I realized what your issue with your finished sweater was about two seconds before you said "Am I wearing a roadkill sweater?" and burst out laughing. It does look fantastic, and you can barely see the contrast with your hair down! But I am also immediately reminded of a red-and-white variagated cardigan that I knit and didn't think anything of until I showed it to a friend who said "It looks like bacon," which I cannot now unsee.
I totally get why Petiteknit would release the Sophie as a gateway drug to her classic, understated aesthetic and well-written patterns. As you say, a great first knit. However, I am puzzled by the number of highly accomplished knitters, capable of drafting their own complicated garments who, not only bought one or both patterns but then actually *followed* those patterns and then said things like, I kind of like it but it’s too short, or not broad enough or the widest bit in the middle should be longer, or whatever. They would definitely be capable of drafting something similar that would suit them better without the pattern. I am completely non-plussed by that. Maybe they are fulfilling a ‘review’ function that serves new knitters. Maybe it drives hits and gains followers. I don’t think that is a positive thing, though. It’s kind of genius to appropriate and monetize such a simple technique and construction but I don’t think I like that strategy. Another good example is the Sunday socks. I learnt how to make a vanilla sock without a pattern from Voolenvine’s excellent TH-cam video. It felt so empowering and liberating that I can now just take a circular needle and ball of sock yarn on a plane or in the car or to the pub or whatever and sit and knit socks by instinct. Although a different gauge and in 2x 2 rib, this meant I could make up my own Sunday Sock pattern just by looking at the Petiteknit pictures. So why do I feel like I am stealing something from Petiteknit by doing that and saying so in a public forum? It’s kind of like saying, I now own air and will sell you some so that you can breathe…
PK is a very popular designer. I think some of it is peer pressure and band wagon. A lot of patterns are the exact same thing with a few stitches changed here and there from old tradition methods. I even noticed designers copying each other sometimes a few months after. For socks and gloves that are so individual it is good to able to modify them yourself without a pattern. I bought the Oslo hat and regretted it. It didn’t have much information and I could figure it out myself. I look at elements of patterns all the time and may incorporate them into something I am knitting. A part of knitting is reverse engineering so might as well develop your skills.
Honestly i knitted Sophie scarf without a pattern after doing some research on the techniques on TH-cam. So I wouldn’t buy the shawl either. I buy other garments patterns from her. I just thought this one was pretty easy from the photos.
This is such a measured response and I really appreciate it! It's a tricky thing to talk about with nuance because it touches on so many issues - what is ethical to charge, what is ethical to guess yourself, supporting designers when we know designing patterns not being an easy way to make a living vs. charging for stuff that used to be common knowledge, people who love knitting for the freedom to make your own stuff vs. people who like patterns because of the freedom from thinking it can afford. My mom even brought up your comment to me and said how much she valued your take. Thank you for commenting Cheryl :)
First...I so appreciate when people take the time to include notes on their projects on Ravelry...I use them often when decision-making. Second...thank you for your comments on the Sophie Scarf. I did check, and it's not too expensive a pattern, and I do fully support that designer's are paid for their work ....but this seems like such a simple knit that I think they could have either made it a free pattern to thank all of their fans, or charged a dollar or two to raise money for a charity. I now think it's been the Sophie-craze that's made me look for smaller designer's who could use the support...for instance, I'm working on a brilliant design right now that happens to be a designer's first release! Saying all that, it doesn't mean that I won't support bigger names...it will depend on the pattern, of course. One last Sophie comment...I think the craze was made even bigger due to exposure of a super popular podcast duo...I kinda wish they had found a knitwear designer that could have used their endorsement. Kudos to you for always releasing a thought-provoking episode 😊
I'm so glad to find out someone else has similar thoughts on the sophie scarf! Omg. It really shows how much influencing happens in this community. I first came across ravelry and online knitting podcasts something like 10 years ago, before petiteknit was even around. IIRC the most talked about designers on podcasts and such were people like ysolda teague, joji locatelli, caitlin hunter, amy herzog and brooklyn tweed. Then came the scandi takeover! Lol. It's so funny to see how these trends come and go. Back in the day everyone and their mom knit an owls sweater (including myself) which I only now realize is a very silly looking sweater. When the sophie scarf came out it immediately reminded me of the baktus, which was a similarly shaped, simple garter shawl - except it was a free pattern, lol. I was sad to see it's not available online anymore. In a few more years it'll be funny to look back at the yeas of the petiteknit hegemony and remember how she got so many people to buy a pattern for a garter trapezoid.
Hearing some of the history of the knitting community and who was at the forefront of designing over the past decade is so interesting to me. Especially as a few people have brought up the Baktus - it's so funny how fashion trends are so circular! Thank you for sharing :)
Haha i feel the same about the Penny gloves and her Sunday socks. There are so many similar free patterns because they ARE BASIC LEARN TO KNIT PATTERNS 😂
You are 100% right about the Sophie scarf. There are so many beautiful free, beginner patterns out there. I really agree with you that I don’t understand why this is a pay for pattern.
Another viewer who totally supports your comments on the Sophie scarf. More power to the folks who purchase it, and knit it. I'll do neither. I knit the Baktus scarf years ago, it looks the same, except icord edges weren't on my radar at the time.
I also laughed so hard I cried 😂 When you first put the sweater on I actually thought you might have done it on purpose, I think it looks very cute with the tiny line of colour! It is hardly noticeable but when I do notice it I love it! Beautiful sweater!
Oh I'm totally with you about the Sophie scarf 😂 def it's the status of petiteknit that popularized it and I didn't fully understand why everyone was making it but, hey choose your own knitting adventure! But I appreciate your discussion of the nuance! Love love love the saddle shouldered sweater! Can't say that my mind jumped to meat with that pink lining😂 it gives it a really subtle contrast. Double stitching would help to hide it if it bugs you too much.
I totally agree with you on the Sophie Scarf thing! 👍 I think a lot of very simple designs like that from big name designers (can I say that lol? English is my 2nd language) sell a lot more that they would if they had been published by a less known designer. I think there's a lot of excitement associated with releases from well known designers. And then everyone makes the item and we see all the beautiful FOs so we wanna make it too. But, in the end, would we have made it if it had been a free pattern by someone we don't know a lot? Probably not!
I’m with you on the Sophie scarf. I bought it as I am a fairly new knitter and didn’t know how to do the i-cord but will not buy the shawl. When you look at a pattern for instance the ranunculus comes to mind that has two neck options, arm options and length options so in the same pattern it does feel like a bit of a grab.
I hope you enjoy knitting it :) It really does seem like a great beginner project - simple techniques you can build on, fast, and using small amounts of yarn.
What I think is interesting is there ARE free patterns that are essentially the same exact thing as the Sophie scarf available on Ravelry from before Petite Knit published the pattern - so absolutely a tastemaker thing but also ridiculous that it’s a paid for pattern. I understand the appeal of the pattern - sometimes I don’t want to think about how I’m going to make something so having someone tell me exactly what I need to do to get a simple, pretty result is exactly what I’m looking for and I feel like a lot of people knit PK for that reason regardless of skill level, but if you can look at something and say “yeah I know how to make that” and have the brain space to make it work I don’t see that as a violation of knitter code or whatever. Also!! V happy for your weaving journey - I love my rigid heddle even if she is a little lonely rn while I stay obsessed with knitting 😪
to be fair, the other garter scarves are mostly only available in English whereas almost all of petite knit’s patterns are translated into 13+ languages so she is paying people to aide in the pattern creation so I’m fine paying a few $$ usually knowing the team involved in the process
To start with, I 100% agree with what you said Rachel! I have always been a bit confused at the idea that she releases the same pattern but one with mohair and one not. And from the perspective of someone like me who will change yarn and gauge on a pattern almost inevitably, it is quite insane to sell two separate patterns with different gauges but the same thing. But, only because I enjoy the exercise of being devils advocate--I suppose if you put yourself in the shoes of someone who likes to just turn their brain off entirely and just follow a pattern without worrying about gauge etc, the fact that they can choose which pattern to buy based on which gauge they want to knit is actually a good thing. So if you frame it as 'just pick the one you want to knit' not 'buy multiple patterns if you want to knit at different gauges' it makes more sense. Anyways, I love unpopular opinions, they're so much fun. And I have lots of them haha
The same with female and male patterns, I just looked at the finished chest size my dad would need , picked the correct size on the female pattern I just checked the sleeve and body length, but I do that on any sweater . It fitted him beautifully.
Yeah absolutely! I bet a lot of us could reasonably figure out how to achieve similar products to a lot of popular patterns, but at the end of a day of work and school, I typically don't want to and am more than happy to pay $8-10 for someone to tell me the stitch counts and rates I need if you leave aside the someone's idea part of the conversation. Thanks for giving your $0.02 too!
I totally get your feelings about the Sophie scarf! But I personally was happy to pay for it because: - Even if it takes me only a little time to figure out how it was made, I'd still rather pay a small amount of money to have PetiteKnit explain it (I love how her patterns are written) - I feel like if anyone has taken the time to design a garment and write a pattern, they totally have the right to charge for that time! Anyway, I made it as a headband but ended up feeling so cute wearing it as a silly little scarf during the summer and honestly might consider making another at some point, it was an unexpected win for me.
And I think your perspective is absolutely valid too! Especially since knitting is a hobby and everyone is allowed to spend their money and their time making whatever makes them happy, and for a lot of people, the Sophie Scarf fits the bill. A lot of people got into knitting through PetiteKnit Patterns, love Mette and are happy to support her however, and made scarves they loved but wouldn't have thought to if she hadn't released her version. For smaller designers and other basics I'm happy to support them for the inspiration of the idea alone, but since I'm modifying the Shawl a lot based on different gauge the shape I want, PK is huge and free versions of this already existed, I ended up side-eyeing this release a bit. Especially since CAD is a weaker currency and I always end up paying more for patterns. But I am happy to cheer on everyone who buys the pattern and enjoys their scarves, I don't need to want one myself to think something is worth paying for :) Thanks for sharing your perspective Florence!
She also double charged for the Oslo hat regular vs mohair edition but honestly, I can only praise her business efforts of making that good money being a knitter and I don’t mind paying for them since I know that she has to pay a translator to make them accessible (and I want that translator to be paid well!!)
I totally agree with you Florence. And I also get what you are saying Rachel. Like we reserve the right to buy what patterns we want I guess a designer reserves the right to charge for what they took time to create no matter how small or big the end product is. And you are getting inspired by the same pattern to create a dupe which I don’t think you would have made if Petite Knit didn’t publish it.
Your Lakes Pullover is gorgeous and now I really need to knit one for myself! You are absolutely right on the Sophie Scarf/Shawl matter, and I say this with no hate as I actually purchased one of them and I have no regrets, but it makes me sad that some designers released similar patterns (even free ones) and got so much hate when the Sophie Scarf is actually pretty similar to the famous Baktus Scarf. Lovely episode, as always ❤️
I've been wearing my Lakes all week and my recommendation stands! It's a great pattern :) The Sophie Scarf really exemplifies how trends are so cyclical - a few people have now mentioned the Baktus, which I didn't know of and is so similar from a few years ago! Thanks for commenting :)
I personally never purchased a pattern and when I saw the Sophie scarf/shawl being so popular I guessed it's because of the branding ! Also, I love to knit garter stitch but don't love to wear it and as a compromise, I decided to knit a garter stitch shawl but 🌈 colors which distracts me from the stitch and it works, I love my shawl and I actually wear it! And the Cinderella colored shawl you're knitting looks really neat and elegant, I hope your friend likes it!
I think it’s worth purchasing a pattern for intricate design or headache details… but if you are good enough knitting without them, I guess it’s fine! I just learn so much from them tho. I don’t see the need to buy basic designs anymore though.
Omg I'm DYING at your road kill sweater. If it makes you feel any better, I thought like Louboutin, expensive leather and velvet jewellery box/purse vibes. You can undo your twist in the cast on on the first row (and only at the end of the first row) by pulling one needle through the loop. Also, that bow is entirely the kind of thing I'd wear to the office, that's adorable (I'll keep editing with more comments) LOL Hard agree with the Sophie Shawl. That's all I'll say. Also that sounds like you have the fear of small holes (I forget what that's called)
I agree about the Sophie scarf! I bought the pattern, I knitted it, and I really love it, but also I feel silly, because it's basically the same type of scarf I knit as one of my first projects way back in high school with zero pattern. Oh well ;)
Some knitting textures also give me a weird feeling (I also don't like looking at garter very much, but love seed and moss stitch...weird brain things ^^). Love the colour of your shawl and what a pretty pullover ! I have never managed to finish a garment for myself. Hope 2023 changes that !
I agree with you on the Sophie shawl thing. Also there's a very similar pattern (if it's not exactly the same) called "Easy Does It DK" by Aimee Pelletier for free on Ravelry.
I have the Sophie scarf pattern and it was my first time doing an i-cord so that was valuable to me (though I could’ve just googled it) Not going to buy the shawl though, that release felt like it should’ve been the same pattern
I love the hair bow and LOL 😂 how much headache it gave you, glad you powered through and finished it! I think you will manage the 2023 gr of yarn seeing how many wonderful and scrappy and creative things you knit, I'm here for the journey! I personally do not have a stash problem, but recently my mom gave me some old unused yarn and following your journey will give me ideas of what to knit with it, so far my eye is on dog clothes :)
The color in collar with your new sweater gives me LL Bean vibes far more than roadkill 😂. Even after you pointed it out, they love those colors together. I LOVE how it turned out! I may have to knit one for myself now. Also, I would have never thought to simply use a different yarn for the inside of the collar to make it less itchy. That was such a great idea!
I love LL Bean so I'll try to focus on that instead of roadkill hahah Using a different yarn for the inside is also a good scrap-busting tool, especially if you play yarn chicken a lot like I do. Thanks for commenting!
I TOTALLY GET YOU, There are some color combos that remind me of bodyhorror or gore. I accidentally did a honeycomb with white and red and got super grossed out. If you keep thinking about it, I would crochet a small lace frill border in a cotton/silk yarn(no itch factor yarn) just to cover the peak of pink. there is a ton of crochet lace instructions on pinterest! Thank you for speaking your truth about the sophie scarf/sophie shawl, because I am personally tired of seeing everyone make it and praising Petiteknit when there are in my opinion, patterns worth paying for. This should have been a free pattern but that's just my take
A crochet border is also a good idea! Thank you for suggesting it, I was mostly otherwise thinking I'd attempt to duplicate stitch (neatly over rib somehow??) over it.
happy seeing you having a sponsor, the flower earring is gorgeous! i actually love how you can see the little line of red on the sweater, to mee it seems like a cute detail, but I was laughing at the roadkill thing and can kinda understand that now you can't stop thinking about it
You could think of the red as a collar, like a literal collar. A pet’s collar tells people who they belong to. The fun pop of color on your sweater could be the “name tag” that tells people the sweater belongs to you. Just a thought 😊
I love your sweater. I like how the neckband looks. It just looks like a nice design feature. Road kill did not occur to me at all until you mentioned it and now I can’t stop laughing.
I'm so exited to hear opinions about saddle shoulders!! For context, I'm just starting to figure out this sweater thing and I was a test knitter for Maddy Moe's raglan Carlisle. I really enjoyed the process and love my finished sweater and keep trying to figure out if I want to make the saddle Carlisle as well. I haven't had any luck trying to figure out what I like about raglans that I haven't found in other designs, but the mini exposé on what you liked about your sweater helped me realize it's about the lines lol
Also RE the Sophie scarf/shawl thing - I think there are some patterns that have a significant enough modification that it makes sense to release as a separate pattern (e.g. raglan vs saddle shoulders, or fingering vs bulky sweaters) but if you're doing a modification that didn't require significant math in order to make a fit (i.e scarves are a rectangle of any size and making it bigger or smaller doesn't make it unable to be used) it gets real sketchy, especially when the pattern itself is simple enough an advanced beginner can take a look at the project page and recreate it with minor effort. Like, clearly folks are willing to pay for it and I'm not trying to knock a designer making a living in this economy, but also it's not something I would ever understand choosing to buy when something like The Simple Thing by Melina Brell exists
I am always up for a saddle shoulder, in the past I have done them flat and seamed, this looks like a nice option. I do like the neck lining, it would be a fun way to add a color accent or stretch yardage. I'm a vegan, and the meat thing never occurred to me, nor does it bother me....
To me it looked like you had a reddish tshirt under the sweater. If you wouldn’t have said anything, I wouldn’t have thought anything about it. It looks very comfy!
i had also done some 1x1 rib that looked messier than usual and was really confused, but someone in my comments let me know that it's likely because the fibre i was using had a really long staple length, so the stitches don't end up as defined. i feel like that might be the case for you as well!
I am knitting the Sophie shawl and reluctantly bought the pattern! I’ve also been knitting just over 3 years and felt sure I could make up the pattern as I went along, but ultimately decided the peace of mind I would have that I would get the exact finished object I wanted if I followed the pattern I decided to purchase it. However I will not be purchasing the Sophie scarf pattern if I decide I want to knit one of those!😂 I love knitting more complicated things but do also enjoy the simplicity of the garter stitch. The other interesting thing I’ve noticed with the Sophie knits is something Kaci from Youngfolkknits mentioned about keeping up with the Inc/dec rounds is kind of a pain for me because I get quite distracted. Don’t know if anybody else feels that way too?
I've heard a few other youtubers say the same thing about how it's not exactly a 'mindless' knit, which is a pro or a con depending on what you like in your knitting. I also totally get what you said about the peace of mind, sometimes after a long day of work and school I don't want to have to keep thinking and just want to follow a pattern. Glad you are enjoying your version!!
No, someone needed to talk about the absurdity of the Sophie scarf. $4 for an ascot? I do like the Sophie shawl a lot; I have a blanket scarf I got for Christmas and I wear it similar to how the Sophie shawl is styled so I know I’d get a lot of use out of it (and now sheer repeated exposure has made me warm up to the Sophie scarf lol). HOWEVER. Nobody would make it and talk about it as much as they do if it wasn’t Petiteknit. These patterns are really easy to reverse engineer. I’m not condoning piracy buttttt it’s easy to find out the rate of increases for Sophie scarf and shawl (they are slightly different fyi), cast on number, and icord edging instructions just from TH-cam/rav comments on the pattern. The only thing I don’t know is how to increase at the very beginning and exact stitch counts for the apex of the shawl. But that is pretty easy to fudge. Anyways this has been bugging me sorry for the screed lol
A propos of saddle shoulder sweaters, you might enjoy knitting the HVIDE by Ankestrick. It's extremely enjoyable to knit, very good pattern and a great design.
@@woolseeknitting Just fyi, I hadn't got to the part of your video where you explained your icky-feel re: garter. The HVIDE is not for you 🙂 Also, I couldn't agree more about the Sophie shawl/scarf. Lord, anyone with 3 months of knitting experience could wing it. And that she charges for a larger version (which isn't really large) and a small version (which is miniscule) amazes me.
I love your woven scarf! Well done! I totally agree with your about the Sophie Scarf and Shawl. I have the same feeling towards the Penny Gloves. The only reason they went viral was because of her name. There are so many free patterns already available to make the same things. Anyone who has paid for the patterns has been ripped off, in my opinion. She has many lovely designs, but these should have been free.
I promise people are laughing because of your delivery RE: roadkill seeater - I also dont eat meat haha so I understand the qualm. Can you maybe block the collar to stretch the outer bit a smidge to overcome the 1 row difference?
You are bang on about the Sophie scarf. No one would buy it if it weren’t by Petite Knit. Here’s my super unpopular opinion…..Petite Knit is having a moment but is highly over rated. There are so many designers doing great things but are not getting the attention that Petit Knit gets. Almost like you have to knit her patterns to be one of the cool kids.
I'm still a fairly new knitter (less than a year) and my parents are fashion designers by trade, so I grew up always wearing "different/unique" clothing pieces. I just couldn't get on the Sophie Scarf bandwagon. It just seems so basic to me, I understand that people like staples in their wardrobes, but I just didn't seem that original or functional to me to make it this popular, everyone and their grandmother is making it. There are so many free patterns and paid patterns out there that have way more detail or complex shapes, that don't get enough love out there. I just see so much beige and so many people knitting the exact same pattern, it kinda makes me sad. It feels like there is so little originality these days.
If you are looking for a creative, anti-"the great beige-ening of instagram" knitting youtuber, I highly recommend the Maker Bee podcast. They seem right up your alley :)
I realized what your issue with your finished sweater was about two seconds before you said "Am I wearing a roadkill sweater?" and burst out laughing. It does look fantastic, and you can barely see the contrast with your hair down! But I am also immediately reminded of a red-and-white variagated cardigan that I knit and didn't think anything of until I showed it to a friend who said "It looks like bacon," which I cannot now unsee.
I totally get why Petiteknit would release the Sophie as a gateway drug to her classic, understated aesthetic and well-written patterns. As you say, a great first knit. However, I am puzzled by the number of highly accomplished knitters, capable of drafting their own complicated garments who, not only bought one or both patterns but then actually *followed* those patterns and then said things like, I kind of like it but it’s too short, or not broad enough or the widest bit in the middle should be longer, or whatever. They would definitely be capable of drafting something similar that would suit them better without the pattern. I am completely non-plussed by that. Maybe they are fulfilling a ‘review’ function that serves new knitters. Maybe it drives hits and gains followers. I don’t think that is a positive thing, though. It’s kind of genius to appropriate and monetize such a simple technique and construction but I don’t think I like that strategy. Another good example is the Sunday socks. I learnt how to make a vanilla sock without a pattern from Voolenvine’s excellent TH-cam video. It felt so empowering and liberating that I can now just take a circular needle and ball of sock yarn on a plane or in the car or to the pub or whatever and sit and knit socks by instinct. Although a different gauge and in 2x 2 rib, this meant I could make up my own Sunday Sock pattern just by looking at the Petiteknit pictures. So why do I feel like I am stealing something from Petiteknit by doing that and saying so in a public forum? It’s kind of like saying, I now own air and will sell you some so that you can breathe…
PK is a very popular designer. I think some of it is peer pressure and band wagon. A lot of patterns are the exact same thing with a few stitches changed here and there from old tradition methods. I even noticed designers copying each other sometimes a few months after. For socks and gloves that are so individual it is good to able to modify them yourself without a pattern.
I bought the Oslo hat and regretted it. It didn’t have much information and I could figure it out myself. I look at elements of patterns all the time and may incorporate them into something I am knitting. A part of knitting is reverse engineering so might as well develop your skills.
Forgot to mention I can’t tell the difference between pk and my favourite things knit wear. They have nearly identical patterns.
Honestly i knitted Sophie scarf without a pattern after doing some research on the techniques on TH-cam. So I wouldn’t buy the shawl either. I buy other garments patterns from her. I just thought this one was pretty easy from the photos.
This is such a measured response and I really appreciate it! It's a tricky thing to talk about with nuance because it touches on so many issues - what is ethical to charge, what is ethical to guess yourself, supporting designers when we know designing patterns not being an easy way to make a living vs. charging for stuff that used to be common knowledge, people who love knitting for the freedom to make your own stuff vs. people who like patterns because of the freedom from thinking it can afford. My mom even brought up your comment to me and said how much she valued your take. Thank you for commenting Cheryl :)
First...I so appreciate when people take the time to include notes on their projects on Ravelry...I use them often when decision-making. Second...thank you for your comments on the Sophie Scarf. I did check, and it's not too expensive a pattern, and I do fully support that designer's are paid for their work ....but this seems like such a simple knit that I think they could have either made it a free pattern to thank all of their fans, or charged a dollar or two to raise money for a charity. I now think it's been the Sophie-craze that's made me look for smaller designer's who could use the support...for instance, I'm working on a brilliant design right now that happens to be a designer's first release! Saying all that, it doesn't mean that I won't support bigger names...it will depend on the pattern, of course. One last Sophie comment...I think the craze was made even bigger due to exposure of a super popular podcast duo...I kinda wish they had found a knitwear designer that could have used their endorsement. Kudos to you for always releasing a thought-provoking episode 😊
I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts, and you expressed a lot of the nuance in this better than I did!
I'm so glad to find out someone else has similar thoughts on the sophie scarf! Omg. It really shows how much influencing happens in this community. I first came across ravelry and online knitting podcasts something like 10 years ago, before petiteknit was even around. IIRC the most talked about designers on podcasts and such were people like ysolda teague, joji locatelli, caitlin hunter, amy herzog and brooklyn tweed. Then came the scandi takeover! Lol. It's so funny to see how these trends come and go. Back in the day everyone and their mom knit an owls sweater (including myself) which I only now realize is a very silly looking sweater. When the sophie scarf came out it immediately reminded me of the baktus, which was a similarly shaped, simple garter shawl - except it was a free pattern, lol. I was sad to see it's not available online anymore. In a few more years it'll be funny to look back at the yeas of the petiteknit hegemony and remember how she got so many people to buy a pattern for a garter trapezoid.
Hearing some of the history of the knitting community and who was at the forefront of designing over the past decade is so interesting to me. Especially as a few people have brought up the Baktus - it's so funny how fashion trends are so circular! Thank you for sharing :)
Haha i feel the same about the Penny gloves and her Sunday socks. There are so many similar free patterns because they ARE BASIC LEARN TO KNIT PATTERNS 😂
I am cackling at your roadkill sweater realization 😂 I never ever would have thought of this had you not said that but honestly I kind of love it
👍🤣🤣❤
seeing all the mini Sophie scarfs being used as hair bows makes me want to knit bows for scrap busting too
It seems like a good use for one!
You are 100% right about the Sophie scarf. There are so many beautiful free, beginner patterns out there. I really agree with you that I don’t understand why this is a pay for pattern.
Another viewer who totally supports your comments on the Sophie scarf. More power to the folks who purchase it, and knit it. I'll do neither. I knit the Baktus scarf years ago, it looks the same, except icord edges weren't on my radar at the time.
I also laughed so hard I cried 😂 When you first put the sweater on I actually thought you might have done it on purpose, I think it looks very cute with the tiny line of colour! It is hardly noticeable but when I do notice it I love it! Beautiful sweater!
I love the red showing in your sweater collar - it’s very beautiful I’m going to do the same in my next sweater
Oh I'm totally with you about the Sophie scarf 😂 def it's the status of petiteknit that popularized it and I didn't fully understand why everyone was making it but, hey choose your own knitting adventure! But I appreciate your discussion of the nuance! Love love love the saddle shouldered sweater! Can't say that my mind jumped to meat with that pink lining😂 it gives it a really subtle contrast. Double stitching would help to hide it if it bugs you too much.
Absolutely, knitting really is a choose your own adventure activity and I think that's one of the best things about it!
I totally agree with you on the Sophie Scarf thing! 👍
I think a lot of very simple designs like that from big name designers (can I say that lol? English is my 2nd language) sell a lot more that they would if they had been published by a less known designer.
I think there's a lot of excitement associated with releases from well known designers. And then everyone makes the item and we see all the beautiful FOs so we wanna make it too. But, in the end, would we have made it if it had been a free pattern by someone we don't know a lot? Probably not!
I’m with you on the Sophie scarf. I bought it as I am a fairly new knitter and didn’t know how to do the i-cord but will not buy the shawl. When you look at a pattern for instance the ranunculus comes to mind that has two neck options, arm options and length options so in the same pattern it does feel like a bit of a grab.
I hope you enjoy knitting it :) It really does seem like a great beginner project - simple techniques you can build on, fast, and using small amounts of yarn.
I think your use of the red cashmere is genius. Don’t overthink the color. Love it. Also with red think love
OMG I am so in love with your weaving!! 😮
What I think is interesting is there ARE free patterns that are essentially the same exact thing as the Sophie scarf available on Ravelry from before Petite Knit published the pattern - so absolutely a tastemaker thing but also ridiculous that it’s a paid for pattern. I understand the appeal of the pattern - sometimes I don’t want to think about how I’m going to make something so having someone tell me exactly what I need to do to get a simple, pretty result is exactly what I’m looking for and I feel like a lot of people knit PK for that reason regardless of skill level, but if you can look at something and say “yeah I know how to make that” and have the brain space to make it work I don’t see that as a violation of knitter code or whatever.
Also!! V happy for your weaving journey - I love my rigid heddle even if she is a little lonely rn while I stay obsessed with knitting 😪
to be fair, the other garter scarves are mostly only available in English whereas almost all of petite knit’s patterns are translated into 13+ languages so she is paying people to aide in the pattern creation so I’m fine paying a few $$ usually knowing the team involved in the process
That's a good counterpoint, PetiteKnit has a staff (likely beyond translators) to support as well! Changes the calculus a bit :)
To start with, I 100% agree with what you said Rachel! I have always been a bit confused at the idea that she releases the same pattern but one with mohair and one not. And from the perspective of someone like me who will change yarn and gauge on a pattern almost inevitably, it is quite insane to sell two separate patterns with different gauges but the same thing. But, only because I enjoy the exercise of being devils advocate--I suppose if you put yourself in the shoes of someone who likes to just turn their brain off entirely and just follow a pattern without worrying about gauge etc, the fact that they can choose which pattern to buy based on which gauge they want to knit is actually a good thing. So if you frame it as 'just pick the one you want to knit' not 'buy multiple patterns if you want to knit at different gauges' it makes more sense. Anyways, I love unpopular opinions, they're so much fun. And I have lots of them haha
The same with female and male patterns, I just looked at the finished chest size my dad would need , picked the correct size on the female pattern I just checked the sleeve and body length, but I do that on any sweater . It fitted him beautifully.
Yeah absolutely! I bet a lot of us could reasonably figure out how to achieve similar products to a lot of popular patterns, but at the end of a day of work and school, I typically don't want to and am more than happy to pay $8-10 for someone to tell me the stitch counts and rates I need if you leave aside the someone's idea part of the conversation. Thanks for giving your $0.02 too!
I totally get your feelings about the Sophie scarf! But I personally was happy to pay for it because:
- Even if it takes me only a little time to figure out how it was made, I'd still rather pay a small amount of money to have PetiteKnit explain it (I love how her patterns are written)
- I feel like if anyone has taken the time to design a garment and write a pattern, they totally have the right to charge for that time!
Anyway, I made it as a headband but ended up feeling so cute wearing it as a silly little scarf during the summer and honestly might consider making another at some point, it was an unexpected win for me.
And I think your perspective is absolutely valid too! Especially since knitting is a hobby and everyone is allowed to spend their money and their time making whatever makes them happy, and for a lot of people, the Sophie Scarf fits the bill. A lot of people got into knitting through PetiteKnit Patterns, love Mette and are happy to support her however, and made scarves they loved but wouldn't have thought to if she hadn't released her version.
For smaller designers and other basics I'm happy to support them for the inspiration of the idea alone, but since I'm modifying the Shawl a lot based on different gauge the shape I want, PK is huge and free versions of this already existed, I ended up side-eyeing this release a bit. Especially since CAD is a weaker currency and I always end up paying more for patterns. But I am happy to cheer on everyone who buys the pattern and enjoys their scarves, I don't need to want one myself to think something is worth paying for :)
Thanks for sharing your perspective Florence!
She also double charged for the Oslo hat regular vs mohair edition but honestly, I can only praise her business efforts of making that good money being a knitter and I don’t mind paying for them since I know that she has to pay a translator to make them accessible (and I want that translator to be paid well!!)
I totally agree with you Florence. And I also get what you are saying Rachel. Like we reserve the right to buy what patterns we want I guess a designer reserves the right to charge for what they took time to create no matter how small or big the end product is. And you are getting inspired by the same pattern to create a dupe which I don’t think you would have made if Petite Knit didn’t publish it.
Your Lakes Pullover is gorgeous and now I really need to knit one for myself!
You are absolutely right on the Sophie Scarf/Shawl matter, and I say this with no hate as I actually purchased one of them and I have no regrets, but it makes me sad that some designers released similar patterns (even free ones) and got so much hate when the Sophie Scarf is actually pretty similar to the famous Baktus Scarf.
Lovely episode, as always ❤️
I've been wearing my Lakes all week and my recommendation stands! It's a great pattern :) The Sophie Scarf really exemplifies how trends are so cyclical - a few people have now mentioned the Baktus, which I didn't know of and is so similar from a few years ago! Thanks for commenting :)
I LOVE the scarf you wove! It’s got such a lovely texture and color story ❤
I personally never purchased a pattern and when I saw the Sophie scarf/shawl being so popular I guessed it's because of the branding ! Also, I love to knit garter stitch but don't love to wear it and as a compromise, I decided to knit a garter stitch shawl but 🌈 colors which distracts me from the stitch and it works, I love my shawl and I actually wear it!
And the Cinderella colored shawl you're knitting looks really neat and elegant, I hope your friend likes it!
I think it’s worth purchasing a pattern for intricate design or headache details… but if you are good enough knitting without them, I guess it’s fine! I just learn so much from them tho. I don’t see the need to buy basic designs anymore though.
Omg I'm DYING at your road kill sweater. If it makes you feel any better, I thought like Louboutin, expensive leather and velvet jewellery box/purse vibes.
You can undo your twist in the cast on on the first row (and only at the end of the first row) by pulling one needle through the loop. Also, that bow is entirely the kind of thing I'd wear to the office, that's adorable (I'll keep editing with more comments)
LOL Hard agree with the Sophie Shawl. That's all I'll say. Also that sounds like you have the fear of small holes (I forget what that's called)
"hyperfixation"!!! That's what what I do is called! Thank you for the terminology. Love your podcast and hello from the other end of Canada.
I agree about the Sophie scarf! I bought the pattern, I knitted it, and I really love it, but also I feel silly, because it's basically the same type of scarf I knit as one of my first projects way back in high school with zero pattern. Oh well ;)
If it makes you happy you shouldn't feel silly, and don't feel like you need to justify that choice to me or anyone else!
I bought the Oslo hat and had instant regret. From the pictures i could figure it out and was disappointed the pattern did have extra information.
Some knitting textures also give me a weird feeling (I also don't like looking at garter very much, but love seed and moss stitch...weird brain things ^^). Love the colour of your shawl and what a pretty pullover ! I have never managed to finish a garment for myself. Hope 2023 changes that !
Weird brain things for us both!! Good luck with your garment plans in 2023, I'm sure you can do it :)
I agree with you on the Sophie shawl thing. Also there's a very similar pattern (if it's not exactly the same) called "Easy Does It DK" by Aimee Pelletier for free on Ravelry.
I have the Sophie scarf pattern and it was my first time doing an i-cord so that was valuable to me (though I could’ve just googled it)
Not going to buy the shawl though, that release felt like it should’ve been the same pattern
And as long as you feel it's valuable that's all that matters :) I hope you enjoyed it!
I love the hair bow and LOL 😂 how much headache it gave you, glad you powered through and finished it! I think you will manage the 2023 gr of yarn seeing how many wonderful and scrappy and creative things you knit, I'm here for the journey! I personally do not have a stash problem, but recently my mom gave me some old unused yarn and following your journey will give me ideas of what to knit with it, so far my eye is on dog clothes :)
The color in collar with your new sweater gives me LL Bean vibes far more than roadkill 😂. Even after you pointed it out, they love those colors together. I LOVE how it turned out! I may have to knit one for myself now.
Also, I would have never thought to simply use a different yarn for the inside of the collar to make it less itchy. That was such a great idea!
I love LL Bean so I'll try to focus on that instead of roadkill hahah
Using a different yarn for the inside is also a good scrap-busting tool, especially if you play yarn chicken a lot like I do. Thanks for commenting!
I TOTALLY GET YOU, There are some color combos that remind me of bodyhorror or gore. I accidentally did a honeycomb with white and red and got super grossed out. If you keep thinking about it, I would crochet a small lace frill border in a cotton/silk yarn(no itch factor yarn) just to cover the peak of pink. there is a ton of crochet lace instructions on pinterest!
Thank you for speaking your truth about the sophie scarf/sophie shawl, because I am personally tired of seeing everyone make it and praising Petiteknit when there are in my opinion, patterns worth paying for. This should have been a free pattern but that's just my take
A crochet border is also a good idea! Thank you for suggesting it, I was mostly otherwise thinking I'd attempt to duplicate stitch (neatly over rib somehow??) over it.
Omg I’m knitting Ozetta’s highland slipover and I know it will be a staple piece already.
I have had my eye on that one too!! It's so pretty.
happy seeing you having a sponsor, the flower earring is gorgeous!
i actually love how you can see the little line of red on the sweater, to mee it seems like a cute detail, but I was laughing at the roadkill thing and can kinda understand that now you can't stop thinking about it
Congratulations on being sponsored, this is really cool, we Stan a sponsored knitting Queen who promotes such good products!
You could think of the red as a collar, like a literal collar. A pet’s collar tells people who they belong to. The fun pop of color on your sweater could be the “name tag” that tells people the sweater belongs to you. Just a thought 😊
The jumper looks great don’t worry
I’m a fellow left handed, June baby! Love your channel 😁
I love your sweater. I like how the neckband looks. It just looks like a nice design feature. Road kill did not occur to me at all until you mentioned it and now I can’t stop laughing.
Glad I could provide some comedy, thank you for the reassurance! Most people are saying the same thing as you and slowly I'm starting to believe them.
I'm so interested to try a saddle shoulder garment! That detail in the lakes pullover is so interesting. Thanks for sharing!
I'm so exited to hear opinions about saddle shoulders!! For context, I'm just starting to figure out this sweater thing and I was a test knitter for Maddy Moe's raglan Carlisle. I really enjoyed the process and love my finished sweater and keep trying to figure out if I want to make the saddle Carlisle as well. I haven't had any luck trying to figure out what I like about raglans that I haven't found in other designs, but the mini exposé on what you liked about your sweater helped me realize it's about the lines lol
Also RE the Sophie scarf/shawl thing - I think there are some patterns that have a significant enough modification that it makes sense to release as a separate pattern (e.g. raglan vs saddle shoulders, or fingering vs bulky sweaters) but if you're doing a modification that didn't require significant math in order to make a fit (i.e scarves are a rectangle of any size and making it bigger or smaller doesn't make it unable to be used) it gets real sketchy, especially when the pattern itself is simple enough an advanced beginner can take a look at the project page and recreate it with minor effort. Like, clearly folks are willing to pay for it and I'm not trying to knock a designer making a living in this economy, but also it's not something I would ever understand choosing to buy when something like The Simple Thing by Melina Brell exists
Omg "I'm a vegetarian, I don't want to be thinking of meat sweater!" 🤣🤣🤣 I laughed way too hard at this
I am always up for a saddle shoulder, in the past I have done them flat and seamed, this looks like a nice option. I do like the neck lining, it would be a fun way to add a color accent or stretch yardage. I'm a vegan, and the meat thing never occurred to me, nor does it bother me....
To me it looked like you had a reddish tshirt under the sweater. If you wouldn’t have said anything, I wouldn’t have thought anything about it. It looks very comfy!
i had also done some 1x1 rib that looked messier than usual and was really confused, but someone in my comments let me know that it's likely because the fibre i was using had a really long staple length, so the stitches don't end up as defined. i feel like that might be the case for you as well!
Thank you for sharing, that's so good to know!
When I knit rib in flat mine always looks like that. I think it's just my tension when flat opposed to in the round
I am knitting the Sophie shawl and reluctantly bought the pattern! I’ve also been knitting just over 3 years and felt sure I could make up the pattern as I went along, but ultimately decided the peace of mind I would have that I would get the exact finished object I wanted if I followed the pattern I decided to purchase it. However I will not be purchasing the Sophie scarf pattern if I decide I want to knit one of those!😂 I love knitting more complicated things but do also enjoy the simplicity of the garter stitch. The other interesting thing I’ve noticed with the Sophie knits is something Kaci from Youngfolkknits mentioned about keeping up with the Inc/dec rounds is kind of a pain for me because I get quite distracted. Don’t know if anybody else feels that way too?
I've heard a few other youtubers say the same thing about how it's not exactly a 'mindless' knit, which is a pro or a con depending on what you like in your knitting. I also totally get what you said about the peace of mind, sometimes after a long day of work and school I don't want to have to keep thinking and just want to follow a pattern. Glad you are enjoying your version!!
I love the pop of colour you chose for the dicky, I look forward to see the FO !
My small protest against this right handed world is to move the mouse to the left side of the computer at work
Love it!
No, someone needed to talk about the absurdity of the Sophie scarf. $4 for an ascot? I do like the Sophie shawl a lot; I have a blanket scarf I got for Christmas and I wear it similar to how the Sophie shawl is styled so I know I’d get a lot of use out of it (and now sheer repeated exposure has made me warm up to the Sophie scarf lol). HOWEVER. Nobody would make it and talk about it as much as they do if it wasn’t Petiteknit. These patterns are really easy to reverse engineer. I’m not condoning piracy buttttt it’s easy to find out the rate of increases for Sophie scarf and shawl (they are slightly different fyi), cast on number, and icord edging instructions just from TH-cam/rav comments on the pattern. The only thing I don’t know is how to increase at the very beginning and exact stitch counts for the apex of the shawl. But that is pretty easy to fudge. Anyways this has been bugging me sorry for the screed lol
Your meat sweater comment had me laughing out loud!! I definitely would not have jumped there if you hadn't said it 😂
A propos of saddle shoulder sweaters, you might enjoy knitting the HVIDE by Ankestrick. It's extremely enjoyable to knit, very good pattern and a great design.
Thanks for sharing!
@@woolseeknitting Just fyi, I hadn't got to the part of your video where you explained your icky-feel re: garter. The HVIDE is not for you 🙂 Also, I couldn't agree more about the Sophie shawl/scarf. Lord, anyone with 3 months of knitting experience could wing it. And that she charges for a larger version (which isn't really large) and a small version (which is miniscule) amazes me.
I love your woven scarf! Well done! I totally agree with your about the Sophie Scarf and Shawl. I have the same feeling towards the Penny Gloves. The only reason they went viral was because of her name. There are so many free patterns already available to make the same things. Anyone who has paid for the patterns has been ripped off, in my opinion. She has many lovely designs, but these should have been free.
Sophie scarf dupe - free pattern The Simple Thing by Melina Brell.
I promise people are laughing because of your delivery RE: roadkill seeater - I also dont eat meat haha so I understand the qualm. Can you maybe block the collar to stretch the outer bit a smidge to overcome the 1 row difference?
Or a crochet slip stitch would hide that no prob!
You are bang on about the Sophie scarf. No one would buy it if it weren’t by Petite Knit. Here’s my super unpopular opinion…..Petite Knit is having a moment but is highly over rated. There are so many designers doing great things but are not getting the attention that Petit Knit gets. Almost like you have to knit her patterns to be one of the cool kids.
I'm still a fairly new knitter (less than a year) and my parents are fashion designers by trade, so I grew up always wearing "different/unique" clothing pieces. I just couldn't get on the Sophie Scarf bandwagon. It just seems so basic to me, I understand that people like staples in their wardrobes, but I just didn't seem that original or functional to me to make it this popular, everyone and their grandmother is making it. There are so many free patterns and paid patterns out there that have way more detail or complex shapes, that don't get enough love out there. I just see so much beige and so many people knitting the exact same pattern, it kinda makes me sad. It feels like there is so little originality these days.
If you are looking for a creative, anti-"the great beige-ening of instagram" knitting youtuber, I highly recommend the Maker Bee podcast. They seem right up your alley :)
@@woolseeknitting😆 Thank you for the recommendation, I'll def check them out :) ♥️
Definitely not road kill sweater, it's a very small unnoticed detail
Of course it’s a paid for pattern. She’s a businesswoman. How ridiculous to think otherwise.