The Hidden Problem With Detailed Knitting Patterns

Comments · 348

• AD

  @adeleu46 · 8 months ago (edited)

  When I was 10, I wanted the Girl Scout knitting badge (I was totally into the badges).  But - I didn't know how to knit and no one in my family knew either.  So my wonderful Dad, got a book on knitting and he sat with me and we both learned how to knit.  And my first project was a stranded knit cardigan - for my Dad of course.  So - thanks Dad.  You were my hero. (PS; I'm 79 so this was ages ago)

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• SU

  @susanphoenix74 · 8 months ago

  As a former graphic designer, I'd like to put in a plug for laying out the information in a way that's easy for the eye to take in and organizes the information.

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• FR

  @francesdeane3480 · 8 months ago

  I think it is important to remember that back when everyone learnt to knit from their mother and printed patterns fit on a page, everyone was using the same techniques. My mother was a brilliant knitter, but never knew there was more than one way to cast on etc. All her knitting was using traditional English techniques. These days,  we expect to use a huge variety of methods taken from knitting cultures around the world.

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• CA

  @catnapper3923 · 8 months ago

  Warning: bit of a non-compliant answer:<br><br>I almost always end up rewriting a pattern so that (if there’s a next time) I will be able to fly through the knitting at my own level of comfort and speed. <br><br>If there is too much information, I boil it down.<br><br>If there is not enough information, I add helpful little instructions or pictures. <br><br>If there are a zillion sizes, I eliminate all but the one I am making (it’s too easy for your eye to slip to the wrong size, to forget, etc).<br><br>If I don’t like the way someone phrases something, I rephrase it. <br><br>I don’t know whether I am a good knitter, or an experienced one, or a beginner — but I work best when I rewrite for myself. <br><br>Thanks for this thoughtful look at patterns.

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• JI

  @jingojango1900 · 8 months ago

  When I was a new knitter I went to a class at a lovely yarn shop. &nbsp;The instructor patiently showed me so many basic, good things. &nbsp;I was happy and gobsmacked. &nbsp;She showed me how to do a cable and the first time I made one, I said in all seriousness - “you have changed my life!” And she lit up and laughed. &nbsp; It is a wonderful memory and I remember her every time I cable. &nbsp;❤

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• A3

  @A3amThought · 8 months ago

  This is such an interesting conversation. As an educator, I have to say that the idea that detailed patterns make us &quot;lazy&quot; or hinder growth rubs me a bit the wrong way. You mentioned the loss of social transmission from mothers and grandmothers, but it’s important to remember that the &quot;hand-holding&quot; from those elders was actually a huge amount of invisible emotional labor. They weren&apos;t just there as backup. They were providing the support and translation that kept beginners from quitting.<br> <br>I’m a millennial and I had a very specific experience with this. I was only taught the basics like a stockinette square by a teacher in primary school. My mother was a knitter, but since she had a knitting machine, she thought hand-knitting was &quot;barbaric&quot; and didn&apos;t teach me. I only had her old manuals, which were written so lean they assumed you already knew everything. Because those patterns didn&apos;t have the &quot;labor&quot; of a teacher built into them, I spent years thinking I was just too stupid for knitting.<br> <br>It wasn&apos;t until I found the resources you’re discussing, like a lovely lady on YouTube and detailed patterns like the Ranunculus, that I realized the problem wasn&apos;t my brain. It was just a lack of clear communication in the instructions.<br> <br>In my own work as an educator, if my instructions leave people clueless, then my instructions are bad. My goal is not to show people how much knowledge they lack, but to give them the knowledge they need to succeed. Detailed patterns aren&apos;t &quot;hand-holding.&quot; They are the foundation of confidence that actually allows people to eventually experiment and try things themselves. Without that foundation, most people don&apos;t &quot;grow.&quot; They just give up.

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• AM

  @AmandaMcCarterWrites · 8 months ago

  A great example. I see a lot of Russian knitting patterns on Pinterest that are just a photo of the finished object, garment measurements, and a lace or cable chart. That&apos;s it. The more comfortable you get as a knitter and understanding garment construction, the more feasible those Russian patterns get.

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• PU

  @PullThroughTwo · 8 months ago

  I&apos;ve discussed this with other designers. It&apos;s so frustrating that people need so much information in a pattern these days. In each of my Tunisian crochet patterns I detailed exactly what you need to already know in order to follow the pattern. Then I still would get people who are complete beginners buying a pattern expecting it to teach them how to do Tunisian crochet; then they get upset when I refuse to teach them the basics for free. Crafters can sometimes put so much pressure on the designer for teaching them and providing pattern support that it can become not worth it to publish. I&apos;m currently writing a book and thinking through what to add so that the patterns aren&apos;t dependent on video links like my previous patterns were. Publishing good patterns truly is a lot of work for pennies - especially as an independent designer doing it all yourself.

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• NI

  @Nic_NapsNcrafts · 8 months ago

  I handed down a seamed vest I made in the 1990s to my oldest child. When I next saw them, they were wearing it inside out.<br>I&apos;m not sure I could have had a better confidence boost for my finishing technique 😂

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• LI

  @libbybowles · 8 months ago

  Of course there are circumstances and knitters suited to all types of patterns. The only thing that gets my goat is if a pattern is of the paired-down sort it should not be reviled by beginning knitters for being a bad pattern. Not all patterns are required to be a beginning knitter&apos;s course. I&apos;m working on a vintage Norwegian kofte pattern at the moment and find that the very minimal instructions are enough if I just go step by step and dig into my own knowledge archives. It&apos;s really satisfying to realize I&apos;ve gotten from A to B by just using my experience and common sense to get there. It&apos;s part of the joy of learning.

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• AR

  @arielle2745 · 8 months ago

  I’m 69 and knitting and crocheting since childhood. My mother and grandmother taught me, but neither liked knitting and crochet as much as I did. I tend to like patterns that are more recipes so I can make things the way I want. I also extremely prefer charts, schematics, and symbols (symbol charted for crochet, for example). Visuals are so much easier and much more accurate since it is so easy for typos to creep into written out directions. I don’t mind when a pattern has lots of details, however. I just ignore the parts I don’t want/need. But I also like learning new skills, so I don’t mind it when I see how a designer describes something new to me or even from a different point of view.

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• HE

  @HeathersYarneyJourney · 8 months ago

  I&apos;m a newer knitter. I&apos;m glad most patterns are very detailed. I have gotten to where I could probably find my way in a pared down pattern. But those very detailed patterns have been invaluable, as well as all the YouTube tutorials 😉

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