It's true, every knitter has a deep, dark and dirty knitting secret. Some of these secrets may be so dark that you try to stash them away, stealthfully hiding what normal knitters would gawk at, or run at you with sharp metal double pointed needles if they ever found out!I know I have a few secrets.
So it's time to open a can of worms and confess! Maybe you'll realize that you're not so alone in these little petpeeves, or dislikes about knitting techniques or materials that we hold so deep in the back of our minds.
I'll start first.
Here's the little secret of mine that's common to people : I loathe knitting cuffs. I'd like knitting socks a whole lot more if someone would just knit the dang 1 1/2 inch cuff for me. It annoys me that cuffs take so long for something so short. Imagine how much more you could knit if you aren't switching back and forth continually.
Here's a shocker: I rather buy store-bought scarves than make them. *GASP!* In my defense, I'm not talking garter stitch scarves though! I'm ok with buying knitted scarves when I know that it would take me dozens of hours to knit up those cables on tiny needles, and would take more money buying high quality yarn for a durable and soft scarf.
But for the real scandal: I'D RATHER BUY AND WEAR THIN CLOTH SCARVES LIKE IN THE PICTURE ABOVE INSTEAD OF KNIT SCARVES. I'd be ok if I never knit scarves again. Now if that isn't knitting scandal, I don't know what is! I just like how the cloth is guaranteed softness, and is so thin that you can double it up under your coat on a really stormy day. If you ever see me knitting scarves, you could probably bet that it's either chunky, or some loved one really really wanted one.
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The contest closes at: Saturday, Dec. 8th @3pm.
This week, the winner gets a (non-expiring) coupon for any 2 free patterns from my Etsy shop! Two additional new patterns will be added into the shop in January.
Examples of scandals: Loathing/boycotting/hiring people to do common techniques, cheating-buying something knit and saying you did it!, hoarding things like squirrels, buying sheep only for their milk... you catch my drift.
Special note: This contest is for fun, and will not "judge you" in any sort of ethical way.
~"Knitting Scandal" Contest~
1. State your "big" knitting scandal. Make sure to explain yourself. (= 1 name in the hat.)
2. Extra Credit: Stating one more big scandal gets you another name in the hat. It's got to be important though... (not "I don't like 2x2 ribbing" or similar complaints. Barely anyone likes it.) You can state as many as you want, really... but for practical purposes, it only gets you one more entry. But confess away!
3. The winner: the coolest, or well-thought out scandal. This person gets another hat entry.
4. Posting this contest on your blog gets you another name in the hat. You must mention it to me on the comment page though, so I don't have to chase down everyone's blog to see if you need another name in the hat. ______________________________________________________________________
.....Let the litany of scandals begin!
Hmm...Knitting Scandals.
ReplyDelete#1: Although I usually rip out my work if I mess up, I don't take the time to do it if the knitting is not for me (i.e. a gift for someone). I usually think to myself that this person isn't going to notice because they don't knit AND I'm not going have to deal with the imperfections.
#2: I still continue to buy yarn, even when I tell myself I'm not going to. Sometimes I do it secretely and hide it from my boyfriend.
#3. I never check gauge. What's more, sometimes I don't even use the correct weight of yarn for a project.
#4. I never critize people for their work, but sometimes I see stuff that people make and think to myself "OMG that is the ugliest knitted thing I've ever seen." Sorry =(
#5. Just to end on a nice multiple...I'm so sick of knitting right now. I hate it so much because it's all I've been doing lately. I think I'll go on hiatus in January, but I'll probably return.
Oh by the way, I added this on my blog.
ReplyDeletehttp://mustkeepknitting.wordpress.com
Nice!! :) #1 is pretty funny... and #2 reminds me of the Yarn Harlot book, where she is stuffing the yarn into the piano and little cabinets and stuff! Hilarious!
ReplyDeleteHey, we gotta do what we gotta do!
I'm pretty sick of knitting too. We all eventually crawl our way back though!
Well, I have two scandals.
ReplyDeleteFirst: I absolutely hate the thought of knitting for anyone else. They don't appreciate anything about the process and therefore don't deserve my time and attention. Atleast, that's my thought process. My mom, who's a knitter (somewhat) wants a sweater, and I just can't bring myself to even start. I'm a selfish brat that way.
Second, I really like acrylic yarns. They're pretty, they're washable, and they're cheap. I tend to "save" the good yarn for the someday that hasn't come yet, but I can use the acrylic without heartache. It's also available at the only LYS around, Wal-mart.
I thought of another one: I don't want to teach anyone else to knit, because it's my thing and I don't want anyone "stealing my thunder".
Wow, I'm just a brat all around.
Well, those are my scandals. I feel somewhat refreshed to get it off my chest. Thanks!
Haha, I know what you mean about not wanting to teach anyone how to knit. I HATE TEACHING PEOPLE TO KNTI!
ReplyDeleteI tried teaching my mom, she just couldn't get it and kept messing up. I got tired of helping her so I just kept saying "just practice," but didn't offer to help her.
This girl in my dorm wanted to learn, and she couldn't even cast on. I didn't want to teach her in the first place, so I really didn't even attempt to help her.
I also taught my boyfriend to knit, and he caught on VERY fast. He's knitting a scarf and I told him he better not like knitting enough to pursue it because it's MY thing.
Ha ha ha! It's like "bridzilla"...but knitting!
ReplyDeleteI can definitely see what you mean about people not "getting it" and not appreciating how much time, effort and sweat it takes to knit up items they would "like" to have. It gets annoying. My mom doesn't really want me knitting her stuff because she says she won't wear it! Not even socks!!!
Hi, thank you for your comment on the KAL about my Gretal beret. Its a lovely pattern to knit.
ReplyDeleteOK, knitting scandals:
1) I never do a tension swatch
2)I rarely block anything
Basically I'm a lazy knitter!
I wouldn't exactly say that I lie about my yarn purchases, but I definitely downplay or 'forget' to mention them sometime ...
ReplyDeleteAnd I get the thing about people not appreciating how much time goes into a knitted garment, but I admit to exploiting the other side of it too. There are things that I can knit in just a few hours while I watch movies or ride in the car (a stockinette worsted-weight hat, for example). These make excellent gifts because the recipients often over-estimate how much work has gone into them. I don't feel the need to tell them how easy it was.
p.s. I posted about this contest on my knitting contest blog, WiKnit
I knit presents for my nieces and nephew to annoy my brother-in-law. I know he'll hate that I didn't spend money on actual store bought toys for his children. I knit things instead, dolls, hats, headbands, scarves. That's all they will get from now on.
ReplyDeleteOkay, here they are:
ReplyDelete1: I sometimes sneak new yarn into the house. My partner doesn't know this, but any, ANY spare change I find I put into a little "yarn fund." I use that money to buy yarn when I'm not supposed to (like when we've worked out a budget for the month and I've sworn myself to a yarn diet.) So I stick it in my purse or lunch box and wait till he goes to the bathroom to add it to the stash. This way I can still get on to him when he splurges on video games :)
2: My sister and I once had a race to knit the same sweater, and I would get up in the middle of the night and unravel a few rows on hers. She never caught on, and I won!
Admitting them is the first step, right?
#1 I rarely knit for others and when I do I never feel motivated to finish like I do when I knit for myself. I'm still working on a simple garter stitch scarf for my boyfriend that I cast on in august. You'd think i'd have finished it by now but no it just sits in my knitting basket because well if it isn't for me I just don't feel the push to finish.
ReplyDelete#2 I hate picking up stitches. Its my least favorite thing to do in any project particularly socks (and I've recently become obsessed with socks). I usually rush through it not taking the time to distribute the stitches evenly. Its a mess. I dont know why i hate it so much but I just do.
#3 I'm totally scared of knitting sweaters. I just think I'm going to mess them up so bad that there is no point in knitting them This is a fear I must get over.
#4 I NEVER do a gauge swatch and I should because my gauge is generally a problem. And I have to confess even when I do make one I have no idea how to "read" it so I think that's why I dont make them. I should really do something about that.
Yah I think that's all or at least that's all I'm sharing...
I'm going to like you to my blog now.
1) I lie about yarn purchases. Money is tight and I *really* shouldn't buy any more, but it's an addiction. I tell DF I got new yarn in a swap or something instead of saying I paid for it.
ReplyDelete2) When I absolutely can't buy yarn, I go to the LYS or Michael's or even Wal-Mart and look at yarn. I pick it up, pick out which ones I would buy if I could. I literally spend a half hour + doing this.
3) I lie about when I spin/knit. I tell DF he can't come over because I need to study when I'm actually spinning or knitting! I know, bad me... a little white lie never hurt him... Well, now I feel guilty... I think spinning will make me feel better! ;-)
And I'm posting the contest on the blog...
So many dirty little secrets, so little time to list them!
ReplyDelete#1- I have never blocked one single thing in my life.
#2- The only time I ever knit a gauge swatch is when I knit a sweater for my sister. I didn't bind it off and wash it like a good girl, I frogged it and used the yarn in the sweater.
#3- The only thing I have ever knit for myself is socks.
#4- I have enough sock yarn to knit well over 30 pairs. I bought more online yesterday, I can't help myself.
#5- The last few packages of yarn that arrived at my house I hid from my DH telling him that they were Christmas gifts. I know, I'm a bad person.
#6- I design and knit many bags but carry a plain black store bought one myself.
I'm off to post about this in my blog...
I love the idea for this contest! Here is my deep dark confession: I snuck yarn.
ReplyDeleteWe have had quite the expensive fall. Our car insurance was due, my sister got married, I got a $300 speeding ticket and we have Christmas shopping to do. I agreed to not visit a craft store or a yarn store for a few months to help us cut back on our expenses.
I tried to be happy knitting up my modest stash. I was happy (kinds) until I knit up some beautiful and soft alpaca woo blend yarn. It was so heavenly I just had to have more. When I was in the area of my local yarn shop I went in an bought some. I hid it in the trunk, so my husband would not see it and waited until he went to bed so I could hide it from him. I got busted because I did not have enough cash on me to make the transaction untraceable and my husband is very obsessive about checking our bank account online.
I also rarely check my gauge either.
My scandal isn't a loathe, but a love: I love seaming and weaving in ends.
ReplyDeleteOn my first knitting project, I put off the end-weaving for months, because my mother had drilled into me that it's an unpleasant task. Once I'd done it, however, I realized I disagreed. I find the task relaxing, and how can anyone not like finishing their project?
THESE ARE AWESOME!!! Do you guys mind me compiling them once this contest is over?? I think that would make a great post!
ReplyDeleteIt's so funny reading all of your different posts about "sneaking" yarn, and tricking your BF or DH into thinking they are holiday gifts! Classic!
Last winter I told my daughter that I was going to join "Knit from Your Stash" for 2007. Thus, reducing the huge amount of yarn I have hidden in odd places. She still thinks I do even though I have been secretly buying yarn the whole year. I don't check gauge. I hate to knit for others cause they probably don't value the work as much as I do and they don't know how much time it takes to make a gift for them. Even if someone begs, I won't teach knitting to anyone....ack.
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays.........
This is really fun. I came up with another one while reading all of these. Sometimes, when I'm knitting socks...or other things, I'll discover a hole in the knitting from loose stitches or picking up sts. When this happens, I'll (sometimes) either knit into the row below to hide it, wrap the loose st a few times around the needle then knit into it, or k2tog then m1. Basically anything that can be done (even if it's not some real knitting technique) just so I don't have to undo my work. If I don't do this it's ususally because I spent a lot of money on the yarn...or because I'm being anal.
ReplyDeletePS. I get a $200 shopping spree!! I don't think it will all go to knitting...I need winter clothes.
Adding this on my blog as well!
ReplyDelete1. buying yarn and hiding it, both by paying cash so hubby does not see and / or hiding it in the back of the jeep under a blanket till monday when i have off and hubby is at work before bringing it in the house.
2. I never check my gauge...and have paid the price!
3. Learned to knit at first on the looms but did not tell anyone. They thought i was a needle whiz!
4. Buy items (needles and yarn) on line and if hubby is home when they get delivered tell him my mom ordered them for me as a gift ... she is in on this too!
5. Admit to being a yarn snob!
6. Even though i do knit for some friends..when i see a project that screams their name...otherwise i feel i am a fairly selfish knitter. And i do knit a lot for others...there are just so many things on my knit list to be knit!
**my husband could care less about the yarn i purchase, i feel guilty though at times for spending the $$ and therefore hide them from him, so this is all in my head.
I told my mother in law that the big honking hole in the blanket I knit for my son was NOT a mistake but part of the pattern. I said it was the "Hole in the Wall" pattern. It was there for the dog to breathe while my son and the dog took a nap together. She believed it.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes am knitting and a person comes up to admire it. In the course of conversation, they mention it's their birthday (or anniversary or something) and I kind of shyly say, "Oh, yeah. You caught me. I'm knitting this scarf (or shawl) for you!
1. I hate seams. I've never knitted a seam, but I hate it anyway. If a pattern has a seam and I can't figure out a way to do it without it, I won't do the pattern.
ReplyDelete2. I dislike swatches. I don't read them correctly anyway, so why do them. (I mostly knit socks, hats and dish clothes.
3. I don't like scarfs because they are like a big swatch and are really boring, even the ones with patterns. I'd rather buy one on sale.
4. I don't like to rip. If I can get away with it, I call it a design feature and go on about my business.
5. I'm not inspired to knit for other people.(I usually just knit for myself and my son. No body else appreciates the trouble you go to.)
I confessed!
ReplyDeletehttp://itchtostitchvigorously.blogspot.com/
Yay, another contest!
ReplyDeleteWow, I guess it's nice to see that such a lovely hobby can have so many side effects! LOL
No one is alone!
Hmmmm, I share so many of the ones that have some before.
1. I think that my knit items are usually better than others in my family and close friends who try the same patterns. This is not always true, and many of us NEVER knit the same things. But I passed on my favorite purse pattern and have seen the results from a few other people.............. not as tight, not as sleek and not as well felted! ;)
2. If someone doesn't show proper appreciation for a knit gift, they will not receive one again. I need to have some bit of appreciation and preening! Complex or not, I do want to hear how much they lover the ....... I knit them!
LOL, scandalous! I try not to let these feeling effect me.... you are the only ones who know! LOL ;)
Check out my blog too!
1) The only people I knit for are me and people who pay me extremely large amounts of money. Gifts? I might give pieces I don't wear or use to other people, but it's mine, all mine, most of the time.
ReplyDelete2) I don't like to weave in ends. Seriously. I tend to just cut and tuck in the last 2-4 inches of yarn in a place no one will ever see it, like the inside of a hat. This, as you may imagine, does not always work.
3)All the money I should be spending on booze and hookers goes to yarn and art supplies. I'm a horrible excuse for a college student, I guess. I have not yet spent food money on yarn, but I have considered it.
4) I knit when I should be doing homework, like writing 4-page papers for English class, or finishing a painting for my art class. Like tonight.
I have found that I really prefer felting because it easily hides knitting mistakes. Tends to give you some bad habits though.
ReplyDeleteAnother secret, if I need one skein of yarn, I almost always buy $60 worth in order to get my Webs discount. Then I guard the door to intercept the package arrival which is obviously too big for just one skein of yarn.
I hate to knit raglans. They never ever work out.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing...I taught my daughter how to knit socks and told her I'd never knit a pair myself... since that day I am a sock knitting addict
The doctor tried to forbid me to continue knitting as I have carpal tunnel syndrome. He'd be furious to find out that I am doing pretty well; the pain disappeared the day I went back to knitting. Have to make sure that my hand is warm, isn't it? Wristwarmers are my rescue.
1. I hate weaving in ends. I don't trust the weaving. I tie knots (GASP!) which usually come undone in the wash.
ReplyDelete2. I don't like to knit for other people (unless they're also knitters). They rarely appreciate or use the gift, and I require much adoration for my hard work.
3. I often go to the yarn store just to touch the yarn, with no intention of buying anything.
#1: I don't like knitting socks. I like looking at sock yarn in the skein, but the finished product isn't worth it to me. Maybe if I lived in a colder environment I'd have a change of heart.
ReplyDelete2#: I really don't care for the writings of Elizabeth Zimmerman!
#1: I used to buy yarn and hide it in my car, only to sneak it inside if no one was home. I'd stash it under the bed, in the closet...anywhere I thought my husband wouldn't look!
ReplyDelete#2: I don't swatch.
#3: I hate picking up neck stitches. Period.
#4: I have never knit adult socks.
#5: I don't think I will EVER knit an adult sweater.
#6: I only occasionally fix mistakes.
#7: I am very touchy-feely with my yarn. I don't care how much it costs. I'm squeezing the "Charmin" yarn and if it doesn't measure up to the touch test, it stays in the store!
Scandal #3 - I dont like Acrylic yarn. And I dont know why. I just cant feel good about it. I have store bought sweaters that are %100 acrylic and I love them but I just cant get over this stigma I have against Acrylic yarn. I really would like to be cured of this because then I'd knit more things since the yarn would be cheaper. Oh dear!
ReplyDeleteI'm still not ready admit to my all time scandal...it would be way to scandalous...just thinking about it makes hysterical. So here's my #2
Scandal #2 – I lie about how long it takes me to knit stuff. I started knitting because my older sister knits (I CAN DO ANTHINGY BETTER THAN SHE, YES I CAN) well not really but I like to try. Anyway, my trying ultimately leads lying. I always shave a few days off a project so it seems I knit faster than she does.
This was a great idea for a contest. Thanks...lots of fun.
Oh boy. These are SO great. :D It's so good to know I'm not the only person who doesn't check gauge!
ReplyDeleteLet's see.
1) I sneak yarn *and* needles. I use any method I can to pay: cash at shops, swaps on Ravelry, even Paypal for pretty much anything! My little sister helps me catch all my mail packages before my mom gets home. I've got her sneaking them past my parents' bedroom (where Dad is), and stowing them safely in mine! On the plus side, she likes making me hunt for them, even though my room is only 8x10. And when parents see new yarn, or when they ask me where I got that yarn that I'm dyeing, I respond, "I won it in a blog contest." I have bought over eleven miles of yarn in the past two months. Somehow I've managed to hide it all under my desk!
2) I catalog my knitting purchases and sales obsessively. I have created a three-page Excel spreadsheet on which I record who I buy or sell yarn/needles from; where they live (remember, I buy and swap on Ravelry); the type and yardage/length of yarn/needle; cost; dates purchased, shipped, and received; etc. I do everything I can to mess with the numbers, for interesting stats. The file name? I hide it as "PChem Lab Tabulations #6", so that it sounds boring enough to never want to see. The worst part? I haven't even *taken* PChem lab yet!
3) At night, I often brush my teeth, take my vitamins, and say goodnight. I turn off my light, close my door... and switch on the laptop. What am I doing? I'm browsing Ravelry. UNTIL 3:00 AM. OMG, I'm so addicted.
4) In addition to a knitter and chemist, I am also a photographer. This leads to me being completely unable to post ugly P&S photos of yarn or FOs (just take a peek at my Ravelry stash and projects pages to see what I mean)! I will divert myself from Ravelry on some of those late nights to take secret photos of my stash and projects (and photoshop them to perfection) because everyone thinks I'm weird when they see me photographing yarn!
5) Sometimes, I take a particularly squooshy skein of yarn to bed with me (like, oh, my Mondial Giada). It's like my knitter's version of a stuffed animal! I promise, I just hold it in my hands to pet as I fall asleep. XD
...sleeping with yarn!! That's soo funny!!! You should knit a fluffy bunny with the yarn! Oo... that gives me an idea!
ReplyDeleteI sleep with a 6-foot-long giant knit squid, but I consider that a lifestyle choice rather than a knitting scandal. ;)
ReplyDeleteScandals!!! How delish ^_^ I definitely have some skeletons in my closet, here's a few:
ReplyDelete1. I lie about how long it takes me to finish things. I know, who cares, the knitting community is non-judgemental, right? And yet I still do. Part of it is pride, part of it is trying to cover up for the fact that I'm a super scatterbrain who gets distracted by something after knitting a mere 2 rows. Please forgive me!!!
2. I opened a seperate bank account that my husband doesn't know about. What is it for? YARN. NEEDLES. I hide my 2nd debit card in my wallet, and when I come home with new yarn, I stuff it in vases, boxes, and the glove compartment of the car. EEEP!
3. The majority of my friends/acquaintances have no idea that I knit. I just hate the reaction I get from some people when they find out that I love to knit - they get all judgemental and say that they "never pegged me as a crazy cat lady"... why do all knitters have to be old crazy cat ladies? I'm 24! I have no cats! And... well, no.. I won't contest the crazy part.
What a great idea, tho my contributions aren't original.
ReplyDelete#1 - I hate weaving in ends. I wear socks where the end ends up wound around my toes and I have to pull them off in the middle of work just to restore circulation. I still don't weave them in.
#2 - The only sweater I've ever knit that has fit properly was the first. Everything since then - since I started working gauge and blocking - hasn't.
#3 - I rarely swatch. Seems like a waste of time.
Oh well I guess I want to do this too.
ReplyDeleteI don't buy a pattern unless a really stuck on something. I didn't know how to read patterns until 3 years ago and well I have been knitting for something like 19 years.
oh and I posted it on my blog!
ReplyDelete1.I've never bought a pattern. Ever. I just guess or use free patterns from the internet.
ReplyDelete2.Most of the yarn in my stash is acrylic. It's not that I really like it, or that I'm allergic to natural fibers, it's just...there.
I love these. Thanks for the great contest. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI link to KAL's that are WAY over my head or KAL's that are too expensive...even though I don't have any intention of starting/finishing them.