Here's the hat in all it's mis-crossed glory
Knit out of Patons SWS
Monday, February 11, 2008
Hat Attack Can Kiss My Ass
This post will probably draw ire from those who take an opposing view point but I don't care. I signed up for Hat Attack and read all of the directions carefully. Hat Attack is like Sock Wars for people who don't like to knit socks, and though I do knit socks, I don't really like knitting them. I signed up eager because I'm a quick knitter and I like knitting hats. I also figured I could stash bust a bit for this. Well I got the pattern dug out a yarn and 5 hours later I had my hat. I packed it up and sent it FedEx. Well here's where my ass gets chapped, I was supposed to knit it right handed for it to be up to code. And if I didn't knit it right handed well then I should have thought like a right handed knitter (which would be difficult since I'm fucking LEFT HANDED) and crossed the cables the other way. But see the directions say you have to follow the pattern exactly, and if I follow the pattern exactly and I knit like a left handed person then my cables will cross the wrong way. No note was made for lefty's to knit the cables reversed, no indications that the cables had to face left the only thing the patten said was mis-crossed cables wouldn't work. Well my cables are not mis-crossed it just so happend that I like 10% of the population do things with my left hand. So all in all Hat Attack can kiss my left hand loving ass!
Here's the hat in all it's mis-crossed glory
Knit out of Patons SWS
Here's the hat in all it's mis-crossed glory
Knit out of Patons SWS
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
15 comments:
Love the color though! It is one of my favorites!
I think that ruling was wrong. Your hat is perfectly fine as it is.
As another lefty, I agree with you! I had to wait until a clear picture of the decreases was posted on Ravelry before I could finish my hat. I couldn't envision what that part was supposed to look like when knit by a righty. With the photo, I was able to reverse engineer the pattern. Ugh! Frustration! Next time they need a lefty-approved pattern or a special provision for us.
oh noes! >< life was fun while it lasted...btw, I used Patons SWS too! :D Nice color choice!
absolutely ADORE that color...
And for the record, if I was in charge, I would say that your hat still qualifies because all of your cables cross uniformly. It's not like you screwed up and mis-crossed one cable but didn't feel like fixing it... and I'm a righty :P
I am the Arms Dealer; I designed the hat. I am sorry that you did not enjoy your participation in Hat Attack. This was a first experience for both myself and the Oracle, and your situation is definitely on the list of "things to be avoided next time".
However, I feel it is significant to note for the record that the ruling was not that you needed to knit it right-handed. The ruling was that it is your responsibility, when working from a conventional pattern, to make the modifications necessary when your knitting style deviates from the default which is assumed in the world of patterns for the sake of brevity. You neither made these modifications nor asked for help in making them, even though said adaptations had already been posted to the forum, because another lefty knitter ran into the same confusion and asked.
I knit Eastern style, which requires me to adapt increases and decreases. The Oracle is a left-handed knitter. We both understand that it can be a pain to adapt a pattern so that you can knit it your own way, but it is your responsibility to do so, not the responsibility of the designer to accommodate every major variation in knitting styles.
Yes, it is irritating that knitting patterns do not, by convention, include universal instructions. If you would like to help bring the era of self-translating patterns closer, I recommend you check out and possibly participate in the KnitML project.
I agree that your hat is lovely, and constitutes a very successful project, but it was not a valid weapon under the rules stated.
Wow, I am speechless...
Love the hat!!
Did the hat pattern have written or charted instructions? I see that the pattern is free, but I am unable to locate it to check for myself. Sorry you were discriminated against. Knitting mirror images of patterns is intrinsic to lefty-knitting. Can you imagine the flack you would get if you made a contest that only left-handed people could work as written without being disqualified?
The hat pattern did not contain schematics and didn't say anything about knitting left handed or right handed. The directions just said to slip to cable needle and hold in back. It didn't indicate that the cable should cross on the left or on the right.
I'm a lefty and take offense at the idea that we do not knit correctly. People like this are exactly the reason left handed people have shorter life spans. Give us more stress. Like we don't have enough everyday struggles with can openers, measuring cups with the measurements on the wrong freaking side and a million other things to deal with.
I think that is a fantastic hat and I would have loved to receive it, and it looks big enough for someone to wear it?
It is rreally lovely, I never thoughht before that a left hander would have so much trouble with a pattern, My daughter is left handed-how will I teach her to knit? Regards, Mel
To the knitter concerned about her left handed daughter: Teach her to knit left handed, and just remind her that if she follows charts that she want to turn out exactly as pictured - she will need to read the chart left to right. For patterns, she will knit a mirror image of what is pictured (especially handy to know when knitting edgings and borders, "left and right" sides of cardigans, and colorwork involving knitted letters/numbers). She will have a better understanding of knitting in general than most right handed knitters. Don't worry! (and please, don't teach her to knit right handed)
The first hat pictured on the Binary Cable Hat's "detail" page is also knit "lefty", notice that? It actually looks better with the cables crossed that way, in my opinion...
I feel really bad that your hat was 'collateral damage' and a victim of 'friendly fire'. If the pattern didn't specifically say "left twist/right twist" then it was a pattern error/omission/fault - _not_ a knitting 'mistake'.
I'm pissed, too.
I made my hat in the recommended yarn, getting the recommended gauge exactly and now my target is saying my weapon is invalid because it doesn't fit her.
It's not my bloody problem you have a giant noggin, lady!
Post a Comment