Craftsnark Rules

First and foremost, I should say I’m a crocheter. I don’t sew at all. But I desperately want to learn how to sew. This has naturally led me to make a favourites list on Etsy and a Pinterest board of future sewing patterns.

Now, I know f*ck all about sewing, but as a crocheter, I can tell when patterns are BS. Like this one. When the model literally has ONE LEG.

AI generated patterns boils my p*ss. I feel so bad for beginners who don’t know any better who pay money for a product that’s inherently going to be shite.

I keep seeing these types of generated images. They have that sort of ethereal look with warm lighting framing the model. The second I see that style now I immediately just think whomp whomp not real.

Okay rant over.

Please share all personal chatter here--questions, planning, works in progress, successes, failures, discoveries, and anything else pertaining to your personal crafting.

Here's the thread where you can share any new patterns or products that you don't think deserve their own post. Any craft goes, whether you're sharing sewing patterns, weird yarn colourways, woodburning templates, soapmaking supplies, or any thing else that you'd like to discuss. If you think it deserves it's own thread, feel free to make one!

Has anyone else heard of this? I got an ad from Study Knitting Notes saying they were giving their book away for free to celebrate one year, but according to Whois, the domain was purchased on 11/6/24. The site is sus with claims like "24/7 support", has a page where you can opt out of selling your information, and all their reviews are from 5/19/24. The site states all items are digital and emailed after purchase the reviews show the same physical book and there's a $7 shipping fee.

The month of December has started and my YouTube subscription feed is filling up with Day 1 Vlogmases. Let the Vlogmas snark begin!

It's that time of year again!! Has anyone fallen behind and not delivered?

Seen the unfortunate self spoiler post about Hedgehog.

Update I woke up this morning to the original Instagram posts deleted, replaced by greyscale images. Their website and ravelry have also been updated. On their Instagram post for the knit pattern: “We apologise for posting the colour photos of this pattern. It was not our intention to spoil your advent surprise. Please consider before downloading that the pattern pdf is in colour.” The crochet pattern was shared without comment.

And since it’s now been deleted along with the original posts I’ll share my interaction with them:

My comment on their original post yesterday morning: “I am really disheartened that you spoiled the entire mystery advent for us. I feel like I wasted my money and excitement for what I hoped to be a month of anticipation and joy. This was the first thing I saw this morning and I hadn't even gone downstairs to open my first color yet.”

Their reply: “there are so many that are eager to cast on with their first colour and have already posted their skeins. We really don't think this is spoiling anything, the pattern has been hugely anticipated and set to release on the 1st of December.”

—————————

Original post:

Insert “I’m sad, I’m mad” Gilmore girls clip here.

And it’s a free pattern so it’s not like posting a full color photo was necessary to sell the thing. Designers successfully monetize advent patterns in greyscale or without a single picture!

And the funny thing is I specifically ordered from them because I knew they were “safe” as far as I’d like the colors and feel confident starting a shawl or something not knowing where the colors would take me. Right now I just want to go knit a pair of socks or something. ☹️

https://preview.redd.it/5cepgz4me64e1.png?width=3372&format=png&auto=webp&s=691ebb6e443d89c1d0d6cdbb7f8086deef37bab1

I am looking into getting a neck light, and came across this in the video on the amazon listing. They really know their customers!

Today, STIK posted about how they feel they have influenced hats trends like hand knit looking hats, faux fur Poms, SKI hats, bright colors….

I’ve never even heard of this creator before this summer... Is it crazy that I think she’s delusional for thinking she inspired basic hat trends, and seems to be taking credit for an industry of small creators and their designs?

That rubbed me the wrong way, there are hundreds of amazing hat makers and designers who walked before a 2017 company could run….

Welcome to the bitesized BEC thread!

You have the freedom to indulge in BEC-style (b*tch eating crackers) vent comments in this thread. Naming examples is not required (gasp!) but majority of r/craftsnark rules still apply. Basically, don't be shitty and ruin the thread for others.

Looks like it wasn't addressed and I'm curious what happened. Seems like there's been a fallout because the only responses asking about it have been blunt and some of th don't follow each other anymore.

edit: a few people have said there's info elsewhere and it should be doable without the book - to clarify I am autistic and took what was on the pattern page literally and do not do well with vague statements like 'might' and 'probably' when it comes to deciding if it's possible to use the pattern without supplementary materials, so that's partially on me and how my brain works

I got a recommended post on insta today showing the new Flynn pattern by Cocoknits:
Ravelry: Flynn pattern by Julie Weisenberger

I thought it was really cute and would be a great way to use up some stash boucle. It's a $10 pattern - on the pricey side compared to some other designers but overall reasonable for a multi-size garment tbh. Until I saw that it's recommended that you buy the $35 Cocoknits sweater workshop book to be able to use the pattern at all, as it refers to specific pages in there.

Is this a thing? How complicated can a vest be that it needs an entire book to explain it's construction? Am I just missing something?

https://deer-and-doe-blog.closetcorepatterns.com/en/a-message-about-the-magnolia-re-release/

The short version of it is that they still have no plan of releasing older patterns in extended sizing and they will do a new photoshoot for Magnolia this spring. Not showing the deep cut view was intended as it would need the model to wear a specific bra... Which is exactly why people wanted photos of this view.

And they're locking comments on their posts sharing these decisions on all platforms.

Im working on being a confident beginner in the coming year and love her patterns & makes i see from other sewists on instagram and saw this “deal” is this a good deal, are her pattern instructions understandable? Is this worth it? I just hope there won’t be fine print after purchasing. Mods if not allowed please remove first time posting.

Has anyone tried the Glowhigh pattern drafting courses? They seem relentless with their email advertising and always on sale.

I don't know if I've been unlucky or Spotlight is just getting worse and worse. For context, Spotlight seems to be the Aussie equivalent of the American "Joanns"?

Anyway, the website is awful, always has been, you try to go "back" to the search after looking at one yarn from the list and now you're back to a section you never were in before and you have to redo your entire search again and scroll to where you got to last time.

Now, if I type in Spotlight into google and click the link, it redirects me to the New Zealand one. I have tried with and without my location setting enabled and it is just defaulting to NZ which I obviously can't buy from. Only way I can get to the AU site is my searching up an actual physical store, go to their google listing and under their phone and whatnot there's the "website" button.

So, I order 4 skeins of X yarn in Y colour for click and collect. They can only find one so put my order through and only give me 1 skein of the yarn. Excuse me, but if there's only one just refund me for the lot? What am I going to do with a singular skein of this yarn? Are you serious?

Last time I ordered online for delivery, $270 worth of yarn and they charged me twice, I thought it was a security clearance thing at the bank, so called the bank, nope. They charged me twice. Wtf.

So I call Spotlight customer service and go wtf guys? And they're just like "it only shows we charged you once." I say "Um, I called my bank and they say you charged me twice." Customer service does something on the computer... "oh it does appear you have been charged twice." (Oh really /s). They'll refund me but it'll take up to 5 business days to refund. Dude...like...an explanation would have been nice?

Now, their yarn ranges are just getting less and less. I wanted a mohair to hold with the main working yarn and...they don't have any. Not a single mohair yarn. Are you for real?

Unfortunately where I live there are no actual yarn stores in this area. There are sewing stores that happen to have a few skeins of the most ugly/boring yarn you've ever seen, but that's about it.

THEN the store layout. Oh my lord, it's so cramped, regardless of store size, you can barely get past other people, they have massive bins in the centre of all walkways you have to scoot around, there is so much tacky cheaply made home decor and it just looks and feels so messy and disorganised.

The isles are so close together if someone is in one of the yarn isles I just wait until they leave that isle.

Is this just my experience or is this a common issue with these stores? At this point I'm thinking of just giving up and risking buying yarn online and hoping it's what I want.

It's almost Vlogmas! Who do you enjoy watching? Who do you enjoy SNARK watching?

PSA: while you're celebrating all your reasons for gratitude this Thursday (in the USA), take a moment to support Meals On Wheels™ in their mission to feed people too inept to tell one yarn craft from another.

Wish I could have captured a video clip of the actor attempting to use the straight knitting needle (devoid of yarn!) to pierce? stab? skewer? one of the crocheted granny squares. Even if the actor knew better, I'm sure the director and Ad Agency rep were off camera coaching, "Struggle! Suffer! More pathos!"

[Caveat: food insecurity is no joke. Meals On Wheels does good work.]

I'm a knitter, and for a few days, I've been getting very vague posts on TikTok about some crocheted star blanket drama. Can someone explain what's going on? I'm nosey, and the comments in those videos don't give any details.

I get excited every time Vogue Knitting has a book sale, then I’m reminded that their shipping cost is ridiculous (not media mail?) and I might as well buy it full price elsewhere or on Amazon… then there’s this book. I’ve had large musical instruments shipped by ground that costs much less than that! I’m pretty sure the cost has gone up from the last time I checked too.

Please share all personal chatter here--questions, planning, works in progress, successes, failures, discoveries, and anything else pertaining to your personal crafting.

Here's the thread where you can share any new patterns or products that you don't think deserve their own post. Any craft goes, whether you're sharing sewing patterns, weird yarn colourways, woodburning templates, soapmaking supplies, or any thing else that you'd like to discuss. If you think it deserves it's own thread, feel free to make one!

I know it's been said a million times, but I'm just amazed now that I've seen it for myself. I'm not a crocheter and I was looking on Amazon for advanced crochet books as a possible gift for my SiL, who is an avid crocheter. Once I got past like, the first 10 books, every other book was some AI garbage with things that are obviously fake and are full of word salad sentences. I had seen the AI craft stuff somewhat, but wow, it seems to be especially bad for crochet! I feel bad for people who don't know how to spot these things and buy those "books". I reported them all but I'm sure Amazon doesn't care.

I’m about done with all of these creators/craftfluencers giving ‘advice’ to their viewers after doing one event. They might be big creators/designers but it is a different world when you play with the big boy vendors.

I do at least one market/event per weekend ( sometimes two when it’s the busy season) and have done so for years. I don’t have time to make a video about the ups n downs, I’m too busy making more stock for next weekend)

How do you feel about these creators who make a big deal and make beaucoup content about their one event this season? I feel a little insulted to be honest, I’m out here hustling every week and they pretend they’re working as hard as we are.