as gifts. And, to my delight, they’re always well-received.

I use them myself.
The exception was a scarf—someone asked for it.

Give them away, use them myself—it depends! I’ve also completed a few custom orders.

Give them away—small projects often make great little gifts.

Once a year, I take part in a craft fair, where I sell some of my work. I’ve also donated hats before.

I use a lot of them myself—mostly shawls—and when I find a new pattern, I make them right away in my favorite color.

I don’t take on any more commissioned work, because really, I just want to knit and crochet whatever I personally like and find interesting at the moment.

But I’d love to keep everything—unfortunately, that’s not possible anymore due to lack of space. 

I keep all the “originals” of the patterns so I can refer back to them or take new photos if needed.

I’m happy to give away all my experimental prototypes—provided they turned out well—to loved ones or donate them to a charity bazaar.

Generally speaking, I find it hard to part with my creations. I only part with them gladly when I feel that my work is appreciated.

A lot of it stays in the family, or I keep it myself. I often use my heat pack covers as gift wrap for children’s birthday parties, filled with vouchers (currently very popular with 12- to 13-year-old girls) and candy. I’ve made a sweater and a poncho for my friend, as well as clothes for my daughter and myself.
I’ve also crocheted small items that my daughter sold for her fundraiser (Lichtblicke).
I’ve also done crochet commissions.

Most of it gets given away. I often make things for a specific occasion or for a specific person. Then I have a well-stocked drawer at home. It’s filled with little gifts to bring along. All sorts of things, like crochet-covered vases, egg cups, or tea lights, and various animal-shaped rattles for kids. That way, I always have something on hand if I get invited somewhere unexpectedly.

Veeeery rarely do I make something for myself. Those projects usually end up as UFOs because something else for someone else always comes up.

A lot of it gets given away, but only to people who truly appreciate the work.
I’ve already crocheted quite a few commissioned pieces, such as curtains, sweaters, and tablecloths. The next set of curtains is already lined up as well.

I also trade items for yarn or sell them for the cost of materials (giving everything away would end up being too expensive). Sometimes someone comes by with yarn and has specific ideas about what should be made from it. That can be tricky at times, but we usually come to an agreement.

A few small items usually stay in the “unexpected occasion” box. That way, I always have a little gift on hand. Or someone comes by who needs something “really quickly.”

Very rarely do I actually get to keep something for myself. Usually, someone comes along who loves it and wants to have it. The “I can just make that again” approach actually works very rarely. I also haven’t managed to finally crochet curtains for my windows. Something always comes up. Even the three patterns for “my jackets” are safely stored in the crafts folder on my computer...

I started out making little decorative amigurumi for Christmas and Easter. I kept those. I gave away the socks. I recently made some unicorn amigurumi for a friend—including one representing her 17-year-old son’s zodiac sign. As a thank-you to a friend for towing our car home 200 km on his truck after our timing belt broke, I gave him three hats with his company logo crocheted onto them (after what felt like redoing them ten times, they were finally done). I’ve made several chemo hats on commission and given them away. My latest gift is a crocheted bag for my daughter. 

First and foremost, I knit for myself, so I usually keep my creations. Every now and then, I also take on commissioned projects—but only when I actually feel like it.

In addition, over the course of the year, I fill my box with socks, hats, and other small items, which are then sold at the animal welfare association’s summer festival to benefit the animals.
I hardly ever give handmade gifts to my friends. Either they’re into crafts themselves, or they don’t really appreciate them. In the latter case, I’d rather save myself the trouble....

My grandchildren get the doll clothes. Since they’re girls and play with dolls, they’re thrilled.
I give away the bath sponges for Christmas and other occasions.