Winter 2010 Twist Collective

[pinesandmaples]

The Winter 2010 Twist Collective is live and ready for comment!

I posted my thoughts here in my own journal, and I welcome comments here or there.

I do not have any patterns in or affliliation with Twist Collective. I only post slightly pithy comments as part of a free service to keep me from being bored.

Comments

[hugh_mannity]

Some nice stuff. But nothing for guys. Except a rather unpleasant comment on the "sweater curse" from the Problem Ladies:

We think that boyfriends will welcome a sweater, as long as it is gray, in stockinette, and lacks any ornamentation whatsoever including cables, bobbles, a color other than gray, or buttons. Don’t think that you can slip buttons in there because they fall into the category of “fastener.” Men hate buttons, and it’s not worth the risk.

As a man and a knitter, I take real offence at that.

[seryn]

It's been my experience that men want brightly colored, heavily cabled sweaters with collars that open and can be fastened shut. "If I wanted something dirt colored and plain, I'll order from a catalog." But I don't think all men are like the ones I know.

No idea why anyone assumes all men are alike but women need a choice of 20 different sweaters in dozens of colors.

[pinesandmaples]

My brothers want fashionable sweaters. This season, they want blue, green, and grey cardigans knit in light-weight yarns...which means I have sent them to look at the Gap.

I firmly believe that a knitter or crocheter should talk to their recipient before making a sweater for anyone over the age of 8. None of this blanket advice crap! (Then again, I'm not nutty enough to make a sweater for my partner; I taught her to knit instead!)

[hugh_mannity]

Yep. I've got a half-dozen lightweight plain stockinette sweaters that I wear in the office -- anything heavier would be too warm. All of them came from stores. They're inexpensive, washable, and disposable.

I'm working on a dark red vest, a forest green sweater with red/purple accents, and I have socks in a lot more than the 8 colours men are supposed to be able to see.

[pinesandmaples]

Yeah, that advice is crap. Who says men can't have excellent fashion sense or even a personal style that they derive pleasure from that involves, oh, say buttons and ornamentation?

[hugh_mannity]

Well this man can. And does. You should see my socks! (Today I'm wearing purple/grey/black/pale blue Zauberball crazy socks with black shoes, tan pants, purple/black striped shirt and a purple/cream floral Liberty print tie.)

Even if the advice was meant tongue-in-cheek, you know there are plenty of people who'll take it seriously.

[owlectomy]

Have you seen this book, Knits Men Want? It advanced the notion that not only do men only want plain gray sweaters, but also, if the (assumed female) knitter attempts to give her boyfriend/husband anything that isn't a plain gray sweater, it is her fault for being a bad gift giver. I felt really kind of ragey about it.