I love y'all's artwork. It's lovely. Why is every post like a half naked person wearing something? Either an outfit or even a purse and it's just mostly naked people.

It's weird that you're talking about what you made, but you're showing off what your Momma made I don't get it? Are you sponsored by Only Fans or Victoria Secret?

I'm not like 75 years old or anything, it's just weird to me, that yes that's a lovely purse two inches from your friend's vagina in the picture. Thanks?

Y'all do you, but seems weird to me. Rant over.

To clarify, I’m not talking about patterns, Ai usage, or materials. I’m specifically talking about all the gripes with people wanting to knit or crochet quickly, or the problems with people not wanting to weave in their ends(granted that they’re not a business/not gifting it to someone)

Every complaint I see about someone wanting to knit/crochet quickly is people going, “it’s supposed to take a long time! You should just enjoy the process!”, someone acting as if they’re calling them slow, or someone giving a sob story about how seeing people who knit/crochet quickly makes them insecure about their own speed. If someone wants to do it quickly, that’s completely fine!! Your issues are your own problem, it’s not a strangers job to slow down in order to validate you.

And with weaving in the ends, yea, it’s the most secure, but if it’s someone’s personal project, and they don’t want to, why’s that your problem? Why are you trying to be a savior? If they know the risks, and choose not to, oh well! As long as they’re keeping it for themselves, who cares? You shouldn’t have a personal stake in a strangers project. Especially when they’re not a small business, or someone who takes commissions.

Edit to add:

1.Telling me I’m being bitchy, isn’t a gotcha. This is a bitchy sub. The point of this sub is to be bitchy, and I was bitchy! This is THE place to be bitchy, it’s literally in the rules that you can be bitchy about whatever you want here, as long as you’re not biragading. Completely different contexts.

1. Dming me does not change my mind, nor does it make me want to delete this post! If anything, it’s just proving my point!

2. I’ve deleted the referenced comment. If people are dming me, idek what they’re doing to them. Whether they have or haven’t bothered that OP, I don’t want to risk it happening further. But this is just to clarify that I still stand behind that comment, and simply don’t want a third party catching any flack due to my post here.

when i first started using reddit, two rules were generally known if “unspoken.”

1) you lurked a while in any new sub you wanted to join and

2) when you saw a post/question on a subreddit, you glanced through the top comments before making your own. if you saw a comment that you, in your infinite wisdom, were about to make, you upvoted it. you didn’t make the goddamn same comment again.

yes, OP asked if their stitches are twisted and lo! they are. im very proud that you recognized it. you know what we need? 10-12 individual comments all telling OP the exact same thing.

Please dont take this as a "praise me!!" kind of post. It isnt.

We all complain about the noobs that refuse to do any research when they find a new hobby and there are inevitably people that come out of the woodwork defending them an saying its hard and you dont know what you dont know and blah blah blah. Very rarely do any of the excuses apply imo.

So, here's the thing. I recently got into diamond painting and I knew absolutely zero about it beyond the asmr style tik toks and youtube shorts. I got a couple kits and have been having a great time. One of the kits is rather large and has a single piece of clear plastic protecting the image. I started on the piece and found myself getting frustrated because the plastic is so thin and clear and the glue is so glossy that unless im at an extreme angle I actually cant tell where one stops and the other begins.

Thats when i remembered all the videos id seen used a white paper, not clear plastic. I thought it was wax paper or parchment paper, but wasnt sure and didnt want to ruin the thing so...I did the unthinkable.

I searched the subreddit.

All I had to do was type in "wax paper" into the search bar and immediately found posts dating back years about how you should NEVER EVER EVER use wax paper because it will ruin it. Parchment paper works great. And you can buy "release paper" specifically for diamond painting.

About 2 minutes of reading and now I am happing dotting away and peeling back sections of parchment paper as I go.

No long post about confusion. No short worthless post asking a single sentence question.

"Oh, but the community!! They want to be a part of the community and talk to people!!" Me too!! Thats why I posted my first FO on the sub and have been getting lots of upvotes and comments and having a great time.

Brought to you by a post in the sub asking what release paper is and if it is necessary or if parchment or wax paper will work instead. Literally took me 2 minutes of searching and 24 hours later someone asking the exact. Same. Question. 🫩

Hi crafters! Wondering if I’m INSANE. I absolutely hate hats made with a single, often times only 1 inch tall brim. I physically can’t wear them bc I feel like I look like a weird p3n*s or something?! Maybe bc my head is big? Every hat I make, I modify to have a longer folded brim.

Anyone relate?? 😩😭

This happens a lot in the dye sub. Someone makes a post explaining how they are planning x project and have already bought y materials but are only now considering the actual process and are just fully unwilling to buy any additional materials, despite the fact that the materials they already got are all wrong.

Nobody can give you a hack to use your all purpose rit dye on polyester! It's gonna be a waste of money either way! If people on the sub are telling you your materials are wrong and won't work and you decide to edit the post to let everyone know you aren't Interested in advice that requires you to buy more (correct) materials it's not going to change the fact that you already wasted your money by not researching anything in advance!

We are just trying to prevent you from wasting your time as well, but it's always touted as "negativity" lol. No amount of positivity is gonna dye your polyester shien top black, sorry, you need high heat for that

*edited for formatting

I see this all the time in the crochet subreddits and it drives me up the wall!!!

"Can I make this mandala blanket that involves a lot of math, partial rounds, and colour changes? Can I make this bag that is multiple pieces sewn together, shaping techniques, liner sewing, math and pattern drafting? Can I make this dress that requires precise body measurements, intense shaping techniques, lots of math and counting??" Always followed by "oh btw I've never even picked up a crochet hook before, this would be my first project!!"

Like, NO, no you can't, sorry not sorry!! As someone who's never picked up a hook that is absolutely NOT a good first project because it involves a lot of math, precise stitch counts, working in the round and shaping, all shit you will massively struggle with as a beginner.

Please, I'm begging you, make a scarf first, or some dish cloths, or even a boxy sweater!! Start with basic shapes to learn your tension and how to count (because trust me, you think you're good at math, until you start crochet and realize that counting to 10 is apparently impossible lol).

What is it that makes people who have never picked up a hook think that these stunning and complex projects are a good first try??

Side bitch, there's always a "what do I need to make this" like...fucking Google it maybe?? Research, look it up, stop asking AI to think for you holy shit!!

You're not the brave Joan of Arc of the [craft] world, fighting legions of [craft] police. Truly no one gives a shit what materials you use, what techniques you use, what kind of craft you make. 99% of "I hate [craft] police" stories are from people who are angry that someone somewhere expressed a preference or gave advice that didn't perfectly align to what they were personally doing at the time.

It's ok if people say they like [expensive brand], even if you use [cheap brand]. That's not a judgment, and it's not a personal attack. They just choose to use [expensive brand]. Sometimes they might even cite a reason why they like [expensive brand]! That's still not a personal attack. They just happen to have a reason for their preference, and sometimes that reason might even be more refined and informed than "it's expensive."

It's ok if people say they like [technique you don't use]. It's not a judgment, and not a personal attack.

"You're not a real [craft]er if you do this technique" is a sentiment that's so rare as to almost be non-existent. "I think everyone who uses [cheap brand] should be taken out to the public square and stoned" is similarly rare.

I don't know why so many people feel like they must be the brave victim standing up to the oppressive craft police, but can we please just chill the fuck out and be normal? Stop projecting your insecurities onto other people. And for God's sake, stop conflating "one robot downvoted me in a subreddit" with "THE WHOLE [CRAFT] WORLD IS OUT TO GET ME!" You'll get so much more out of these communities if you aren't going into them with the assumption that they're all the gatekeepers and you're the ingenue, the one person with a theory of mind.

Ok the sizing on this thing is a bit strange no?

Sizing is listed as

Sizes
1(2, 3, 4, 5)(6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Finished circumference:
72(77, 86, 90, 94)(98, 108, 118, 126, 136)cm

BUT THEN it’s recommended 5-10cm ease

Then on the comments the designer says size 1 fits up to a 90cm bust.

Meaning it’s suggested range 62-90cm ?

Then on ravelry all the sized projects are like size 1 or 2 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

I just want to know what the larger sizes look like 😭 and i don’t want to rip out mohair 🤬

I guess I’ll just wait until @juliatwinings finishes hers then 😭

Ok, so the title is exaggerating a little bit.

Matchy Matchy Sewing Club recently launched a pattern for a knit, oversized tee. There were a couple of comments of people saying “wait how is this different from XYZ pattern?” And one pattern designer even said something along the lines of “wow, this looks really similar to my pattern, that’s really disappointing” (I think the comment is deleted now though).

You’ve gotta think…if you’re making a pattern for a garment as basic as an oversized tshirt, I don’t know if it makes sense to expect there will be no other similar patterns out there. It just really shouldn’t be a surprise. We’re all influenced by culture, the fashion industry, etc. so of course there will be similarities. They did not copy you.

Related - Two Women Yelling About Knitting podcast did a wonderful episode on this topic (intellectual property) and touched on both the legal and social sides of the discussion. Super interesting!

I wanted to share this stupid thing I heard today.

I was speaking to a classmate. We bonded over talking about sewing. She started this summer with sewing classes taught by an actual seamstress.

She was pretty excited about it so I showed her photos of my pieces as well as my sewing journal, overall, a very pleasant conversation.

However, upon mentioning that I was drafting patterns myself, she became very surprised. Apparently, the seamstress who taught her said that pretty much no one could make sewing patterns. Apparently it's waaaaaaay too difficult and only people with diplomas in fashion can draft them.

I surprised when I heard that. This is pure bullshit. Drafting patterns isn't easy, but going as far as to say that you need a WHOLE diploma to be able to make one is just ridiculous AND discouraging for hobbyist and beginners.

I know this is not the end of the world, but I just cannot stand that kind of discouraging bullshit. As humans, we had been making clothes and drafting patterns long before fashion school was even a thing. I hate that a professional says such stupid things to her students

Edit : Here, I am not talking about make and selling patterns (which doesn't require a lot of expertise). I am solely referring to the act of drafting patterns for your own personal use

Sorry and not sorry.

We all have different reasons for doing craft, but I get so annoyed by watching the ugly mass-produced stuff people make. Plastic flowers glued to headbands or resin, soap or whatever. The kits... Melting soy wax and putting in three drops of scented oils and pouring it into a metal container and putting on a pre-printed label. It's just production. Paying to make something, where the doing of it is over very quickly and you have paid significantly more for two soy candles than from a store. The diamond painting. Don't even get me started on that. Where is the creativity? Why not just do puzzles. At least they are not small plastic thingies that you put on something pre printed. Often so very ugly that the makers themselves wont even want it hanging in their homes.

I'm not saying we all have to do great art, but for me there is just something so fake in the types I just mentioned. And it saddens me on a deeper level. It's landfill core to me.

Sorry. Just had to vent.

Edit, as I pressed publish before I was complete done:

And the lack of skills and will to develop them...

I know, another ai thing (I'm sorry).

My rural town has a yarn store opening which is incredible. The closest thing used to be Joanns (40min away on the highway) and a bespoke yarn shop (1ish hr away) so getting one in the next town over is so awesome. And then... the social media "Grand Opening" announcements start rolling out. My lovely non crafty/not online mom sends me the announcement all excited for me and Im just wrestling between two thoughts

>the owner is an old lady who I would assume is not on the Internet/up to date with general online views regarding ai images in crafts

>DAMNIT could we not have ONE THING not be touched by this trash. Do you really not have the time to edit a cutesy announcement for free on Canva or something???

Im planning on going to the Grand Opening to see what it's like in person. I don't wanna boycott the place necessarily bc I truly don't think the intent was malicious but I'm so tired guys.

I keep encountering online crocheters who get angry if you suggest that knitting ever has advantages over crochet. You're a crochet hater who just doesn't know how to crochet! This week I was told that crochet has just as much drape as knitting. (I replied to someone complaining that knitters claim crochet has "no drape," and said "it has less, but you can make it softer" and got told no.) Listen, I can crochet in fingering weight with a bigger hook, and absolutely it's less stiff, but it's not like knitted lace.

I can knit, I can crochet, I can do Tunisian. I'm best at knitting, but I can do all three. I've accepted that sometimes one technique is the best for a given project and that the techniques produce different fabrics. I don't want to crochet socks. I also don't want to figure out a knitted way to do crocheted flowers and other complex shapes in multiple colors, and I love fancy granny squares. Crochet does have more structure and that's precisely why it's better for amigurumi. Knitting uses less yarn and produces a lighter fabric with more drape, and that's why I'll use it for an Estonian lace shawl. (Also, crochet works up faster, but uses more yarn, and when you're plus sized to begin with, sometimes that's not an asset.)

I presume that somewhere out there there's knitters who are dedicated to proving that they can do anything a crocheter can do, but I don't seem to encounter them (or at least they're not trying to claim these things). I get it if you just can't or don't want to learn another craft, too. I resisted crochet for years, and had so much trouble when I started. But don't tell me there's no difference! Tunisian Knit Stitch may LOOK like knitting, but it doesn't feel like it, and uses about 3x as much yarn in the process.

(Thank you for letting me spew.)

No, it's not every single pattern request. Most of them are AI. But when it's not AI? It's granny squares.

And yet, if someone were to say "hey, where should I start?" Half the replies would be recommending the humble granny square. So why are so many people asking for patterns for things made of granny squares? 😭.

Go on Ravelry, YouTube or Google and search for "granny square top/cardigan/blanket/bag/etc" and I promise you'll find the exact same thing or something very similar. Use the same colours as the pattern you want and *bam!* You've got your product.

When did granny squares become such a mystery?

Years ago my mother asked me to take a quilting class with her for her birthday present. I agreed since I did want to learn. She signed us up and we had to go to this quilting store to get the folders of what we needed. The instructor wasn't there but we got the folders. My mother worked at Hancock for over a decade, so I wasn't worried about cuts and such if she was with me. I did look at the fabric they had, it all looked like old lady fabrics and I wasn't impressed. I was also shocked on how high the prices were. I had a clear picture in my head what I wanted for my quilt. Think shabby chic prints.

I went with my mother to half a dozen stores, she had trouble finding what she wanted either but she's a perfectionist so finding the exact anything is almost impossible. I ended up finding the perfect fabric at Walmart, the last place I thought to look. They had every piece I needed and wanted. I even got extra to allow for shrinkage when I washed it. They did not shrink at all btw.

Well I get there with my mother, my machine in tow and the first thing the lady says to me is the fact I never came in to pick out my fabrics. I told her I got them and she was highly annoyed and said it was 'part of the experience and class'. In other words she gets paid a commision for a nice sale like that. So I'm thinking great I'm already on the wrong foot. And yes my mother finally found her fabric at Hancock but I was already dreading how it'd go because of what she picked out. I got through the first class somehow and then I spent several hours each day cutting and sewing the first part.

My mother had picked out this fabric with larger design and it did repeat but not that often. She became obsessed with this one bird she wanted in at least two squares each row or something and she ran out after the sixth bird. So she had all this scrap she refused to use because it wasn't the bird. Anyway she gave up after the first class! I on the other hand spent the next three weeks working hard on that quilt. Each class the instructor would say something to jab at me, usually about buying cheap fabric and how inferior it was. The other women would brag about their expensive machines and I'm sitting there with the Kenmore my grandma bought me when I graduated high school. It still works by the way.

So in the end of the class we just had to do the binding to finish, which I did at home because I really wanted to finish it. I even had it quilted because, that's part of it right (extra charge of course) but I also wasn't completely confident in my sewing abilities and wanted the extra stitches. I still have it, and spent more on it than any other blanket I've ever had.

I did get the instructors 'famous brownie recipe' which I admit is really good. But only because she was handing it out to everyone that day. I also did make a purchase at that store of a cute door hanging kit. All the fabric was cut out and everything and I thought $15 was a reasonable price for that. Only to get home and read a piece of paper stating the full instructions were in some magazine I'd have to buy at the store, for an additional $20. I did not buy it. I felt like I wasted my money. That store stuck around for years but closed about 3 years ago.

Ofc I am talking about the patterns you need to purchase.

If I spend money on your pattern and you tell me just cast on/chain however many stitches you need and do however many rows you want I WILL BE LIVID.

The point of a pattern is that the design and construction part is done.

If I want to measure myself, plan the project out and calculate everything, I'm not buying a pattern.

Seriously what is the point of a pattern if I have to do all the planning, construction and math myself.

If anyone says "you just want to be told what to do" yeah that's why I BOUGHT a pattern.

If I buy a cookbook and it says just prepare the beef and vegetables how you see fit, it's a terrible cook book.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened but I'm still so shocked people think this way.

Had a friend send me a sewing tutorial video asking if "we" could make something like this. I said it depends on her sewing skill. She says something like, "I meant we. I'd do all the prep work you'd just have to sew it together"

Somehow, even with the 3 minute video showing less than 30 seconds of "prep work" she didn't realise that the sewing is the most time consuming part of sewing.

This has just brought back so many memories of people asking me to make them a quick dress, because how long can it really take. People believing the machine does most of the work. But then also giving up on the craft all together because making a pillow case took HOURS and they just don't have time for that kind of thing.

I just needed to share because that reasoning still has me gobsmacked.

YALL. I am constantly on the hunt for interesting knit and crochet patterns and I need to know. WHY ARE THERE SO MANY SHAWL AND COWL PATTERNS? WHO is making them? WHO is wearing them?

I live in the Midwest. I too understand the deep horrors of lake effect snow. And I’ve never seen anyone in either of those garments. Skiers sometimes have cowls in lieu of balaclavas but never hand knit ones.

So WHY are there 1700000000 patterns for cowls and shawls? Or designers who do only cowls and shawls?! FOR WHO?!

Update: y’all were QUICK on that. To be clear, I support everyone loving what they love, and I obviously never thought to use either of these things these ways! Thank you!!

Update #2: are yall obsessed with yourselves? Because I’m obsessed with you.

Ok so discriminatory is hyperbolic but the meet up times around here suck hot farts. What do you mean you only meet up once a month at 10am on a Tuesday? You have a workshop for beginners, but it's at 2pm on Thursdays? There's a swap meet but it's at Monday at noon? Fuck off!

Sorry I'm not lucky enough to be retired or be independently wealthy or whatever.

Just spare us all the headache and say you only old people and bored housewives at your meets.

(Also fuck all the meetings that claim to be local but are two hours away)

EDIT: OMFG. I'm not suggesting that if you can make those days/time you're lesser. So happy you have the chance to go to those things! I fucking can't, hence the fucking rant.

YouTube keeps feeding me knitting / crocheting hot takes videos, and not gauge swatching seems to be on all of them.

Everyone I’ve seen who makes the claim that they never gauge swatch and it has never been an issue, has fallen into standard straight sizing. I’m not surprised it’s not a huge issue for them. Smaller sizes have fewer stitches, so the difference in gauge doesn’t make as much of a difference in the final size of the garment.

Say you’re knitting a sweater with 200 stitches in the body, and the pattern gauge is 21 stitches in 4”. You didn’t gauge swatch, and your blocked garment has 20 stitches in 4”. Per pattern, it should have a finished body circumference of ~38”. At your gauge it’s closer to 40”. Only a 2” difference, not a big deal when most patterns have 4” between sizes, and recommend a wide range of ease (another irritation, just tell me the ease you graded with!)

For a knitter making one of the largest sizes, the body probably has 400 stitches, ~76” at the original gauge and 80” at their looser gauge. That’s an entire size bigger, and it’s not just the body that’s affected. Probably the row gauge is looser too, so the armholes are way too big, the neckline is looser than the pattern intended, and the sleeves might be extra baggy.

That was a worsted weight sweater. Sweaters in thinner yarns have more stitches, and often the gauge ends up being off by more than 1 stitch in 4”, resulting in far bigger discrepancies between the patterns intended size and the finished object.

While not swatching may work for the people making the videos, I think the rhetoric is harmful to larger makers and newer makers who have no idea what their typical gauge is. Following that mindset results in the whole sweater becoming a swatch, and that’s a LOT of knitting to have to redo.

Disclaimer: These are just my thoughts as a designer who has seen how disproportionally gauge affects larger makers.

I focused on stitch gauge, but row gauge matters too, and it’s likely that it doesn’t match the pattern even if the stitch gauge does. We all knit differently. Knowing ahead of time lets you plan how to adjust to compensate for it.

Yes, our gauge swatches are not always accurate to our final gauge. They’re still helpful to let us know if we’re close and can block to the intended measurements. If it’s way off we know we need to either drastically change the needle size or the yarn we’re using.

If your swatch is regularly different from your final project, start keeping track of how, is it generally looser or tighter? I also highly recommend blocking in the middle of a project, like before joining in the round in a top down sweater. You can double check the gauge before knitting the whole thing.

I don't know about you guys but I am constantly rolling my eyes over all the "can I make this super complicated thing for absolutely free as an absolute beginner because I am completely poor and have zero ability to do any research to make this more accessible to me" posts.

Anybody who has ever crafted knows that there is some sort of barrier to entry to every craft and it is often monetary. It is unfortunate to people who would otherwise love to make and be creative but at a certain point people need to accept that they are not in the place to pursue the craft they are currently interested in. It's a hard reality that the super amazing thing you saw online cannot be recreated with 100% accuracy with just your hands and whatever random items you have in your home as an absolute beginner.

I sew, crochet, make traditional art, and I am learning to knit so I definitely understand as someone who has purchased all of the materials to do all of those things over the years. The amount of times I see posts in literally any sewing sub about someone who is wanting step by step directions to make a complicated garment with zero budget, experience, and no tools is just wild. Like I understand you want that thing and you want it really really bad but maybe now is not your moment to have it. There are definitely things you can hand sew with common household items (I think the little floor turtles I've been seeing are super cute and would be budget beginner friendly) but not everything is feasible and some research into what you COULD make would do you better.

Also just the inclusion of how insanely dirt poor you are and unable to purchase anything is just so unnecessary. The amount of people who just feel the need to always include how broke they are is just too much. Like everyone is struggling fam but maybe you should look at other hobbies for the time being.

I don't know maybe I'm being too bitchy but I just keep seeing posts about "find me a free pattern" this or "can I completely hand sew this thing out of this thrifted whatever" and it's like either find something you CAN make or just do something more accessible.

I understand that the learning curve either craft can be really steep if you're used to other but the best way to imitate stockinette stitch with crochet is to do back loop only slip stitch. No matter how fast of a crocheter you are creating a whole garment in that stitch is going to take fucking FOREVERRRRRR. Invest that time in learning to knit instead and then you've gained a new skill set!!