What Did I Miss?

Last week I guess I missed a hot controversy on one of the social media sites.  At least I think it was out there, and I think I missed it.

I love watching YouTube videos these days, since there's nothing worth watching on TV and I absolutely cannot stand watching commercials for adult diapers and political propaganda.

After DH goes to bed I turn on TY and watch my favorites, and then sometimes I open a new-to-me cast and watch until I decide if I like the presentation or not.  Sometimes I fall asleep on the couch to one and wake up to something completely different!!

So anyway I came across a girl who was  explaining how she felt about a whole social interchange about something I think she was calling yarn shaming??? 

Really?  

People evidently thought or think that knitwear designers are total yarn snobs because when they come out with patterns, they TELL YOU WHAT YARN TO BUY.  And sometimes it's EXPENSIVE YARN!

Oh. My. Gosh.

And in doing so, they make people who can't afford to buy EXPENSIVE YARN feel bad because they are not rich enough.

Huh.

Is there not enough hurt in the world that someone would start a hate-fest against knitting???

The young lady in the video made some very good points.  Knitwear designers don't do this on purpose.  Sometimes they're given a yarn by a yarn company and asked to design for that yarn.  Obviously the yarn company wants to sell that yarn.  Lots of it!  

But what is just as obvious (to me anyway) is that the YARN POLICE are NOT coming to my house to find out whether I'm actually using that specific yarn to knit that pattern!!

So anyway, to those folks who get upset because they can't afford a $33 skein of yarn or $150 for a sweater quantity, chill!  When I started knitting I got yarn from the local chain store and used whatever was cheapest.  I figured out what gauge it was and used a free pattern from the label, or from a magazine or something.  Gradually as I got more disposable income, I got into better yarns, and as I learned about them I changed what I used.  I grew as a knitter.

But guess what?  I STILL USE CHAIN STORE YARN sometimes!!  Even often!  If I'm knitting a winter hat that my husband is going to sweat up and toss in the wash, I use washable yarn!

$33 a skein is expensive if you're taking cash out of your grocery money to buy it.  $5 a skein is expensive if you're doing that!  Buy the best you can afford, enjoy the process, do it with love.  The rest doesn't matter.  

Some people see a sweater and they want EXACTLY THAT SWEATER.  Well, honey, maybe if you feel that way, you are a retail shopper not a maker.  Because I can tell you I have trouble even making two socks come out exactly the same when they're supposed to be a pair!

Embrace variety!  ...be unique!!  Don't aspire to be exactly the same as anyone else - be you!!

So all I can say is, I totally do not understand why there is even a question about what kind of yarn each individual knitter uses.  I'm glad I didn't see that whole chain, because I might have said something that would have offended someone.

People are so easily offended.

I guess I'm glad I'm doing Safer at Home these days.  Keeps me out of trouble...

Knit on...