A couple of months ago I donated a bunch of the throws and blankets I've made to our local church thrift. I really can't keep everything I make, and I like the thought of the profits from selling my work going to help people in the community (among other things this thrift store provides free food for the needy.) Among the throws I donated that day were the Iris throw and the star blanket I made for a friend's challenge -- second and third from the left.
Fast forward to June. My guy and I like to walk antique malls because there is always something fun to look at. I do pay attention to the crochet being sold, as I love the old doilies and threadwork, and I'm always interested to see what old throws and blankets are made of, and what they sell for. We went to one about an hour away from our house, and as I was browsing I spotted a throw that looked awfully familiar in one of the booth cubbies.
It was made in the Ocean Tranquility pattern, and had a border of double crochet. I thought to myself, "Gee, that looks just like my Iris throw" and picked it up. That's when I saw a section where the maker had run out of one variegated yarn color and substituted another. That looked VERY familiar, because I had done the same thing.
That's when it struck me -- I was the maker. This was my Iris throw.
The booth dealer was asking $26.00 for my throw.
I went back to the cubby, and sure enough, there was my star blanket, too.
This is a terrible picture, but they were asking $18.00 for it.
I wasn't sure how to feel about this at first. I did ask my guy to take a photo of me holding both throws, and then I put them back. Seeing them at the antique mall was strangely flattering (if not particularly suitable. I just made those throws a few months ago.) I was happy they had sold to the dealer, as that meant the thrift store had earned some money from them. I don't need to profit from my crochet, but it was nice to see it had appealed enough to be purchased.
Honestly, though, I never expected to find my own crochet work at an antique mall, so it was quite unsettling, but I finally laughed about it. In the end I did something good, and that's all that matters.
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