Since I've been knitting for several years now, I have quite a few knit accessories and garments that either I or my family wears out in public. Occassionally people will notice that the item is hand-knit and we will have a short conversation about it. These conversations generally fall into three categories:
1) Did you knit that? The person recognizes that the item is hand knit, and assumes I made it - and then usually follows up with (what they think is) a complement. For example, last summer I wore my Sahara sweater at our family reunion. My aunt asks if I had knit it, and then exclaimed "That sweater would have been so expensive had you bought it at a store!" assuming, of course, that I had saved oodles of money knitting myself a designer sweater. When I told her how much the wool/silk blend yarn actually cost, she gave me a confused look - why would you knit if not to save money? ;)
2) Did your (mother/grandmother/aunt) knit that for you? The asker in this situation assumes that there's some older woman that has provided the garment for you. This happens most often with Guy's crocheted baby blanket (in the previous post). These people also look confused when I say that I actually knit and crochet.
1) Did you knit that? The person recognizes that the item is hand knit, and assumes I made it - and then usually follows up with (what they think is) a complement. For example, last summer I wore my Sahara sweater at our family reunion. My aunt asks if I had knit it, and then exclaimed "That sweater would have been so expensive had you bought it at a store!" assuming, of course, that I had saved oodles of money knitting myself a designer sweater. When I told her how much the wool/silk blend yarn actually cost, she gave me a confused look - why would you knit if not to save money? ;)
2) Did your (mother/grandmother/aunt) knit that for you? The asker in this situation assumes that there's some older woman that has provided the garment for you. This happens most often with Guy's crocheted baby blanket (in the previous post). These people also look confused when I say that I actually knit and crochet.
and the best type of question is...
3) Is that _____ pattern? This is the eluvise "knitter" meeting. This has only happened to me once, and was the most wonderful experience! Scott and I were visiting one of his college buddies, and I had dressed Guy in his baby surprise jacket. His wife (who is a wonderful knitter, I just always forget!) looked at him and said - "is that the baby surprise jacket?" Elated, I answered her that it was, and we then proceeded to have a conversation about what yarn I used and how difficult the pattern was. It was delightful.
Here's Guy in his BSJ. I will be knitting him another one in a larger size, hoping that it will elicit even more type 3 conversations.
3) Is that _____ pattern? This is the eluvise "knitter" meeting. This has only happened to me once, and was the most wonderful experience! Scott and I were visiting one of his college buddies, and I had dressed Guy in his baby surprise jacket. His wife (who is a wonderful knitter, I just always forget!) looked at him and said - "is that the baby surprise jacket?" Elated, I answered her that it was, and we then proceeded to have a conversation about what yarn I used and how difficult the pattern was. It was delightful.
Here's Guy in his BSJ. I will be knitting him another one in a larger size, hoping that it will elicit even more type 3 conversations.
