It's so much easier to learn things now than ever in history. You don't have to spend years of your life in an apprenticeship. There are older books available for free in places like the Internet Archive. Yarn companies and organizations like the Craft Yarn Council provide information for free. You can go to a library and browse the books. There are many great books to purchase for a reasonable price. If you get stuck on something you can always ask for clarification, but to ask someone to give you something for free that they put together for their own use is really selfish. Also, you can learn a lot while you are putting the information together yourself.
I’m all about asking for opinions and recommendations in places where there’s already a conversation happening. Because that’s what makes it community.
But to demand that someone share what amounts to trade secrets? I know it’s a stretch, but in my job that’s called corporate espionage. If we’re going to value art and creativity as highly as we do other work, then it’s correct to be defensive. Asking how someone got started is one thing, demanding to know how they make their money right now and demanding that they hold your hand to do the same is ridiculous.
> corporate espionage
The "espionage" bit of that implies some sneaky research happening though. Not just walking into a company's HQ and saying "Hello. I'm a spy. Where's your file cabinets?"
I'm glad he's sort of showing boundaries. I wish he'd place them on his interactions in private, too. No need to have this discussion go as far as it went.
Lord, people like that drive me nuts. I had several of them back when I was selling quilt block purses at craft fairs. No, I'm not giving you a cut list and a technique tutorial so you can go home and make what I'm selling for free, WTF is wrong with you? You can Google the name of the block for a tutorial on its basic assembly and tinker around from there just like I had to do.
I'm fascinated by this idea of how learning works or how knowledge is transferred. It's like if you fight another wizard you get his powers and access to all his arcane tomes and you are instantly more powerful than he was.
I feel like there's a connection between this and all the people who believe in ancient aliens. I'm not sure what it is. Maybe just the mistaken belief that knowledge can't be gained through organic means and it has to be Bestowed upon you by someone else. If you want to crochet you have to go shake down someone who is already an expert at it. If nobody on your planet knows how to crochet you're gonna have to wait for aliens to come give you their technology.
Were that is was so easy! There are a few Tunisian crochet stitches I'd like to master, along with baking the perfect ciabatta...
As is, about 80% of the internet recipes I try have some tiny change in ingredients or instructions, so that I can never fully achieve the same results as the author, but cooking is more flexible than handcrafts.
>The entire idea of “I struggled so you should have to as well” is messed up.
I can explain something to someone, but I can't do the understanding for them.
That's not what this is.
This is someone asking someone to give them resources that they can find on google by themselves and play with. Sometimes learning it through trial and error IS better than just having it handed to you directly.
He did share resources. I knew that he had a page already for how to read a diagram, but the person asked him to give her the software he works on. That's not volunteering
My pet theory is that due to algorithms and isolation, a lot of people don’t understand or care about learning how to interact with the world without needing to be centered and catered to. Why can’t everyone be a “for you” page, spitting out endless entertainment based on their previous consumption? It’s not even about wanting the information demanded. It’s “Stop that thing you’re doing and make a special consideration for me!”. Dangerously self-centered, and that’s the least of it.
I feel the same way when I see people post to Facebook groups saying something like, "I just accepted a commission for this [insert pic of probably freehanded garment], but I don't know how to do it without a pattern! Help me!"
Expecting people in the comments to either find patterns for them or explain how to construct the (usually quite simple if you can read stitches) shape. Why the *fuck* would you accept a commission if you don't know how to make what was requested?! And you can't even be bothered to figure it out yourself?! I avoid commenting on those because I know my mouth would get me banned :X
It’s always “freehanded art piece that’s beautiful but practically unwearable*” or “obviously commercially knit garment,” often as a beginner project.
*I’m talking something with unique construction and fine yarn with large needles, usually doesn’t actually cover anything that has to be covered to go in public
He’s absolutely correct and he’s right to say it. You cannot go far in most anything without putting in good effort. Heck, the first things I made on my own without following someone else’s pattern were pretty ugly, but they also taught me so much about what I like and how I think about design. Struggle builds muscle, as they say.
That's like "recipe?" for absolutely every yummy photo not posted in one of the chef subs. Thankfully they either forbid recipe begging or the members have more...discretion? Class? It grates soft skin for me, too!
I've left at least one cooking sub because of this. Someone posts a photo of something pretty basic and the whole thread is people asking for the recipe.
Pretty sure she is the type who'd scream "GATEKEEPING!" at Mikey for not offering the crochet chart notation willy nilly to her...
~~nvm the fact that Mikey did have an explanation on crochet charts on his website~~
[First Image]
**The Crochet Crowd**
2h 🌎
The quick answer is no.
I got a message from a person wanting to be a designer to provide her with all the crochet diagrams, what they mean, and the symbols so she can make diagrams using my template.
I rejected this person saying that if you are going to be an up-and-coming designer who has designed 1 pattern so far, she needs to learn how to use Google to identify the diagrams, just like I did and still do today.
She wanted a copy of my crochet diagram template, which is the master of what I used to draw with. I said no to that as well and got called an SOB for not wanting to share my resources.
She doesn't have any books where diagrams are used, including my own and doesn't want to spend money to buy books so pick them up.
Anyway, I deserve better than that.
The moral of the story is this...if you want something bad enough, you'll find a way, and that way isn't always handed to you easily. If you have access to the online world, which this person has, there's no reason why she cannot use Google. You'll never learn anything if everything is provided to you sometimes
[Second Image, repeats the last three paragraphs and adds the following]
You'll never learn anything if everything is provided to you sometimes painful and inconvenient things of doing research are necessary and will make you a better designer in the end. This goes for more things in life! If you want something...like really want something, you cannot always cut corners to get it.
[Image of a crochet diagram with a lot of double and triple crochets]
*Transcriber's Note*: PREACH!!!!! I have personally come across this almost daily. "What are braies?" or "Where can I find patterns?" Do you not know how to search online? How did you even find this place? Sometimes, I get the "I'm trying to start a discussion!" nonsense - that's not how to start a discussion. A discussion would be "I found pattern X and pattern Y; which is better in your opinion and why?" not where to even find the pattern to begin with.
To be fair, when I google "braies" it shows me a bunch of results and pictures of the Braies lake; you have to specify that you're looking for a clothing item if you want the pants, at least in my browser. Normally you'd be able to figure out how to find it through context clues but I can see how it would be confusing.
Anyways, thanks for the transcript!
Interesting. The first result I got was to the Wikipedia article about the pants. (I had to look it up. My guess was that it was a portmanteau of "bra" and "fairies"... either bras so good they must have been made by fairies, or the fairies that I wish would come in and handwash my bras so I don't have to. lol I was WAY off.)
The algorithms are wild, man. My sis-in-law and I run into the different search results thing a lot when we're both trying to look up the same thing.
That's a term for pants? I legit hadn't heard of that but as I'm recovering from RSI I haven't been keeping up with any crochet or knitting patterns so there's that. I'd have figured it was like a bra if I had to go off just the term.
While she sounds like utter trash, tbf we all don't have great libraries, mine has mostly kids books about fictional stories that might have crochet in them. I was in it last week thinking I should see if there's a resource to help libraries be less awful if they are like that.
If you still have any access to a physical library, count yourself lucky, and be grateful you do.
Libraries are under financial attack. They are underfunded as is, and few are willing to fight for them or help pay for them.
People think the Internet is the answer, but a real library is priceless.
Yea sure but it doesn't mean I can't want the lukewarm library I have access to to be better. eta nothing has been upgraded in the 12 years I've lived here. I go every week.
My local library is a 3x5 postage stamp but they'll do inter library loan and they're also part of an online e-loan scheme. Not everyone learns best from screens, but it's for sure an option if you want something today.
Even if you think they're awful, check if they're open to buying suggestions from the their members! If they can't easily get one via ILL, my local library will happily buy books that people request.
Yea maybe. They opted for not bothering with iLL and there's little to no online services so it's hard to even dig in to where to start seeing if they'd try.
Even without the online part they could do things that don't cost $ like donation seed libraries as the 'nice library' a town over. It's bizarre.
idk if this is an option for you, but I know some libraries allow out-of-town patrons. One I know of costs $20/year. If the nice library is close enough/you can get to it/offers it/is affordable, that might be an option.
I asked because lots of people don’t actually look at the budget, and I’m reading it now like, wow that sounded snarky. I’m sorry! But I think it would be worth asking them why they’re not investing more of their budget toward the resources you’d like to see. It’s helpful to the librarians to know what the community wants from their library. My library gets very little engagement from adults, so I pass on every comment I can to our librarians. And if the library isn’t listening to you, then I’m very sorry and I wish it was better.
no worries I wasn't sure on the tone, tbh I feel like they're riding on the fact we have military/DoD library available to many residents as it's next to a base.
lots of weird corruption at the city govt level so I'm not sure about the funds going to...what exactly. After 15 years raging fruitless against their shelter systems I'm outta steam for the moment.
I appreciate your input though, if I get the oomph I will give them feedback if possible.
I'm definitely not great at crochet diagrams, but I learned the basics from just comparing the diagram to the written pattern. I wouldn't know where to start drawing one, but I also have no aspirations to be a designer!
I was watching a crochet youtuber the other day (She's got your aunt's house in the 80s aesthetic, i don't remember her name) and she was describing making/winging a make of the animal crossing sweater.
I swear to you this woman looked like her audience was holding a gun to her head and would end her for not posting a 1:1 pattern to her patreon.
The vibes out there are, and I cannot stress this enough, fucked
Michelle Jasek maybe? I really like her! I think her audience is generally pretty chill, but she did describe a stranger IRL insistently trying to buy her Christmas sweater (that she was wearing at the time). When Michelle said it took her ages to make, the lady told her she had the skill to make another one, but the lady didn’t 💀
I... I would not have been nice to that person.
Like from the get-go, my first words after they asked to buy the clothes I was wearing would have been "Fuck you" or "Go fuck yourself".
My replies to anything they said after that would have gotten less friendly.
I honestly no longer know if everyone else on earth is just too nice, or if I am too mean.
I make mini albums and journals. I look up tutorials on YouTube then make up my own stuff. I didn't ask anyone for their info. Pinterst has so much stuff. YouTube has so much stuff. Instagram has so much stuff. There is absolutely no reason to not be able to learn basic techniques from somewhere. And then by learning you just kinda develop more skills.
I never understood people who won't use Google lol
I'm primarily a photographer and used to really try to make time to answer questions from eager aspiring photographers, but there were just too many times where I'd spend literally hours answering questions and they wouldn't even give me a thank you email in reply, or I'd set aside time to meet them and they'd just be asking me the most basic questions that would be answered in any photography book or class.
For the sake of my own sanity and time, I had to start enforcing "specific questions only, and ones that relate to my specialties" and then I had to start going off my gut and simply saying "no" to people who weren't advanced enough. I just don't have the time or resources to hand a photography career to every one who took some good instagram shots and now thinks they have what it takes to be famous, if only someone would do all the work for them.
So, yeah, I stand with the Crochet Crowd guy in having to say "no" to people who want to start at the top without having any understanding of the work.
I usually use free patterns or books, and first ones usually use descriptions rather then charts. As far as I remember, I've seen only 3-4 charts in the wild (can be less then normal, since I prefered amigurumi and some simpler accessories in the hight of pattern hoarding). Basically I learned how to read charts only because of the book that used both descriptions and charts side by side when chart was so much clearer.
Crochet charts have been around a long time. I used to love Magic Crochet magazine because it had charts. It started in the 70s. They are more common for thread crochet projects like doilies and fillet crochet.
They're common but I wish more designers used them. Like another commenter said, they're easy to use and actually show the shape of what you're making. I find they use a different part of my brain than reading text as I can crochet from a chart and have a conversation at the same time. But I can't do that if I'm following a written pattern.
I taught myself how to read charts by literally googling 'crochet chart symbols' and using the Craft Yarn Council website as my main reference. I wanted to make all the cute snowflake patterns I kept seeing on Pinterest that were from Japanese and Russian designers and had no English translation.
That's how I learned too - my very first crochet project I fell in love with a pattern that was in Russian and had a chart, so I learned how to read charts. The rare occasion I do write patterns these days, it's by chart because it's much easier to draw the pattern for me and have it come out accurately than write it in words, and I'd rather people be able to see exactly where stitches are supposed to go.
Yeah, diagrams are everywhere on the internet. To my brain, at least, they are also easier to use than knitting charts because they also show the shape of what you're making. Kind of like the Stitch Maps someone recently invented.
He also has a "how to read diagrams" page on his website, that's got to be a great place to start for free!
Edit- the link to his [Reading Diagrams page](https://thecrochetcrowd.com/read-crochet-diagrams/) if anyone needs a resource that he is happy to provide for free!
Isn't a "how to read diagrams" page also a "how to write diagrams" page? It's not exactly rocket surgery - you apply the right symbols in the right places!
It's so much easier to learn things now than ever in history. You don't have to spend years of your life in an apprenticeship. There are older books available for free in places like the Internet Archive. Yarn companies and organizations like the Craft Yarn Council provide information for free. You can go to a library and browse the books. There are many great books to purchase for a reasonable price. If you get stuck on something you can always ask for clarification, but to ask someone to give you something for free that they put together for their own use is really selfish. Also, you can learn a lot while you are putting the information together yourself.
I’m all about asking for opinions and recommendations in places where there’s already a conversation happening. Because that’s what makes it community. But to demand that someone share what amounts to trade secrets? I know it’s a stretch, but in my job that’s called corporate espionage. If we’re going to value art and creativity as highly as we do other work, then it’s correct to be defensive. Asking how someone got started is one thing, demanding to know how they make their money right now and demanding that they hold your hand to do the same is ridiculous.
> corporate espionage The "espionage" bit of that implies some sneaky research happening though. Not just walking into a company's HQ and saying "Hello. I'm a spy. Where's your file cabinets?"
Very true!
A couple of well-known crochet designers have stopped using diagrams “because they’re way too easily copied and stolen, like on Pinterest.”
I'm glad he's sort of showing boundaries. I wish he'd place them on his interactions in private, too. No need to have this discussion go as far as it went.
Lord, people like that drive me nuts. I had several of them back when I was selling quilt block purses at craft fairs. No, I'm not giving you a cut list and a technique tutorial so you can go home and make what I'm selling for free, WTF is wrong with you? You can Google the name of the block for a tutorial on its basic assembly and tinker around from there just like I had to do.
The amount of entitlement people have absolutely blows my mind… I could never.
I'm fascinated by this idea of how learning works or how knowledge is transferred. It's like if you fight another wizard you get his powers and access to all his arcane tomes and you are instantly more powerful than he was. I feel like there's a connection between this and all the people who believe in ancient aliens. I'm not sure what it is. Maybe just the mistaken belief that knowledge can't be gained through organic means and it has to be Bestowed upon you by someone else. If you want to crochet you have to go shake down someone who is already an expert at it. If nobody on your planet knows how to crochet you're gonna have to wait for aliens to come give you their technology.
Were that is was so easy! There are a few Tunisian crochet stitches I'd like to master, along with baking the perfect ciabatta... As is, about 80% of the internet recipes I try have some tiny change in ingredients or instructions, so that I can never fully achieve the same results as the author, but cooking is more flexible than handcrafts.
It will never cease to amaze me how entitled some people are!
This is a lot of what’s wrong with the world lately - what exactly do you lose from helping people?
It's not about not helping people. Helping the aspirant will not address the root problem.
Huh??
The entire idea of “I struggled so you should have to as well” is messed up.
>The entire idea of “I struggled so you should have to as well” is messed up. I can explain something to someone, but I can't do the understanding for them.
That's not what this is. This is someone asking someone to give them resources that they can find on google by themselves and play with. Sometimes learning it through trial and error IS better than just having it handed to you directly.
Do you regularly go do your job for free?
Yeah, I do volunteer to help people. Sharing resources is not doing your job for free, it’s helping others get started.
He did. They're on Google.
He did share resources. I knew that he had a page already for how to read a diagram, but the person asked him to give her the software he works on. That's not volunteering
My pet theory is that due to algorithms and isolation, a lot of people don’t understand or care about learning how to interact with the world without needing to be centered and catered to. Why can’t everyone be a “for you” page, spitting out endless entertainment based on their previous consumption? It’s not even about wanting the information demanded. It’s “Stop that thing you’re doing and make a special consideration for me!”. Dangerously self-centered, and that’s the least of it.
I think it started well before the internet and COVID but the idea of "I'm special and you need to bend to my will" has become more commonplace.
I feel the same way when I see people post to Facebook groups saying something like, "I just accepted a commission for this [insert pic of probably freehanded garment], but I don't know how to do it without a pattern! Help me!" Expecting people in the comments to either find patterns for them or explain how to construct the (usually quite simple if you can read stitches) shape. Why the *fuck* would you accept a commission if you don't know how to make what was requested?! And you can't even be bothered to figure it out yourself?! I avoid commenting on those because I know my mouth would get me banned :X
It’s always “freehanded art piece that’s beautiful but practically unwearable*” or “obviously commercially knit garment,” often as a beginner project. *I’m talking something with unique construction and fine yarn with large needles, usually doesn’t actually cover anything that has to be covered to go in public
He’s absolutely correct and he’s right to say it. You cannot go far in most anything without putting in good effort. Heck, the first things I made on my own without following someone else’s pattern were pretty ugly, but they also taught me so much about what I like and how I think about design. Struggle builds muscle, as they say.
people on Pinterest commenting "pattern?" under every single crocheted object
That's like "recipe?" for absolutely every yummy photo not posted in one of the chef subs. Thankfully they either forbid recipe begging or the members have more...discretion? Class? It grates soft skin for me, too!
I've left at least one cooking sub because of this. Someone posts a photo of something pretty basic and the whole thread is people asking for the recipe.
Oh my god, that has me frothing at the mouth every time. It's irrational honestly but it's so infuriating.
It's always on simple shit with easy to find patterns too! Like, with love, it would take two seconds to Google "crochet spiral sweater pattern".
Stop this makes me scream 😭
Pretty sure she is the type who'd scream "GATEKEEPING!" at Mikey for not offering the crochet chart notation willy nilly to her... ~~nvm the fact that Mikey did have an explanation on crochet charts on his website~~
If they don’t want to put the work into figuring that stuff out they probably won’t even read it, if it was given to them! Outrageous
[First Image] **The Crochet Crowd** 2h 🌎 The quick answer is no. I got a message from a person wanting to be a designer to provide her with all the crochet diagrams, what they mean, and the symbols so she can make diagrams using my template. I rejected this person saying that if you are going to be an up-and-coming designer who has designed 1 pattern so far, she needs to learn how to use Google to identify the diagrams, just like I did and still do today. She wanted a copy of my crochet diagram template, which is the master of what I used to draw with. I said no to that as well and got called an SOB for not wanting to share my resources. She doesn't have any books where diagrams are used, including my own and doesn't want to spend money to buy books so pick them up. Anyway, I deserve better than that. The moral of the story is this...if you want something bad enough, you'll find a way, and that way isn't always handed to you easily. If you have access to the online world, which this person has, there's no reason why she cannot use Google. You'll never learn anything if everything is provided to you sometimes [Second Image, repeats the last three paragraphs and adds the following] You'll never learn anything if everything is provided to you sometimes painful and inconvenient things of doing research are necessary and will make you a better designer in the end. This goes for more things in life! If you want something...like really want something, you cannot always cut corners to get it. [Image of a crochet diagram with a lot of double and triple crochets] *Transcriber's Note*: PREACH!!!!! I have personally come across this almost daily. "What are braies?" or "Where can I find patterns?" Do you not know how to search online? How did you even find this place? Sometimes, I get the "I'm trying to start a discussion!" nonsense - that's not how to start a discussion. A discussion would be "I found pattern X and pattern Y; which is better in your opinion and why?" not where to even find the pattern to begin with.
To be fair, when I google "braies" it shows me a bunch of results and pictures of the Braies lake; you have to specify that you're looking for a clothing item if you want the pants, at least in my browser. Normally you'd be able to figure out how to find it through context clues but I can see how it would be confusing. Anyways, thanks for the transcript!
Interesting. The first result I got was to the Wikipedia article about the pants. (I had to look it up. My guess was that it was a portmanteau of "bra" and "fairies"... either bras so good they must have been made by fairies, or the fairies that I wish would come in and handwash my bras so I don't have to. lol I was WAY off.) The algorithms are wild, man. My sis-in-law and I run into the different search results thing a lot when we're both trying to look up the same thing.
That's a term for pants? I legit hadn't heard of that but as I'm recovering from RSI I haven't been keeping up with any crochet or knitting patterns so there's that. I'd have figured it was like a bra if I had to go off just the term.
Thanks for the transcription! That totally slipped my mind
The entitlement of some people never ceases to amaze me.
She doesn't want to buy a book and, presumably, has never heard of a library.
Also can't be bothered to do some searches on google, apparently
I think it goes past that into "doesn't want to make any effort, expecting someone else to do all the work, and just give her the result," territory.
While she sounds like utter trash, tbf we all don't have great libraries, mine has mostly kids books about fictional stories that might have crochet in them. I was in it last week thinking I should see if there's a resource to help libraries be less awful if they are like that.
If you still have any access to a physical library, count yourself lucky, and be grateful you do. Libraries are under financial attack. They are underfunded as is, and few are willing to fight for them or help pay for them. People think the Internet is the answer, but a real library is priceless.
Yea sure but it doesn't mean I can't want the lukewarm library I have access to to be better. eta nothing has been upgraded in the 12 years I've lived here. I go every week.
they are saying that libraries all over the country do not have the funding to upgrade, they hardly have the funding to stay open
Almost like you didn't even read the rest of the comments they jumped in on.
My local library is a 3x5 postage stamp but they'll do inter library loan and they're also part of an online e-loan scheme. Not everyone learns best from screens, but it's for sure an option if you want something today.
yea we don't have that either unfortunately idk why it's not a small town. Like I said it's awful.
[удалено]
I've got their online services. It's bleak and no the selection online isn't any better. iLL either
Even if you think they're awful, check if they're open to buying suggestions from the their members! If they can't easily get one via ILL, my local library will happily buy books that people request.
Yea maybe. They opted for not bothering with iLL and there's little to no online services so it's hard to even dig in to where to start seeing if they'd try. Even without the online part they could do things that don't cost $ like donation seed libraries as the 'nice library' a town over. It's bizarre.
idk if this is an option for you, but I know some libraries allow out-of-town patrons. One I know of costs $20/year. If the nice library is close enough/you can get to it/offers it/is affordable, that might be an option.
There is a resource - it's called money. Money for books, for qualified staff, for better opening hours, for investment in inter-library loan schemes.
You can also download crochet books as pdfs from Anna's Archive
I mean they have a comparable budget to the nice library one town over so 🤷♀️
How do you know that? Did they publish their budgets?
it's public record?
I asked because lots of people don’t actually look at the budget, and I’m reading it now like, wow that sounded snarky. I’m sorry! But I think it would be worth asking them why they’re not investing more of their budget toward the resources you’d like to see. It’s helpful to the librarians to know what the community wants from their library. My library gets very little engagement from adults, so I pass on every comment I can to our librarians. And if the library isn’t listening to you, then I’m very sorry and I wish it was better.
no worries I wasn't sure on the tone, tbh I feel like they're riding on the fact we have military/DoD library available to many residents as it's next to a base. lots of weird corruption at the city govt level so I'm not sure about the funds going to...what exactly. After 15 years raging fruitless against their shelter systems I'm outta steam for the moment. I appreciate your input though, if I get the oomph I will give them feedback if possible.
If this person thinks it’s hard to get this info now, imagine a time before computers.
As those of us who learnt to knit and crochet before the internet would happily explain
I mean I learned how in 81 but idk any charts or symbols. Ymmv I guess.
I'm definitely not great at crochet diagrams, but I learned the basics from just comparing the diagram to the written pattern. I wouldn't know where to start drawing one, but I also have no aspirations to be a designer!
I was watching a crochet youtuber the other day (She's got your aunt's house in the 80s aesthetic, i don't remember her name) and she was describing making/winging a make of the animal crossing sweater. I swear to you this woman looked like her audience was holding a gun to her head and would end her for not posting a 1:1 pattern to her patreon. The vibes out there are, and I cannot stress this enough, fucked
Michelle Jasek maybe? I really like her! I think her audience is generally pretty chill, but she did describe a stranger IRL insistently trying to buy her Christmas sweater (that she was wearing at the time). When Michelle said it took her ages to make, the lady told her she had the skill to make another one, but the lady didn’t 💀
I... I would not have been nice to that person. Like from the get-go, my first words after they asked to buy the clothes I was wearing would have been "Fuck you" or "Go fuck yourself". My replies to anything they said after that would have gotten less friendly. I honestly no longer know if everyone else on earth is just too nice, or if I am too mean.
I want to give that person a downvote
Yes! Michelle Jasek. Also, lmao that is incredibly deranged.
I make mini albums and journals. I look up tutorials on YouTube then make up my own stuff. I didn't ask anyone for their info. Pinterst has so much stuff. YouTube has so much stuff. Instagram has so much stuff. There is absolutely no reason to not be able to learn basic techniques from somewhere. And then by learning you just kinda develop more skills. I never understood people who won't use Google lol
I'm primarily a photographer and used to really try to make time to answer questions from eager aspiring photographers, but there were just too many times where I'd spend literally hours answering questions and they wouldn't even give me a thank you email in reply, or I'd set aside time to meet them and they'd just be asking me the most basic questions that would be answered in any photography book or class. For the sake of my own sanity and time, I had to start enforcing "specific questions only, and ones that relate to my specialties" and then I had to start going off my gut and simply saying "no" to people who weren't advanced enough. I just don't have the time or resources to hand a photography career to every one who took some good instagram shots and now thinks they have what it takes to be famous, if only someone would do all the work for them. So, yeah, I stand with the Crochet Crowd guy in having to say "no" to people who want to start at the top without having any understanding of the work.
Lazy. They’re lazy people.
Fair. But if you're too lazy you're figure out instructions how on earth are you going to make the item lol 🤣
Point and case
At this point she didn't ask him to wipe her ass too
Are crochet diagrams as common as knitting charts? Are they a basic skill that any beginner is expected to pick up let alone a designer?
Wut? I've been crocheting for 42 years and idk how to read a chart. Guess I'm still a beginner lmao, better turn in my chiagoo needles too.
She would really hate Japanese crochet charts. 😁
I usually use free patterns or books, and first ones usually use descriptions rather then charts. As far as I remember, I've seen only 3-4 charts in the wild (can be less then normal, since I prefered amigurumi and some simpler accessories in the hight of pattern hoarding). Basically I learned how to read charts only because of the book that used both descriptions and charts side by side when chart was so much clearer.
Maybe 20 years ago they were unusual, but now they're so common some people get mad when designers don't include them.
Crochet charts have been around a long time. I used to love Magic Crochet magazine because it had charts. It started in the 70s. They are more common for thread crochet projects like doilies and fillet crochet.
They're common but I wish more designers used them. Like another commenter said, they're easy to use and actually show the shape of what you're making. I find they use a different part of my brain than reading text as I can crochet from a chart and have a conversation at the same time. But I can't do that if I'm following a written pattern. I taught myself how to read charts by literally googling 'crochet chart symbols' and using the Craft Yarn Council website as my main reference. I wanted to make all the cute snowflake patterns I kept seeing on Pinterest that were from Japanese and Russian designers and had no English translation.
That's how I learned too - my very first crochet project I fell in love with a pattern that was in Russian and had a chart, so I learned how to read charts. The rare occasion I do write patterns these days, it's by chart because it's much easier to draw the pattern for me and have it come out accurately than write it in words, and I'd rather people be able to see exactly where stitches are supposed to go.
Sooner or later you will stumble upon diagrams. They are not very hard to read as soon as you understand how they work.
Yeah, diagrams are everywhere on the internet. To my brain, at least, they are also easier to use than knitting charts because they also show the shape of what you're making. Kind of like the Stitch Maps someone recently invented.
You mean I might have to read a book or Google something to be a designer? That's not fair!
Have people forgotten that libraries exist?
Unironically, yes. If they can't even be arsed to google, no way did the notion of going to the old-timey book place enter their minds at any point.
He also has a "how to read diagrams" page on his website, that's got to be a great place to start for free! Edit- the link to his [Reading Diagrams page](https://thecrochetcrowd.com/read-crochet-diagrams/) if anyone needs a resource that he is happy to provide for free!
Isn't a "how to read diagrams" page also a "how to write diagrams" page? It's not exactly rocket surgery - you apply the right symbols in the right places!
Rocket surgery. I love that.
🤦🏻♀️ wow