Forum Discussion
5 years ago
I love that you're asking these questions! As someone who's been knitting (and crocheting, but I'm mostly just going to say knitting because it's faster and that's the theme of the pack) almost as long as I've been playing The Sims, and who's always wanted my Sims to be able to knit like I do since TS2 (Freetime came sooo close! And Mrs. Crumplebottom got to knit!) I have no words for how excited I am about this pack.
Q1: Seasons - being able to give knitted gifts to other Sims. Also, if it's something kids and teens can do (and it definitely should be), Scouts should be able to donate knitted items to charity to get their badge. Parenthood - Knitting could help with emotional control. Get Famous - maybe giving a well-crafted, knitted gift to a fan or celebrity could boost your fame, but a poorly-crafted one would have the opposite effect. Knitted objects could also show up as fan mail.
Q2: Personally, this wouldn't bother me, but I do both. I have a lot of friends who only crochet, though, and I know that most of them feel like knitters look down on their craft. (Which, unfortunately, can often be the case.) Or people associate it with "ugly" things, like the '70s-coloured afghan on your grandma's couch, or don't know the difference between the two crafts at all and are constantly ask them, "What are you knitting?" when they clearly have a crochet hook in their hand. I know that last one is a particular sore spot with a lot of crocheters. And I can't speak for all of them, but it would probably be salt in the wound to have something that's clearly crochet being produced by a set of knitting needles. (On the other hand, if it was properly labelled as crochet, and made with a crochet hook, you'd probably make a lot of people really happy - even if the animation wasn't 100% perfect.)
Q3: I only knit at a desk if I'm supposed to be working on something else and am procrastinating! :grin: Seated at a desk is definitely not my preferred place to work. Ideally, I want to be on a comfy chair or couch - although I will knit just about anywhere.
Q4: It really varies. Something like a washcloth/hotpad or a hat or cowl in bulky yarn will only take a couple of hours. Because the yarn is so thin, a pair of socks takes me 16-28 hours, depending on how complicated the pattern is. (Yes, I've timed it. What?) A sweater in bulky yarn would probably take less time than a pair of socks, but in thin yarn would take several times longer. A blanket could take a ridiculously long time to knit - I've never actually knitted a blanket (although I've crocheted several). Again, though, it would really depend on the thickness of the yarn. Crochet is generally a lot faster than knitting too, because the individual stitches are bigger, so it gets complicated. Generally, though, I think you could probably get away with basing it on the size of the finished item. It wouldn't be 100% accurate, but I think most people would understand.
Q5: While I prefer to knit sitting, I knit standing in lineups, waiting for the bus, and even walking if I'm stressed or really need to get the project finished. The trick there, though, is that the yarn needs to be in something. If I'm knitting standing up, I almost always have a project bag hanging off my arm. The yarn ball stays in that, and a single strand feeds out to my needles. When I stop working on the project, I put it back in the bag, on top of the yarn, until I'm ready to pick it up again.
Q6: I actually learned to knit on my own from a book. (And now there are loads of YouTube videos to make it even easier.) But one of my grandmas did try to teach me when I was really little. It's hard to remember because I was so young, but I think she started the first few rows for me and then guided me through making a few stitches, fixing my mistakes as I made them until I got the hang of it, then let me work on my own until it was the size I wanted, and finally finished it off for me. I only made one lumpy, misshapen doll blanket, and then forgot how to do any of it until I taught myself again years later. I've also taught a few of my friends to knit, but I made them do the cast-on and first row themselves, and was just there for support if they got stuck.
Q7: I've never sold items on Etsy - it just seems like too much work to me, and so little money for the amount of time involved. I have done a bit of yarncraft on commission, but that also usually turned out to be a headache - with people changing colours or wanting a different pattern after I'd already started. So now I just make things for myself, as gifts, or to donate. Making things for charity is possibly the most satisfying. There are a lot of organizations online that collect everything from blankets, to sweaters, to accessories (socks/hats/scarves/mittens), to toys for kids. There's even an organization called Knitted Knockers that provides soft, prosthetic breasts to people who have had a mastectomy. Offline, there's a group in my city that does a big blanket drive every November where they also collect warm clothing. So I usually make a bunch of hats and mittens for them throughout the year and keep them all in a big bag. And I make other things for online organizations to mix it up, or if I stumble across a cause that really speaks to me. In-game, the easiest way to donate those would probably be through the mail box. But maybe there could be something like a donation box and timed knitting drives. A Sim/household could see how many items they could make to fill the box before someone comes to collect it. (This could also be done as a club with Get Together. Or maybe it could be part of a contest and the people who made things for the box could earn some fame if they make enough items to make some sort of list.)
Q8: Well, I'm going to assume that this "awful, itchy sweater" was made by someone with really low knitting skill, because otherwise, how dare you malign my hobby in that way? :wink: But aside from an uncomfortable moodlet while they're wearing it, and maybe a happy, relieved moodlet once it's finally off, I can't think of much. (The person who made it could also get a happy moodlet for seeing it being worn.) But... do you know about The Sweater Curse? Knitting lore says that you should never knit your SO a sweater, because it will mean the end of the relationship - either before the sweater is completed or when you give it to them. (Most versions say you're safe if the two of you are already married.) Might be a fun little in-joke to throw in, if there's a way of doing that.
Q9: Ooh, this is a toughie. "Knitters have balls." "Knit wit." "Knitty gritty." "Purls of wisdom." Honestly, none of them are super great. But throwing in some knitting/crochet slang could be fun! Some examples: Ripping out yarn when you've made a mistake (or given up on a project) is called "frogging" - because rip-it sounds a bit like ribbit. If a bunch of people get together to work on the same pattern (yarn/colours don't matter), it's called a crochet-a-long or knit-a-long (usually shortened to CAL or KAL). Non-knitters/crocheters are sometimes called muggles - I don't know if there'd be a copyright issue there. (Probably.) A project that isn't completed yet is called a "work in progress" or "WIP," and a WIP that has been left abandoned for a long time is called an "unfinished object" or "UFO." A pile of yarn, either pulled from the centre of a ball or the result of frogging, is often called "yarn barf."
Q10: Personally, a big part of what I'm looking forward to with this pack is building my Sims' knitting skills. If they suddenly all became level 10 knitters when I wasn't paying attention, I think I'd be a bit sad that I'd missed it! I'd much rather it be a case where, if Sim A is a knitter and Sim B isn't, A would get an option like "Offer knitting lessons" and B would get an option like "Teach me to knit." (Or however it makes sense to phrase it.) The offer/request could happen autonomously as well, but I'd personally prefer if it was opt-in like when you get invited to an outing or something. That said, it would be a nice surprise to have a Townie move in and find out they're a great knitter - as long as that's not the case with every Townie.
Q1: Seasons - being able to give knitted gifts to other Sims. Also, if it's something kids and teens can do (and it definitely should be), Scouts should be able to donate knitted items to charity to get their badge. Parenthood - Knitting could help with emotional control. Get Famous - maybe giving a well-crafted, knitted gift to a fan or celebrity could boost your fame, but a poorly-crafted one would have the opposite effect. Knitted objects could also show up as fan mail.
Q2: Personally, this wouldn't bother me, but I do both. I have a lot of friends who only crochet, though, and I know that most of them feel like knitters look down on their craft. (Which, unfortunately, can often be the case.) Or people associate it with "ugly" things, like the '70s-coloured afghan on your grandma's couch, or don't know the difference between the two crafts at all and are constantly ask them, "What are you knitting?" when they clearly have a crochet hook in their hand. I know that last one is a particular sore spot with a lot of crocheters. And I can't speak for all of them, but it would probably be salt in the wound to have something that's clearly crochet being produced by a set of knitting needles. (On the other hand, if it was properly labelled as crochet, and made with a crochet hook, you'd probably make a lot of people really happy - even if the animation wasn't 100% perfect.)
Q3: I only knit at a desk if I'm supposed to be working on something else and am procrastinating! :grin: Seated at a desk is definitely not my preferred place to work. Ideally, I want to be on a comfy chair or couch - although I will knit just about anywhere.
Q4: It really varies. Something like a washcloth/hotpad or a hat or cowl in bulky yarn will only take a couple of hours. Because the yarn is so thin, a pair of socks takes me 16-28 hours, depending on how complicated the pattern is. (Yes, I've timed it. What?) A sweater in bulky yarn would probably take less time than a pair of socks, but in thin yarn would take several times longer. A blanket could take a ridiculously long time to knit - I've never actually knitted a blanket (although I've crocheted several). Again, though, it would really depend on the thickness of the yarn. Crochet is generally a lot faster than knitting too, because the individual stitches are bigger, so it gets complicated. Generally, though, I think you could probably get away with basing it on the size of the finished item. It wouldn't be 100% accurate, but I think most people would understand.
Q5: While I prefer to knit sitting, I knit standing in lineups, waiting for the bus, and even walking if I'm stressed or really need to get the project finished. The trick there, though, is that the yarn needs to be in something. If I'm knitting standing up, I almost always have a project bag hanging off my arm. The yarn ball stays in that, and a single strand feeds out to my needles. When I stop working on the project, I put it back in the bag, on top of the yarn, until I'm ready to pick it up again.
Q6: I actually learned to knit on my own from a book. (And now there are loads of YouTube videos to make it even easier.) But one of my grandmas did try to teach me when I was really little. It's hard to remember because I was so young, but I think she started the first few rows for me and then guided me through making a few stitches, fixing my mistakes as I made them until I got the hang of it, then let me work on my own until it was the size I wanted, and finally finished it off for me. I only made one lumpy, misshapen doll blanket, and then forgot how to do any of it until I taught myself again years later. I've also taught a few of my friends to knit, but I made them do the cast-on and first row themselves, and was just there for support if they got stuck.
Q7: I've never sold items on Etsy - it just seems like too much work to me, and so little money for the amount of time involved. I have done a bit of yarncraft on commission, but that also usually turned out to be a headache - with people changing colours or wanting a different pattern after I'd already started. So now I just make things for myself, as gifts, or to donate. Making things for charity is possibly the most satisfying. There are a lot of organizations online that collect everything from blankets, to sweaters, to accessories (socks/hats/scarves/mittens), to toys for kids. There's even an organization called Knitted Knockers that provides soft, prosthetic breasts to people who have had a mastectomy. Offline, there's a group in my city that does a big blanket drive every November where they also collect warm clothing. So I usually make a bunch of hats and mittens for them throughout the year and keep them all in a big bag. And I make other things for online organizations to mix it up, or if I stumble across a cause that really speaks to me. In-game, the easiest way to donate those would probably be through the mail box. But maybe there could be something like a donation box and timed knitting drives. A Sim/household could see how many items they could make to fill the box before someone comes to collect it. (This could also be done as a club with Get Together. Or maybe it could be part of a contest and the people who made things for the box could earn some fame if they make enough items to make some sort of list.)
Q8: Well, I'm going to assume that this "awful, itchy sweater" was made by someone with really low knitting skill, because otherwise, how dare you malign my hobby in that way? :wink: But aside from an uncomfortable moodlet while they're wearing it, and maybe a happy, relieved moodlet once it's finally off, I can't think of much. (The person who made it could also get a happy moodlet for seeing it being worn.) But... do you know about The Sweater Curse? Knitting lore says that you should never knit your SO a sweater, because it will mean the end of the relationship - either before the sweater is completed or when you give it to them. (Most versions say you're safe if the two of you are already married.) Might be a fun little in-joke to throw in, if there's a way of doing that.
Q9: Ooh, this is a toughie. "Knitters have balls." "Knit wit." "Knitty gritty." "Purls of wisdom." Honestly, none of them are super great. But throwing in some knitting/crochet slang could be fun! Some examples: Ripping out yarn when you've made a mistake (or given up on a project) is called "frogging" - because rip-it sounds a bit like ribbit. If a bunch of people get together to work on the same pattern (yarn/colours don't matter), it's called a crochet-a-long or knit-a-long (usually shortened to CAL or KAL). Non-knitters/crocheters are sometimes called muggles - I don't know if there'd be a copyright issue there. (Probably.) A project that isn't completed yet is called a "work in progress" or "WIP," and a WIP that has been left abandoned for a long time is called an "unfinished object" or "UFO." A pile of yarn, either pulled from the centre of a ball or the result of frogging, is often called "yarn barf."
Q10: Personally, a big part of what I'm looking forward to with this pack is building my Sims' knitting skills. If they suddenly all became level 10 knitters when I wasn't paying attention, I think I'd be a bit sad that I'd missed it! I'd much rather it be a case where, if Sim A is a knitter and Sim B isn't, A would get an option like "Offer knitting lessons" and B would get an option like "Teach me to knit." (Or however it makes sense to phrase it.) The offer/request could happen autonomously as well, but I'd personally prefer if it was opt-in like when you get invited to an outing or something. That said, it would be a nice surprise to have a Townie move in and find out they're a great knitter - as long as that's not the case with every Townie.
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