7:31 I am a yarn hoarder 😊 And I am a multi-wip. Sometimes I have had a half finished sweater laying around for years before finally finishing it, other times I knit a sweater in a week.
Thank you! Great conversation. I realize I am a true knitter because I can identify myself in all the categories. It's fun to relate to another knitter...there isn't many in my world!
This is awesome!!! I laughed so hard at the “yarn acquisition” scale!!! LOL Excuse me while I dig out of my yarn pile here so I can thumbs up your video!!🤣
Another thought provoking episode. I have a sizable stash and use it to substitute yarn in patterns. Other than yarn choices, I rarely get innovative with patterns. I have usually have three wips. One each for concentration, conversation, and transportation. As the arthritis in my hands worsens, those usually include large needles, small needles, and a crochet project so I can switch them around. Great episode.
I have a quilting friend who had as much fabric as I do...and yes, we could start a small store. She got around the 'guilt' question by saying, "Everyone deserves a hobby. My (her) hobby is collecting fabric...if there is clothing or quilts after the fact, that is just a bonus." Me? Just no guilt in the first place.....lololol
Barbara what fun to think about! I am faithful to a pattern, but may have a “design element” included when I make a mistake ☺️. I have ventured in to a couple of my own pattern attempts for my own education and enjoyment, but much prefer to purchase patterns from professionals like you (working on Oh No, Mr Bond... right now for a birthday gift for my grandson). I seldom am able to get just the same yarns or colors the pattern calls for, but I’m okay with that. I am definitely on the Stash end of the Acquisition scale. 😂 many bins of many weights of many types of yarns! I’m ready for anything! And I have several WIP bags (my Courant for example - which BTW I really wanted the original colorway, and searched the Web until I found a close match
You seem to be a more is more kinda knitter - which is fabulous! It is so fun that you are working on both Bond & Courant! If you are in the FB group I'd love to see pictures!
I am so very thankful that your videos came into my life. I have grown as both a maker and a person since watching your videos. Thank you for sharing your perspective, joy, and wisdom on life the universe and knitting. I definitely tend toward innovating a pattern, both color and yarn brand/type, sometimes the pattern itself. I'm more of a bespoke knitter, though I do keep a small stash of 'just in case I feel bored' fiber. I never return to finish a project I've set aside, so, I do everything I can to assure I finish what's on the needles - a mono-wip knitter.
I’ve so enjoyed your videos to further define what kind of knitter I am! I am a mono-project knitter at home with a “travel bag of easy knits” to pick up for visiting with friends and traveling.
Again, awesome topic!! I would say that I'm a compliance knitter, but as my knitting skills have grown, I'm more confident to take liberties with the pattern, especially if it's not too fitted or complicated. I like to think that the multi/mono WIP mind set might go hand in hand with the process vs project knitter. As a project knitter, I like the feeling of a finished project. Having multiple unfinished projects just stresses me out, so lean towards the mono-WIP. Maybe that's just me though! I don't think there is anyone that is pinned at one end of any of these spectrums, more just "lean" one way or another. Thanks so much for these fun discussions!!
Thank you so much for this video. I am in the middle of the compliance chart, I'm not confident knitting garments as an innovative knitter so follow the pattern. I may change the yarn and needle size to obtain gauge. the yarn acquisition is a mixed bag, I will often buy the yarn that goes with a pattern, but I also love to buy yarn when I travel or visit local yarn shops and have no idea what I'll be knitting with it - such fun! I don't have too many multiple projects going, but usually try finishing one projects before finishing the others.
I am a Scrooge McDuck. My studio looks like a candy store. My mouth waters when I walk in! 😘. I pretty much stick to the pattern as I am still learning every day. Try not to Multi WIP. But it is hard. I can loose steam if I quit in the middle.
I am such a stash builder but began to decide on a quantity (sweater, shawl, mitts) to help me decide how much to buy of a particular yarn. So I have LOTS of cowl, self-striping socks and sweater amounts. I am mostly monogamous but as you mrntioned, will break off to work on a different project for a break. I tend to have a sweater, socks, and s cowl/shawl pattern going. I mostly knit from the pattern but will modify length, sleeves etc. I look at the yarn the designer used for two things..gauge and drape. And I am very muvh a process knitter. It is my meditation although I am much slower due to Parkinson's. Love your videos and joy!
Regarding the acquisition scale: the initial intention is always to be bespoke, but usually since I buy the yarn I change my mind several times before I really start... so I get a yarn.. then I think that another one will be better... then I find a more suitable one etc.. so the result is that I have already a "sable" stash :D
Fun video! I am a pattern adjusting, small stash having, multi-WIP knitter. Normally I follow patterns, but rarely use the yarn called for. In 4 years of knitting, I think I’ve only done that twice! I don’t have a lot of space and move frequently so a smaller stash is best for me. I typically only buy yarn when I know what I want to make. But I’m looking forward to not moving so much so I can have a yarn room of my own! Multi-WIPs because as you described, I have different projects for different levels of brain bandwidth. I love washcloths for travel knitting, they take even less thought than socks. 😉
If i wasn't a strict bespoke yarn gatherer my innovation would FILL the house. it has to be yarn inspiration or pattern inspiration and then i'm off to every curious adventure! I am such a milti-WIP because of that haha if i'm not inspired, i'm finishing something that does seem fun. I've got cablechart WIP, lazy WIP, tiny WIP and blanket WIP all going
I made your small shawl because I would love to knit one of your design , but first I need to learn and understand the way of this are made and I love the way you teach ,😘
Thank you so much! I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I am currently experimenting on having a couple of my designs translated into Spanish. I am working with a lovely knitting designer from Chile to hopefully make it understandable to Spanish language knitters.
Well, there ya go again. Tearing my darkest secrets out of my tortured Freak of Kniture soul. COMPLIANCE: I haven't followed a pattern in decades, which accounts for the downside of the appearance of my.knitwear. I do osmosis certain features of certain designs into my own projects, which accounts for the upside. I am an input junkie, and I have several hundred books and magazines, but they are for inspiration and "instruction" rather than "instructions". By which I mean "this is how you do entrelac" rather than "follow these steps to get this item made in entrelac". For me compliance = conformity + acquiescence = uh-uh! I am reminded of a co-worker who made weekly trips to Old Navy to buy whatever was in the latest commercials. There are a great # of items out there I'd like to have exactly as designed, but I just can't seem to tear down that wall. And let's face it, the number of people all knitting any one pattern, exactly as I would, is minuscule compared to the number wearing last week's Henley. YARN ACQUISITION: For several years I was on a Thift Shop ONLY yarn diet. Surprisingly, my stash tripled or more in a very short time, and was probably about 60-75% high end yarns, that I'd never been able to afford. It got to be a fixation to find great bargains and snap them up. I was visiting 5 shops nearly every day, and sometimes would splurge $2.00 for bus tour around the city to hit 6 more. I'd say I spent about $100 - 150 a year, for yarns that would have totaled $1,000 or more. I'd like to say that it was the sight of 20 feet of shelves, piled 10 feet high with yarn, that just snapped me out of my frenzy one day. I'd like to say that, but it was really that 3 of the closest and most productive shops shut down, another stopped carrying yarn (sending it to a distant branch) and the last seldom had good deals. Now I support my LYS - spending more, getting less, and loving it just as much. I addressed the monogomousity issue under your last video, and have probably reduced you viewership with my rambling, so I'll end here with a heartfelt Thank You for Being You.
As with the previous video I tend to be on both ends of these axes. Definitely a hoarder, also buy specific amounts for specific garments, usually jumpers/cardigans. I use up bits an pieces to make hot water bottle covers, beanies, gloves. Usually only have one project on the go but then I will have numerous other craft projects going too. I am enjoying the thought provoking nature of your channel. Thank you.😀
I have a stash! Sometimes bought; occasionally acquired by taking apart a sweater to cannabalize it's yarn. Having a stash inspires me to continue from one knit item to the next. At this point, I have 3 WIPs -- and 2 wild hairs bouncing around in my head keeping me motivated to finish!
I "followed" my first pattern last week. In a completely different weight yarn where I had to adjust the size. :D I think I know where I fall on that scale...
Love your thought process Barbra and am enjoying your videos very much 💜 Compliance: I'm somewhere in the middle on this scale e.g I recently knitted a Princess Charlotte bonnet followed the pattern faithfully but made a matching blanket with no pattern (mainly because I could find one hehehe) just used the cable design from the bonnet...👶 Acquisitions: Definitely stash all the way and only buy more if I dont have enough for a particular project otherwise I purchase yarn just because it's so beautifully soft squishy, the colours and it makes me deliriously happy...😍 In Progress: Another definite Multi-WIP as I knit and crochet and sew, it gives my easily distracted brain the option to bounce around projects and also gives my arthritic hands a break from movement repetition 💜🧶
I'm definitely someone who needs a purpose for yarn, I don't want it unless I know what it's for and as much as I like the idea of having a lot of yarn, I don't actually want to have a lot. But there are so many projects and so many things to make and I can't make them without the yarn!
I'm watching part 1 and 2 of this vid while knitting for my grandson. As well as being a comfort process knitter, I am also a (mostly) compliant, multi WIP stasher. I buy yarn becasue I love yarn! I follow patterns, but use the yrn and needles that I like. I almost always have 2 or 3 projects on the needles. It all keeps me somewhat sane.
I find I usually have things I work on at once. I also will totally buy yarn thinking "this is gorgeous!" And then I'll find it again in my yarn box and think "why haven't I used this yet?!" I also find myself reworking projects, like scarves. I remember I have a scarf that has been at least 4 different scarves, but I enjoyed all of them, I just wanted something different. I've never thought about some of the things you bring up, and now I find then grey interesting. Wonderful video as always
That is really cool and honestly, you are probably the first person I have run into with that habit. I love the idea of reworking when you still love the yarn but maybe not the finished piece.
I love your no-judgment zone, Barbara! I'm fairly compliant to the pattern because I generally choose a thing for its look. That said, if i make a mistake that doesn't cause further problems, I call it a design flourish and move on. I aspire to be a stashless knitter, but the stack of plastic bins groaning with yarn just laugh at me. But I love that Ravelry will let me pair my yarns with my patterns and create a queue, so I never have to fret about what to make next. And I rarely have more than three WIPs at a time. Usually I have a portable project (often a sock), and one or two others (maybe a sweater and a hat). I have plenty of project bags, but I don't really have enough needles to stretch to more than three projects at a time. (Full sets of Chiaogoo interchangeables notwithstanding.)
Both videos about 'what kind of knitter are you' are so much fun and would be great fodder for a therapist! But first- thanks for making me feel better about my stash and my several WIPs. I steer away from the pattern when I goof and have to decide whether to frog or carry on in another way. Love your patterns, creativity, cheerfulness and expertise. I just found you recently and look forward to your videos and trying one of your mosaic patterns (from stashed yarn, of course)!
I(Sue) love this topic. I even brought it up in one of our episodes. I think of the three of us, I lean toward not accumulating too much of a stash (though it keeps growing). I do seem to have many WIPS going though.....and love starting new ones. I have "I'm waiting" wips for in my purse. I always have a large project like a blanket or big shawl going by my chair in front of the TV, and multiple others going as well...like shawls, hats, scarfs. As for patterns, I am definitely one of the "the pattern is just a suggestion" kind of knitter. I love changing yarn type, color, take out sections, changing stitches....etc.
Hello I am Carmen Paz from Antofagasta-Chile, since I found you on TH-cam I am enjoying to watch your videos , you explain things in a great way and I learn and understand a lot , About following a pattern , I am a follower, but about yarn I have a lot ( my husband will say to much) yarn every where at home, and every time a go through my satch it is make me happy. In progress I have some projects but during all the moths since March that we have to stay at home I am trying to finish, but I also do scrapbook, embroidery and quilt so I am easy distractive .
LOL, I think a lot of knitters have multiple different crafts that easily distract them. Thank you so much for watching and letting me know where from! I get so excited about learning were everyone is!
Loving thinking about these categories (while I knit and in our crochet group). Definitely a monogamous maker with multiple WIPs ---- meaning one project of each of multiple crafts. Mostly so I stay to gauge. Example: right now working on fingering weight colorwork hat (learning something new), acquiring yarn for Confundo (fun), doing crochet holiday gifts(easy), and repairing quilts (sewing), and spinning fiber for a cowl project (creative design). I can work on what I feel like that minute.
Oooh, these were good ones Barbara! Sooo, I actually learned a little bit about myself trying to answer your questions, and was surprised. I wanted to say I was pattern compliant, but then I realized the last three projects I’ve done I’ve altered slightly. Sometimes my alterations are an accident and I like it so I keep it (often this is knitting), or I just get an idea and go for it (this is more common with my crochet stuff). It normally isn’t because I think the designer did anything wrong, and often I really love the designer’s work and vision. Most of the time it’s me just experimenting with things to see how they go, I get a picture in my head and am very “what if?” and have to know what it would look like just a little different. I don’t often use the same yarn in the pattern because it is so hard for me to get many of those yarns in my part of the world! But as a spinner I do have a feel for what certain fibers do so I can often substitute without too much issue. The FO can look a little different but often it’s not too wildly different and most of the time it comes out looking very much like what the designer chose. As for whether I’m bespoke or a stasher? I’m much more bespoke, as it turns out! I love the idea of stash yarn but a stash gives me anxiety. I do have a soft spot for discounted yarn but when I choose it, I normally have some idea what it’s going to be, sometimes right down to the pattern. I like to buy pattern kits as well, if I can get them, so that the yarn has a purpose, and I know that purpose, even if it is going to be stored for a month (or four, lol) while I finish another project/s. And speaking of patterns, I’m a one-WIP kinda person. At the moment I have one big project and two little side projects that are getting done (gifts), but I’ll be done with both of the little ones within the next couple days and then back to the big project. I do this because, like you, I am easily distracted by every shiny thing! I don’t have much spare time and so focusing on one project insures I’ll be able to see it to completion and not get sidelined and upset it isn’t done. I told myself with my knitting and crochet that I wanted to prove I could finish things I started, and not let my ADD get in the way! Also, I’m not a fast knitter, I have a joint disorder that even though I’m somewhat young, slows me down a lot. So sticking to one thing brings me more enjoyment, because I get to see progress!
That is so great to hear and it was what I was hoping might happen for some people. I find a lot of comfort from understanding why I do some of the silly things I do and thought others might too.
Great video, and questions! I would say I am closer to innovative than faithful on the first scale. I rarely use the yarn, colour, or needle size recommended in the pattern. In garments I often lengthen the body, but shorten the sleeves. However I pretty much stay faithful to the pattern as written. On the yarn acquisition scale, I am definitely a stash buyer. This is especially true when attending yarn festivals, or visiting yarn stores while on vacation. I am also a quilter, and have a fabric stash. 😆. Yikes! I almost always work on more than one project at a time. I like to knit while watching videos on Streaming services. I also have my football knitting project every year, so I can keep my husband company while he watches football. So I like a lot of easy to follow patterns, and usually have 3 on the go at the same time.. Also, as I get older, complex patterns become frustrating and I make more mistakes. So I guess I will never get that Haruni shawl made...😊. There you have it! 💜💜🙏🏼
I am an innovative knitter because the resources here in the Philippines is not that wide. I always have to use a different yarn, also different pattern and then the colors as well.
once i get a handle on a pattern or stitch repeat, etc...i've about as compliant with patterns as i am with recipes (meaning...not very!...lol) when i was first learning to knit, i started with dish cloths, basically big swatches!. one of the first ones i made was a honeycomb pattern which involved k1B stitches. well...when i finished it, i realized that i had messed up the alternating repeat in once section. But i didn't frog back to fix it, because i really liked how it looked!. So i started another one as soon as it was finished & purposely didn't alternate the K1B stitches so that they ended up stacked up in line with each other & i LOVED the finished result. So i think that being comfortable "coloring outside the lines" can lead to some really awesome creations! I'm also very much a yarn stasher/hoarder....sometimes you hang onto a certain yarn for years & then come across a pattern where that lightbulb goes off & you're just "I have know the exact yarn that would be perfect for this!". & as far as the WIP scale goes?...you might as well call my house "Area 51" because i got so many UFO's!...lol. But I always force myself to finish one WIP, before i start another project....luckily for me, i have plenty of WIPs to choose from to finish, so i can start new projects pretty regularly...lol 😁
Well, they are often incorporated into decorative metalwork so that one can wear them LOL. But yes, also just rocks. And stamps. And coins. And tiny figurines of cats .... surround yourself with things that bring you joy!
I also liked what you said about innovation knitters. I started to improvise after my very first project and felt a little guilty about it and thought I wasn't supposed to knit that way. But a wise and more experienced knitter said that it's just like cooking: You can follow the recipe 100% because you want exactly the dish in the book. Or you can experiment and change the recipe or even create a new recipe based on it. In both cases it helps when you know one thing or two about cooking/knitting... but both things are valid.
I am closer to a faithful knitter. I am still learning and pick projects to learn something new so sticking to the pattern is pretty crucial if I am going to learn new things. That being said, I modified my first sweater sleeve construction 😁. As a sewer, I am finding that when it comes to garments I prefer the designers that have a lot of built in options and teach how to modify for fit. I prefer to be a bespoke knitter only buying yarn for a project. I don’t have space for a lot of yarn. I love fiber but am too practical to be comfortable with too much stash as I see it as a waste of money if it doesn’t get used. I have very little stash that doesn’t have a purpose. I am more middle of the road when it comes to WIPs. I do have a couple going, but find that I am really much happier when I stick to one project to the end. Too many WIPs stresses me out as I am more likely to finish a project if I stick to one at a time. I’m more of a project oriented person who doesn’t like to leave things undone for long.
When I learned to knit a sweater, I was 100% faithful to the designers colors and pattern. Now that I've knit a few, I'm learning to tweak a pattern for better fit. Because yarns get discontinued so quickly, I'm not faithful to the brand/color used in a pattern of yarn any more. I use what will give me gauge rather than the exact yarn called for. Learning how to substitute has been my greatest challenge. I'm bespoke. I can't afford to stash. All my leftover yarns are used for scrap blankets. I always have 2 in progress (1 is always a blanket) just to switch out when the mood strikes and have enough leftover yarn! :))
I love this kind of thought provoking video... What fun, to see how other knitters and crocheters thunk.. and ply their craft. I really don’t like to have a lot of WIPS... I’m a fairly slow knitter/crocheter, so I don’t like feeling overwhelmed... So I try to have only 2-4 real projects going at once...dishcloths don’t count. Since I am a TOTAL INFP, on the Meir/Briggs scale, this is hard for me.. I have to discipline myself not to start something new every day... The shiny penny, you knoe. I am generally faithful to the actual pattern (Live those uTube tutorials), but like to choose my own yarn...which may, or may, Orr not be similar to the designer’s choice, Onam beginning to put my own spin on some patterns... That comes when you understand how your project really works. Most of my work is for charity...babies, mostly, but includes prayer shawls, and lap blankets...I choose easy, comfort knitting or crochet patterns...sometimes mixing them up a little. I buy yar Thst calls my name...and I buy lots of yarn with babies, small children in mind. I often buy yarn with only a vague notion of exactly how I will use it. But, I do have ideas floating around in my brain. I learned...when I was quilting, that fabric, and therefore yarn, will speak to you...send you in the direction it wants to go.. You just have to be willing to listen. Hand piecing taught me how a block is structured, and then I had the freedom to be innovative. Working with yarn ...is much the same...the more Yiu understand how thungs work, the more freedom you have to put your own stamp on your projects. I like projects that are comforting to knit or crochet... My vision is poor, due to glaucoma, so I try to avoid projects that have weird stitches, or require close attention to a written pattern. A small challenge is OK, but I really like the soothing rhythm of the familiar... Familiarity...or at least an easy new pattern, allows me to be reflective, to listen to audio books, to pray, and to follow along with a rosary. I don’t care that I am not talented enough to knit or crochet complex stuff... I am happy Doing what I do... hoping to make a difference in someone’s life. Sandy from Cincinnati.
I am learning to knit but I’m an accomplished crocheter. I usually am compliant with a pattern but not necessarily using the same yarn or colours. I have a huge stash of yarns I have a general idea for use and I am always on the lookout for patterns to match. Multiple WIPS, you betcha! So I’m all over the place I guess lol
I’m a fairly Faithful knitter, because I lack confidence to make changes, except in regard to color. And, for acquisition, well, I have a fairly large Stash; unfortunately, mostly fingering weight; until recently, when I discovered DK to make my very first sweater ... stepping outside my comfort zone. In the past, I purchased yarn because it was pretty. Lots of single skeins in my stash. This year, I’ve been buying yarn for specific projects ... storing the skeins with the project name or pattern. As for current WIPs, I have several from years gone by and one new one from this year; however, since March, I’ve been able to work from home, saving me five hours commute time every day, I have finished at least five projects from the past and three new projects from this year. Most of my past projects ended up in the Mission box because my tastes in yarn and projects have changed. I’m currently trying to determine the best way to destash to recoup some of the money I’ve invested in my stash. Thanks for another thought provoking and fun video!
I am a slow knitter first of all, I have "fudged" many patterns....I have knit cables, tried different stitches, messed with Entrelac, Norwegian knitting, ect. I have knit sweaters scarves socks hats baby clothes afghans and given most of it away. used all kinds of different yarn, I have a small stash, I am also an artistic knitter, using different weights of yarn to make shawls with dropped stitches, I have felted hats then sewed all kinds of beading to it with needle felting, all given away, having said all that ...I love the feeling of just going into a trancelike state and knitting away! Making whatever I fancy with a loved one in mind thinking about them the whole time. I wish I was a lace knitter I hold those ppl in the highest regard, but its too tedious for me, every time I make a mistake it ruins my self esteem hahahaha!
Ooo ok mixture between stash and bespoke. Because I love having a stash of yarn but if I don't have the yarn in my stash ill get more for just that project. Oh and ima a big multi wip! And the pattern one... im in the middle if im super new ill follow the pattern but like the other day I crocheted something and I worked the rib then the middle was close to the pattern but so not... I was like I so messed that pattern up...but I liked the way mine came out. I have this scarf im working on now but im hoping to get some smaller circular needles so I can try my way at a hat!
Love the sliding scale convo’s! Kept saying that’s totally me! lol I live for my multi-wip’s! And my best most special super important “one day” yarn is part of a floating X shelf display. That way I can see and be inspired by it many times each day. It’s just fun and happy to look at too!
Faithful, Bespoke and mono WIP. I don’t have enough experience or maybe it’s courage to veer off of a pattern. Working on that. I went crazy buying yarn when I first started knitting and now I have yarn I don’t like and it makes me feel bad. I need to get rid of it. Lol I did buy some very beautiful yarn to design a hat to match some mittens I bought, but that’s another one of those courage things. I just need to jump in and try. Lastly I like working on one project at time. I give it my all and love the process and so look forward to the outcome of my efforts. Sometimes I feel like there just are so many beautiful patterns out there that I’d like to do and feel like oh my goodness there’s just not enough time.
This might have to be a video. It's ok to change. It's ok to look back at yarn you bought and decide it's no longer what you want to work with. If we didn't learn, evolve, and change we'd be pretty bored LOL.
I have a stash room. But will buy yarn for a specific pattern. I rarely find a pattern that is just the way I want it so I will tweak a pattern that is close to my plan. However, when I was very young (7) and learning to knit mittens or socks I did follow the pattern. I have at least two pairs of sock WIPS going at any given time. And always have at least one afghan project, at least one baby sweater project and a top project for me to wear. But most of my knitting is for gifting.
more faithful than not but i do like to customize a tiny bit. no stash except for extra sock yarn because covid means everything takes forever to arrive. i just started playing around with having more than 1 wip and i am liking it. i have different projects for different levels of attention and/or where i am sitting/walking. but this is new so we shall see
My Yarn Stash has become a Yarn Hoard, I like all the pretty things. I like to dabble with "adjusting" little things in a pattern, perhaps a different stitch, and I hardly ever use the yarn recommended. I have several WIP and a few PHD 🤭
On the yarn scale I am definitely Bespoke. It makes me stressed if I have yarn that I don't know what I'm going to do with. I have a little bit of a stash, but everything has a pattern in my Ravelry queue ready to go when I'm ready for it
Ooh, I think me being a project knitter plays into me being a mono-WIP knitter, because so much of the fun of knitting is achieving that goal of making the thing and having this thing I want done and in my hands, so if I have multiple things going on that just makes them all go slower and I want to see progress on THIS thing lol
I have several projects started then get tired of that yarn, color , pattern so I pick up a started project having learned from experience to keep everything for each project along with my notes of progress together in a closed container for when I pick it back up to finish. Eventually I do finish the projects. The oldest projectI finished was a pair of side cable socks only took 42 years. I actually put them in a shadow box and hung them up in my craft room. LOL. If You assume I have a large stash you’d be correct.
So many things to comment on. I am faithful for most except I may shorten or lengthen arms or body. If it has too much garter or stockinette, I'll cut it out and put lacework. Most of the yarn I use is similar and more affordable unless I have something I want to use. Rarely am I bespoke. (never thought I'd use that word lol) If I see a project that I want to do I check my stash and use whatever I have and make it work. If I can't then I buy something similar since most often the suggested yarn is more than I can afford. I used to buy yarn because it was on sale or pretty. Now I am trying to just use up the yarn I have even though it isn't the yarn called for I try it and see if it works. I have a traveling project, an at-home project, a time-out project and about 6 projects I have in queue.
Cool to find out where I am, pattern wise, ill use any yarn or color i Iike, but I'll stick to the pattern stich wise. I just buy yarn if I like it, but can use a pattern as excuse to buy extra yarn I had my eye on lol and definetly a multi wip person.
Great podcast! It really made me think about what kind of knitter I am. I usually follow a pattern, however I may use a different yarn, different color, and change the bind off, especially if it involves a crochet or picot edge. I am definitely a stash knitter! I love having yarn handy whenever I need it. I have multiple wips because I like having a variety of projects on hand. I keep a knitting journal to keep me on track. Really enjoyed these types of podcasts! Thanks!
You are just reading in my thoughts! ❤️ I've started knitting two month ago and have so mamy thoughts about it and You just said it loud. Amazing 😍 Maybe You could say something about designing a project from start to finish. Thank You ❤️
Nice ideas to consider, Barbara! I usually follow a pattern but sometimes make design features (boo boos) or simple changes. I’m not one to play around with pattern sizes and math calculations, I’d rather shop from stash instead. I rarely purchase the exact yarn the pattern calls for and would never knit the exact garment for the same reason that I don’t buy clothes I’m likely to see on everyone else. So definitely not bespoke. I’d rather shop my stash. And speaking of stash, I’m in the guilty pleasures category of seeing a yarn that talks to me and saving it until I find just the right pattern. Recently I’ve had time to start photographing and listing my stash on Ravelry which is helping reduce my purchases and expand pattern ideas. I definitely have SABLE but I love looking at my yarn and dream-knitting. That leads to WIPs: of course I have multiple WIPs! I think a lot of that is caused by being a process knitter. I don’t really worry about finishing unless it’s for a giveaway, ugh, so I definitely have a lot of bags with WIPs. Sometimes I have an issue with the project and come to a screeching halt while I figure out how to save the project. Other times the squirrel jumps out and I follow it down another project path. Lastly, one of my biggest traits is that I underestimate how long it will take me to finish a project by overestimating how much time I have. I think I’m going to knock something out really fast and then my time isn’t as free as I thought or I see another squirrel 🐿 Don’t anyone suggest that I keep track of my knitting time! I’m quite comfortable with my multi-WIP process-driven lifestyle ☺️ Fun to consider-keep those scales coming!
These are so fun. I am a mainly faithful pattern knitter. I only buy patterns I intend to make. I may change color or yarn, but never stitches. I am definitely a stash girl. My goal recently is to work through a lot of my stash so I will have room for more. (Oh the challenges of moving from 1600 sq ft to about 600 sq ft!) I am a little of both on WIPs although I have found I may not get back to a project for years, especially if its being more of a challenge than I expected .
That is quite a bit of downsizing! I buy patterns that I have no intention of ever knitting LOL! It's sort of my way of telling the designer I Love This and Please More.
@@WatchBarbaraKnit if I had more disposable income I might buy more patterns, but I am pretty much a product knitter. I think that's what you called it when one knits for the end product. I love the process, but the finished object is my reward for all the work.
If I'm learning a new pattern I try to follow the pattern pretty close. Once I know how it works and how difficult or easy it is then all bets and rules are off 😊
I am so in the middle, and move back and forth on which side of the middle I am on. It seems to be a total mood thing, and things happening in life. Such as Christmas project time, or a friend is having a baby.
Hi...1. I fall in the middle of pattern compliant. I am still in the beginner/ intermediate level of learning. I need to stay close to the pattern for now. 2. Develop a stash! I buy yarn like I buy fabric (being a quilter!). I work from my stash first. If I don't have what I am looking for in my stash...it is, then, that I go out shopping. 3. I am a multi-WIP person! Right now, I have 4 projects on the needle...1 Knitting...2 crocheting and 1 DPN...By the way, I have 4 quilts that I need to quilt! LOL It's all good!
the only 4 yarns that i didn't buy for a specific purpose were bought the summer of last year or longer ago; the latter from when i was just learning to knit and had other, more prominent hobbies, the former from when i was starting to seriously get into knitting. though i still have some stash built up, since i will happily buy yarn that comes in balls hundreds of grams over what i need, if it's right in all the other ways. and of course i accept all the gifts i can get, that adds quite a bit of bulk. patterns i very much adjust to my needs. sometimes that still means following the pattern completely, (though i've never bought the recommended yarn..) sometimes it just means using it to figure out a basic shape. wips are.. tough. i generally just work on one project, but if i'm doing something very big and monotonous it tends to get abandoned... currently i have 2 such abandoned projects. still on the needles, no plan of frogging, they'll just have to wait a good long while. i also have a wip that i just ran out of yarn for and that'll have to wait until i feel like going to the store. and then an actual active project. i definitely never have multiple of those.
Merci Merci Merci Barbara for this part "deux"! I've watched this video many times over and reflected each time. I have to say first, I've been "confunded" several times by "Confundo"! Had to frog many times : such frustration, but thank goodness for lifelines ! Still haven't finished the darn thing, haved put it off to the side several times, but am determined to finish it because I LOVE the end result ! But I guess I'm a multi-wip: since learning to knit recently, I suddenly remembered learning to crochet with my "Nanny" (Dad's Mom) and somehow crocheting feels so much more comfortable ! Although I haven't crocheted in 40 years ! But sometimes when I feel too challenged with knitting, I fall back into the comfort of crocheting. Although whether knitting or crocheting, I still want to learn new techniques, which help me learn new things... Does this make sense ?
I am glad you are sticking to it and I am sorry that it is causing problems for you. But you'll come out the other end a better knitter. Sounds like you have a lot of fun with crafting.
@@WatchBarbaraKnit brrrr.. Barbara, I've decided to quit my Confundo shawl for the moment. I was so excited about starting and finishing this beautiful project as quickly as possible. But now I realize that just because colors look pretty on the shelf, and even next to each other in the knitting bag, they don't necessarily work well together in a project! I was so thrilled to add in my 3rd color, but when it finally happened : yuck! It just doesn't work. I've been trying to convince myself to keep on going, that all will work out, but I know that in this case, my ambition oughtweighs my knowledge. Can you help ?? I'm so disappointed, but definitely will not give in! I will see this lovely project through to it's fruition! Thank you again and again for all of your encouragement! xoxo, Pam
Interesting. I'll substitute yarns with similar properties (plant vs animal, weight, ply structure) and colors, and add length to sweaters in pattern (at 6' tall almost everything is too short as written), but not do any heavy redesign. For both stash/bespoke and multi/mono WIP it depends on the project. I tend to pick a sweater pattern, buy yarn, knit it one at a time. But I've got plenty of stashed single skeins and tend to have a few small projects going at once (right now it's work meeting socks in plain stockinette and netflix socks that are a little more involved but still no heavy counting).
LoL! I am a non-compliant, stash acquiring , yarn hoarding - bordering on a serious "habit" if it was a drug, multi-WIP, challenged based process Maker. I've even had to institute 'Finish it Fridays' where I'm not allowed to start new projects on Fridays, and must only work on finishing projects, clearing my in progress work, decluttering when possible, so that I don't rush into new projects before the weekend, and can look forward to a clean slate to go into the weekend, and especially for work on Mondays.
A... pattern compliant - well, maybe the first time. Once I get the idea of the designer, I sometimes combine other ideas where I want them. If I have the exact yarn I'm good, but it doesn't have to be the same color for sure. B. I'm a stasher for most of my yarn acquisitions, but if I want to make a specific thing, I will buy yarn for that project if I don't have it. Pairing up purchases at the same time doesn't usually happen. I have a stash of patterns and of yarn, and sometimes they even match up! C. Multi. Definitely multi. Maybe multiple-multies. HAHAHA!! Yeah. I've lost count. Working on one at a time gets boring. I have a project in each place where I sit. If I have to finish them all I'll have to live to be 300.
If I was only allowed to knit one project at a time I would never finish it... after a while it gets tiring or I get bored by the pattern. Once I was annoyed by a project because the yarn was black and I had the need to knit something colorful. When I have multiple projects, I can come back to the first one when it's interesting again... just like you explained. :) In this way knitting stays fun for me. At the same time I try to limit the number of projects because I also need the sense of achievement to stay motivated. When I don't finish any project in months, this can get frustrating. That's why I have phases where I'm really focused on one or two projects.
Ok... I have a stash... usually with intent for a particular use, but that can change at any given time... I have multiple wins and projects going at once... so if I get bored or frustrated with one I can work on something else for a while... usually small ones.. finally I adjust my patterns using the heart of the original design... mainly sleeves... I am tall and am getting grammas 'wings ' lol. Don't want that extenuated on me... length of body etc... or a pattern is almost what I want but not exactly... lol Ps don't worry so much about triggering us! Lol. Thanks for all you do
#1. Not overly concerned about following directions. Somewhat due to MS moments but also because if it's already been done, what's the point? #2 I have a second hobby, yarn collection. Sometimes the yarn is bespoke but always subject to change. #3 WIP over run my house but I'm finding I finish things better if I only work on one large project with small ones for a break along the way. Love the scales!
I am not totally compliant, I will follow a pattern more closely, when it’s something I’m unfamiliar with. But I’m going to choose my own color and yarn. Sometimes you have to buy yarn when you see it, or you lose out on it. I still think about a skein of yarn I didn’t buy when I was first learning to knit, over 10 years ago. And I like to have several different wips going at one time.
I'm kind of all over your scales... Since I mostly knit scarves (a necessary item in Minnesota), I'm not much of an innovative knitter, since I use them to learn, and practice a new type of stitch. I figure it gives me time to get it down, while making something useful/needed (most scarves go for donations). I'll admit to having a stash of yarn, but thankfully it all fits in one box. Locally, we have a "fabric garage sale" once a year, and much of it is from going to that. Been able to find some _really_ good yarn, for criminally cheep prices. It's trying to figure out what to do with the yarn after I have it. Case in point is one of my current projects. Black mohair being knit into a square shawl, spider lace for the pattern, on size 9. It's obviously not a "traveling piece", and took three attempts to start. I have done scarves for people that I specifically look for yarn just for that purpose. Though I've also bought yarn for a specific person, dyed the yarn, devised a pattern, and got LUCKY with how it turned out. As to your "progress scale", I'm down on the WIP end. I have the shawl, and three scarves on needles, and am a very much "whim/location" person. Partially because before all the covid closures hit, I'd have a project to work on while between clients at work. Also why I mostly knit scarves, since they are easy to transport, put down, pick up, and don't have to be overly complicated.
Here we go again. Who am I? Definitely a innovative knitter. I kind of follow the pattern but do a lot of mods and never use the yarn called for. I often make cardigans of sweaters and add a lot of stuff. I'm all for the bespoke yarn. I definitely get stressed by yarn that lays around without an adress. I can have mountains of yarn as long as there is a plan for it. That yarn can switch pattern a few time before I get to it though. But there always is a plan. I have one exception and that is sock yarn. That I can buy in bulk, since I know it will be used. I'm one of those knitters that almost always have a sock on my needles and I want to be sure to never run out. That outs me as a multiple WIP knitter. I used to be a mono WIP until recently. I've trained myself to be a multi because I often got the FO blues and felt creatively empty when I had finished a large project. Now I always have other projects going and have fixed my problem. It was hard at first, because I got stressed and was afraid to forget what I was doing. Ravelry saved me and I use it like a knitting diary. I'm all for the planning. I love to plan projects. It´s fun that you make us think about our knitting in this way, Barbara!
Don't know if I have ever made anything that I completely followed a pattern. I tend to do this with everything. As in cooking , rarely ever follow a recipe without changing it some, or sew a pattern without changing it. Many times I have put two or more patterns together or just use them as a slight guide. I have a few statches of yarn, material, etc. I will sometimes buy a yarn thinking to make one thing and then do something else with it.
COMPLIANCE: I am so far on the Inventive end that I didn’t even start with yarn choice when thinking about being on the Inventive end. I’m not sure that I’ve EVER knit something in the suggested yarn. My first project was a pattern I made from an amalgamation of 3 patterns. I added pockets to my second project. You get the idea. Barbara said it best when she said that patterns were just guidelines. YARN ACQUISITION: I’m on the Bespoke side because I don’t like having a ton of yarn hanging around, but I do sometimes buy yarn that I just can’t resist or to support a LYS. WIPs: I am completely on the end of the Multi-WIP side of the spectrum. I get easily distracted.
HA! You usually make me laugh but this episode?! Oh man. Truth revealed!!! Lol!! So, I have to be a compliance knitter because I am a newbie at this knitting thing BUT I am a long time crocheter SO I have a HUGE yarn stash. I love yarn sales. I cannot walk away from them!! This is my weakness. I do a ton of charity crocheting so that's my excuse. I am also a multi-crafter: I quilt, sew, embroider and cross-stitch - so you can imagine the state of my craft room. Which, by the way, is my master bedroom. Yeah. New scale idea though: how many of us are multi-craftual? And how many of us have separate craft rooms?
I have enough yarn to make a garage,,,but,,it is mostly spoken for..I think there are so many new yarns coming out other things just become outdated..I have found if I buy better yarn,it stays in fashion longer..good luck all..🤗👍🧶
I’m still trying to figure out what kind of a knitter I’m becoming . Been knitting for about 1yr & 1/2 so far I follow the patten as written but I don’t use the exact yarn they call for or color I some times do change the size. I am creating quite a collection!! I started buying yarn as I needed from either Joans, Michaels or on line from lion brand. Now I have 2 yarn subscription boxes that have introduced me to beautiful indie dyed/ hand dyed yarns so now I have quite a collection of these beautiful yarns which I have been buying because they make me happy and hope to find the perfect pattern for them🤷🏻♀️I also have several crochet and knit projects on my needles and hooks 5 or 7 🤦🏻♀️ 3 shawls , one cardigan ,1 child size sweater, an amigurumi hamburger my niece has been asking for and 1 twin size blanket some of these r for Christmas gifts. I am enjoying every moment I get to sit and create each item 👍❤️🧶🙂
I am a stash and multi-WIP I have 6 going now and actually roll a dice each day to see which I'm doing!! My patterns are guidelines when simple and faithful when complex haha 😄 What about the scale for pattern types? One one end you do only one type of pattern (shawl or hats) the other always something new?
Most of the knitting I've done has either been so simple as to not require a pattern, or else I've made it up on the fly and forgotten to write down the pattern for future reference. At least it makes for some truly unique items! In instances where I have followed patterns - I've made an entrelac scarf, and a hat or two based on patterns - I tend to follow the pattern but substitute yarn, since I usually can't afford the yarns the designer specifies. I have a bunch of yarn waiting to be made into a cardigan, but have unfortunately misplaced the pattern! If I can't find it soon I might have to fork out for a replacement. I'm very much a stash builder, which is dangerous because my LYS is only a fifteen minute walk away. I'm trying to make a dent in it, which lockdown has helped a little but not much. And while I try not to have too many pieces on the go at once... it hasn't really worked out yet! I have 2 projects that I really ought to revisit, and one on my needles as I watch your videos that's very nearly done!
Thank you for another great think session. I think on those scale. I think I'm like a ping pong ball. Lol! I go one way made for a pattern, and the other way for yarn or visa versa. And sometimes it's the middle for either one or both. Sometimes I think I know what I want and then when I do it , it turns out that I don't know. Lol
1. I'm an innovator. I find the closest thing to what I want, and then modify to get what my end goal is. Also, I'm actually surprised to hear that people actually use the exact same yarn that the designer created the pattern in, mostly because I don't assume that yarn is necessarily easily obtainable for any particular knitter. I thought the yarn is listed in the design in case the knitter actually wanted to get the exact same look, but that it rarely happens, and most people just use another yarn of similar weight. 2. I have a stash. :(( 3. I juggle multiple projects. Sometimes I will start something and force myself to not look left or right until I finish it, but right now I have a few projects that are almost finished, and I'm just starting something else.
I think you would be very surprised. To the extent that I sometimes get rather unpleasant emails from people when a yarn for a pattern gets discontinued.
I am bespoke I usually have one b I g project and will pop off a baby blanket for a new great nephew. Then return to my biggie. Or someone adkes for a scrubby or dishcloth, bang, then back to big. So interesting to contemplate there may be more like me out there. I do buy interesting yarns on the side. Something huggable and living the color. So a stash does exist. Here in many boxes, bags, and shelves. So not so bespoke? Do love to follow directions, enjoy patterns that give measurements instead of stitch numbers that allow for yarn therefore needle adjustments that make room for using fingerings or bulky, according requests or my mood. Hmm really not so bespoke?
I loved this video! I definitely have a stash but the majority of the yarn in my stash matches a specific project. Does that make sense? I buy yarn to match a project but I have so many projects planned I have a built up stash😁. I also, have multiple wip. I hate dragging my projects around so I have one in my bedroom, one by my couch, and a couple that I just needed a break from and will get back to. I’m somewhere in the middle of of how I follow patterns.😊
I have to have at least 1 comfort/tv knitting project going usually multiple ones and I'll throw in a bit of a challenge here and there and hope that I have the mental energy for it and don't just abandon it out of frustration cough cough sprout shawl
Another interesting follow up and i can see you put the yarn stasher there. I am trying to limit my yarn here and you keep saying whatever makes me happy is not helping! 😆 For compliance, you would think a newbie like me would love to follow everything to the t and not think so much about yarn and pattern and swatches, but sadly, I can't and not out of defiance nor creativity. I live in a tropical country but i love the pattern of european and north american patterns. I cant walk around with a cozy alpaca hat and snuggly merino jumper. Hence yarn subtitution and a dash of luck is needed. Not everything come out as the pattern call it but for me its as good as its gonna get. I need more pattern cotton, linen, bamboo and silk yarn pls. ☺
I totally feel you. Where I live is pretty dang hot most of the year. That's why I wrote an entire book on using bulky yarn to knit lace! Otherwise I could never knit with it.
I always wanted 2 b a faithful knitter but im slightly askew from faithful. Crochet im way more on innovative side, i use patterns as base formulas. Yarn acquisition scale im more stash side & i have moments i buy yarn 4 specific patterns but then change my mind & i leave it alone til im more certain. The in progress scale i wish i was more mono-wip. But im not. I have anxiety when i do 1 project @ a time. I feel more @ ease w multiple wips. I get bored easy & i put them down 4 days or weeks @ a time. I have 1 sock wip, blanket wip, baby set(hat, booties, diaper cover), coin pouch, & a baby sweater. I also have @ least 2 more blanket ideas & 3 sewaters @ least 2 make 4 myself but i have a lot of anxiety about making garments especially 4 myself cuz im a 2xl lady
as for the scales from your first videos, my positions on these might have to do with me being a fairly new knitter and may or may not change with time, who knows for compliance i'd say i'm 60% faithful/40% innovative but that really depends on projects. i always substitute yarns because some designers love their fancy indie hand spun and dyed yarns and i do not have that kind of money although i'll respect weight and to an extent, fibre content (i'll knit animal fibre designs in animal fibres and same with plant fibres if it's important for the type of garment, and i avoid 25%+ synthetic yarns), colours tho, the designer is not the boss of me and there's little chance i'll ever knit a neon green anything. my very first project was a 100% winged no pattern cowl where i cast on a random amount of stitches until the length seemed okay on a needle size that wasn't what the yarn label called for x)) my first, and so far only, sweater i basically followed the pattern to a t, the only thing i changed was switching it from a flat knit to be sewn up to a knit in the round and i lengthened it quite a bit (i even used the same yarn as it was a pattern from a yarn company so i got both together and in the same colour bc it spoke to me). the top i made over the summer ended up with the same shape and lace pattern as what the designer did but doesn't really look like it (used a completely plant based blend instead of a linen/wool in a much different colour, made the lace only a bottom/side/upper back detail instead of having it run all the way from the bottom to the chest). the shawl i'm working on right now is very much followed except for the colours obviously and the garter tab that i hacked because it is a very cursed technique+an increase row that i tweaked because it originally made the thing not symmetrical anymore and that bugged me. on yarn i'm almost 95% bespoke, i get yarn and it will be for a thing and i fight hard against being an impulse buyer. i buy for several projects some specific and others "potential" so i kinda have a stash but i know the balls i have in a box will be a sweater or cardigan, the gradient cake is to be a shawl and some of what my grandma gave me from her stash will be a hat, i just need to find the perfect patterns. the only stashy thing i have is leftovers from previous project because i seem to either not use as much as pattern tell me i will or get extra yarn. and with progress i'm definitely 100% monowip for i fear getting more than one thing to work on will make me forget or disinterested about the first one.
Huh. Amazing how I’ve actually been on both ends of all three at some point. I actually right now only have one OTN but usually have more- but with Covid, I’m home and able to quilt more , does that count? 😃 I’ve been both a stash and a bespoke knitter. I definitely feel overwhelmed sometimes by the sadness of single skeins that I really have no clue what they will become. But once I started knitting socks and found it was the perfect project for a soccer mom, I snap up patrons Kory sock whenever it’s on sale. I have more skeins of sock yarn than total completed socks but if you consider I’ve only knitted socks since January... and for faithful or innovative, height and freAkishly long arms were the reason I started knitting in the first place. After all, how hard could it really be? 🤣
7:31 I am a yarn hoarder 😊
And I am a multi-wip. Sometimes I have had a half finished sweater laying around for years before finally finishing it, other times I knit a sweater in a week.
Thank you! Great conversation. I realize I am a true knitter because I can identify myself in all the categories. It's fun to relate to another knitter...there isn't many in my world!
Lucky we can find each other in this weird wide web.
Ughh. I get it! Zero knitters in my world 😞
This is awesome!!! I laughed so hard at the “yarn acquisition” scale!!! LOL Excuse me while I dig out of my yarn pile here so I can thumbs up your video!!🤣
Another thought provoking episode. I have a sizable stash and use it to substitute yarn in patterns. Other than yarn choices, I rarely get innovative with patterns. I have usually have three wips. One each for concentration, conversation, and transportation. As the arthritis in my hands worsens, those usually include large needles, small needles, and a crochet project so I can switch them around. Great episode.
I can totally see how changing out needle sizes would help with arthritis. I have been developing it in my right thumb and it is all kinds of no fun.
I had a craft teacher say to never feel guilty about half finished quilts, knitting etc projects because you always learn something by doing.
Perfect!
I have a quilting friend who had as much fabric as I do...and yes, we could start a small store. She got around the 'guilt' question by saying, "Everyone deserves a hobby. My (her) hobby is collecting fabric...if there is clothing or quilts after the fact, that is just a bonus." Me? Just no guilt in the first place.....lololol
Barbara what fun to think about! I am faithful to a pattern, but may have a “design element” included when I make a mistake ☺️. I have ventured in to a couple of my own pattern attempts for my own education and enjoyment, but much prefer to purchase patterns from professionals like you (working on Oh No, Mr Bond... right now for a birthday gift for my grandson). I seldom am able to get just the same yarns or colors the pattern calls for, but I’m okay with that. I am definitely on the Stash end of the Acquisition scale. 😂 many bins of many weights of many types of yarns! I’m ready for anything! And I have several WIP bags (my Courant for example - which BTW I really wanted the original colorway, and searched the Web until I found a close match
You seem to be a more is more kinda knitter - which is fabulous! It is so fun that you are working on both Bond & Courant! If you are in the FB group I'd love to see pictures!
I am so very thankful that your videos came into my life. I have grown as both a maker and a person since watching your videos. Thank you for sharing your perspective, joy, and wisdom on life the universe and knitting.
I definitely tend toward innovating a pattern, both color and yarn brand/type, sometimes the pattern itself.
I'm more of a bespoke knitter, though I do keep a small stash of 'just in case I feel bored' fiber.
I never return to finish a project I've set aside, so, I do everything I can to assure I finish what's on the needles - a mono-wip knitter.
Awww, thank you for your kind words! I am so glad I can be here for you.
I’ve so enjoyed your videos to further define what kind of knitter I am! I am a mono-project knitter at home with a “travel bag of easy knits” to pick up for visiting with friends and traveling.
So much of it depends on mood, eh?
Again, awesome topic!! I would say that I'm a compliance knitter, but as my knitting skills have grown, I'm more confident to take liberties with the pattern, especially if it's not too fitted or complicated. I like to think that the multi/mono WIP mind set might go hand in hand with the process vs project knitter. As a project knitter, I like the feeling of a finished project. Having multiple unfinished projects just stresses me out, so lean towards the mono-WIP. Maybe that's just me though! I don't think there is anyone that is pinned at one end of any of these spectrums, more just "lean" one way or another. Thanks so much for these fun discussions!!
Your spot may change with your moods!
Thank you so much for this video. I am in the middle of the compliance chart, I'm not confident knitting garments as an innovative knitter so follow the pattern. I may change the yarn and needle size to obtain gauge.
the yarn acquisition is a mixed bag, I will often buy the yarn that goes with a pattern, but I also love to buy yarn when I travel or visit local yarn shops and have no idea what I'll be knitting with it - such fun! I don't have too many multiple projects going, but usually try finishing one projects before finishing the others.
Thank you for your thoughts!
I almost always have socks on and generally 2 pairs. 1 will indeed be more challenging and one mindlessly soothing.
100%compliance, usually with 3 or more patterns. 🤣
There is something very comforting about following a pattern and knowing it will come out just so!
I am a Scrooge McDuck. My studio looks like a candy store. My mouth waters when I walk in! 😘. I pretty much stick to the pattern as I am still learning every day. Try not to Multi WIP. But it is hard. I can loose steam if I quit in the middle.
Sounds awesome!
I’m a total stasher! I collect both yarn and shiny rocks 🤩 When I’m bored, I re-organize the yarn and inventory the yarn 🤓
Nothing wrong with shiny rocks LOL!
I am such a stash builder but began to decide on a quantity (sweater, shawl, mitts) to help me decide how much to buy of a particular yarn. So I have LOTS of cowl, self-striping socks and sweater amounts. I am mostly monogamous but as you mrntioned, will break off to work on a different project for a break. I tend to have a sweater, socks, and s cowl/shawl pattern going. I mostly knit from the pattern but will modify length, sleeves etc. I look at the yarn the designer used for two things..gauge and drape. And I am very muvh a process knitter. It is my meditation although I am much slower due to Parkinson's. Love your videos and joy!
Very cool! Thanks for sharing.
Regarding the acquisition scale: the initial intention is always to be bespoke, but usually since I buy the yarn I change my mind several times before I really start... so I get a yarn.. then I think that another one will be better... then I find a more suitable one etc.. so the result is that I have already a "sable" stash :D
That is a new one for me and I love it. Stable Stash. - I just realized I misread that LOL! still funny
Fun video! I am a pattern adjusting, small stash having, multi-WIP knitter. Normally I follow patterns, but rarely use the yarn called for. In 4 years of knitting, I think I’ve only done that twice! I don’t have a lot of space and move frequently so a smaller stash is best for me. I typically only buy yarn when I know what I want to make. But I’m looking forward to not moving so much so I can have a yarn room of my own! Multi-WIPs because as you described, I have different projects for different levels of brain bandwidth. I love washcloths for travel knitting, they take even less thought than socks. 😉
Washcloths are the best "instant gratification" projects!
If i wasn't a strict bespoke yarn gatherer my innovation would FILL the house. it has to be yarn inspiration or pattern inspiration and then i'm off to every curious adventure! I am such a milti-WIP because of that haha if i'm not inspired, i'm finishing something that does seem fun. I've got cablechart WIP, lazy WIP, tiny WIP and blanket WIP all going
I have multiple whips always and yarn stash. Love seeing you.
That is awesome!
I made your small shawl because I would love to knit one of your design , but first I need to learn and understand the way of this are made and I love the way you teach ,😘
Thank you so much! I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I am currently experimenting on having a couple of my designs translated into Spanish. I am working with a lovely knitting designer from Chile to hopefully make it understandable to Spanish language knitters.
Well, there ya go again. Tearing my darkest secrets out of my tortured Freak of Kniture soul.
COMPLIANCE: I haven't followed a pattern in decades, which accounts for the downside of the appearance of my.knitwear. I do osmosis certain features of certain designs into my own projects, which accounts for the upside. I am an input junkie, and I have several hundred books and magazines, but they are for inspiration and "instruction" rather than "instructions". By which I mean "this is how you do entrelac" rather than "follow these steps to get this item made in entrelac".
For me compliance = conformity + acquiescence = uh-uh! I am reminded of a co-worker who made weekly trips to Old Navy to buy whatever was in the latest commercials. There are a great # of items out there I'd like to have exactly as designed, but I just can't seem to tear down that wall. And let's face it, the number of people all knitting any one pattern, exactly as I would, is minuscule compared to the number wearing last week's Henley.
YARN ACQUISITION: For several years I was on a Thift Shop ONLY yarn diet. Surprisingly, my stash tripled or more in a very short time, and was probably about 60-75% high end yarns, that I'd never been able to afford. It got to be a fixation to find great bargains and snap them up. I was visiting 5 shops nearly every day, and sometimes would splurge $2.00 for bus tour around the city to hit 6 more. I'd say I spent about $100 - 150 a year, for yarns that would have totaled $1,000 or more.
I'd like to say that it was the sight of 20 feet of shelves, piled 10 feet high with yarn, that just snapped me out of my frenzy one day. I'd like to say that, but it was really that 3 of the closest and most productive shops shut down, another stopped carrying yarn (sending it to a distant branch) and the last seldom had good deals. Now I support my LYS - spending more, getting less, and loving it just as much.
I addressed the monogomousity issue under your last video, and have probably reduced you viewership with my rambling, so I'll end here with a heartfelt Thank You for Being You.
I'm right there with you on the first one!
Indeed you did address the WIP issue last video. That is one of the reasons why it showed up in this one! Thank you!
As with the previous video I tend to be on both ends of these axes. Definitely a hoarder, also buy specific amounts for specific garments, usually jumpers/cardigans. I use up bits an pieces to make hot water bottle covers, beanies, gloves. Usually only have one project on the go but then I will have numerous other craft projects going too. I am enjoying the thought provoking nature of your channel. Thank you.😀
Glad you had fun with the video.
Buying yarn and Using yarn are 2 different hobbies😁
I stand by that!
I have a stash! Sometimes bought; occasionally acquired by taking apart a sweater to cannabalize it's yarn. Having a stash inspires me to continue from one knit item to the next. At this point, I have 3 WIPs -- and 2 wild hairs bouncing around in my head keeping me motivated to finish!
Sounds like a ton of fun!
I "followed" my first pattern last week. In a completely different weight yarn where I had to adjust the size. :D I think I know where I fall on that scale...
As long as you're happy with the results, it's all good!
Love your thought process Barbra and am enjoying your videos very much 💜
Compliance: I'm somewhere in the middle on this scale e.g I recently knitted a Princess Charlotte bonnet followed the pattern faithfully but made a matching blanket with no pattern (mainly because I could find one hehehe) just used the cable design from the bonnet...👶
Acquisitions: Definitely stash all the way and only buy more if I dont have enough for a particular project otherwise I purchase yarn just because it's so beautifully soft squishy, the colours and it makes me deliriously happy...😍
In Progress: Another definite Multi-WIP as I knit and crochet and sew, it gives my easily distracted brain the option to bounce around projects and also gives my arthritic hands a break from movement repetition 💜🧶
Thank you!
I'm definitely someone who needs a purpose for yarn, I don't want it unless I know what it's for and as much as I like the idea of having a lot of yarn, I don't actually want to have a lot. But there are so many projects and so many things to make and I can't make them without the yarn!
It is a catch 22 LOL!
I'm watching part 1 and 2 of this vid while knitting for my grandson. As well as being a comfort process knitter, I am also a (mostly) compliant, multi WIP stasher. I buy yarn becasue I love yarn! I follow patterns, but use the yrn and needles that I like. I almost always have 2 or 3 projects on the needles. It all keeps me somewhat sane.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
I find I usually have things I work on at once. I also will totally buy yarn thinking "this is gorgeous!" And then I'll find it again in my yarn box and think "why haven't I used this yet?!" I also find myself reworking projects, like scarves. I remember I have a scarf that has been at least 4 different scarves, but I enjoyed all of them, I just wanted something different. I've never thought about some of the things you bring up, and now I find then grey interesting. Wonderful video as always
That is really cool and honestly, you are probably the first person I have run into with that habit. I love the idea of reworking when you still love the yarn but maybe not the finished piece.
I love your no-judgment zone, Barbara!
I'm fairly compliant to the pattern because I generally choose a thing for its look. That said, if i make a mistake that doesn't cause further problems, I call it a design flourish and move on. I aspire to be a stashless knitter, but the stack of plastic bins groaning with yarn just laugh at me. But I love that Ravelry will let me pair my yarns with my patterns and create a queue, so I never have to fret about what to make next. And I rarely have more than three WIPs at a time. Usually I have a portable project (often a sock), and one or two others (maybe a sweater and a hat). I have plenty of project bags, but I don't really have enough needles to stretch to more than three projects at a time. (Full sets of Chiaogoo interchangeables notwithstanding.)
Go with the flow!
Both videos about 'what kind of knitter are you' are so much fun and would be great fodder for a therapist! But first- thanks for making me feel better about my stash and my several WIPs. I steer away from the pattern when I goof and have to decide whether to frog or carry on in another way. Love your patterns, creativity, cheerfulness and expertise. I just found you recently and look forward to your videos and trying one of your mosaic patterns (from stashed yarn, of course)!
LOL. I am a knitting therapist then? ;)
@@WatchBarbaraKnit Yes, by association!
I(Sue) love this topic. I even brought it up in one of our episodes. I think of the three of us, I lean toward not accumulating too much of a stash (though it keeps growing). I do seem to have many WIPS going though.....and love starting new ones. I have "I'm waiting" wips for in my purse. I always have a large project like a blanket or big shawl going by my chair in front of the TV, and multiple others going as well...like shawls, hats, scarfs. As for patterns, I am definitely one of the "the pattern is just a suggestion" kind of knitter. I love changing yarn type, color, take out sections, changing stitches....etc.
I rarely do a large project but recently have been thinking about blankets. Maybe I should get on that.
Hello I am Carmen Paz from Antofagasta-Chile, since I found you on TH-cam I am enjoying to watch your videos , you explain things in a great way and I learn and understand a lot , About following a pattern , I am a follower, but about yarn I have a lot ( my husband will say to much) yarn every where at home, and every time a go through my satch it is make me happy. In progress I have some projects but during all the moths since March that we have to stay at home I am trying to finish, but I also do scrapbook, embroidery and quilt so I am easy distractive .
LOL, I think a lot of knitters have multiple different crafts that easily distract them. Thank you so much for watching and letting me know where from! I get so excited about learning were everyone is!
Loving thinking about these categories (while I knit and in our crochet group). Definitely a monogamous maker with multiple WIPs ---- meaning one project of each of multiple crafts. Mostly so I stay to gauge. Example: right now working on fingering weight colorwork hat (learning something new), acquiring yarn for Confundo (fun), doing crochet holiday gifts(easy), and repairing quilts (sewing), and spinning fiber for a cowl project (creative design). I can work on what I feel like that minute.
Switching between crafts is a great idea!
Oooh, these were good ones Barbara!
Sooo, I actually learned a little bit about myself trying to answer your questions, and was surprised. I wanted to say I was pattern compliant, but then I realized the last three projects I’ve done I’ve altered slightly. Sometimes my alterations are an accident and I like it so I keep it (often this is knitting), or I just get an idea and go for it (this is more common with my crochet stuff). It normally isn’t because I think the designer did anything wrong, and often I really love the designer’s work and vision. Most of the time it’s me just experimenting with things to see how they go, I get a picture in my head and am very “what if?” and have to know what it would look like just a little different. I don’t often use the same yarn in the pattern because it is so hard for me to get many of those yarns in my part of the world! But as a spinner I do have a feel for what certain fibers do so I can often substitute without too much issue. The FO can look a little different but often it’s not too wildly different and most of the time it comes out looking very much like what the designer chose.
As for whether I’m bespoke or a stasher? I’m much more bespoke, as it turns out! I love the idea of stash yarn but a stash gives me anxiety. I do have a soft spot for discounted yarn but when I choose it, I normally have some idea what it’s going to be, sometimes right down to the pattern. I like to buy pattern kits as well, if I can get them, so that the yarn has a purpose, and I know that purpose, even if it is going to be stored for a month (or four, lol) while I finish another project/s.
And speaking of patterns, I’m a one-WIP kinda person. At the moment I have one big project and two little side projects that are getting done (gifts), but I’ll be done with both of the little ones within the next couple days and then back to the big project. I do this because, like you, I am easily distracted by every shiny thing! I don’t have much spare time and so focusing on one project insures I’ll be able to see it to completion and not get sidelined and upset it isn’t done. I told myself with my knitting and crochet that I wanted to prove I could finish things I started, and not let my ADD get in the way! Also, I’m not a fast knitter, I have a joint disorder that even though I’m somewhat young, slows me down a lot. So sticking to one thing brings me more enjoyment, because I get to see progress!
That is so great to hear and it was what I was hoping might happen for some people. I find a lot of comfort from understanding why I do some of the silly things I do and thought others might too.
Terrific subject!
Great video, and questions! I would say I am closer to innovative than faithful on the first scale. I rarely use the yarn, colour, or needle size recommended in the pattern. In garments I often lengthen the body, but shorten the sleeves. However I pretty much stay faithful to the pattern as written. On the yarn acquisition scale, I am definitely a stash buyer. This is especially true when attending yarn festivals, or visiting yarn stores while on vacation. I am also a quilter, and have a fabric stash. 😆. Yikes! I almost always work on more than one project at a time. I like to knit while watching videos on Streaming services. I also have my football knitting project every year, so I can keep my husband company while he watches football. So I like a lot of easy to follow patterns, and usually have 3 on the go at the same time.. Also, as I get older, complex patterns become frustrating and I make more mistakes. So I guess I will never get that Haruni shawl made...😊. There you have it! 💜💜🙏🏼
Patterns are just kinda suggestions, eh? LOL And you've got to have a stash for each craft when you are multi-craftual.
Quilters are a cut above excuse the pun......You guys are on the top of the craft chain.....I tried that too and is so hard!
I love the video and topic. I am such a yarn stash many wips kind of knitter and love it very much
You do you! That is awesome.
I am an innovative knitter because the resources here in the Philippines is not that wide. I always have to use a different yarn, also different pattern and then the colors as well.
I hope you're still having fun tho! It is so cool that the internet allows us to "chat" with each other from so far.
@@WatchBarbaraKnit of course, despite the distance knitting brings us together. Ain't that amazing?
once i get a handle on a pattern or stitch repeat, etc...i've about as compliant with patterns as i am with recipes (meaning...not very!...lol) when i was first learning to knit, i started with dish cloths, basically big swatches!. one of the first ones i made was a honeycomb pattern which involved k1B stitches. well...when i finished it, i realized that i had messed up the alternating repeat in once section. But i didn't frog back to fix it, because i really liked how it looked!. So i started another one as soon as it was finished & purposely didn't alternate the K1B stitches so that they ended up stacked up in line with each other & i LOVED the finished result. So i think that being comfortable "coloring outside the lines" can lead to some really awesome creations! I'm also very much a yarn stasher/hoarder....sometimes you hang onto a certain yarn for years & then come across a pattern where that lightbulb goes off & you're just "I have know the exact yarn that would be perfect for this!".
& as far as the WIP scale goes?...you might as well call my house "Area 51" because i got so many UFO's!...lol. But I always force myself to finish one WIP, before i start another project....luckily for me, i have plenty of WIPs to choose from to finish, so i can start new projects pretty regularly...lol 😁
LOL, I'm glad the video prompted some introspection!
I definitely comply with patterns... I'm not very confident yet. I'm also a yarn collector and i have so many wips....
Confidence will come with experience!
Some people collect brightly colored rocks?! I suddenly felt better about my yarn stash, 😂.
Well, they are often incorporated into decorative metalwork so that one can wear them LOL. But yes, also just rocks. And stamps. And coins. And tiny figurines of cats .... surround yourself with things that bring you joy!
I also liked what you said about innovation knitters. I started to improvise after my very first project and felt a little guilty about it and thought I wasn't supposed to knit that way. But a wise and more experienced knitter said that it's just like cooking: You can follow the recipe 100% because you want exactly the dish in the book. Or you can experiment and change the recipe or even create a new recipe based on it. In both cases it helps when you know one thing or two about cooking/knitting... but both things are valid.
For some people, patterns are just ... suggestions LOL!
I am closer to a faithful knitter. I am still learning and pick projects to learn something new so sticking to the pattern is pretty crucial if I am going to learn new things. That being said, I modified my first sweater sleeve construction 😁. As a sewer, I am finding that when it comes to garments I prefer the designers that have a lot of built in options and teach how to modify for fit. I prefer to be a bespoke knitter only buying yarn for a project. I don’t have space for a lot of yarn. I love fiber but am too practical to be comfortable with too much stash as I see it as a waste of money if it doesn’t get used. I have very little stash that doesn’t have a purpose. I am more middle of the road when it comes to WIPs. I do have a couple going, but find that I am really much happier when I stick to one project to the end. Too many WIPs stresses me out as I am more likely to finish a project if I stick to one at a time. I’m more of a project oriented person who doesn’t like to leave things undone for long.
I hear you on the "too many wips" causing stress!
I'm half way between bespoke and stash.
When I learned to knit a sweater, I was 100% faithful to the designers colors and pattern. Now that I've knit a few, I'm learning to tweak a pattern for better fit. Because yarns get discontinued so quickly, I'm not faithful to the brand/color used in a pattern of yarn any more. I use what will give me gauge rather than the exact yarn called for. Learning how to substitute has been my greatest challenge.
I'm bespoke. I can't afford to stash. All my leftover yarns are used for scrap blankets.
I always have 2 in progress (1 is always a blanket) just to switch out when the mood strikes and have enough leftover yarn! :))
You'll never be cold!
I love this kind of thought provoking video... What fun, to see how other knitters and crocheters thunk.. and ply their craft.
I really don’t like to have a lot of WIPS... I’m a fairly slow knitter/crocheter, so I don’t like feeling overwhelmed... So I try to have only 2-4 real projects going at once...dishcloths don’t count. Since I am a TOTAL INFP, on the Meir/Briggs scale, this is hard for me.. I have to discipline myself not to start something new every day... The shiny penny, you knoe.
I am generally faithful to the actual pattern (Live those uTube tutorials), but like to choose my own yarn...which may, or may, Orr not be similar to the designer’s choice, Onam beginning to put my own spin on some patterns... That comes when you understand how your project really works.
Most of my work is for charity...babies, mostly, but includes prayer shawls, and lap blankets...I choose easy, comfort knitting or crochet patterns...sometimes mixing them up a little. I buy yar Thst calls my name...and I buy lots of yarn with babies, small children in mind.
I often buy yarn with only a vague notion of exactly how I will use it. But, I do have ideas floating around in my brain.
I learned...when I was quilting, that fabric, and therefore yarn, will speak to you...send you in the direction it wants to go.. You just have to be willing to listen. Hand piecing taught me how a block is structured, and then I had the freedom to be innovative. Working with yarn ...is much the same...the more Yiu understand how thungs work, the more freedom you have to put your own stamp on your projects.
I like projects that are comforting to knit or crochet... My vision is poor, due to glaucoma, so I try to avoid projects that have weird stitches, or require close attention to a written pattern. A small challenge is OK, but I really like the soothing rhythm of the familiar... Familiarity...or at least an easy new pattern, allows me to be reflective, to listen to audio books, to pray, and to follow along with a rosary.
I don’t care that I am not talented enough to knit or crochet complex stuff... I am happy Doing what I do... hoping to make a difference in someone’s life.
Sandy from Cincinnati.
I'm so glad you like these videos. I really enjoy reading everyone's responses and have been trying to figure out how to get more LOL!
I am learning to knit but I’m an accomplished crocheter. I usually am compliant with a pattern but not necessarily using the same yarn or colours. I have a huge stash of yarns I have a general idea for use and I am always on the lookout for patterns to match. Multiple WIPS, you betcha! So I’m all over the place I guess lol
You are exactly where it is perfect for you to be!
I’m a fairly Faithful knitter, because I lack confidence to make changes, except in regard to color. And, for acquisition, well, I have a fairly large Stash; unfortunately, mostly fingering weight; until recently, when I discovered DK to make my very first sweater ... stepping outside my comfort zone. In the past, I purchased yarn because it was pretty. Lots of single skeins in my stash. This year, I’ve been buying yarn for specific projects ... storing the skeins with the project name or pattern. As for current WIPs, I have several from years gone by and one new one from this year; however, since March, I’ve been able to work from home, saving me five hours commute time every day, I have finished at least five projects from the past and three new projects from this year. Most of my past projects ended up in the Mission box because my tastes in yarn and projects have changed. I’m currently trying to determine the best way to destash to recoup some of the money I’ve invested in my stash. Thanks for another thought provoking and fun video!
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment!
I am a slow knitter first of all, I have "fudged" many patterns....I have knit cables, tried different stitches, messed with Entrelac, Norwegian knitting, ect. I have knit sweaters scarves socks hats baby clothes afghans and given most of it away. used all kinds of different yarn, I have a small stash, I am also an artistic knitter, using different weights of yarn to make shawls with dropped stitches, I have felted hats then sewed all kinds of beading to it with needle felting, all given away, having said all that ...I love the feeling of just going into a trancelike state and knitting away! Making whatever I fancy with a loved one in mind thinking about them the whole time. I wish I was a lace knitter I hold those ppl in the highest regard, but its too tedious for me, every time I make a mistake it ruins my self esteem hahahaha!
Sounds like you do plenty of great stuff to be proud of. If you don't like lace you don't like it!
I have a mono wip and innovative... Thank you this video.
Wonderful!
Ooo ok mixture between stash and bespoke. Because I love having a stash of yarn but if I don't have the yarn in my stash ill get more for just that project.
Oh and ima a big multi wip!
And the pattern one... im in the middle if im super new ill follow the pattern but like the other day I crocheted something and I worked the rib then the middle was close to the pattern but so not... I was like I so messed that pattern up...but I liked the way mine came out.
I have this scarf im working on now but im hoping to get some smaller circular needles so I can try my way at a hat!
Love the sliding scale convo’s! Kept saying that’s totally me! lol I live for my multi-wip’s! And my best most special super important “one day” yarn is part of a floating X shelf display. That way I can see and be inspired by it many times each day. It’s just fun and happy to look at too!
That is super fun!
Faithful, Bespoke and mono WIP. I don’t have enough experience or maybe it’s courage to veer off of a pattern. Working on that. I went crazy buying yarn when I first started knitting and now I have yarn I don’t like and it makes me feel bad. I need to get rid of it. Lol I did buy some very beautiful yarn to design a hat to match some mittens I bought, but that’s another one of those courage things. I just need to jump in and try. Lastly I like working on one project at time. I give it my all and love the process and so look forward to the outcome of my efforts. Sometimes I feel like there just are so many beautiful patterns out there that I’d like to do and feel like oh my goodness there’s just not enough time.
This might have to be a video. It's ok to change. It's ok to look back at yarn you bought and decide it's no longer what you want to work with. If we didn't learn, evolve, and change we'd be pretty bored LOL.
I have a stash room. But will buy yarn for a specific pattern. I rarely find a pattern that is just the way I want it so I will tweak a pattern that is close to my plan. However, when I was very young (7) and learning to knit mittens or socks I did follow the pattern. I have at least two pairs of sock WIPS going at any given time. And always have at least one afghan project, at least one baby sweater project and a top project for me to wear. But most of my knitting is for gifting.
Sounds like a lot of knitting fun going on round your way!
more faithful than not but i do like to customize a tiny bit. no stash except for extra sock yarn because covid means everything takes forever to arrive. i just started playing around with having more than 1 wip and i am liking it. i have different projects for different levels of attention and/or where i am sitting/walking. but this is new so we shall see
Expect change - but it will be towards better!
My Yarn Stash has become a Yarn Hoard, I like all the pretty things. I like to dabble with "adjusting" little things in a pattern, perhaps a different stitch, and I hardly ever use the yarn recommended. I have several WIP and a few PHD 🤭
It's fun to think about, isn't it?
On the yarn scale I am definitely Bespoke. It makes me stressed if I have yarn that I don't know what I'm going to do with. I have a little bit of a stash, but everything has a pattern in my Ravelry queue ready to go when I'm ready for it
Ooh, I think me being a project knitter plays into me being a mono-WIP knitter, because so much of the fun of knitting is achieving that goal of making the thing and having this thing I want done and in my hands, so if I have multiple things going on that just makes them all go slower and I want to see progress on THIS thing lol
I'm glad the video got you thinking!
I have several projects started then get tired of that yarn, color , pattern so I pick up a started project having learned from experience to keep everything for each project along with my notes of progress together in a closed container for when I pick it back up to finish. Eventually I do finish the projects. The oldest projectI finished was a pair of side cable socks only took 42 years. I actually put them in a shadow box and hung them up in my craft room. LOL. If You assume I have a large stash you’d be correct.
Well you beat me. I thought my 5 year pair of socks was pretty bad LOL!
So many things to comment on. I am faithful for most except I may shorten or lengthen arms or body. If it has too much garter or stockinette, I'll cut it out and put lacework. Most of the yarn I use is similar and more affordable unless I have something I want to use. Rarely am I bespoke. (never thought I'd use that word lol) If I see a project that I want to do I check my stash and use whatever I have and make it work. If I can't then I buy something similar since most often the suggested yarn is more than I can afford. I used to buy yarn because it was on sale or pretty. Now I am trying to just use up the yarn I have even though it isn't the yarn called for I try it and see if it works. I have a traveling project, an at-home project, a time-out project and about 6 projects I have in queue.
Yeah, it was hard to keep a straight face using bespoke - but it really did fit LOL.
Cool to find out where I am, pattern wise, ill use any yarn or color i Iike, but I'll stick to the pattern stich wise.
I just buy yarn if I like it, but can use a pattern as excuse to buy extra yarn I had my eye on lol and definetly a multi wip person.
Patterns definitely do enable us, eh?
Great podcast! It really made me think about what kind of knitter I am. I usually follow a pattern, however I may use a different yarn, different color, and change the bind off, especially if it involves a crochet or picot edge. I am definitely a stash knitter! I love having yarn handy whenever I need it. I have multiple wips because I like having a variety of projects on hand. I keep a knitting journal to keep me on track. Really enjoyed these types of podcasts! Thanks!
Wonderful! I'm so glad you liked the video!
...never have more yarn than the project I'm working on at the time...that's definitely not me 🤪
You are just reading in my thoughts! ❤️ I've started knitting two month ago and have so mamy thoughts about it and You just said it loud. Amazing 😍 Maybe You could say something about designing a project from start to finish. Thank You ❤️
Hmmmm, I will have to think on that. I honestly don't think I've ever designed two patterns in the same way.
@@WatchBarbaraKnit Oh, it would be nice to hear from You about different ways of designing patterns 😍
I also would LOVE to hear more about the different types of design processes you have!
Nice ideas to consider, Barbara! I usually follow a pattern but sometimes make design features (boo boos) or simple changes. I’m not one to play around with pattern sizes and math calculations, I’d rather shop from stash instead. I rarely purchase the exact yarn the pattern calls for and would never knit the exact garment for the same reason that I don’t buy clothes I’m likely to see on everyone else. So definitely not bespoke. I’d rather shop my stash. And speaking of stash, I’m in the guilty pleasures category of seeing a yarn that talks to me and saving it until I find just the right pattern. Recently I’ve had time to start photographing and listing my stash on Ravelry which is helping reduce my purchases and expand pattern ideas. I definitely have SABLE but I love looking at my yarn and dream-knitting. That leads to WIPs: of course I have multiple WIPs! I think a lot of that is caused by being a process knitter. I don’t really worry about finishing unless it’s for a giveaway, ugh, so I definitely have a lot of bags with WIPs. Sometimes I have an issue with the project and come to a screeching halt while I figure out how to save the project. Other times the squirrel jumps out and I follow it down another project path. Lastly, one of my biggest traits is that I underestimate how long it will take me to finish a project by overestimating how much time I have. I think I’m going to knock something out really fast and then my time isn’t as free as I thought or I see another squirrel 🐿 Don’t anyone suggest that I keep track of my knitting time! I’m quite comfortable with my multi-WIP process-driven lifestyle ☺️ Fun to consider-keep those scales coming!
I don't know how many more I can come up with LOL! And I always chase squirrels, at least with my eyes.
These are so fun. I am a mainly faithful pattern knitter. I only buy patterns I intend to make. I may change color or yarn, but never stitches. I am definitely a stash girl. My goal recently is to work through a lot of my stash so I will have room for more. (Oh the challenges of moving from 1600 sq ft to about 600 sq ft!)
I am a little of both on WIPs although I have found I may not get back to a project for years, especially if its being more of a challenge than I expected
.
That is quite a bit of downsizing! I buy patterns that I have no intention of ever knitting LOL! It's sort of my way of telling the designer I Love This and Please More.
@@WatchBarbaraKnit if I had more disposable income I might buy more patterns, but I am pretty much a product knitter. I think that's what you called it when one knits for the end product. I love the process, but the finished object is my reward for all the work.
If I'm learning a new pattern I try to follow the pattern pretty close. Once I know how it works and how difficult or easy it is then all bets and rules are off 😊
I am so in the middle, and move back and forth on which side of the middle I am on. It seems to be a total mood thing, and things happening in life. Such as Christmas project time, or a friend is having a baby.
That is totally understandable!
Hi...1. I fall in the middle of pattern compliant. I am still in the beginner/ intermediate level of learning. I need to stay close to the pattern for now. 2. Develop a stash! I buy yarn like I buy fabric (being a quilter!). I work from my stash first. If I don't have what I am looking for in my stash...it is, then, that I go out shopping. 3. I am a multi-WIP person! Right now, I have 4 projects on the needle...1 Knitting...2 crocheting and 1 DPN...By the way, I have 4 quilts that I need to quilt! LOL It's all good!
You are so multi! LOL
@@WatchBarbaraKnit It's called RETIREMENT. 🤓
the only 4 yarns that i didn't buy for a specific purpose were bought the summer of last year or longer ago; the latter from when i was just learning to knit and had other, more prominent hobbies, the former from when i was starting to seriously get into knitting. though i still have some stash built up, since i will happily buy yarn that comes in balls hundreds of grams over what i need, if it's right in all the other ways. and of course i accept all the gifts i can get, that adds quite a bit of bulk.
patterns i very much adjust to my needs. sometimes that still means following the pattern completely, (though i've never bought the recommended yarn..) sometimes it just means using it to figure out a basic shape.
wips are.. tough. i generally just work on one project, but if i'm doing something very big and monotonous it tends to get abandoned... currently i have 2 such abandoned projects. still on the needles, no plan of frogging, they'll just have to wait a good long while. i also have a wip that i just ran out of yarn for and that'll have to wait until i feel like going to the store. and then an actual active project. i definitely never have multiple of those.
So glad that this video made you ponder these things!
Merci Merci Merci Barbara for this part "deux"!
I've watched this video many times over and reflected each time.
I have to say first, I've been "confunded" several times by "Confundo"! Had to frog many times : such frustration, but thank goodness for lifelines !
Still haven't finished the darn thing, haved put it off to the side several times, but am determined to finish it because I LOVE the end result !
But I guess I'm a multi-wip: since learning to knit recently, I suddenly remembered learning to crochet with my "Nanny" (Dad's Mom) and somehow crocheting feels so much more comfortable ! Although I haven't crocheted in 40 years ! But sometimes when I feel too challenged with knitting, I fall back into the comfort of crocheting.
Although whether knitting or crocheting, I still want to learn new techniques, which help me learn new things... Does this make sense ?
I am glad you are sticking to it and I am sorry that it is causing problems for you. But you'll come out the other end a better knitter. Sounds like you have a lot of fun with crafting.
@@WatchBarbaraKnit brrrr.. Barbara, I've decided to quit my Confundo shawl for the moment. I was so excited about starting and finishing this beautiful project as quickly as possible. But now I realize that just because colors look pretty on the shelf, and even next to each other in the knitting bag, they don't necessarily work well together in a project!
I was so thrilled to add in my 3rd color, but when it finally happened : yuck! It just doesn't work. I've been trying to convince myself to keep on going, that all will work out, but I know that in this case, my ambition oughtweighs my knowledge.
Can you help ??
I'm so disappointed, but definitely will not give in! I will see this lovely project through to it's fruition!
Thank you again and again for all of your encouragement! xoxo, Pam
Interesting. I'll substitute yarns with similar properties (plant vs animal, weight, ply structure) and colors, and add length to sweaters in pattern (at 6' tall almost everything is too short as written), but not do any heavy redesign. For both stash/bespoke and multi/mono WIP it depends on the project. I tend to pick a sweater pattern, buy yarn, knit it one at a time. But I've got plenty of stashed single skeins and tend to have a few small projects going at once (right now it's work meeting socks in plain stockinette and netflix socks that are a little more involved but still no heavy counting).
Heavy counting! LOL, that is a great way to put it.
LoL! I am a non-compliant, stash acquiring , yarn hoarding - bordering on a serious "habit" if it was a drug, multi-WIP, challenged based process Maker. I've even had to institute 'Finish it Fridays' where I'm not allowed to start new projects on Fridays, and must only work on finishing projects, clearing my in progress work, decluttering when possible, so that I don't rush into new projects before the weekend, and can look forward to a clean slate to go into the weekend, and especially for work on Mondays.
Sounds like an excellent battle strategy!
A... pattern compliant - well, maybe the first time. Once I get the idea of the designer, I sometimes combine other ideas where I want them. If I have the exact yarn I'm good, but it doesn't have to be the same color for sure. B. I'm a stasher for most of my yarn acquisitions, but if I want to make a specific thing, I will buy yarn for that project if I don't have it. Pairing up purchases at the same time doesn't usually happen. I have a stash of patterns and of yarn, and sometimes they even match up! C. Multi. Definitely multi. Maybe multiple-multies. HAHAHA!! Yeah. I've lost count. Working on one at a time gets boring. I have a project in each place where I sit. If I have to finish them all I'll have to live to be 300.
If you can make 300 that would be awesome!
The biggest shock while watching this video was finding out that people don't have a yarn stash as big as the local yarn store
I know RIGHT?
If I was only allowed to knit one project at a time I would never finish it... after a while it gets tiring or I get bored by the pattern. Once I was annoyed by a project because the yarn was black and I had the need to knit something colorful. When I have multiple projects, I can come back to the first one when it's interesting again... just like you explained. :) In this way knitting stays fun for me. At the same time I try to limit the number of projects because I also need the sense of achievement to stay motivated. When I don't finish any project in months, this can get frustrating. That's why I have phases where I'm really focused on one or two projects.
It's great to know where you stand - that makes it easier to keep going.
Ok... I have a stash... usually with intent for a particular use, but that can change at any given time... I have multiple wins and projects going at once... so if I get bored or frustrated with one I can work on something else for a while... usually small ones.. finally I adjust my patterns using the heart of the original design... mainly sleeves... I am tall and am getting grammas 'wings ' lol. Don't want that extenuated on me... length of body etc... or a pattern is almost what I want but not exactly... lol
Ps don't worry so much about triggering us! Lol.
Thanks for all you do
Thank you for your thoughts and for watching!
#1. Not overly concerned about following directions. Somewhat due to MS moments but also because if it's already been done, what's the point?
#2 I have a second hobby, yarn collection. Sometimes the yarn is bespoke but always subject to change.
#3 WIP over run my house but I'm finding I finish things better if I only work on one large project with small ones for a break along the way.
Love the scales!
Curating a yarn collection is 100% a great hobby all on it's own.
I am not totally compliant, I will follow a pattern more closely, when it’s something I’m unfamiliar with. But I’m going to choose my own color and yarn. Sometimes you have to buy yarn when you see it, or you lose out on it. I still think about a skein of yarn I didn’t buy when I was first learning to knit, over 10 years ago. And I like to have several different wips going at one time.
Oh, what could have been with that skein LOL!
Innovative, stash and multiWIP...
Cool!
I'm A multi-wip, stash accumulating, knitter!
Excellent!
I'm kind of all over your scales...
Since I mostly knit scarves (a necessary item in Minnesota), I'm not much of an innovative knitter, since I use them to learn, and practice a new type of stitch. I figure it gives me time to get it down, while making something useful/needed (most scarves go for donations).
I'll admit to having a stash of yarn, but thankfully it all fits in one box. Locally, we have a "fabric garage sale" once a year, and much of it is from going to that. Been able to find some _really_ good yarn, for criminally cheep prices. It's trying to figure out what to do with the yarn after I have it. Case in point is one of my current projects. Black mohair being knit into a square shawl, spider lace for the pattern, on size 9. It's obviously not a "traveling piece", and took three attempts to start. I have done scarves for people that I specifically look for yarn just for that purpose. Though I've also bought yarn for a specific person, dyed the yarn, devised a pattern, and got LUCKY with how it turned out.
As to your "progress scale", I'm down on the WIP end. I have the shawl, and three scarves on needles, and am a very much "whim/location" person. Partially because before all the covid closures hit, I'd have a project to work on while between clients at work. Also why I mostly knit scarves, since they are easy to transport, put down, pick up, and don't have to be overly complicated.
How big is the box? LOL
It's only a printer paper box, so not _that_ big. But.... I still find the occasional ball of yarn that isn't in there, and won't fit.
lol
Here we go again. Who am I? Definitely a innovative knitter. I kind of follow the pattern but do a lot of mods and never use the yarn called for. I often make cardigans of sweaters and add a lot of stuff. I'm all for the bespoke yarn. I definitely get stressed by yarn that lays around without an adress. I can have mountains of yarn as long as there is a plan for it. That yarn can switch pattern a few time before I get to it though. But there always is a plan. I have one exception and that is sock yarn. That I can buy in bulk, since I know it will be used. I'm one of those knitters that almost always have a sock on my needles and I want to be sure to never run out. That outs me as a multiple WIP knitter. I used to be a mono WIP until recently. I've trained myself to be a multi because I often got the FO blues and felt creatively empty when I had finished a large project. Now I always have other projects going and have fixed my problem. It was hard at first, because I got stressed and was afraid to forget what I was doing. Ravelry saved me and I use it like a knitting diary. I'm all for the planning. I love to plan projects. It´s fun that you make us think about our knitting in this way, Barbara!
I'm so glad you enjoy these videos. When I made the first one I had no idea how people would react. They aren't your "normal" knitting video LOL.
Don't know if I have ever made anything that I completely followed a pattern. I tend to do this with everything. As in cooking , rarely ever follow a recipe without changing it some, or sew a pattern without changing it. Many times I have put two or more patterns together or just use them as a slight guide. I have a few statches of yarn, material, etc. I will sometimes buy a yarn thinking to make one thing and then do something else with it.
I may or may not have started designing out of an inability to remain faithful to a pattern LOL.
COMPLIANCE: I am so far on the Inventive end that I didn’t even start with yarn choice when thinking about being on the Inventive end. I’m not sure that I’ve EVER knit something in the suggested yarn. My first project was a pattern I made from an amalgamation of 3 patterns. I added pockets to my second project. You get the idea. Barbara said it best when she said that patterns were just guidelines.
YARN ACQUISITION: I’m on the Bespoke side because I don’t like having a ton of yarn hanging around, but I do sometimes buy yarn that I just can’t resist or to support a LYS.
WIPs: I am completely on the end of the Multi-WIP side of the spectrum. I get easily distracted.
Sounds like super fun!
HA! You usually make me laugh but this episode?! Oh man. Truth revealed!!! Lol!! So, I have to be a compliance knitter because I am a newbie at this knitting thing BUT I am a long time crocheter SO I have a HUGE yarn stash. I love yarn sales. I cannot walk away from them!! This is my weakness. I do a ton of charity crocheting so that's my excuse. I am also a multi-crafter: I quilt, sew, embroider and cross-stitch - so you can imagine the state of my craft room. Which, by the way, is my master bedroom. Yeah. New scale idea though: how many of us are multi-craftual? And how many of us have separate craft rooms?
Hmmm, I will ponder about the multi-craftual thing. I don't know if I want to get into peoples living arrangements tho LOL!
I have enough yarn to make a garage,,,but,,it is mostly spoken for..I think there are so many new yarns coming out other things just become outdated..I have found if I buy better yarn,it stays in fashion longer..good luck all..🤗👍🧶
You never know when you'll need a whole house cozy.
I’m still trying to figure out what kind of a knitter I’m becoming . Been knitting for about 1yr & 1/2 so far I follow the patten as written but I don’t use the exact yarn they call for or color I some times do change the size. I am creating quite a collection!! I started buying yarn as I needed from either Joans, Michaels or on line from lion brand. Now I have 2 yarn subscription boxes that have introduced me to beautiful indie dyed/ hand dyed yarns so now I have quite a collection of these beautiful yarns which I have been buying because they make me happy and hope to find the perfect pattern for them🤷🏻♀️I also have several crochet and knit projects on my needles and hooks 5 or 7 🤦🏻♀️ 3 shawls , one cardigan ,1 child size sweater, an amigurumi hamburger my niece has been asking for and 1 twin size blanket some of these r for Christmas gifts. I am enjoying every moment I get to sit and create each item 👍❤️🧶🙂
Self exploration is so satisfying!
I am a stash and multi-WIP I have 6 going now and actually roll a dice each day to see which I'm doing!! My patterns are guidelines when simple and faithful when complex haha 😄
What about the scale for pattern types? One one end you do only one type of pattern (shawl or hats) the other always something new?
Hmmm, that is an interesting thought!
Most of the knitting I've done has either been so simple as to not require a pattern, or else I've made it up on the fly and forgotten to write down the pattern for future reference. At least it makes for some truly unique items! In instances where I have followed patterns - I've made an entrelac scarf, and a hat or two based on patterns - I tend to follow the pattern but substitute yarn, since I usually can't afford the yarns the designer specifies. I have a bunch of yarn waiting to be made into a cardigan, but have unfortunately misplaced the pattern! If I can't find it soon I might have to fork out for a replacement.
I'm very much a stash builder, which is dangerous because my LYS is only a fifteen minute walk away. I'm trying to make a dent in it, which lockdown has helped a little but not much. And while I try not to have too many pieces on the go at once... it hasn't really worked out yet! I have 2 projects that I really ought to revisit, and one on my needles as I watch your videos that's very nearly done!
Sounds like a lot of yarny fun!
Thank you for another great think session. I think on those scale. I think I'm like a ping pong ball. Lol! I go one way made for a pattern, and the other way for yarn or visa versa. And sometimes it's the middle for either one or both. Sometimes I think I know what I want and then when I do it , it turns out that I don't know. Lol
Love that!
1. I'm an innovator. I find the closest thing to what I want, and then modify to get what my end goal is. Also, I'm actually surprised to hear that people actually use the exact same yarn that the designer created the pattern in, mostly because I don't assume that yarn is necessarily easily obtainable for any particular knitter. I thought the yarn is listed in the design in case the knitter actually wanted to get the exact same look, but that it rarely happens, and most people just use another yarn of similar weight.
2. I have a stash. :((
3. I juggle multiple projects. Sometimes I will start something and force myself to not look left or right until I finish it, but right now I have a few projects that are almost finished, and I'm just starting something else.
I think you would be very surprised. To the extent that I sometimes get rather unpleasant emails from people when a yarn for a pattern gets discontinued.
I am bespoke
I usually have one b I g project and will pop off a baby blanket for a new great nephew. Then return to my biggie. Or someone adkes for a scrubby or dishcloth, bang, then back to big. So interesting to contemplate there may be more like me out there.
I do buy interesting yarns on the side. Something huggable and living the color. So a stash does exist. Here in many boxes, bags, and shelves. So not so bespoke?
Do love to follow directions, enjoy patterns that give measurements instead of stitch numbers that allow for yarn therefore needle adjustments that make room for using fingerings or bulky, according requests or my mood. Hmm really not so bespoke?
I loved this video! I definitely have a stash but the majority of the yarn in my stash matches a specific project. Does that make sense? I buy yarn to match a project but I have so many projects planned I have a built up stash😁. I also, have multiple wip. I hate dragging my projects around so I have one in my bedroom, one by my couch, and a couple that I just needed a break from and will get back to. I’m somewhere in the middle of of how I follow patterns.😊
Makes total sense. It's not really a stash then, they are just proto-projects.
My life goal is to have a Bespoke stash
That is a great goal!
I have to have at least 1 comfort/tv knitting project going usually multiple ones and I'll throw in a bit of a challenge here and there and hope that I have the mental energy for it and don't just abandon it out of frustration cough cough sprout shawl
Right now I think a lot of us are lacking in mental energy.
Another interesting follow up and i can see you put the yarn stasher there. I am trying to limit my yarn here and you keep saying whatever makes me happy is not helping! 😆
For compliance, you would think a newbie like me would love to follow everything to the t and not think so much about yarn and pattern and swatches, but sadly, I can't and not out of defiance nor creativity. I live in a tropical country but i love the pattern of european and north american patterns. I cant walk around with a cozy alpaca hat and snuggly merino jumper. Hence yarn subtitution and a dash of luck is needed. Not everything come out as the pattern call it but for me its as good as its gonna get. I need more pattern cotton, linen, bamboo and silk yarn pls. ☺
I totally feel you. Where I live is pretty dang hot most of the year. That's why I wrote an entire book on using bulky yarn to knit lace! Otherwise I could never knit with it.
I always wanted 2 b a faithful knitter but im slightly askew from faithful. Crochet im way more on innovative side, i use patterns as base formulas. Yarn acquisition scale im more stash side & i have moments i buy yarn 4 specific patterns but then change my mind & i leave it alone til im more certain. The in progress scale i wish i was more mono-wip. But im not. I have anxiety when i do 1 project @ a time. I feel more @ ease w multiple wips. I get bored easy & i put them down 4 days or weeks @ a time. I have 1 sock wip, blanket wip, baby set(hat, booties, diaper cover), coin pouch, & a baby sweater. I also have @ least 2 more blanket ideas & 3 sewaters @ least 2 make 4 myself but i have a lot of anxiety about making garments especially 4 myself cuz im a 2xl lady
I know way more crocheters who are comfortable going off pattern than I do knitters. I think it is just a different mindset.
as for the scales from your first videos, my positions on these might have to do with me being a fairly new knitter and may or may not change with time, who knows
for compliance i'd say i'm 60% faithful/40% innovative but that really depends on projects. i always substitute yarns because some designers love their fancy indie hand spun and dyed yarns and i do not have that kind of money although i'll respect weight and to an extent, fibre content (i'll knit animal fibre designs in animal fibres and same with plant fibres if it's important for the type of garment, and i avoid 25%+ synthetic yarns), colours tho, the designer is not the boss of me and there's little chance i'll ever knit a neon green anything.
my very first project was a 100% winged no pattern cowl where i cast on a random amount of stitches until the length seemed okay on a needle size that wasn't what the yarn label called for x)) my first, and so far only, sweater i basically followed the pattern to a t, the only thing i changed was switching it from a flat knit to be sewn up to a knit in the round and i lengthened it quite a bit (i even used the same yarn as it was a pattern from a yarn company so i got both together and in the same colour bc it spoke to me). the top i made over the summer ended up with the same shape and lace pattern as what the designer did but doesn't really look like it (used a completely plant based blend instead of a linen/wool in a much different colour, made the lace only a bottom/side/upper back detail instead of having it run all the way from the bottom to the chest). the shawl i'm working on right now is very much followed except for the colours obviously and the garter tab that i hacked because it is a very cursed technique+an increase row that i tweaked because it originally made the thing not symmetrical anymore and that bugged me.
on yarn i'm almost 95% bespoke, i get yarn and it will be for a thing and i fight hard against being an impulse buyer. i buy for several projects some specific and others "potential" so i kinda have a stash but i know the balls i have in a box will be a sweater or cardigan, the gradient cake is to be a shawl and some of what my grandma gave me from her stash will be a hat, i just need to find the perfect patterns. the only stashy thing i have is leftovers from previous project because i seem to either not use as much as pattern tell me i will or get extra yarn.
and with progress i'm definitely 100% monowip for i fear getting more than one thing to work on will make me forget or disinterested about the first one.
Changing is always acceptable. It's how we know we are growing and learning.
Huh. Amazing how I’ve actually been on both ends of all three at some point. I actually right now only have one OTN but usually have more- but with Covid, I’m home and able to quilt more , does that count? 😃 I’ve been both a stash and a bespoke knitter. I definitely feel overwhelmed sometimes by the sadness of single skeins that I really have no clue what they will become. But once I started knitting socks and found it was the perfect project for a soccer mom, I snap up patrons Kory sock whenever it’s on sale. I have more skeins of sock yarn than total completed socks but if you consider I’ve only knitted socks since January... and for faithful or innovative, height and freAkishly long arms were the reason I started knitting in the first place. After all, how hard could it really be? 🤣
I have so many single skeins, but I pretty much only knit accessories so the possibilities are endless!