Drowning Nor Waving - Evil Crochet (TM)

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Evil Crochet (TM)

Jul. 25th, 2009 at 11:05 PM

Okay, kids. Let me tell you a story.

One day last summer

ksumnersmith and I were strolling through Kensington Market, past Lettuce Knit (a very nice yarn store, and worthy of your consideration) and I saw a sign in the window that said Crochet Friendly. I remarked on this sign, and what I felt to be the redundancy of it -- I mean, it's a yarn store, are they crochet-unfriendly? -- and Karina, who does crochet, told me that no, actually, they can be. Crochet is, in a lot of fiber arts circles, thought of as some cheap knockoff non-craft, and knitters used to or maybe still do scorn it, and yarn stores would sometimes not sell nice yarn to crocheters because they'd "just be wasting it".

There was a knitter-versus-crocheter slapfight. Seriously.

I think I burst into tears I laughed so hard.

Why? Because 99.9% of the people in the world cannot tell the difference between knitting and crocheting. And they don't give a shit. It's totally inconsequential to them. And that?

That is every slapfight ever.

I tell you this story so that, tonight and in future, when I point to something, howling with laughter that I can't even keep in by slapping both hands over my mouth, and yelling Evil Crochet! Evil Crochet! you know exactly what I'm saying about the issue. Because I am on the whole an advocate of people being passionate about the things they are passionate about, and letting one's freak flag fly, and am on the whole opposed to pointing and laughing at people for being passionate, which is the founding principle of Fandom Wank. Not down with that.

But y'know? A shot of perspective is good for the soul.

We should never get so narrow that we can't step back and laugh at our damn fool selves being big damn fools.

Mood: amused
Music:Metric -- Gimme Sympathy

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Comments

( 63 comments — Leave a comment )

sarcasm_hime wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 03:16 am (UTC)

Ba-blink...

Really? I find that really bizarre, because I was just recently explaining to Dawn how she might be able to get into crochet (since she said she could NEVER get the hang of knitting) because it doesn't follow a pattern so much and can sort of grow organically and make it up as you go along, which is more her MO, and mine too now that I think of it. It's strange to me that it would be considered a second-class craft/art.

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leahbobet wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 03:20 am (UTC)

Srsly. It's simultaneously really petty and horrible and...well, I just about peed myself. Evil Crochet!

And yeah, crochet's also much faster, so you get the shot of project-done happy sooner. I need to go out and learn it to finish the Neverending Sweater, as it has crocheted shoulder bits. Which I may do to see how they look.

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dichroic wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 03:19 am (UTC)

According to Ravelry discussions, that sign is not uncommon - because there's a perceived need for it (also according to those discussions, there seem to be a number of stores that are also unfriendly to knitters. They tend not to stay in business long, though one I know of has been around forever.) Also, given how useful it is to use crochet to edge the neck or sleeves of a knitted garment or to decorate it, the two crafts are in no way opposite and in fact are best combined.

This last point applies to a lot of slapfight targets.

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leahbobet wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 03:22 am (UTC)

Yeah, this is why I could not get why this slapfight would happen. I mean, as above, my Ms. Marigold needs crocheted shoulder edging. I will have to learn it. And it's all the same sticks and string.

It was a wonderful, wonderful shot of perspective, though. I think once I finished convulsing with laughter I went: Oh god, this is what science fiction looks like to everyone else.

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kateelliott wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 04:20 am (UTC)

I take offense at this!!!

Oh. Wait. Never mind. I don't.

But, srsly, I agree. Although now I'm curious because my sister is a knitter. I'll have to ask her how she feels about crochet.

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leahbobet wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 06:40 pm (UTC)

Report back!

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time_shark wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 05:35 am (UTC)

Yes! So true! I bow to you.

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tithenai wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 06:31 am (UTC)

Also, if you don't have an Evil!Crochet! icon by this time tomorrow, I will have failed you in my heart.

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leahbobet wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 06:42 pm (UTC)

Me and Photoshop have a hot date once I get home to the desktop. :D

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jmeadows wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 10:55 am (UTC)

Yes. Back when I first started knitting, someone showed me a video of knitters badmouthing crochet. (I'm pretty sure it was a joke.) It was sad and hilarious when I realized some people actually felt that way.

If you ever are bored enough to hang around the forums on ravelry, sometimes you'll see both sides getting defensive and yelling at each other.

(Let's not mention the wood vs. metal needle and hook debate, or the natural vs. synthetic fiber debate.)

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moon_custafer wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 05:26 pm (UTC)

or the natural vs. synthetic fiber debate

AKA melting babieeeessss.... :P

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wirewalking wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 11:28 am (UTC)

Not for the first time, and likely not the last, I wish more people had your sense of perspective.

Andyes. Evil Crochet icon!

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leahbobet wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 06:35 pm (UTC)

Now that I think about it, I picture the Evil Crochet icon as involving some regular crochet and a pencil-thin, curly moustache.

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coffeeem wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 01:21 pm (UTC)

Insert Hilaritation Here. Because yes, exactly.

EVIL CROCHET! EVIL CROCHET!

Gawd, we should start a Ravelry group.

No, we shouldn't. *g*

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leahbobet wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 06:43 pm (UTC)

My knitting icon calls yours EVIL!

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coffeeem - Jul. 27th, 2009 02:35 am (UTC) - Expand

sevenravens wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 02:56 pm (UTC)

This is... bizarre to me. I've never heard of crochet prejudice. And I worked in a yarn store for a while!

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leahbobet wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 06:40 pm (UTC)

Ooh, yarn store job. I would have never brought any money home...

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matociquala wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 04:58 pm (UTC)

oh, judgy monkeys.

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leahbobet wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 06:34 pm (UTC)

Can't take them anywhere.

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aliseadae wrote:

Jul. 26th, 2009 11:06 pm (UTC)

Hello there! I friended you recently having found you through some combination of

aamcnamara and the general internet. Evil crochet describes arguments quite well.

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leahbobet wrote:

Jul. 27th, 2009 02:24 am (UTC)

Hello! Welcome aboard!

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harvestar wrote:

Jul. 28th, 2009 05:15 pm (UTC)

As a crocheter, I've encountered lots of snide remarks about crochet from knitters. It's just uncalled for.

One time it was at a SnB and a woman was talking about how crochet has all sorts of silly patterns (dolls to cover toilet paper and the like) while knitting "never would". Another lady there set her straight - there's silly patterns in whatever craft you like.

Another time, I got some really bad vibes at a yarn store because I crocheted.

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leahbobet wrote:

Jul. 28th, 2009 06:19 pm (UTC)

I...yeah. I don't understand that. It's like the Shakespeare course instructor I had in third year who was so hot on running down other 16th century playwrights, because Shakespeare clearly needed his defense (that's a whole other issue): why does something else have to be peed on for one's own thing to be fun and good?

(That is a rhetorical question. It does not. Judgy monkeys!)

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melissima wrote:

Jul. 28th, 2009 07:05 pm (UTC)

:koff: years ago, (well before the birth of the internet) I went into conveniently close local yarn store to replace a crochet hook I had lost. The ladies inside definitely considered me a poseur, and would only point at the racks of notions with a pickle-eating expression on their faces.

So, this anti-crochet prejudice was definitely real for some knitters at one time. /shrugs./ I haven't gone back to a knitting shop with my hooks lately, but the folks at my weekly stitch n bitch seem to appreciate both skills.

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hoppytoad79 wrote:

Jul. 28th, 2009 11:12 pm (UTC)

Absolutely unbelievable and incredibly stupid and petty. I knit and crochet and each has its plusses and minuses, though I prefer crochet because it works up faster. People can get hung up on the most pointless minutae.

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leahbobet wrote:

Jul. 29th, 2009 02:44 am (UTC)

And frequently do!

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lady_ganesh wrote:

Jul. 30th, 2009 06:35 pm (UTC)

To add to the ridiculousness, in many languages, among them Russian and Japanese, there's no real distinction between 'knitting' and 'crochet.' So it's a slapfight over a distinction that doesn't even exist in many cultures.

This post is total win.

(Alas, my extra icons have expired so I cannot use my knitting icons.)

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leahbobet wrote:

Jul. 30th, 2009 09:45 pm (UTC)

Oh, interesting. Do you know how the word in Russian or Japanese glosses; is it like a generic "that fiber art thing"?

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