Dislike knitted baby gifts from family member

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A member of our family continuously knits baby gifts for our children, there is not usually much consideration for appropriate seasons regards to age/sizing and the patterns/colours are always quite garish. We feel awful because there is clearly a lot of time and effort gone into these. The person is a beautiful knitter however she will not take any suggestions on colours, or doing a more neutral/single colour piece that would mean it can be paired with other items.

We are left with sooo many items piling up unused, many are completely inappropriate sizing so they are zero use to us. However the ones that may fit are always wild patterns or very dated styles. Photo is just recent examples

We have tried to talk to this person many times but as mentioned before they do not listen. I feel pressured to quietly donate many of them because we simply do not have the space to store so many unused items, and I would hope someone else can appreciate and get some use out of them

Our last ditch attempt is suggesting a specific pattern book so hopefully this works, do you have any suggestions? Am I being unreasonable, are these examples nice?

Why don’t you buy a pattern and wool you like, and ask her to knit it for you?

I LOVE the pink set!! The others I also think are inoffensive with plain trousers?
I wish I had someone knitting for me. Can you find things you like and literally say ‘Please can you make me this?’

my granny’s next door neighbour would knit for my children. Always cast off colours and random odds and ends from what she’d make for her own grandchildren.
She was super talented, but it was odd colours (she once made my son a lavender and pink jumper with a blue and grey zigzag pattern on it) and not really what my kids were into (footballs for my youngest who’s a dancer and singer and wants to be an actor) but just so beautifully made.
I have never cried so hard as the day I found out she had passed away. Weird colours/off patterns or anything, they were bloody warm, insanely comfy jumpers and I put my kids into them all the time.

Buy her a pattern and the yarn- these are not particularly cheap these days.
She is clearly a very skilled knitter, ring the size that is appropriate- they way you can be sure the colour is what you want and that the garments will fit.
Plus your family member is also winning- they don't have to make decisions about or pay for patterns or yarn.

I think these are much cooler than putting kids in “tasteful” beige stuff (surely about to go the way or millennial grey interiors soon, god willing). I suppose, though, that the point is it’s not to your taste so it doesn’t matter what we think!

I’d still probably just dress my kids in them tbh given the effort the person has put in (obviously only the ones that fit)

Why not find a pattern you like and buy it with some wool you like and give it to her saying you love this and would she be able to do it for you? If she can’t do it with the pattern and wool she’s never gonna get the message. Just donate them to charity

Can't think of anything more heart-warming than a much-loved baby in a hand-knitted jumper, showing how much that baby means to its family. OP sounds pretty ungracious TBH. Stick the baby in the jumpers, take photos, show the knitter and say thank you nicely. It's not all about you, knitters often get a great deal of emotional satisfaction from knitting for a loved one. And then just donate - to a baby unit, a women's refuge, a refugee centre, a collection for overseas aid ... put a bit of thought into it. These things were knitted with love, that makes them special.

I love an excuse to knit something, especially for a baby.

You could browse the major knitting websites and choose a couple of patterns that you like the look of. Ask your relative to order the pattern and the yarn. You could order I suppose but your relative will be the best judge of how many balls/skeins to buy.

I suspect the knitter just really enjoys knitting and may not "choose" colours so much as use up balls of wool that are reduced in price or are unwanted and given away. Wool is very expensive so you asking for certain colours might put them in an awkward situation. I would thank them for their gift, maybe take a photo of the baby wearing an outfit or two and then give the knitted items away. If you are ever asked about them you can say they unfortunately got caught up in a hot wash and were ruined.

Alternatively, ask them if you buy the wool you like, would they be able to make x pattern for you?

My dd1 skin was badly irritated by wool so we had a great excuse not to put them on her. Although I do like the knitted cardis over a babygro when they are tiny. In subtle colours though. Some people gave us acid yellow ones , I would have preferred lemon , mint and baby pink.

Yes, we got some lovely knitted blankets at our local hospice charity shop. They are fabulously warm and have endless uses. Multi colours mean stains aren't obvious and they wash well.
They are acrylic yarn but as I'm allergic 🤧 to wool, that works for me.

Mine would be wearing them! They’re so beautifully made that I’d look past them not being 100% to my taste - they’re too cute!

I like the idea of passing on a pattern and providing the wool. I’d be getting a Christmas jumper request in asap!

Omg I love those they are cute as. Baby will look like a liquorice all sort

I love them, they’re like liquorice allsorts 😂

I absolutely love these "liquorice allsorts" outfits and would be delighted with them. But I like a bit "quirky" and not following the herd.

You’re being a bit precious, the stuff in the photos looks fine.

Give away the stuff that doesn’t fit. Photograph the DC in the stuff that does, thank the knitter, then put it in a drawer and give it away at a later date. Hardly a big deal.

It’s annoying not to be listened to, but in your shoes I’d be grateful at having a relative who loves your DC enough to do this for them.

Difficult one.

The examples shown are probably not a good indicator of her work because I think they are quite lovely.

But if you prefer different ones.

Say thank you very much and give them to someone that appreciates or needs these knits. Buying items of this standard are costly so you will be doing someone a huge favour. If the person asks where they are say the child grew out of them and so I passed them on. The End.

I really like those items 🙈😂 they look a bit like liquorice all sorts.

I think they are really nice for a baby or toddler. I’m not sure what style would be preferred by those who think they’re awful?

I don’t see that the OP says they are acrylic, and they don’t look to me like they are made out of odd ends of yarn.

Though on the acrylic front, while I prefer wool myself, many people wouldn’t like the extra work of handwashing woollen baby clothes, and that’s completely reasonable.

My MIL is an amazing knittter. However she started knitting old fashioned stuff I simply didn’t like and wouldn’t put my son in. Obviously we see her, so not wearing them was obvious. I told her that it was very kind and thoughtful but unfortunately I didn’t like the clothes and didn’t want her to waste her time and money on something he wouldn’t wear. She then started running her patterns by me and we then got some amazing little bits - cricket jumper etc.

He is 8 so wouldn’t wear knitted clothes now, but when she buys him clothes she always shows me, now him, and will exchange them if they’re not his taste. She’s great!

I find them super cute and the colours are ok. Are they cheap material? That would be the only reason I won’t use them. Otherwise I find them really nice. Pass them on to ppl who can appreciate them

They aren’t my taste but they look well knitted and will keep little ones warm. I would happily have dressed my children in something like that when they were little if they were gifted to me and knitted with love. Put them on, take a photo to send to the knitter and then either pass to a charity who can use them or put you little ones in them in the house, in the woods or playground, somewhere where you don’t want them wearing your favourite items.
When my children were babies and toddlers, my partner’s great aunt knitted absolutely awful orange or similar acrylic cardigans and jumpers for them. So much worse than your photograph. She also used to knit similar for her poor husband who had to wear them too. We used to look forward to getting them as they were so awful that they were legendary. But when she died we missed getting them so much. Now my kids have left home but in a cupboard upstairs I have a few baby things ans memories and they are mostly the things knitted by his great aunt. In the end, they were the things that meant the most.

Haha I see others are following my lead🤣

I think they're gorgeous personally, and you can tell a lot of love has went into them.

You wanted neutral. The brown/black/white is exactly that.
Stop being an
ungrateful wretch.
The pink one is quite funky too though I'm not usually a fan of pink for girls.
I expected neon green and orange from your OP.
These are ok.

If they are made from natural fibres then what’s not to love about them?! Keeps the kids warm. If they are the wrong size just pass them in to somebody. Take pics to send to relative who knits them and be grateful somebody likes/loves you and your kids enough to go to all that effort and quit moaning. Store them or pass on. So you don’t like to colour? It’s not a runway my dear.,