It's still in the beginning stages because I've been so easily distracted lately. The yarn is Koigu. But I digress.
Imagine my surprise when I had not one, but several people reply, rather heatedly, that they had never knitted a clapotis and certainly never ever had any plans to knit a clapotis, thank you very much, and maybe they would just start up an anti-clapotis group while they were at it.
Did I miss something? Is this vehement dislike for the clapotis something that I have just been oblivious to until this point? Why are there so many people who seem to HATE the pattern? Is it because there's 11,629 clapotis projects on Ravelry, and people don't want to be considered to be "on the bandwagon"?
Now, I'm not writing this post because I've got my feelings all hurt because someone said they didn't like the project I was planning. I am genuinely confused, and wondering if there is some kind of underground anti-clapotis movement of which I was unaware. What is it about the clapotis that seems to get people in such an uproar? Usually, if a pattern is not my cup of tea, I just don't say anything about it, positive or negative. Any insight you may have on the matter would be greatly appreciated.
6 comments:
I've noticed this craziness too. Yes, as far as I can tell, it seems that the anti-clapotis sentiments are purely in regard to its popularity; I have yet to know of anyone who knit it and truly hated the pattern (I have seen several where they didn't like it or found it wasn't for them, but none who hated it).
I haven't knit one either, though I have a vague notion that I might sometime in the future.
I think anyone wanting to make a group in opposition to a pattern is a very third-grader thing to do. I can have an understanding of someone being against mass-produced fashion, but knitters all knit their own versions, even if it did stem from the same pattern.
I have never understood the fuss over the clapotis, but there's something for everyone right? It's not for me, but it seems to be for you. As long as you enjoy the knit, then there's no real issue.
I remember reading back posts of Grumperina's blog and she had this whole "I will never knit Crapotee" thing going...of course that was before she wrote the pattern for the Jaywalker socks, and then I wondered how she felt about having created this super-popular pattern. I don't get it, that's for sure...knit what you want and damn the torpedoes.
If it's the thread I'm thinking of, I actually made a comment about a group called Oh No, not the Clap. I haven't made one, but I'm pretty sure I will at some point. I don't hate the pattern at all; in fact, I really like the look of a lot of the finished objects, it's just the name that I'm not a fan of. It's just sort of . . . icky to me.
This is really funny you should mention this, as I was just thinking about it. I too shall never knit The Clap. But I wouldn't go around denigrating the pattern and designer, I wouldn't feel a need to make an anti-Clap group. It's not pc, right?
I think some of what you encountered may have been really vehement anti-clapism. Hee hee, making new things up! But seriously - it was all clap, all the time for awhile, and maybe those other knitters are really sick of the unspoken "play nice" rules that seem to happen in knitting and knit blog land and on Ravelry, at a guess. Um, sometimes it feels nice to express yourself, and sometimes those sentiments are negative and can hurt other people's feelings, but I think people get tired of smiling and nodding all of the time. Maybe. I am writing this mostly because that is what I feel - so many times I see things that I think are gawdawful but I just bite my tongue and look the other way. Perhaps these people are simply not so politic.
Basically - Thumper's mommy gave some really good advice, but not everyone follows it.
"goofuzz" how's that for word verification?!
I absolutely LOVE my clap. I'm sure it's a case of the teen angst of rebelling against the norm and against being in a group....but then they formed a GROUP to be against GROUPISM? Yeah. 9th grade all over again. Do what you wanna do. Knit what you wanna knit. Be who you wanna be. (feel free to break into song here). :)
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