Today I found out that yarners think crocheting socks is subversive and controversial and I just…on one hand, why the fuck not, I guess yarners are allowed to have their controversies, but on the other, how much time do you have in your FUCKIN DAY??
My main concern is how they would feel but Maggie u know yarn fandom gotta think about something while knitting five miles of stockingnette for a sweater
Look, you can’t just leave it at that, why is it subversive and controversial? *gets popcorn*
I mean, I’m taking this on good faith, and I’m not saying this is my own personal belief. I believe in all crafts.
But…the structure of the stitches and the resulting fabric is pretty different between crochet and knitting. You get different effects between them, which lends themselves to different crafts. And none of the effects of (most) crochet stitches lend themselves naturally to socks. You’re (usually) going to end up with something either stiff and bulky, or full of holes that will Not Feel Good to walk on. Whereas knitted socks will just…BE elastic and comfortable.
Sure you CAN do it. And there are people and patterns that do it well!!
But MOST crochet socks are a bit like calling this a bicycle
I mean… Okay? But people are going to Talk.
But this is BABY controversy, this is nothing. You haven’t even touched on the good shit like RHSS or that time the Olympic Committee dissed us.
Iiiinteresting. So one of those “just because you CAN doesn’t mean you SHOULD” things.
Also I know very little about the yarn fandom except for that bit where a woman had to fake her death and had a nervous breakdown over selling homespun/dyed yarn so like, I already have big expectations.
Was that the one that “died” of leukemia or the one that “died” of lupus, or the one that overdosed?
From what I know of the narrative as it was described to me, I want to say the one that overdosed, but I am intrigued and vaguely concerned that there are multiple distinct individuals the above situation could apply to.
hey umm, what the fuck
the fake deaths thing: indie yarn dyer gets popular, gets overwhelmed by orders, can’t refund money because of shitty bookkeeping, decides faking online death is the only way out.
i’m sure some of them are unintentional rather than premeditated scammers but they’re all still thieving assholes who shouldn’t be running businesses and need to give all the money back.
the olympics commitee: ravelry, well-known knitting (fiber arts in general) site, held a contest they called the ‘ravelympics’ to drum up olympic support then get a cease-and-desist letter for copyright infringement, and the letter said that calling it that ‘denigrates the true nature of the Olympic Games’ and was ‘disrespectful to our country’s finest athletes’
except, you know, ravelry had like 2 million users who all, by nature of ravelry being a website, have basic tech literacy. the social media backlash was so bad that the olympics board had to make 2 official apologies because the first wasn’t good enough.
RHSS: Red Heart Super Saver is cheap Walmart-level yarn. some people hate it because it used to be just really fucking awful and they haven’t bothered updating their opinions. some people hate it because they hate non-natural yarns. some people hate it because they’re yarn snobs(which, btw, comes in two flavors: the disdainful assholes and the people who just don’t see the point if you have the money and don’t indulge yourself). a lot of people defend it because it’s cheap and widely locally available and honestly not that bad after a wash and some fabric softener.
crocheted socks: exactly what kaitoukitty said. people who crochet socks tend to either be new crocheters who are not aware crochet is not the best medium for socks or experienced crocheters who are pushing the boundaries of the medium.
babies on fire: i can’t believe we’re talking about yarncraft controversies and no one mentioned babies on fire. that’s my favorite controversy.
so when deciding what material to make baby blankets out of, in addition to considerations like softness, ease of washing, and allergy concerns quite a lot of people like to consider what would happen to the baby if the blanket was set on fire. yes, really.
wool has the problem of hand-wash only blankets for a new mother (superwash wool exists but that’s a whole ‘nother paragraph), allergy concerns, and also
real fucking expensive if you want quality not-itchy-on-baby-skin wool. but pro-wool-blanket people insist that because wool actually resists being set on fire pretty well and also can self-extinguish, it’s the only sensible choice.
acrylic on the other hand is cheap and you can throw it in the washing machine, and while bad quality acrylics might be stiff and plastic-y they’re not itchy, but if it gets set on fire it will melt onto the baby’s skin. pro-acrylic people insist that if your blanket is on fire, you probably have bigger problems than what the blanket is made of.
wow I didn’t expect such a detailed response. thank you!
Fiber Arts Just Be Fucking Like That.
@avashnea@raptorkin pretty sure it’s you two who are into this yarn business?
Me, just learning to crochet:
It’s BEEN like this for a few thousand years, though, and it’s incredibly stable and sustainable. Like, the history of uproar in the Fiber Fandom is several thousand years old and intersects with many major developments in human progress, so even though it may seem like a Trash Fire Always, it is actually all very stable and quite safe. THEREFORE. Regarding the original sock debate, let’s add some salt to this fuckin soup: Nålbinding. The ancestor of BOTH knitting and crochet, practiced around the world. It’s said to be still practiced today by indigenous people in South America, and is, apparently, the go-to cloth of choice for Viking and medieval re-enactors to make their socks and hats. It really does resemble both knitting and crochet, and when you watch it being done, it is like watching someone stab a string several times with a single small sliver of bone, and eventually they hold up a series of knots that – when you look again they have materialized into the heel of a sock.
Basically fiber artists started the labor movement.
I’m wearing socks I crocheted myself RIGHT NOW, and they are v. warm and comfy.
Of course, I’ve also been crocheting for 22 years. (Mom taught me at 8)
You’ve just gotta know what you’re doing.
Come at me, knitters.
yeah as someone who tried to make basic crocheted slippers, not even socks, the texture of most basic crochet is DEEPLY UNPLEASANT TO WALK ON.
That’s why you gotta grind for skill points and level up the crochet skill tree first.
Also, I have calluses on my feet that you could light a match on (martial arts, refusing to wear shoes because I am in fact a hobbit) So, as long as the socks are not made entirely out of steel wool and thumbtacks, I don’t feel the texture much.
I gotta ask, do you have a good pattern for crocheted socks? Im a far better crocheted than knitter and my husband REALLY wants me to make him some thick socks @systlin
1. Use finer yarn than you would if knitting. And choose a yarn with some stretch. Crochet does have less stretch than knitting, but a stretchy yarn can compensate somewhat. Faux ribbing or lace techniques on the cuff can help here too.
2. I never use a pattern to crochet. I just start looping, do things, and then bam finished project. However, I based mine on these.
3. I crochet them toe-up, with short rows for the heel. I find that easier but you do you.
4. Whatever you do, crochet socks don’t stretch as much. So, try ‘em on frequently while making them.
@thebibliosphere Will you ever post pictures of your house? Have you before? I’m so curious based on your descriptions but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a picture.
Only ever small things, usually when the dogs are around to be photogenic.
Claudius aka “Cloudy” by all accounts a brave and noble pup, is very good at being photogenic. Though even he has reservations about going into the basement:
Ignore the ominous glow. It’s nothing.
It’s just the sun making the hideous ocher walls glow. (I forget what I was flipping off, possibly one of the falling ceiling tiles) Fun story, the house has a giant copper earthing rod running through it, and the previous owners attached the drop down ceiling tiles to it. Via the metal frame. Yes we did find out cause I noticed sparks/flames in that far corner near the possessed microwave that likes to turn itself on and off, thanks for asking. (It is now safe.)
On the surface it’s honestly nothing all that special at a glance, it’s just 90s suburban beige with hand me down furniture. When we first moved in everything we owned actually fit in the living room:
And we still don’t have that much more furniture tbh, we’re slowly trying to replace things but between my medical bills and the house throwing up fun curve balls like “the wiring was installed by a madman” and “plumbing, how does that work”, it’s a slow process.
Actually this one is a funny story (for me), so some of you might remember when NONE of the water was draining in the house (which is separate from the story about how the plumber lost his knife in the pipes so now we have a switchblade lodged in the pipes because yes this has happened to us twice now) and ETD had to go into the basement bathroom—which the previous owner built himself so of course nothing works like it’s supposed to—and try to break the trap seal in a last ditch attempt to drain the bathtub.
Pictured: ETD about to face off with 70+ years of pipe deluge. Also yes the door is crooked, yes the walls are also crooked, and yes, the ceiling is … you know what, you get the idea.
At first we thought it wasn’t going to budge, and the trap had not only been painted shut but also maybe welded. And then from the other side of the house I heard a sound like dying whale song rattling through the pipes, a started “AUGH” and then the bathtub on the main floor drained, leaving behind the vague outline of a headless skeleton in its wake.
ETD came out of the basement looking like a B rate swamp monster, carrying a bucket I will not describe the contents of because even just thinking about it makes me feel vaguely nauseous. Also yes, this is the bathroom where I found tampons in a hole in the wall. It’s still in vast need of better renovation but at least there are no holes in the wall now. Or skeleton shapes.
We have managed to replace a few things though, like the murderous washer that liked to walk over concrete floor and pull its own plug out, which would then jettison into the sink full of water where the water drains out.
That was fun.
And the oven, which the control panel fell out of:
And ETD had to jury rig it back in place with scrap metal until we were able to afford the new oven we have right now:
The phrase “safe as houses” takes on a whole new terrifying meaning in this house, it really does.
We’ve replaced parts of the furnace several times (thanks to tumblr pulling through for us when it died in the dead of winter *cries*)—after we cleared out the tins of varnish stashed away in a hidden alcove. And we will eventually need to replace the water heater but we’ll get to that. Along with the welded shut door that goes to nowhere.
Still working on replacing the AC after it died 2 years ago though … and the
window unit we bought which fell out the window into the window well below.
This thing falling out the window sounded like a bomb going off. It echoed.
But we’re getting there!
We have managed to make some nice changes, like my office, which I’ll try and post pics of soon, and also the living room has a nice homey feel to it. Especially around Christmas time:
Which of course Legolas really helps to pulls together:
He see’s you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake.
Legolas is not just for Christmas no, oh no, he keeps on trend with the seasons.
Although I did let him keep his lights.
Fun fact, if you do happen to have a life size cardboard cutout of Orlando Bloom in your house, make sure to turn his lights off before you go to bed.
It makes things slightly less pants wettingly terrifying when you get up at 3am to get a glass of water.
But if and when we finally do start to make proper renovations—instead of just running around trying to put out fires (literal or otherwise)—I will totally be up for letting you all see, complete with before and after shots, and everything else we find in between.
We’re quite a bit away from being able to do that yet, although fingers crossed it can be soon. I’d really love to restore this house to something that is both safe and beautiful because despite all the absolute bullshit, it is a great house. It’s solidly built at its core, and it’s in a great location. It’s just been badly treated and needs a lot of love and care. And maybe I
anthropomorphize things too much, but I can relate to that. It’s home, y’know?
Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, Trump’s replacement for
fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions, thinks that if you’re not
Christian, you shouldn’t be a federal judge. Judges should be “people of
faith” and need to have a “biblical view of justice,“ and Whitaker
would like to see a person’s “world view,” because if they have a
secular world view, he’d be “very concerned with how they judge.”
Whitaker revealed his ignorance with these remarks during a 2014
conservative forum while vying for the Republican US Senate nomination
in Iowa.
The takeaway from this: According to the acting Attorney General of the United States, if you’re open-minded, don’t be a judge.
