finally shunned by a knitter

[OzRebel]

So, I was at a LYS last PM exchanging yarn for a pattern I’m going to start and wasn’t happy with the first choices. One of the yarns I picked was a solid sock yarn. The young employee checking me out asked if I was going to make some socks, but I said no, I crochet and don’t care for crochet socks but the yarn was for another project. THEN she proceeds to tell me how knitting IS so much better for most everything because of its drape, its stretch, its feel, but of course crochet was great for 3-D items! gggrrrrrrrrr Interestingly enough the door has a "Crochet Friendly Store" sticker on their door. The owner has always been super nice and I went last week to a coffee and knitting AM group to sit and crochet and everyone was very nice. I might e-mail the owner and let her know that her employees might be scaring away customers.

[rascalsmom]

Wow, I think that's pretty rude. I would never dream of demeaning one art form over the other. I think both are wonderful....although crochet is near and dear to me personally.

 

I agree, maybe a diplomatic email about your impressions of the clerk would be in order.

[zeropixie]

I would email the owner they may appreciate it. Small business owners need costumer input to make their services better.

[mamabear10]

I'd definately let the owner know about this incident. Of course different people will have their own opinions..but an employee is paid to be diplomatic no matter what. I don't get why this knitting vs crochet issue even exists.. isnt it rather like a huge book reading group...everyone loves books or they wouldn't be involved, but milage varies from book to book and reader to reader? I am in awe of what each type of crafter can do with a simple ball of yarn.

[bjc1050]

If you encounter this employee again and she makes the same type of comments, why not tell her that you are lucky to be multi-talented...unlike SOME knitters... and that YOU do both even for wearable items?

 

Beverly

[PBLKNP]

Why do people always associate crocheting with Tissue and Toilet Paper Covers??? My first wearables were crocheted and drape just fine, thank you very much...

[darski]

I am going to ask a question and I am asking for information only and not making a statement of fact. Please don't be upset ok:?

 

It seems to me that most of the contest between knitters and crocheters is among the new young people joining in.

 

It was my experience as I grew up that homemakers just did both. You knit your socks and you crocheted your doilies - no discussion, no concerns.

 

Is this where most of the conflict lies - with newbies who are perhaps not sure of their footing (boo, hiss pun) ? :grump

 

Now I have to assume that shop owners who show disrespect to crocheters are less likely to be young'uns so that alone could blow my theory out of the water.

 

I am curious about this conflict because it is such a new thing in the craft world.

[jingerelle]

I'm relatively new to crochet and am currently learning to knit. I find both to be enjoyable. I'm not sure how someone could choose one over the other. I feel very fortunate to know/learn both. There is no reason to be a snob over it. I also think you should e-mail the owner, Oz.

[DesertCrocheter]

It seems to me that most of the contest between knitters and crocheters is among the new young people joining in.

 

Oh Darski, I think you are so right on this. All those hip young things turned on by SnB want to be cool and trendy, and probably remember their moms and grandmoms crocheting, so that (crochet) instantly becomes uncool. It's so easy for people who want to be cool and part of the in crowd to just repeat what they hear, and so the vicious cycle continues...

 

But, in the spirit of the season, let's give the salesclerk a kudo for admitting that crochet is good for something. (rolling eyes here) Maybe she realized how she was sounding and tried to assuage the umbrage she could tell OzRebel was taking. How old was she? Maybe she was just trying to talk friendly with a customer and didn't realize how it sounded? I don't think anyone wants her to lose her job over what may be an ignorant slip of the tongue, so I'm not sure I'd say anything to the owner, but I sure might make a subtle comment about being able to do both (as Beverly suggested) if she says anything again. (This is not like the other thread where one of our members was shamed into buying more expensive yarn than she wanted to by a LYS owner; that was was rude.)

 

Patty

[ErinLindsey]

I am going to ask a question and I am asking for information only and not making a statement of fact. Please don't be upset ok:?

 

It seems to me that most of the contest between knitters and crocheters is among the new young people joining in.

 

It was my experience as I grew up that homemakers just did both. You knit your socks and you crocheted your doilies - no discussion, no concerns.

 

Is this where most of the conflict lies - with newbies who are perhaps not sure of their footing (boo, hiss pun) ? :grump

 

Now I have to assume that shop owners who show disrespect to crocheters are less likely to be young'uns so that alone could blow my theory out of the water.

 

I am curious about this conflict because it is such a new thing in the craft world.

 

It's not a new thing, and it's been my experience that it's older knitters who like to look down on crocheters.

 

Everytime I've gotten a comment from knitters that puts down crochet, it's been from someone older than 60...I even got a comment or two from my knitting maternal grandmother.

[SaxDragon]

The only knitters I had trouble with recently were the wanna-be-social-climbing-set :-) Same type who don't buy paperback books or acrylic yarn, have to have the brand name shoes and purses, have satelite not cable tv, and would never, ever own a mixed breed dog. Young or old, doesn't seem to matter.

 

In their own way, they are kind of pathetic people :-)

[OzRebel]

Well, I sent an e-mail that was polite and should get the employee some education on customer service tactics. I assured her that she didn't lose me as a customer but might have issues with others if employees weren't being more "user friendly". I should really make a few items to put on display at the LYSs to show how far crochet has come, but I am slow and cannot bear to part with anything just yet.

[snugsmontreal]

i am a knitter/crocheter and i see the bright side of both, one of my favorite sweaters i made is crochet and i have crochet and knit many so far. i like knit look for somethings, like cabling in my opinion, just do look better but anything lacey or open weave its crochet all the way. i can also agree maybe crocheting a sweater out of bulky, or WW even, may not be the most comfortable weight but i like the sport/baby/fingering weight crochet tops and they drape just fine. thats just my

[Cotton Candee]

There's a little yarn shop down the street from me that I liked to go to. Their yarns are very beautiful and exotic thus expensive but I still like to look.

 

I had brought a dog and unicorn I crocheted in the store with me hoping to show a woman I met there earlier my work. On the day I went they were having a knitting class with young (13 year old) girls. I ended up needing my wallet out of my oversized purse and the clerk saw my animals. She promptly brought them to the attention to the girls learning to knit and they went nuts over them! The instructor asked where I bought them from but when I said I crocheted them, the girls asked if they could learn to make them as well... I thought that was a good thing until I saw the instructor's face! She was clearly not happy and said to the girls that they were learning to knit and how they would learn to make felted purses and some clothes. That she didn't teach crochet and didn't think it was worth their time either! I paid for my yarn and left and never went back. I always wondered why my inquiries of a crocheting night was not responded to at all to compliment their knitting nights.

[darski]

It's not a new thing, and it's been my experience that it's older knitters who like to look down on crocheters.

 

Everytime I've gotten a comment from knitters that puts down crochet, it's been from someone older than 60...I even got a comment or two from my knitting maternal grandmother.

 

OK, Like I said I was looking for information. So those people who are saying these things are around my age. It really does blow my mind as the people I knew growing up did everything to "keep house" (or we girls were supposed to learn to do everything). Hmmm

[ErinLindsey]

OK, Like I said I was looking for information. So those people who are saying these things are around my age. It really does blow my mind as the people I knew growing up did everything to "keep house" (or we girls were supposed to learn to do everything). Hmmm

 

Maybe Canada doesnt have as many knitting snobs as we do down here in America??

 

It could be an American thing, couldnt it?

[Karen C.]

So, I was at a LYS last PM exchanging yarn for a pattern I’m going to start and wasn’t happy with the first choices. One of the yarns I picked was a solid sock yarn. The young employee checking me out asked if I was going to make some socks, but I said no, I crochet and don’t care for crochet socks but the yarn was for another project. THEN she proceeds to tell me how knitting IS so much better for most everything because of its drape, its stretch, its feel, but of course crochet was great for 3-D items! gggrrrrrrrrr Interestingly enough the door has a "Crochet Friendly Store" sticker on their door. The owner has always been super nice and I went last week to a coffee and knitting AM group to sit and crochet and everyone was very nice. I might e-mail the owner and let her know that her employees might be scaring away customers.

 

Yes, I would really suggest that you email the owner, especially if she has a "crochet friendly" atmosphere in her shop. I wonder, however, why she needed to post that on her door. A customer is a customer and if I owned a shop I wouldn't care who came and bought the yarn.

[boksie]

Maybe you were a little bit sensitive to what she said? I would have said something to her if I was offended before reporting her to her boss. Then if she still sounded unfriendly, I would report her to the boss. I'd give the lady a chance to explain. Could be a simple misunderstanding and no need to get her in trouble over it. I only crochet and don't knit. Often I am amused by people who ask me what I am "knitting."

[faedragon]

It's always been the people who have knitted "forever" who have said "dismissive" things to me about crochet. How crochet is great for doilies, potholders and afghans and that's about all. At work, people are still coming to my cube, or stopping me in a common area with "Oh, you're the one that knits such lovely sweaters!" The idea that the "lovely sweater" is crocheted just never crosses their minds. So, after replying "No, I'm not the one that knits, I'm the one that crochets" I always get " Well, I didn't know sweaters could be crocheted!" There is still the mind set that garments are knitted, and crochet is used for household items. I do know how to knit, I learned to knit first. I have taught others to knit. I find knitting to be cumbersome, and do not enjoy it.

[SaxDragon]

Yes, I would really suggest that you email the owner, especially if she has a "crochet friendly" atmosphere in her shop. I wonder, however, why she needed to post that on her door. A customer is a customer and if I owned a shop I wouldn't care who came and bought the yarn.

 

The problem with 'knit snobs' has been a universal experience for many generations (probably as far back as before this upstart colony became a country LOL), almost a part of our culture in the same way that many people still believe that french perfume is 'better' (way back when, there may have been truth in that - better or just exclusive to those who could afford it).

 

Crocheters have probably felt unwelcme in 'knit shops' for so long that many of them have never been to one, go rarely, or don't admit they crochet when they go :-) Very few, if any, yarn stores are called 'crochet shops', after all. Placing a 'crochet friendly sign' makes those who do shop there feel welcome as equal customers (often you can find more than just yarn there, they'll actually have hooks LOL), and encourages other crocheters to try a LYS for the first time (increases the potential customer base = more sales).

 

It's unfortuante that so many yarn shops are run by knit snobs, who can now feel even more 'entitled' to be anti-crochet because they do own the store. Not an especially smart business plan ... but then, other knit snobs will pay extra for the 'I bought it at xyz' so they can pat themselves on the back for not buying from walmart :-)

 

as I said before, they are in their own way pathetic people.

[Elle]

I would email the owner they may appreciate it. Small business owners need costumer input to make their services better.

 

I agree. Since the owner of the store has gone to the trouble of putting a sticker on the door to announce that the store is "crochet friendly", I think it would be a good thing to let the owner know that even though the store itself might be crochet friendly, not all of their sales help is. That's not to say that the salesperson should be terminated, but she should be reminded that crochet is as important to crochetiers as knitting is to knitters, and belittling the craft isn't good for business since crochetiers spend as much money on yarn as knitters do.

 

Elle

[PBLKNP]

Do you know, I'm ashamed to admit that one time I was in a LYS and actually HID the fact that I crocheted??? I was going to make the "Must Have Blouse" from the 24-Hour Crochet book, but didn't want to use Patons Astra. I decided to go to the yarn store and see what I could find as a substitute. To help me out, the saleslady asked what size needle I planned to use for my project. I actually replied "5" instead of "an F hook" (seeing as they're both the same circumference). I could kick myself now, but at the time I just didn't want to deal with any more knitting snobbism.

[Blondie]

If you own a yarn shop, why put a crochet friendly sticker or sign anywhere? It is a "Yarn Shop" shouldn't that be a given?

 

One of my favorite sweaters is one I crocheted a few years ago out of some RH flecked looking yarn. Is it bulky? Yes, I intended it to be! , but it is not overly heavy weight wise. It is a sweater I wear in lieu of a coat when I am attending an outdoor event when I know it is going to be pretty chilly. The yarn is a beige color with black flecks, and I usually wear a black turtleneck under it. It has a square neckline and comes just below the hips. The cuffs of the sleeves and the hem of are ribbed. It looks great with jeans!

 

I get compliments on the sweater everytime I wear it. People are shocked when they find out I made it and that it is crocheted, so all you snobby knitters out there..... put that in your pipe and smoke it :hook

[LadyintheMoon]

I would email a shop owner if an employee offended me. Like previously stated, small businesses need all the help they can get staying afloat, and a rude clerk certainly isn't going to help... especially since crocheters buy a larger percentage of yarn!

 

I've been "scolded" by both younger and older knitters. I was invited to teach a knitting course at a community agency for teens. When I suggested I'd be better at a crochet class, she almost laughed at the thought of it. I told her I could teach knitting basics... maybe get them through a scarf, but I'm a beginning knitter myself. Obviously the class hasn't happened yet. Go figure.

 

What gets me is the yarn snobs. That's where I get picked on the most. And in my experience it has been mostly knitters. They just boil my blood. You try making a large afghan in aplaca or some other similar yarn... go ahead, bankrupt yourself with every project! I'll use my acrylics for suitable projects and be proud of them.

 

The reality is... I don't really care. I love both crafts, but crochet will always be where my heart is. But I love both and would gladly share both with anyone!

[Mermaiden]

Sounds to me like she just needs to learn more about crochet, really. Not that she was *trying* to be rude, though, of course, it was. She must just have a lot of pre-conceived notions about crochet, the way most people that don't do it have.