Marie Antoi-knit Cardigan by Zhade Lang

I’m just salty because I love the pattern and had been waiting for her to write it for a while after the original video was released, and it’s not available in my size. I have been checking back every now and then for the last couple years to see if it’s been graded for more sizes, and it never is.

The saddest part may be that I would honestly pay $20 for the pattern if it was, which is well outside of the standard price range for knitting patterns that are graded, test knit, tech-edited, and written by experienced designers…

It’s also weirdly only available on her Patreon, and not her Ravelry.

Again, I’m just complaining because I actually love the pattern and I’m salty I may never be able to make it in my size. She obviously has the right not to expand the sizing, to charge whatever she wants, and sell it on whatever platform she wants. It’s just so pretty, it makes me sad.

Thanks for letting me whine about it!

Many other designers and big knitting influencers have detailed how bad Hobbii was to work with, and this was way before their AI stuff but post private equity takeover. I just don’t understand why any big designer would choose to work with them or keep working with them, as many before have shared they don’t pay well at all.

This chatgpt commercial is driving me crazier and crazier every time I see it.

Her needles are already too large for her yarn.!! And, moreover, if this was a long time knitter, which I assume we are supposed to believe, they would know that.

And one more thing, bagginess has to do with fit not really needle size. You can have a skin tight sweater with large needles and a super baggy sweater with tiny ones.

I had to get this off my chest. I feel better.

I bought the Odell top and dress pattern on their website, having missed it when it was free. The files download only gives me a ReadMe file. But no pattern files. Repeatedly. I emailed them. No answer. I used the contact form on their website. I usually use Firefox but their form does not work in Firefox, so I tried using Edge. The form works in Edge but they still do not answer.

Any suggestions?

This photo was sent out from knitstars talking up this year's blanket project. All instructors created squares; Melanie Falick was said to have created this one and sent it in. I cannot get over how uneven this tension is. Even accounting for the fact it is may not be blocked yet (gosh I hope not?), none of my preblocked wool mitered squares have ever looked this. Am I going nuts?

I don't know about Melanie other than the knitting instruction books? Even when she has the author billing, patterns are created by others? Acknowledgements in the few I looked at that thank the sample knitters whose work is photographed.

Is the photo'ed work here representative of Melanie? I don't think she ever claims to be a master knitter with amazing tension and I don't want to dunk on her in case she has some non public physical reason for the wonkiness.... but knit stars, the brand, highlighting this from a chosen 'knit star' as their finalized work (with no caveats mentioning the tension) is.....yikes.

Welcome to the bitesized BEC thread!

You have the freedom to indulge in BEC-style (b*tch eating crackers) vent comments in this thread. Naming examples is not required (gasp!) but majority of r/craftsnark rules still apply. Basically, don't be shitty and ruin the thread for others.

I really regret not logging some data on how often this happens. My gut says a late opening for whatever reason 1-2 times a week with a full day sudden shutdown at least once a month. But please make sure to donate to the GFM to keep this woman-run yarn store in business!!

The first picture was posted a couple days ago with all the comments calling them out on their use of AI and how harmful it is to the craft industry. A few days later, the second image was posted, another clearly AI image.

I’m so tired y’all.

A few months on from the minor furore caused by Laura Dalgaard's decision to only sell kits and no longer sell PDF patterns...and it turns out shipping physical items has its disadvantages.

I was team "she can do what she wants but this is a weird business decision", and I think this shows she really hadn't thought it through properly.

I've been getting a lot of posts about size inclusivity lately. Some of them are probably old, but the discussion seems to be the same all the time.

I'm definitely on the side of size inclusivity, but I'm confused by a few things. One fundamental question has to do with inches and centimeters. I've understood that 60 inches is the minimum requirement for size inclusivity (though I don't know what it's based on, and asking this on a certain IG account mostly causes disdain). Anyway, 60 inches is 152.4 in centimeters, while 59 inches is 149.86 cm to be precise. So the latter is practically 150 cm, which is a nice round number. Like 60 inches! Of course, there's a difference of a couple of centimeters, or one inch, that's quite clear, but there's almost always some kind of flexibility in size markings anyway. They are rarely exactly the same size as a specific length, but more often like Medium: 96–102 cm (38–40 in), or even a larger scale like 120–140 cm. If I understand correctly, the size system is not European, so centimeters are a bit of an underdog.

So, from a European perspective, it seems a bit of an exaggeration to judge designers as being not size inclusive if their largest size is 150 cm/59 inches, and not exactly 60. I am mainly thinking about the consistency of size markings, not so much through exact measurements, but through simple round numbers that people use in everyday life. For example, when counting stitches in a swatch, everyone agrees that 4 inches = 10 cm, although that is not exact either, and when multiplied together, it eventually produces differences in measurements.

It's probably necessary to emphasize that of course there should be large sizes. I'm mostly thinking about designers who get canceled even though they practically make just as many sizes as anyone else. I think it's a matter of perspective, when different units of measurement are used, even if the sizes are ultimately the same. I dare say this (the same), although it's probably also debatable to think that especially in a large knit, a couple of centimeters doesn't really make a difference. The stitch size can vary throughout the work and some parts may stretch even before it's finished, not to mention the effect of blocking. And since I don't know where the True Size Inclusivity comes from, I might be missing something essential.

Does anyone catch my thoughts?

Here's the thread where you can share any new patterns or products that you don't think deserve their own post. Any craft goes, whether you're sharing sewing patterns, weird yarn colourways, woodburning templates, soapmaking supplies, or any thing else that you'd like to discuss. If you think it deserves it's own thread, feel free to make one!

I started crochet this spring and quickly fell in love with the videos style and content by TLYarnCrafts, so I've watched a lot of her videos in a short period of time. Recently, I've noticed a shift in the editing and vibe of her YouTube channel. I know she's mentioned having someone else edit newer content, and I'm not loving the shift.

A couple things that stuck out to me are all the sound effects and background music that "tell me how to feel" about what she's sharing and quick clips that cut in. It feels like it's leaning into the majority of content that is focused on sponsorships, ad revenue, and feeding into ever-shortening attention spans.

Wondering if it's just me, if anyone else has noticed it, and if so, how others feel about it.

Please share all personal chatter here--questions, planning, works in progress, successes, failures, discoveries, and anything else pertaining to your personal crafting.

Welcome to the bitesized BEC thread!

You have the freedom to indulge in BEC-style (b*tch eating crackers) vent comments in this thread. Naming examples is not required (gasp!) but majority of r/craftsnark rules still apply. Basically, don't be shitty and ruin the thread for others.

I recently followed her, and this morning she posted this (and a bunch more)… I don’t know, I’m all for challenging the beige aesthetic but it’s weird to me to put specific designs and designers on blast for not only being boring, but also malicious in their intent. Someone commented that they love their beige and she responded something along the lines of “but do you really? Or is that just what you’ve been told?” So off-putting.

mrsfunnyvalentine being open about how she uses ai and I don't know if I'm okay with it or not. thoughts?

As a fellow short torso, large chest knitter, I feel like I spend my entire knitting life trying to avoid patterns that fit like this? The texture is beautiful and I love the style of the video, but surely this is not a fit anyone craves.

She’s absolutely trying to use AI to generate text. This is so mid.

I love this teacher. I've taken her class for years. I believe she legitimately painted this. But when I see AI paint tubes... If I wasn't a student of hers, I'd assume this is a scam.

I will just leave this here.
Like… at least it’s not ai slop, and it’s just trying to automatize tedious work, but still.. Damn.

she’s back and tried to friend me. I thought she was not allowed to sell online? I’ve already heard of issues. Not getting fiber for months, or if ever, moths. etc. don't be fooled by the cheap prices.

Attempting to post this again since my last post was flagged as low effort…

Circus of Threads—known for their Chiaogoo needle replacement cases—obviously used AI for their old logo. Thoughts on the new one?

I don’t love their cases anyway but bummer that another small business is using ChatGPT for “design”

For reference and comparison, third pic is a ChatGPT-made image. (Not from the business) “Circus” is the same font as the first image (old logo) and quite similar to the new one.

So a question for the community:
What does this space think about small businesses using AI as part of their branding, design, etc. especially when marketing to makers and creatives?

I’m against for a number of reasons but mostly because:

-AI “design” devalues the skills and creative processes of the people these businesses seek to profit off of

-use of AI for design is lazy and tells me you don’t take your business seriously enough to put thought and effort into your work, so why would I pay you for it

Curious to hear others thoughts

Here's the thread where you can share any new patterns or products that you don't think deserve their own post. Any craft goes, whether you're sharing sewing patterns, weird yarn colourways, woodburning templates, soapmaking supplies, or any thing else that you'd like to discuss. If you think it deserves it's own thread, feel free to make one!