3 Yarn-Craft Clichés to Stop Using

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1. 

   Gina Perry April 1, 2023

   People, please stop getting insulted over nothing! There are people who are allergic to wool, but for the most part, if you have issues with itchiness, it’s because of the coarseness of the actual sheep fiber that is causing your problem. There are some wools that irritate my skin, but merino, blue faced Leicester, and some others are easier on the skin. I have issues with mohair and rabbit and cannot use them at all. But true “allergies” to the wool itself is rare. It’s the prickle factor most people have issue with. Using a wool next to your skin that is typically used for rug making, will cause major consternations, no matter what! Most yarn manufacturers use different grades of wool blended together because it’s cheaper than using higher quality wool. The lanolin is completely washed out in commercial grade yarns, so that is rarely a cause for alarm for most people. Also, llama, alpaca, etc. don’t have lanolin, so that might help. More often than not, it is the dyes and soaps that can cause irritation to your skin. My sister complains all the time about wool, but will wear the heck out of a pair of wool socks I knit for her. The wool is Merino and has been descaled to keep the socks from shrinking in the washer.
   I suggest that as a knitter or crocheted, you get to know the various types of wool available and what works best. There is a sourcebook on the most popular wool breeds. Get that and learn more about what is a high quality wool versus a more common (itchier) wool.

2. 

   Victoria Riseborough November 5, 2022

   Sorry but coarser fibers definitely makes me itch as someone with sensitive skin. No amount of studies is going to make my skin less sensitive and less reactive to the friction of a thousand tiny stiff fibers poking into me. Clothing tags make me go berserk after a while, and coarse wool and some other fibers make me irritated and itch with visible capillary changes. My husband’s beard also sets off irritation and pain on a more extreme example. It isn’t a urticaria response, no, but any person will have irritation on their skin from something rubbing against it enough, and I suspect that study didn’t include enough range of skin types.

   1. 

      Kate Magrath December 7, 2022

      Seek out items made from Merino wool, especially if it is machine washable. Another thing to look for is things made from alpaca fiber. It will never cause itching. Manufacturers who use these fibers–Merino and alpaca–will not be shy about it.

3. 

   foxydr@gmail.com November 4, 2022

   Stop calling mistakes “design elements”!
   They can only be called a design if they are repeated in a regular pattern.

   1. 

      SashieGirl November 13, 2022

      How about “happy accident”? Is that a preferable term for you? I’ve heard lots of people use that one before. Over time, accidents or mistakes have birthed many new methods, designs or techniques. Happy stitching!!

4. 

   Cheri Astrahan November 3, 2022

   Sheep’s wool is not only itchy to me, it causes contact hives. So for me it is itchy even after it is not touching my skin. I am NOT allergic to yak, llama, alpaca, or camel. I have used a couple of cashmere mixes where the cashmere did not exceed 10% and did not have any reaction. I think cashmere is too expense for me to buy a 100% product to test on my skin. So for some of us, sheep’s wool is itchy indeed.

5. 

   Samantha Church November 3, 2022

   I was very happy to see you address the “old woman” or “grandma” stigma, but instead of saying, “hey, we’re not all old!”, How about there’s nothing wrong with being an old woman, and we shouldn’t bandy that about like an old woman is the worst thing you can be, as though you only become an old woman through bad taste? You become an old woman by living. And P.S., Grandma knits better than you ever will. Let’s show some respect.

6. 

   Susan Stone November 3, 2022

   Once upon a time I used to try to sell crafts I’d made at craft shows, and I got a lot of people saying, “I could make that for cheaper”. That is very insulting and feels very insulting, because it basically says that any time and effort another person puts into making something, is worthless. The people who say that definitely don’t consider the value of labor – theirs or anyone else’s. And if they every tried making such things, they’d discover it isn’t as easy as they think it looks.

7. 

   Morna Dombach November 3, 2022

   Frankly, I would love to be able to knit like my grandma. I think of myself as doing pretty well, but I think that she would still leave me in the dust. She was a master knitter who even supported her family with her craft!

8. 

   Mary Elizabeth Vondras November 3, 2022

   Another cliché that needs eradication is the notion that having a stash and unfinished projects is something shameful. Inspiration can come from adding some new materials to the collection now and then, even with no particular project in mind. This is part of the creative process, which is very worthwhile in itself for its mental health benefits. These benefits should not be downplayed. Management of one’s stash is a personal thing, and each of us has our own sense of reason regarding what should stay and what should be donated/offloaded periodically from one’s stash and UFOs.

   1. 

      SashieGirl November 13, 2022

      All true. My stash is my pallet and tools. Would someone ask an artist if she really needed all those colors or brushes? One never knows when they will NEED a particular yarn.
      Having said that, my stash inventory has never been managed because that’s simply not the fun part of crafting. I focused on the fun, stitching and adding yarns as I fell in love with them. I have inherited 2 other people’s stashes as well. So now my stash has reached SABLE proportions.(Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy). Culling some of the yarns from my stash is the equivalent of going on a diet, NO fun. This yarn’s so pretty, and that one’s so soft and look at the texture on this swatch.
      Clutching my latest pattern purchase, I debate buying the recommended yummy new yarn until, reviewing my bulging stash closets, I realize that “I have nothing to knit!”
      Happy stitching!

9. 

   MaryF November 3, 2022

   1. Apart from the fact that “this is not your mother’s/father’s/grandmother’s/grandfather’s whatever’ is used for a variety of reasons, not just knitting. And although men did work with some types of fiber tools most, often fiber was women’s women’s work because it was easily interuptible so they could watch children while doing while being productive.. 2 Why is ‘I could make it for less’ an insult? My mother was a seamstress. She made all my clothes and saved a ton of money. And depending on the materials you use, you could possibly make something cheaper than buying it. Knitting, sewing, etc. were useful skills that helped a family stretch the budget. But now, your’re right; for most people now, knitting is an expensive hobby not a practical way to clothe your family which seems sad, somehow. As for itchy wool, some wool is, some isn’t. The are lots of wools that I won’t wear next to my skin because they’re uncomfortable. That doesn’t mean I’m allergic I can knit with them and my hands aren’t affected. They can be irritating without being being an allergen. So while it’s not true to say all wool is itchy, it’s not true to say that’s because most people don’t have wool allergies. There are a lot of wools that feel itchy to a lot of different people and a lot that don’t. Most of all, I don’t see why you would pick such trivial things to get in such a huff about.

   1. 

      Jo-Anne Seymour November 3, 2022

      You have some strong feelings, valid and knowledgeable from your perspective, of course. But I think the article was written more to be “tongue-in-cheek” (in a light-hearted way) rather than a rant. I enjoyed reading it, and definitely will stop accusing anyone of being addicted to yarn, myself included. Maybe will confess to just curating precious skeins until a suitable project comes along to reveal their true beauty. Itchy wool? Maybe in the olden days, not so much anymore. I often have more itchy-ness from the label attached at the back of the neck!!

10. 

    Gloria McCracken November 3, 2022

    Thanks so much for pointing out how addiction is not a healthy way to describe a delight in doing something so creative and fulfilling–not to mention useful and beautiful. Another term I’d like to see retired in the same vein is “obsessed”. Surely there are better ways to describe the excitement and intense interest provoked by a fascinating activity!

11. 

    Fiberfanatica November 2, 2022

    I love your choices! Another cliché I dislike is: “I could never do that.” Yes! You can, with proper training and practice and desire!!

    1. 

       Lili Krezel November 3, 2022

       Hear, hear! Knowledge of any type of work or craft is not instant! Some people learn faster than others of course, but wanting to learn to do something enough to stick out the learning curve is necessary.