Tuesday, September 02, 2014

Have You Ever?

Have you ever finished up a knitting project that you're proud of, only to realize that while YOU may love it, and many of your knitting friends have encouraged you to move forward with the project, all of your non-knitting friends/peers give your newly finished project a sideways stare and say "Hm. That's cute."

Have you?

Do you know the kind of projects I mean?

For example, you fall in love with a skein of hand painted yarn and cast on a cardigan out of it, only to have it pool in 100 different places? You keep going because you manage to convince yourself that no one will ever notice, and your knitting friends assure you that they won't. But then along comes your non-knitting friends who take one quick look at it and go "You're really going to wear that?" Oh the face they would pull if they only knew what you had paid for the yarn...

Or maybe you cast on a pattern that includes a technique you have been simply dying to try, only to cast off and realize that perhaps it wasn't the best technique/ project pairing? Once again, your non-knitting friends are immediately captivated by the new technique you have tackled, while the non-knitters make you feel as you though cutting a hole at the top of a feed sack would have been more impressive.

I suspect this is because knitter's "get it". They know how much time you have invested in the knitting, they know why you would want to spend all that time fine tuning a new technique, and they know why you would want to drop all of that cash on those few skeins of hand painted yarn. They just walk your walk and speak your speak, and THAT, is really comforting.

I ask you all of this, because I am finding myself in that very predicament right now.

I have some dear friends expecting a baby, and I want to make them something jaw-droppingly-adorable.

So, I cast on a pair of baby pants.

While the yarn feels simply glorious, and my knitting friends have all gushed about them, I can already hear that dreaded "Hm. That's cute." from my non-knitting-baby-expecting friends.

While they will no doubt appreciate all of the work that I put into the pants, I think that they might wonder about my yarn selection and secretly hope and pray that 'Auntie Lynn' decides to never knit for their baby again.

Pattern- First Impression Pants by Drops Design 
So what do you think knitting friends?

Am I just imagining it?

Or are these pretty insane for a non-knitter to put on their baby?

Perhaps I am best off just knitting for expectant knitters exclusively.

Because even if the finished project does end up looking like a hot mess, at least I know that they will understand and appreciate why I did what I did.


Am I right?

6 comments:

Michelle said...

I think that these would be adorable under a bright red top/dress! I vote to keep going. :-D

Seajaes said...

Bit strange. Bad yarn choice.

Wanderingcatstudio said...

Personally - I don't think there's anything wrong with the yarn. I think the fault lies with the garment. Now don't get me wrong - I absolutely adore knitted baby pants (more so than the babies that are in them!). I think they are super cute - but I am a knitter, and as you mentioned, we seem to have a different view of the world. When I've shown my non-knitting friend knit baby pants, the response is always the same. "Are those pants crocheted?" and I roll my eyes and explain that they are knit... blah, blah, blah... and then they look at me, scrunch up their face and say... that looks like something my grandma made for me when I was a baby. I'm pretty sure we have a picture of me sitting on my grandpas lap on the ugly 70s couch in a pair of pants like that."

Non-knitters just don't "get" knit pants.

Personally - I love the yarn. I love the pants. Bu non-knitters might love it as a cardigan more.

But that's just my two cents and I don't even like babies... I just like knitting for them (seriously, if I could get my cats to wear baby clothes, I totally would!"

Anonymous said...

I second that vote. Keep knitting. They are sweet.

ms.tee.kay said...

Dude, them pants are the best. stay the course!

Unknown said...

I'll admit that it is an unusual yarn/pattern combo, but that is the charm and beauty of it. If you want to give the baby something usual, just go to the damn store. My non-knitter friends fall in to 1 of 2 categories. Either I have just created magic that no other person on the planet has ever done. My own version of water to wine. Or, why would you want to do that? Both of which can be very annoying, although I do think what we do is magical.

She Knits in Pearls