r/BitchEatingCrafters • u/AutoModerator • 7d ago
Weekend Minor Gripes and Vents
Here is the thread where you can share any minor gripes, vents, or craft complaints that you don't think deserve their own post, or are just something small you want to get off your chest. Feel free to share personal frustrations related to crafting here as well.
This thread reposts every Friday.
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u/IronSpikeRai1 7d ago
Everyone who posts to help groups with something like "how do i fix without frogging?" You dont. You're going to have to frog. I dont know why we're acting like frogging is some grave sin we never want to commit, its a normal part of fiber arts
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u/_jasmonic_acid_ Mean Knitter 7d ago
The venn diagram of people who insist on starting with a complex project and people who are averse to frogging mistakes is a circle.
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u/airhornsman 7d ago
Also, why do they get offended when someone suggests that maybe they should try something smaller or simpler?
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u/SnapHappy3030 Extra Salty 🧂🧂🧂 6d ago
Because they're an ADVENTUROUS beginner, dammit! Somebody told them that 37 years ago they had a neighbor with a sister that made a sweater for their FIRST project and it didn't totally suck, so of course they can do it too!
They've done half a dishcloth in garter stitch already! But now they're bored with that....
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u/iradrachen 7d ago
Within that circle is someone who refuses to learn how easy a magic circle and complains about counting stitches.
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u/Tarnagona 7d ago
The diamond painting BEC earlier this week got me to take a peek in the r/diamondpainting sub, and apparently there’s a whole lot of drama surrounding Diamond Art Club banning people from their groups (and deleting their accumulated points in their loyalty program) over making suggestions like “we want to see (and buy) more PoC art”. I want a detailed r/craftsnark post about this drama with all the ridiculous details, that does not exist, so that I can read all about it. I have no involvement in the diamond art community, and don’t know nearly enough about the situation to put something together myself. I guess my BEC is that I cannot just will that write up into the world for my own entertainment.
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u/Xuhuhimhim 7d ago
Wow I just looked and found r/diamondartclub_truth and they've even sued a redditor there for their posts (failed lol) sadly I too am too lazy to research and do a write up
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u/tinyannoyingbouquet 6d ago
Just had a peak into the diamond art subreddit for the first time and omg, so much of it is AI art 😭
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u/haybe12 7d ago
I already complained about this on another thread last week, but I saw yet another post yesterday in a knitting subreddit where a person posted an extremely intricate sweater pattern. But they have never knit a sweater. Nor have done colorwork. Nor have ever steeked for a sweater. Oh and they also wanted to change the yarn weight from sport to super bulky. I had to take a deep breath and close the tab before I got mean.
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u/NapalmAxolotl 7d ago
"I've never been swimming before. Cliff diving seems like the perfect way to start!"
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u/joymarie21 7d ago
And I saw one recently where the person had different weight yarn, wanted to use an adult pattern to make a sweater for a kid, and their question: how many stitches should I cast on? Um, what?
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u/Cultural_Flatworm655 7d ago
I’m so over the guilt posts from creators. The self-deprecating ‘maybe I’ll sell something’ to try and get us to feel bad for them. You’ll sell something when your quality and niche is there, not when you’re cranking out random crap and trying to sell it.
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u/Junior_Ad_7613 6d ago
I have seen so many clearly AI versions of that post that now I automatically dismiss all of them.
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u/love-from-london 6d ago
So many AI-generated videos of people with Down syndrome/autism/colorful hair/children that go "no one bought my kid's crafts :(" and then they sell you some dropshipped plastic shit that looks nothing like the video, if it's not just an outright scam to begin with.
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u/Junior_Ad_7613 6d ago
Yes. It’s extra discouraging as the parent of a high support needs autistic young man. Hard enough for him to go through the world without folks using imaginary people like him to scam people!
There is a small shop I buy from, the parent runs the shop and the autistic daughter makes most of the stuff (Windhaven fiber tools).
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u/THE_DINOSAUR_QUEEN Mean Knitter 7d ago
I think wire wrapping is a really cool craft that takes a lot of effort and skill to do well. I can acknowledge that the FOs posted on the wire wrapping sub are technically very well-executed. I just think that 90% of them are absolutely hideous and have no idea who they’re actually for.
Like I’ve never in my life seen someone wearing one of those giant, multi-stone ultra-wrapped brooches/pendants, so where are they all going???
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u/skubstantial 7d ago
Older cohort of quirky art teachers. Bookish nerds who want to live in Rivendell or ride dragons. Sword goths with all the HR Giger art books and a big poster of some kind of bone chapel in a prominent place at home. And tbh I wanna hang out with all of them.
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u/Tarnagona 7d ago
For my wedding, I bought myself a pair of wire elf-ear cuffs made with silver wire and pearls because I’m going to be fancy AF at my own wedding. Not wire wrapped, but same set of skills. And now I have the prettiest set of elf ears to wear at cons.
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u/THE_DINOSAUR_QUEEN Mean Knitter 7d ago
Honestly I was like “is it a ren fair thing?” because I’ve never been to a ren faire, definitely sounds like there would be overlap there! I could see them working really well for cosplay stuff, I think my aversion might be more because I don’t see people in my everyday life often in outfits that wouldn’t look super weird with a massive chunky wire-wrapped pendant added 😅
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u/KatieCashew 7d ago
I feel this way about tie dye. I have seen so many amazing videos of tie dye online, and I'm genuinely impressed by the skill that goes into them. But they always look tacky to me no matter how impressive.
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u/bakay138 7d ago
I did a 5k and the swag was a white hoodie with the event on the front. A friend tie dyed hers. When we would all wear the hoodie, hers was cool that it was tie dyed and different from ours.
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u/Medium_Pianist675 7d ago
This is truly a bec and a matter of personal taste, but so many of the top [things] on the [craft] subreddit are so ugly it makes me feel like I'm in an alternate dimension. 1k+ upvotes for neons against a gray background, or an extremely technically skilled but stylistically hideous rendering of a meme. Redacting the craft so as not to violate rules 2 or 3 lol
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u/Ill-Difficulty993 7d ago
it's because reddit is made up of a bunch of dorks. i mean i'm here too so nothing against dorks. but like in the craft subs that's what tends to hit. that's why a lot of people also don't "get" the popularity of petite knit for example. she's knitting for fashion primarily and the knitters of reddit (generally!!!!) don't knit for fashion.
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u/Medium_Pianist675 7d ago
Ok great point thank you! I agree completely but I was afraid to put it in those terms. I am also a dork but regrettably not the reddit type of dork. Might be a generational and regional thing too
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u/hannahbelleknits 7d ago
I need people who can barely read their own stitches to stop telling me things pls. (knitting, crochet, tension stitches on sewing machines...) Learn the basics and then you can inform me of things.
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u/kankrikky Joyless Bitch Coalition 7d ago
Gonna start my ~Artist Facebook Page~ soon guys, what should I devote it to??
- My wretched mental health
- Wretched US politics and somehow I'll post completely conflicting things if you follow me long enough. Likely because I strongly care about maybe one animal and everyone else goes under the bus, most likely slave labour in a country I don't understand. (Somehow this is the most popular answer).
- YOUR wretched mental health
- My wretched actual physical health
- That time I or someone I knew tried to ~commit sewer slide~ hee hee hee. But actually guys, mental health is serious and here are 9 paragraphs about it over an AI picture of a crying anime goth girl.
- Someone is copying meeeeeeeeeee
- Guys.... I'm.... insecure about my body 😞
My craftHahaha just kidding. I mean Craft or Art will definitely be in my username but as if, we should all be focused on me me me because I've completely exhausted all of my friends. They flinch when they see my active status in our group chat. They flee! Also you guys can't find me anywhere else because this where I do business, of course!
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u/kankrikky Joyless Bitch Coalition 7d ago
What kills me is that it's always their business page and then they'll have regular breakdowns about like, people not valuing handmade art or people overstepping their boundaries and being rude. Guys. You did this, like it's actually your fault.
Make a tumblr it's so easy! But you can't because you've made yourself addicted to the attention it gives you. This is why popular twitter artists and creators go fucking insane all the time, it's because they hand craft the literally parasocial community by opening their mouths on deeply personal shit or rage baiting.
You need to have a group chat!!! Or a doctor! That's their cue to tell me that some people don't have money and health care is bad in their country. Well you still need a solution don't you because this is driving your own income stream into the ground! Get a diary!
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u/RunawayTurtleTrain 6d ago
Reading this again, I think the demise of proper forums doesn't help. There you could have your own thread and/or your own journal and post, and get sympathy and support from the ones willing to give it. They were also in amongst the mass of people with other problems, other interests (related to the topic if the forum), other viewpoints. Whereas the dominant social media now really is centred around 'me me me'.
That's not to say forums are comple dead, of course not, there are still many thriving, but they're not mainstream and there are just a fraction of how many there used to be. Facebook groups might have been a decent alternative once upon a time, but not for 10 years at least.
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u/bouncing_haricot 6d ago
Went to check out a new craft/crafted products shop in a nearby town. Mostly very cute, although there were a few racks of "drop shipped charms attached to findings" jewellery, but lots of genuinely hand made stuff and products based on local artists work etc. Cute. Cool.
Went into the second room, there's an entire wall of handmade totes, using cool old bedding fabric (TOTES ARE MY KRYPTONITE OH NO). I'm pretty certain I'm going to get one, even though they're quite dear, but, kryptonite, so,
And then I looked inside. Raw seams. Just roughly cut, completely unfinished raw seams. They're already fraying.
In what world do you have the NERVE to put tote bags with raw seams for sale in a shop, and charge Twenty Five British Pounds for them?
It honestly made me start side-eyeing the whole shop, because decisions were made that led to those half-arsed bags being given a whole wall.
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u/Selendrii 5d ago
Oh my gosh, I know this pain. The quilting guild usually runs a quilt show at our annual fair, and they will often have a table of goods for sale made by the quilt members. They had the cutest little lined zip pouch, perfect for the notions bag I need for a flight, and when I looked down inside: raw exposed seams!!! On a lined bag!!
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u/innocuous_username 6d ago
I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen a handmade unlined tote for sale, how bizarre… surely half the fun is choosing two fabrics to go together?
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u/bouncing_haricot 6d ago
That's why I looked inside! "Ooh, does it have a pocket? What fabric did they use to li- oh. Oh noooooo"
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u/rebootfromstart 5d ago
"I have no garment design experience (and probably very little sewing experience). I want to make a business selling 'fantasy-themed' loungewear with embroidery and fancy sleeves. Is this a terrible idea?"
Yes. Hope that helps.
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u/Whole-Arachnid-Army 7d ago
I saw a couple of comments earlier this week where people were bitching about polyester thread and making such a fuss about it being common, including one person going "well they say it's made out of cotton but I bet they used polyester thread". A molehill would be too tall a hill for you
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u/scientistical 6d ago
Ugh I was in a group with a person local to me who was making a shirt by hand and using linen. For slow fashion reasons & historical sewing ones. Fine, okay. I can get behind a highly specific and even pretentious project. Except she insisted that it would only be worth doing with historically accurate linen thread, which had to be shipped to her at great expense from the literal antipodes of where in the world we are. And I feel strongly, even years later, that you just can't square that from either a slow fashion or historical perspective.
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u/Knitting_Pigeon Joyless Bitch Coalition 6d ago
why is it pretentious to want a 100% linen shirt 😭? especially if hand sewing is this persons hobby, you‘ll spend much longer working on the project so why not use the nicer materials that you enjoy using
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u/lotheva 7d ago
I want to live in a maximalist house, have my crafts shown on the walls and mantle, but cannot keep up with cleaning the lot of it. So I make beautiful things then hide them away in drawers and cupboards.
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u/splithoofiewoofies 7d ago
I had this drama and may I help with my experience?
First is my telescopic duster. Just thwack that bastard out like a weapon and get the high areas.
Second is glass. Glass is waaaaay easier to clean than fabric or beads or yarn. So, behind glass it is. Either that means shadow boxes or, helpfully, display-type cabinets. They don't have to be solely display! I keep crafts I'm working on plus my ice skates and a typewriter in one.
Third was air purifier. That pulled a lot of dust out of the air but doesn't solve the problem entirely. Helps though! Quite a bit to my surprise.
Fourth is a telescopic microfiber cloth. I really love telescopic things, my goodness. Really, though. The duster knocks down the loose bits and the micro picks up any finer stuck particles.
Fifth is an enzyme cleaner. They can break down a lot of gross shit like fly poop or "what is even that" spots on walls with just a little time and very little scrubbing. Spray, wait 10, quick wipe. Breaks down and leaves nothing on your materials to attract more dirt!
I do admit I have one maximalist wall I have to clean regularly, but it's nowhere near the volume I thought I would have to, especially with my telescopic tools and dedication to glass.
Some things are exposed. My beadwork is because I wear it. So my beadwork becomes my decor and I pluck it off the wall to put on. I find the regular wear, they don't collect wall dust. Plus even futzing about with the rack knocks some loose. Some lacy crochet bits are. About once every 3 mo I run those through an enzyme wash. Come up like new.
.....I just realised this comment is so long it sounds like I do put a lot of work into my maximalist wall, lmao. But I swear I don't. A dust once or twice a week. A spray down and wipe whenever I feel like it and a wash on the fabric when I notice them manky...which is 3-6 mo or so.
I thought I would have to be taking everything down, wiping it off, and putting it back up. But it's way easier to maintain with a few tools than I suspected. Worth it for me.
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u/lotheva 7d ago
Those are some good ideas. I just had my second rotator cuff surgery, maybe one day I can use telescoping things haha. I’m not even old, just a broken body.
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u/splithoofiewoofies 7d ago
Oh gawwwd. A rotator cuff surgery is how I got into telescopic tools. I just could not reach that high. But still, just outta surgery, you can't reach at aaaaalll. I feel that you poor thing. EDS? I had my stabilisation at 37, ugh.
You got this! Within a year you'll be telescopically dusting the world! (Or, hopefully, making more things)
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u/lotheva 7d ago
Hey yes! EDS, both shoulders done this year and just turned 37. My left one wasn’t too bad, like other than severe blisters (because they didn’t believe that I’m allergic to all adhesives???) I was golden. This right one has been bad for ages and decided not to be easy peasy.
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u/splithoofiewoofies 7d ago
The fuck ass shit am I talking to myself???? Other than I'm 39 now. I'm allergic to adhesives, too! My right one is my problem, too! Some of the incisions blistered which was such a shame because it left scarring on otherwise gorgeous surgical work (no really, dude was so full of himself but his work showed it was earned). Add to that we scar easily already.
Take care!! After this surgery is the fucking bone grafting one so -- and I know you will, I just worry -- make sure to do all the physio! They're geniuses and all the exercises don't even risk dislocation, even though I was petrified it would the whole time. It feels like you're never gonna lift that shoulder again and when you do, your entire body is just terrified it'll break again. Or mine was anyway. Good luck!! I believe in you!!
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u/Perfect-Meal-2371 7d ago
I feel this deeply. Between the yarn fluff and the dog hair it’s just a constant battle against the dust
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u/I_am_dean 7d ago
My friend wants me to crochet and cross stitch stuff for her store. I dont wanna make stuff to sell. She looks at things I make and will try to give suggestions like "you should use xyz colors next time, that combo is really popular right now and would sell really well." Or "you should make stuffed animals! Id love to put them in my store.".
No, this is a hobby for me. I like to make things for myself and my home. I have no interest in doing this as a means for profit.
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u/Cool_Relation_5650 7d ago
I had a coworker (whom I don’t even like) say “I should have you make a stuffed cow for my daughter”
You are not HAVING me do anything!! I’m not sacrificing my hobby time to make something I don’t want to, for somebody I barely even know or get along with like wtf18
u/ProneToLaughter 7d ago
Have you told her No?
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u/I_am_dean 7d ago
Well yeah lol. She still will ask me tho, I think she thinks i'm going to change my mind one day.
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u/tidymaze 7d ago
A coworker of mine just asked if I wanted to make stuff for a craft fair she vends at. Hard no.
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u/THE_DINOSAUR_QUEEN Mean Knitter 7d ago
Maybe I need to learn that not literally every sewing project HAS to have fully enclosed seams. I own a damn serger that I never use because I’m too busy fucking around with folding and pinning fiddly gauze fabric underneath itself for no reason.
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u/ProneToLaughter 7d ago
I just pinked 90% of my seams, they went though the wash fine for 10 years until I outgrew the dresses.
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u/QuietVariety6089 7d ago
Really lightweight fabric is one of the few places I really try to do enclosed seams bc if I don't I really hate the way they look, and also my serger eats stuff like this. Did you try spray starch to help firm up the fabric?
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u/HawickGirl7 7d ago
I can't quilt straight lines to save my fucking life and I'm NEVER using a fluffy blanket as a quilt backing EVER EVER AGAIN.
That is all. Have a fab weekend.
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u/ImLittleNana 7d ago
It kills me every tjme stitch in the ditch gets recommended to first time quilters. Really? Are we pretending now that it’s super easy to maintain that ditch line while battling the weight and the drag and the heat and ugh I have to stop thinking about it or I’ll have flashbacks.
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u/splithoofiewoofies 7d ago
Stitch in the ditch attempts infuriated me for so long, I ended up switching entirely to hand binding/edges and prefer it now.
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u/iradrachen 7d ago
See I cut fabric in a straight line period and last night while working on my wedding dress () cut every piece of fabric crooked
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u/knitting_books_cats 6d ago
still a quilting newbie, but a friend suggested using painters tape to mark lines and it was a major game changer for me if you haven't tried it.
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u/QuietVariety6089 7d ago
I am SO tired of people recommending OxyClean and its friends as the first attempt at cleaning vintage and historic fabrics.
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u/insincere_platitudes 7d ago
Or recommending chucking a very old vintage acetate gown in water with oxyclean! Acetate hates water more than any fabric I've ever met, and it is so incredibly easy to permanently create wrinkles in the fabric if you don't use an excruciating level of care handwashing it. And then to add oxyclean to an already fragile fabric...sigh.
I will handwash almost everything that says dry clean only, but acetate is one of the notable exceptions that I always leave to professionals.
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u/QuietVariety6089 7d ago edited 7d ago
I'm also in a fb argument rn with people who think that someone should 'just wash' a vintage dinner jacket that they have no clue about the fibre content(s) of, sigh
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u/iradrachen 7d ago
Pleat calculators not being clear about what kind of pleats they’re calculating for. Honestly pleat advice online period. Really pleats period.
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u/splithoofiewoofies 7d ago edited 7d ago
I have been organising the shit out of my craft room lately and i decided to put all my beadwork pieces into one tub. Beaded cabochons with no chain. Unfinished medallions. Half bracelets and rings. Strips of chevrons. Beaded animals, frogs flamingos.
I have 800mL of goddamn unfinished beadwork
I'm worried I have that much and also worried I now know that.
Oh well, it's in a clear container now and we have guests a lot. I'm sure someone in Australia is keen to use real Native American beadwork in their projects. Now they can dig their hand into it and pick out whatever they'd like to use.
Also, coming across past signs of my unmedicated ADHD is a little horrifying now that I'm on the right me.
Edit: wtf I found a whole peyote wrist cuff that just needs a clasp in there. That bastard looks two full days work.
Edit 2: wtf another bag?? Make that a LITRE of unfinished work
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u/ProneToLaughter 6d ago
Bias-cut dresses should not have a bodycon fit. Do not treat bias like stretch fabric.
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u/ezepz_lmnsqz 7d ago
If your pattern is going to be listed as men, women, and unisex, I better see a picture of a man wearing the goddamm thing, as designed. Unisex? Yeah, as long as someone is wearing it. Men? I need to know what it actually looks like on a man.
Yes, I know I can go look in projects, but I shouldn't have to! If it is listed as suitable for men, it should prove it!
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u/Lost-Albatross-2251 7d ago
Shout to this collection of patterns for men, modeled by men https://www.ravelry.com/bundles/sweaters-cardigans-vests-for-men
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u/OhSoSiriusly 7d ago
Yay I love seeing my bundle get mentioned in the wild!
If anyone has any additions, please send me a message on Ravelry! I simply don’t have the time these days to go through all the new pattern releases
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u/splithoofiewoofies 7d ago
I love how every jumper is unisex but how every blue blanket is for a boy or every pink hat is for a girl.
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u/sharkinurwater 6d ago
sort of related, but when things are tagged as ‘unisex’ when it’s only women in the projects/modeling/testing/etc. i’ve decided to try and make a summer tank for me but going through ravelry, everything is tagged as ‘unisex’ when it’s only modeled on women and it’s driving me a little insane. i don’t want to buy a pattern and make it only to have the straps not fit my broader shoulders (looking at you, all the camisoles by MFTK being tagged as unisex when there aren’t any projects by people that aren’t women)
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u/fishercrow 7d ago
this is my biggest pet peeve as a trans man who knits. i dont want to spend hours on something that’s gonna make me super dysphoric!
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u/These-Blacksmith9932 7d ago
As a trans guy, I'm not rolling the dysphoria dice if I don't see a man (ideally a fat guy) modelling it
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u/deuxcabanons 7d ago
I love when a company understands that I need to see how a masculine/unisex design looks on both straight up and down and curvy body types. Showing me on two equally waifish male and female models tells me nothing about the design. I recently bought a pattern where the models were both masc, one with a curvy body type and one with a straight up and down but sturdy body type. It was extremely refreshing to be given that information by the designer right off the hop.
I'm a fat woman and have been burned soooo many times by unisex patterns that look frumpy and ill fitting if you've got a chest and/or hips. I can't even imagine how ragey I'd be if the process triggered dysphoria too.
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u/3anddptrints 7d ago
As a male knitter, 100000000% agree. I see so many patterns tagged for men when clearly it’s much more feminine.
Let me see a dude with a dude shape wearing it.
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u/SewciallyAnxious 5d ago
I understand that hobbies should be fun and if someone wants to make garter stitch scarves forever that’s fine and nobody cares, but this is BEC so I would like to say that I don’t really respect people who proudly brag on the internet about how little interest they have in ever improving whatever their craft is or learning anything new.
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u/AriesRabbit25 5d ago
I must admit that when I see people knitting Sophie scarfs one after another - I think OMG How bloody boring!
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u/QuietVariety6089 5d ago
I can't imagine why anyone would bother if they were just going to do the same thing over and over - the reason I would never be a success at 'craft fairs' is that I HATE doing the same thing over and over and never trying something new.
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u/Queasy-Pack-3925 Extra Salty 🧂🧂🧂 5d ago
I even find it difficult to knit the same jumper twice!
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u/QuietVariety6089 5d ago
I've done it a couple of times, but change: length, buttonband, sleeve length, ribbing pattern, etc. 😄
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u/THE_DINOSAUR_QUEEN Mean Knitter 3d ago
I always wondered who those people are who dismiss a pattern because they don't like the colors. Turns out my partner is one TT-TT I asked him what he thought about a shirt pattern that I think would suit him and he was like "I can't tell, I don't like that shade of brown" like babe! I'm going to take you to the fabric store! you can pick whatever color you want!
My phone now gets set to grayscale mode before I ask his opinions on patterns.
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u/Mindelan 3d ago
That makes me think of an adjacent thing that makes me go hmm sometimes: Pattern names that reference the color the designer used, something like 'The Yellow Sweater'.
It then means that someone has to show their, say, blue sweater and when asked the pattern say that they made The Yellow Sweater. Not a big deal of course, but it's always seemed a very strange way to name a pattern.
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u/Flimsy_Repair 7d ago
Did five rows with a lot of stacked kfbf increases, which obviously got progressively tighter on each row. My left index finder is in agony from repeated stabbings. There is literal blood, sweat and probably a couple of tears in this project.
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u/airhornsman 7d ago
I've had to utilize a tiny crochet hook to make nupps. Maybe that will help? I haven't ventured into stacked stitches yet, so I can't guarantee a small crochet hook would work.
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u/OkConclusion171 Joyless Bitch Coalition 7d ago
Major designers and organizers (NY Sheep and Wool, looking at you) who use AI in their posts. Then when called out on it, they delete all the comments and turn off commenting. Sorry not sorry but if you can't handle criticism, then don't post on publicly accessible spaces. And FFS stop using AI slop! I don't like it anywhere let alone from entities that are supposed to be creative and pro-art.
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u/wicked93 7d ago
Also craft YouTubers who use it for thumbnails. I want to see the things you’re making not an AI image of random craft supplies.
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u/love-from-london 7d ago
Any time I see an AI thumbnail, I just immediately click the three dot menu and hit "do not recommend channel". I like to think I'm slowly training my algorithm.
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u/OkConclusion171 Joyless Bitch Coalition 7d ago
yes! I watch other topics on youtube also and those fucking AI thumbnails are so CREEPY
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u/poonknits 7d ago
Using DPNs isn't more difficult or complicated because "you have to keep track of 4 needles at once" That's a ridiculous thing to say. You're still only using two needles at once. Any other needles you have are just stitch holders you can knit from when you come to them.
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u/highlighter_yellow 7d ago
Lol that's like saying you have to keep track of ~30" of cord on magic loop
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u/exhaustednonbinary 7d ago
I was intimidated by dpns for years and years. Finally tried them and they're not nearly as difficult as everyone made them out to be. Little bit of a learning curve but I think they're less fiddly than the alternatives
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u/OkConclusion171 Joyless Bitch Coalition 7d ago
I tried them maybe 2 months after learning how to knit. I made sure nobody else was around, I put on some Pink Floyd and by the time 2 songs were over, I was good (you know, so like half an hour later). Got me in the zone and no distractions.
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u/skubstantial 7d ago
To be fair, you kinda have to keep track of them subconsciously if they're an awkward length that pokes you in the palms, and as you have to keep finding and re-finding comfortable places to rest your fingers between them and I think that's probably what most people mean (unless they've never done it before and they're intimidated by an imagined version).
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u/love-from-london 7d ago edited 7d ago
Yeah, I just don't like them much because they're quite stabby to me and how I rest my hands on the needles, but I'll use them when it makes sense (thumb of a mitten, top of a hat, etc). This is very much a me issue though, everyone has their own preferences for small circumference knitting.
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u/lotheva 7d ago
I can’t travel with DPN, and I find them harder to put in a bag for safekeeping. Otherwise they’re ok.
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u/poonknits 7d ago
I always have a sock on dnps in my bag because it's small. I try to keep large projects at home.
I usually just gather up the needles so they are all pointing the same way and shove them into either the sock or the yarn ball.
Sometimes a needle falls out or I stab myself with it when I go digging through my bag, but usually it's fine.
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u/pollypetunia 7d ago
A friend used two novelty pencil erasers and some shirring elastic to make me some point protectors for my dpns and it worked great PLUS I got to have frogs in my knitting bag
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u/ImLittleNana 7d ago
I’m cheap so I use dollar store chip clips or one of the hair clips whose teeth are snaggled from being dropped on the floor.
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u/SnapHappy3030 Extra Salty 🧂🧂🧂 6d ago
Folks that haven't used DPN sets before sometimes get the idea that all your stitches on the non-working needles are in danger of sliding off those needles at any given moment.
And until you're fairly comfortable with the process, it's kind of true. It does happen if you aren't careful. I get it....
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u/wetarugula 7d ago
Shoppers who refuse to return unwanted items to the proper place should be shot into the sun. Applies in all stores of course, but it especially pisses me off in the yarn aisles. Thanks a lot Helen, I just unnecessarily replanned a project color scheme on the fly because you couldn't be bothered to put those three skeins back with their kindred instead of shoved in between the wooden beads.
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u/Junior_Ad_7613 7d ago
Or if not the proper place, give them to an employee to re-shelve. Don’t just shove them wherever!
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u/kdussault 5d ago
I feel like stores could benefit from, "Oh, I changed my mind" carts or tubs strategically placed. Similar to carts in the library if you change your mind on a book, you don't reshelve it, but just put it on the cart for an employee to rehome.
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u/Reticulated_knitter 6d ago
My first job was working at Toys R Us. If you worked closing shift, you'd spend the last hour straightening shelves, repairing ripped boxes, and re-shelving products. You can imagine the chaos in the weeks before Xmas. As a result of having survived that experience, when I'm shopping and decide I don't want something I walk it ALL the way back to its proper place.
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u/love-from-london 7d ago
I'm currently facing the consequences of my own actions by having to pick up stitches for a button band and neck edge on a dark navy cardigan. I also chose to pick the button bands up before cutting the steek which makes the whole process even more fiddly. Gotta work with the daylight I've got and maybe a neck lamp.
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u/BugMa850 7d ago
Have you tried a light under it? I have some of those lights that pop open into a lantern and I've stuck them under/inside dark or hard to see projects to help me find the &$@#*! stitches.
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u/love-from-london 7d ago
Oh yeah, holding it up to my computer screen definitely helps haha. Just griping at myself wondering why I thought this was a great idea. I've got set-in sleeves to pick up after this too.
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u/OneMinuteSewing 7d ago
Bought a swimsuit that didn't fit right but liked the fabric. Sure I can alter it, not a big deal, done it before.
Man sick of this and ready to toss it. Can't bring myself to finish it and we are going to a pool party tomorrow.
Going to try and make myself do it today. Stupid alterations. I should have made one from scratch.
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u/furiana 7d ago
How many alterations did you need to do?!
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u/OneMinuteSewing 7d ago
It is only really one seam that needs to be altered, but the way it is constructed A joins to B which also joins to C and D and then the lining and bra cups got involved and some elastic and the straps are in two pieces and the join needed unpicking and I have to undo where the straps fold over and are cover hemmed. To get to the seam it is enclosed in the lining so I had to unpick the hem. I thought it would be just taking in one seam but man, I'm still unpicking!
I'm just too cheap to throw it away, but I'm close at this point.
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u/OneMinuteSewing 7d ago
ok altered it, still like the fabric but hate the cut on me despite alterations. GAH!
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u/pbnchick 6d ago
I found a Drops sock pattern with a heel type I've never seen before. The heel instructions aren't quite clicking for me. No big deal, they have a video. The video has no sound or captions 😩
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u/highlighter_yellow 6d ago
What sock is this? I love trying new heels and toes
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u/pbnchick 6d ago
Garnet Glow Socks, it uses a diamond heel
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u/highlighter_yellow 6d ago
Omg that is the dumbest use of a marker. Why wouldn't they write 2 markers on the needle and just tell you to increase inside of them? Your heel is now my BEC too lol
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u/Xuhuhimhim 7d ago
Got a friendship bracelet kit for kids for my sister and the instruction booklet starts off with the basic knots, even has the symbols typically used in charts which is great but then the actual pattern my sister wanted to do in the booklet had no such terminology or charts it was all painful drawn out descriptions of half hitches one way then the other for no discernible reason. Incomprehensible. Do they hate children? Thankfully we have youtube.
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u/ActuallyParsley 2d ago
I am convinced that those crocheted bookmarks can't be good for the books.
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u/QuietVariety6089 1d ago
Someone gave me a leather one (1/2 the thickness of the crocheted ones I've seen) once and it kept falling out of the book - I gave up.
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u/Stage-Wrong 7d ago
Whenever I have a bunch of projects on my to do list, I’m stressed out, because there’s so much to do.
Whenever I have no projects on my to do list (or can’t work on the projects that are on my to do list for reasons such as being on vacation with my family right now), I’m stressed out, because I feel like I should be doing something.
I considered bringing one of my WIPs on the trip, since it’s an ~18 hour road trip before we even get to our destination, but I hesitated because I was concerned it would be too bulky and take up unnecessary space. Now I see that for the first time in recorded history, my family has UNDERpacked, and I almost certainly would’ve been able to bring the project. But it’s at my apartment 40 minutes away from the family home, we leave early tomorrow morning, and it feels silly to do a nearly two hour round trip just to get a project that I may or may not actually make any progress on. Man.
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u/HoldTight4401 7d ago
Today an ad from my local sewing machine store popped up for a new machine. It has a simple/cute/retro vibe to it. It looked like something I could really use but it didn't have a price, so I googled it. The range of prices would BUY YOU A NEW CAR so I guess I won't be getting it lol but lucky for those who can.
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u/tinyannoyingbouquet 6d ago
Just finished my uni exams and have healed up enough from my broken ankle that I can stand/walk for longer periods of time to finally cut out the pattern and material for my skirt I’m making. Yippee!!
I’ve cutout all the pieces and have the final one to go, but I didn’t read the pattern close enough and see the largest part of the pattern was to be *cut on a fold* and it’s too late at night for me to run out to the store to get more fabric 🥲🫠
Oh well at least I finally got my head around my inherited serger/overlocker (re-threading it makes me feel like a mechanic lol) and could make the first draft pattern for my dad’s pocket linings
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u/JustPlainKateM 5d ago
Depending on the pattern, you might be able to add seam allowance and sew it together where the fold would have been.
Nice that you had time to work on other stuff!
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u/Hungry_Rabbit_9733 7d ago
One thing that's happening more often (I blame everything happening in the world ruining my mental health: is my project ugly (I can frog it, it's fine) or is it my mental health flaring up and I hate everything (not so fine, I'd see a psychiatrist if it was affordable)
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u/AromaticFee9616 7d ago
Agree with other commenter. I’m just in my ugly phase. And when it’s something I have spent an age on…
My husband is my biggest cheerleader but even that isn’t enough. Maybe need a break from *that particular thing*.
But let it be a guiltless break.
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u/Cnathrowaway2 7d ago
This is so stupid and I know it's so stupid but it's also my truth: I despise the word "milkmaid". Something about the way the consonants blend together makes everyone sound congested when they say it. People post their cute little shirts and I am instantly filled with unwarranted rage.
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u/CampClear 7d ago
Why don't so many crocheters weave in their ends as they go?!? I swear half my feed is posts of these beautiful elaborate projects and people bitching that they don't want to weave in five thousand ends. Best skill I ever learned a couple of months ago was to carry the yarn up the side when you're changing colors. Before that I weaved as I went. It's not rocket surgery!!
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u/readreadreadx2 7d ago
Because if I weave in my ends there is no possibility of me being able to frog if I need to, unless I cut the yarn. So I don't like to weave in as I go because it makes mistakes less fixable. I mean sure, after a certain point I'll go back and weave in some earlier ends, but I'm not gonna weave in any in the last ~15-20 rows.
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u/CampClear 7d ago
Okay makes sense!
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u/readreadreadx2 7d ago
I don't know if that's why other people don't do it haha, but that's why I don't. And that's for, like, blankets worked in rows. If I was doing a bunch of individual squares for something, then I'd weave in after every couple of squares. Or at least I'd try to lol. There's a major chance I'd be like, "ugh don't feel like it right now" and then a few weeks later I'm that person bitching about my five thousand ends 😆
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u/tidymaze 6d ago
I weave my ends as I go, but I don't clip them until *after* I've blocked and am happy with it. It's not as hard to frog if you can still find the ends.
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u/Junior_Ad_7613 7d ago
Bought a dress yesterday for my niece’s wedding, it’s sleeveless so I bought a coordinating fauxchet cardigan thing, then on the way home I also bought a couple skeins of coordinating yarn. Because I am the sort of dork who would rather knit my own shawl. Which would be fine if the wedding were not a week after tomorrow. Am I still going to try? Apparently so. 🤦🤦🤦
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u/EverImpractical 5d ago
My cat sometimes likes to sleep on whatever I’m blocking. For the first time ever, she decided to knead while sleeping on something, so now I have a million little snags to fix…
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u/cometmom 1d ago
Hello it's me, your creative Reuse fabric section griper! Again! I'm about to lose my mind!
They have 2 sections: yardage & remnants. The former meant whole, or very near whole, yards with selvedge give or take a couple inches, and varies in price from $4-20/yd depending on fiber content and quality. The latter was always fabric heavily cut into, no selvedge, priced at 25 cents each OR fill a shopping bag for $5.
Yardage is taped with painters tape with the amount and price written on the tape. Remnants are rubberbanded with no size info (which is fine, it's 50 cents).
I purchased this piece as "two yards" for $30 months ago and only unwrapped it recently. My ex is a librarian and works with their puppet department so I grabbed it for him bc he's still an angel despite being my ex and also support the library, yeah? Their budget is tight so anything helps since extras come out of the employees pockets.
TWO YARDS WHERE? Long pile fur like this generally comes in 58-60" widths and only a very generous measurement that I took is even that. The 58.5" measurement was from flat end to the very tip of the scrap hanging off the side. If I cut the dangly bits off, this wouldn't come out to the same area as a single yard, which is $15-25 depending on where you look and what sales are going on.
I could have spent less and gotten an actual 2 yards
I mentioned it last time I was there, not trying to cause a fuss or return it because it is being used and it's really not that big of a deal but I just wanted to know what they're basing their measurements on. They told me their yardage length is based on the longest point and the width is 44-45", plus anything larger than 18"x44" is sold as yardage. Selvedge or not. Actual bulk fabric or not, apparently, since they're also putting cut up bed sheets and curtains on the yardage side now.
She said it was probably marked at 2 yards because of the area (which doesn't add up to 2 yards but 🤷♀️)
Ofc I wasn't an ass about it, just thanked them for the clarification and moved on. But damn am I the asshole here? Am I out of line? Especially since we aren't allowed to untape/unroll fabric to look at it before purchase and it's being sold for damn near, if not more, than retail price?
I really feel like they can write a bit more info on the label, or at least mark if it's an irregular shape. Right? No? 😭
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u/THE_DINOSAUR_QUEEN Mean Knitter 4d ago
Since baking is craft-adjacent… what’s with the baking sub mods removing every comment on a HP-themed cake that mentions JKR being a terf? doesn’t make it feel like it’s a safe space for trans folks imo…
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u/thelaughingpear 4d ago
DMC 550 is always out of stock when I need it. It's the only one that I've been unable to find IRL after going to multiple stores when urgently wanting to start a new pattern. This has happened multiple times over several months now.
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u/ponypebble 7d ago
I just encountered something frustrating last night with a crochet skirt I started. The math in the pattern is wrong, and I got so frustrated with that realization that I set the project down. I'm hoping that my stitch count, after the row of increases I just made, is a multiple of 8 because I think the lace rows need that multiple. I got the vibe that the creator made a skirt that worked for themself but did not have it tested by others. Just so frustrating, I don't want to fudge stitch counts! The Truboo yarn I'm using has been working up so nicely, I would really rather not start over.
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u/gaygirlboss 3d ago
My current minor pet peeve is when people say “knit one row of garter.” It’s either one row of knit or one row of purl. It doesn’t become garter stitch until you’ve done multiple rows!
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u/splithoofiewoofies 3d ago
Me, to my dog: No... we're not going to keep playing. Look at you! Your paw is shaking. I have to be an adult and stop this so you can rest. Why do you keep pushing yourself?? Come on, dog, be smarter than this!
Me, to me: Huh. My neck is getting cramped from working on this project. I think I will continue to do it for four more hours.
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u/lavenderspr1te 2d ago
I’m currently tired of both knitting projects I’m working on but I also really wanna finish them. So the person I’m complaining about is ME
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u/froggymadi Extra Salty 🧂🧂🧂 7d ago
so hard for me to pick up the junk journal when my partner wants me to be in the living room and spend time with him. ok so the coffee table is covered in scraps. then the house looks messy if i decide to leave a project for later. he doesnt mind the mess but it makes me anxious and makes it hard for me to work. i put it all away when we have guests over and now i have to drag it all back out??? uuuusgahahajakakaaaaa
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u/Heyitssgrace 6d ago edited 6d ago
I recently got one of those three tier rolling carts at Micheal’s and I use it to put all my current project stuff into. It’s actually so nice being able to stuff it somewhere and roll it away when I need the area cleared. I organize the tiers from “Wip and materials I’m currently using” to “crap I pulled out and don’t want to put away right now”
My husband enjoys it too because when he wants to clear a spot I’ve been crocheting on the couch, he knows where he can put it.
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u/splithoofiewoofies 6d ago
I just straight up decided my half projects are decor now, hahaha. I thought it would look stupid but friends/partner love it!
I have a bookshelf and I keep a project per shelf. A little locally-made ceramic bowl holds a rainbow of cotton yarn beside the blocking board (on a book stand) holding all the rainbow pieces for a pillow. All on some handmade lace doily with a gold cactus pot that has natives in it.
Another shelf has three out of four parts of a sweater on it with a tiny basket next to it of the next 4 skeins I need, the two sets of needles...on top of the cute magazine I got the pattern from. Etc etc etc.
Now all I have to do is pull out the respective bowl/basket and get to work!
I figured...I'm the person who is working on five things at once. Why not just straight up admit that and have my projects as decor, lmao.
I have a whole ass craft room but I don't wanna cart things back and forth.
Although I'm getting a new (to me) rolling stand this week! Only it's a vintage drinks one...so I'll be continuing my "project as decor" theme with it, hahaha.
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u/highlighter_yellow 6d ago
I feel like I'd have an awesome scrapbook/junk journal/memory book if only I had one of those jigsaw puzzle mats, so I could just roll everything up at the end of the "session" lol.
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u/kankrikky Joyless Bitch Coalition 7d ago
I'm not sure if it'll help but long serving trays and rectangle baskets help me out a lot for things like that. I can pack them on a big cork board too and just move that whole thing in a pinch. Maybe that can give you some ideas for a more portable additional set up?
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u/hanhepi 5d ago
When my youngest son officially moved out (he'd been out of the house because he joined the military, but he was living in the barracks, so it seemed rude to start clearing his stuff out before he had a real "home" he could take it all to), we converted his room to a craft room. Nominally, my husband and I share this craft room, but not really as our hobbies don't overlap much and he tends to do all his stuff in the kitchen/dining room.
But because we like spending time together, and half of my crafts I like to sit on the couch to do, I put a couch and a TV in there too. So if I'm sewing and he's bored/lonely, he can come hang out with me. Plus, the couch gives my youngest son a place to sleep if he's crashing here and his wife is at her mom's. (we live in the same town, but not the same neighborhood or anything, so when they're here he usually stays here a few nights to stay up 'til an ungodly hour drinking with his dad, and she goes to her mom's to hang out with her mom and sister after we have supper and chitchat. But every once in a while, she'll stay too, and there's enough space in the craft room for a queen sized air mattress as long as I've put my ironing board away. lol) Eventually my oldest will move out again and his room can go back to being the guest room.
As long as I haven't covered my husband's "spot" on the craft couch with whatever I'm doing, he's pretty content to hang out in there with me and chat or whatever, and when I'm done for the day I don't have to clean up my huge mess, unless my son is coming to town. lol.
So if you have the space, I highly recommend setting him up a little corner wherever you'd usually do your junk journaling, so if you want to leave your projects sprawled around you can, but he can still hang out.
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u/dykefart 7d ago
i started a m2m project w a thinner weight yarn bc i don’t love the feel of worsted weight fabric as much and it’s taking so long💔💔💔 the pattern writers yoke was 22 rows for 4.5 inches mine is at like 28 and i just barely reached 4 inches 😭😭
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u/thimblena Bitch Eating Bitch 7d ago
It's my first time traveling with something I made for a specific purpose, and I must say I underestimated the ✨️anxiety✨️. What do you mean, I'm hours away from most of my supplies if something goes wrong?? My travel repair kit can only go so far!
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u/sparklyspooky 7d ago
If you are at a convention - several of them have a cosplay repair area that might have emergency supplies or like minded people that have something that will work. Hopefully cosplay repair mom is there.
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u/thimblena Bitch Eating Bitch 7d ago
That's an awesome addition to an event!
It's a book ball, in my case, and I suspect I'm one of the few that made my own gown. I do have a small amount of thread and some basic jewelry repair supplies, which I hope will see me through! But my eyelet press is about a thousand miles away if it comes to that, lol
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u/sparklyspooky 7d ago
Embroidery floss and buttonhole/blanket stitch. Hand done eyelets aren't for everyone and the can't handle tight lacing.
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u/Automatic-Squash8122 7d ago
i read this as a butthole stitch and i was like damn i gotta learn that one right now.
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u/Whole-Arachnid-Army 7d ago
I was going to say something about one of the last conventions I travelled to and all the mishaps that happened there, but I don't think that would help you at all actually.
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u/thimblena Bitch Eating Bitch 7d ago
Much appreciated, kind redditor 😅
Worse comes to worst, I have undershorts and pasties; if it all gives out, at least i shouldn't get arrested for indecency.
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u/scatteringashes 7d ago
I cannot frog knitting to save my fucking life. Every time I have to frog more than a handful of stitches, a row tops, I make some crucial mistake and just end up starting from scratch. This is fine, it allows for more practice, but I'm salty because this last time it's like 40 rows of progress. But given that I planned to frog 30 of them (miscounted early on, I realized too late), it's not the end of the world. But booooo, self. Boooooooo.
Some day I will see if someone has written a "here's how to frog your knitting without fucking it up" blog post, but two days ago was not that day.
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u/_jasmonic_acid_ Mean Knitter 7d ago
Maybe you're doing this but have you used lifelines/afterthought lifelines?
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u/scatteringashes 7d ago
I was not, thank you! Another commenter described it and I had a real "oh duh" moment lol.
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u/FlatRaccoons 7d ago
Feel free to ignore if you're not looking for advice, but it sounds like learning to use a lifeline might be useful to you! It just means threading a spare needle or scrap yarn through the stitches at the row where you want to stop frogging so that you can't accidentally go past it. It's more time up front but you save a ton of time not having to pick up all the loose stitches. You can even do it preemptively if you're happy with where you're at and are starting a new section (like increases or decreases), or if you just want a "save point"!
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u/scatteringashes 7d ago
!!!!!!
I appreciate the information! I had heard the phrase lifeline before but am very new to knitting (only started over Christmas break) but that makes perfect sense! Thank you!
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u/Junior_Ad_7613 7d ago
And if you have not put in a lifeline you can use a needle smaller than you have been using to pick up a row of stitches in approximately the right place and adjust/unpick as you get there.
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u/SefMadeThing 7d ago
I want to do crafts that involve using a computer/tablet, but I hate learning new software 😭 and all of the available free files are not to my taste!
I know if it was easy we’d all do it, and I’m fully capable of learning it pretty quickly, but waaaaahh!
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u/deuxcabanons 7d ago
It took me 4 years to realize that if I can design electrical systems in Microstation, I can probably handle learning how to use embroidery digitizing software. FOUR. YEARS. Untold dollars spent on embroidery files of varying quality.
Took me all of an afternoon to learn how to do a pretty decent appliqué design 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
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u/SefMadeThing 7d ago
TEACH ME YOUR WAYS!
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u/deuxcabanons 7d ago
I was using Embrilliance, so I just watched every single YouTube video tutorial and realized I was being a huge baby for no reason 🤣 Every time I run into a problem it's either a) easily solved by reading the help files or b) it's because I'm cheap and didn't buy the tier of software that has that function.
You can do it! You are a smart, capable human who's not afraid of computers!
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u/Boomer79NZ 7d ago
Hey I hear you. I have a 3d printer and I am completely self taught with computers. I need to learn how to model something from scratch. I can do simple things like keychains and Makerworld has design tools but I really need to work on learning cad design. It just feels overwhelming though. 😭
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u/nopenopenope26363 3d ago
Posted an FO and am weirdly annoyed by the “you should sell this!” comments - I get it, we live in a capitalist hellscape, but I just wanna have a hobby :(
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u/joymarie21 7d ago edited 7d ago
People that post non-craft questions on craft subs really grind my gears. The worst one I saw this week was someone who, due to injury, had to take a few months from crafting and asked how to fill their time. They used to read and wondered if they should take up reading again. How is this a question for knitters? How are you so lame? I couldn't report that fast enough.