Tell me �'m not the only one that does this

Nana · 10-12-2007, 09:33 PM

Last week I'm in the local super market, It's a zoo (Canadian Thanksgiving) And in front of me is this man, that is wearing the most beautiful hand knit sweater, and do you know how I knew it was hand knit (you ask) ??? By the WAY IT WAS SEWN TOGETHER. It just wasn"t right. All that work to have it look like sh*t. Seams were puckered, and pulled. To tell ya the truth , I hate sewing sweaters together. But I try to take the time to make all my work look half decent. I know I'm horrible aren't I ?

tropicallie · 10-13-2007, 03:04 AM

He apparently appreciated the time and love that went into making the sweater despite its imperfections. I'm lucky enough to be married to someone just like that. Good thing, too, as NOTHING I make is perfect.

bip · 10-13-2007, 03:53 AM

If you were in the Portland area, it was probably my dad. I made him this awesome sweater out of Big Noro and he wears it all the time. Too bad I learned to seam properly on my NEXT sweater. Every time I see him, I think "I could do so much better now."

I guess I could take it apart and re-seam it, but I only see him for a few days a year. I would hate to waste those seaming a sweater. And he won't part with it long enough to let me take it with me, lol.

Quiltlady · 10-13-2007, 08:57 AM

When I make sweaters one of my favorite parts is putting them together!!! I've always enjoyed hand stitching and it also lets me know that I'm just about FINISHED with the sweater if I'm putting all the pieces together.

Then I can move on to my next project.

Karrying Kolor · 10-13-2007, 01:17 PM

It's sweater season and sure, I have my eyes peeled for the loft of a fabric that screams "Hand-made" and then it's finishing...But I always chalk the bad finishing of an FO up to love, not skill and let it go.

However, I was shocked to see a badly finished item in the current (December) issue of Knit n' Style Magazine.

Knit or Crochet, it's needle art and should be given the same respect in finishing...The sleeve finishing in their Crocheted Empire Waist Pullover is an abomination...There is no calling that a styly element IMHO and then to care so little in the photography to let it be shown is inexcusable.

Tiny rant over...Thank you! LOL

MrsDavis3 · 10-13-2007, 04:33 PM

As far as bad knitting technique goes, even royalty is not immune!

In the DVD in which she knits a Fair Isle vest, Meg Swansen shows a picture of a painting of the Prince of Wales in which he sports a Fair Isle sweater and holds a little white terrier. Because the V-neck was not knitted properly, the sweater pattern is distorted by a pulling up of the fabric into the base of the V. She calls it "The Prince of Wales Syndrome" and says it can be avoided by picking up every single stitch along the steeked V-neck opening.

Songbirdy · 10-13-2007, 06:00 PM

I had similar thoughts yesterday as I was helping one of the Kindergarden students get dressed for outside. Her cuff's were cast on way too tight and I took a good look at it thinking,
"You know I really could likely take that apart and pick it up and re-knit those cuffs and cast them off much more comfortably... this should have been cast on long tail but I can see it was twisted loop......"

The poor student was sitting there looking at me... as I was intently studying her sweater...

Then after school I know her mother and I asked if that was a Grandma made sweater. She said no, thrift store purchase... and I was thinking... "offer to fix it, offer to fix it..."

I don't think its malicious, I think its desiring to learn by looking. I would never have said anything out loud but I think if I stopped looking at other people's work I'd either be loosing interest in knitting or I'd have a big ego...

syndactylus · 10-13-2007, 08:00 PM

one more reason never to actually wear anything I knit out of the house...

Songbirdy · 10-13-2007, 09:03 PM

awww... not a good reason at all! I am so sorry...

people are going to think all sorts of things... Personally the first thing I think when seeing a sweater is, "is it hand knit!?!"

I think it great and fantastic and I am very impressed...

but the question was asked, do you look at the knitting and analyze the item? Are you able to spot if something is hand-knit?

The truth is that I, for one, do...

Now if you ask, "Am I more impressed with a hand made sweater over the store sweater?

A 1000 times yes... I am always more impressed with the work and love that someone puts into anything.

I'd hate to contribute to someone not wearing something they made!!!

I am so sorry! Personally I love the quirky, odd and unique. I make many of those things, and I am many of those qualities too! I, personally, don't let other's choose for me!

syndactylus · 10-14-2007, 01:38 AM

oh, I was joking - I am only knitting socks now, & no one can see those unless I walk around barefoot.
(sorry it wasn't funny.)