Friday, January 10, 2014

Is It A Chicken? An Egg? Or Just The Wrong Side of the Pond?

My Ravellenic Games team ravatar:
living the artful life (well, virtually
anyway) in the Paris subway.
There's been a weird sort of confluence of events this week that has led me to think about the kinds of projects crocheters make and what motivates hookers to make certain types of things and not others.

I am hosting an a-long for my recent Romantique collection in my wee Ravelry group. (It will eventually coincide with my Ravellenic Games team efforts in February, but more on that later). To get things kicked off, I posted a poll to gauge which designs crocheters might be interested in working on as a group. Thus far, only the accessories have received any votes (and do feel free to cast your vote right now). Of the eight designs in the collection, only 3 were garments - a pullover, a coat, and a skirt - and none of these has received any nod from voters that they might like to make them.

Then, I provided a small ending comment on the following Twitter conversation (and I do apologize for the length and the uneven quality of the font, but I wanted to include all of it and I am still getting used to translating Twitter conversations onto my blog):


Image will appear as a link


I am with many in the above conversation that loved Kim Werker's Crochet Me (although, unlike Ysolda, I did not almost try and steal my copy :) ), and I applaud Kim's willingness to start another conversation about this recurring topic: why do crocheters not make garments? A quick look at the Ravelry database indicates that there are slightly over 103,000 crochet garment projects against a staggering 1.2 million knit projects in the same category. There would seem to be no reason for most publishers to take the time to print books for an audience that is all but invisible.

However, I find Rohn Strong's comments most persuasive and I'm in agreement with them - I firmly believe crocheters will eventually make garments, but it takes time and patience. It's difficult being the baby of the group and lost in the yarny desert for such a long time. I've heard many reasons why crocheters are reticent to commit to making a garment (and some were valid, especially the stale designs argument), but most of them don't hold water anymore. 

I love designing garments as much as I do accessories. For the designer, it's definitely more work (pattern grading, pattern grading, pattern grading) but the personal rewards far greater (in my opinion). I cannot tell you how thrilling it has been to see my garments put on a model for the first time, see them fit and look good. I basically do all of my designing blind - no fittings, no practical dress form to speak of (although I do have a decorative dress form that can be helpful in a pinch), so to see my designing labor pay off is great. Of course, I want others to make the designs (hey, I'm human), and I firmly believe crocheters will make them. I build a level of trust between hookers and my designs with each pattern I publish, just like those in the above conversation have done and continue to do. 

It's been almost four years since Crochet Me was published, so I can respect Kim's feelings of defeat, but I don't share them. All I know is that I have so many designs just itching to come to life - both garments and accessories (and yes, interior designs as well). I have been, and will continue to be, willing to self-publish. 

Anyone for a little fur trim?
Of course, if there are reputable publishers out there that want to lead the pack, I'd love to speak with them.

In the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the above conversation. What would get you to make a crochet garment? 

If you're still reading (and good on you), do head on over to Wisdom Begins in Wonder and see what everyone else has been up to this week (garment-making notwithstanding).






10 comments:

  1. I think what would inspire me would be to see a fellow, experienced hooker make one and wear it, + rave about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks - and I get that. Word of mouth + proof can be a powerful thing.

      Delete
  2. Crocheters have definitely come into their own, although I don't mind either way, if I'm in a hurray my project to go is nearly always crochet. You're doing a fab job advancing the craft!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. :) My projects to go are also mostly crochet ... but I definitely don't discount a good garter stitch pattern.

      Delete
  3. Interesting post! I have not crocheted a garment--yet. But I can think of some things that can hold crocheters back. One is fear of shaping;)--not feeling comfortable with increases and decreases, or not being able to make edges that are crisp and neat, etc. Another is the cost of materials--crochet generally takes lots more yarn and if you are going to take the time to make a really nice garment you want it to be in a really nice fiber--you can get better mileage in knitting, generally. There are beautiful crochet garment patterns out there--You've designed some of them--but very few of them ever come up on the ravelry daily top 20--it's mostly afghan squares, toys, baby stuff and accessories--not sure how to get over that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kathleen - thanks for these comments. You know, I pay no attention to Ravelry's daily top 20. One of my testers told me that a few of my patterns from Romantique made the list, but they unfortunately weren't any of the garments. :)

      Delete
  4. If I could crochet, I would totally make that skirt...and the pullover. Even with knitted items, I tend to make accessories such as shawls because they are smaller projects. Typically, I haven't liked many crocheted projects...they looked so "1970's" Your designs along with others I've seen on Ravelry, are bringing a beauty to crochet. Do you think that most crocheters simply prefer blankets and dishcloths? That's all that the one's in my family ever made.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do hear you about the dated design. I'm not certain if crocheters prefer blanket and dishcloths; I do think many crafters (knitters included) like projects that find some delicate balance between mindless and an attractive finished piece (thus the big love for shawls!). Shaping can be daunting if the crafter isn't used to it or doesn't want to fiddle with it. :)

      Delete
  5. Personally, I think crocheted garments, in general, seem to bulky on the person wearing them. I also can't escape the 70's influence that crochet seems to connect with in my mind. But then again, maybe I haven't found the right pattern, yarn, etc...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Some crochet garments can be bulky, but not if it's well designed and made with the right yarn. :)

      Delete