Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Crochet -vs- Knit

There has been a crochet -vs- knit debate for years....in fact, as a crocheter, I chose not to learn to knit for a very long time.  I felt that crochet was not given it's due....eventually I got sucked into knitting because of socks...and the crochet -vs- knit debate seemed to have settled down...crochet was gaining respect....people could see the use of both crafts....many knit designs called for crochet edgings....it seemed like crochet had finally reached what seemed like an equal footing with knitting....

and then BAM!  I was thrown back into the debate....at Stitches East, someone came into the booth and asked how a certain yarn would look knit up....I happened to be using that yarn, but I was crocheting...and I mentioned it....

and she said, "Let me rephrase that, how does this look KNIT up?" and she pretty much dismissed me and the crochet....and I got pretty pissed....I did not confront her, because it was not my place, as I was helping a friend out....but man I did feel like being really snotty back to her.....

now obviously knit and crochet create different fabrics....but the way a variegated yarn looks in a knit versus crochet stitch, I figured was not too different...so I decided to experiment....

My Age of Brass and Steam, where I used Madelinetosh merino light in Steam Age...




And a crocheted swatch
And the two together
Now to me, there doesn't seem to be too much of a difference.  The crocheted version looks a tad darker, but they were both taken in the same light..some natural and a lamp.....

The stitches were the most basic..the knit stitch and the single crochet....so yes with different stitches, cables, etc..the patterning of the yarn will be different...but that would also happen if you changed stitches in knit...or changed stitches in crochet...

But, at least, she could have seen how the colors pool or work up...I'm not saying it would have been exact, but it would still give you an idea...and to just dismiss it out of hand....well is rude...especially to do it to someone's face....

As Stephanie Tanner would say....



3 comments:

Unknown said...

How rude indeed! I'm also a crocheter first and I'm just now learning to knit a bit.. Of course there are differences, but I agree with you there'll also be differences when you change stitch.. That woman sounds really ugly. Pretty yarn though :)

Alicia said...

I agree that dismissing is quite rude! I do think, thought, that crocheted and knitted fabric are different enough that colors could behave differently. Even though single crochet stitch might be the most simple pattern, to my eye it is more similar to linen stitch than stockinette with the way it affects colors. Those little vertical bars are what remind me of linen, I think.

Renee Anne said...

I see the use of both but crochet and I aren't really friends. Perhaps it's because I've been knitting long enough, but I don't have to think when I knit (well, not too much). When I crochet, I have to think about every single thing I'm doing and usually have to look up the stitch I'm doing (several times, in fact). ::sigh::

Also, I think I like the crocheted swatch more but that might be because it appears less variegated. I don't know.