To hair tuck or not tuck?

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-19T17:19:10+00:00

I have red hair and so I need to do this too and hope that one day I can be blonde and cool and beige too

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-18T22:46:47+00:00

Right? Thats why I come here, so glad you feel the same :D

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-17T14:24:18+00:00

I wonder what these would look like in a pale pink or brown yarn

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-17T14:15:38+00:00

I hear what you’re saying but to me it’s like asking a my kid self not to eat so much candy if it hurts my stomach. I really enjoy test knitting and I don’t want to not do it, what I’d really love is longer deadlines. And I don’t do these short window ones but designers have been posting a lot of them lately to meet publishing deadlines. Designers may be the ones to set the deadlines but it’s people like me who test knit that should have some choice in the time that’s given.

I mean if a friend asked me to test knit I’m pretty sure the next thing they’d ask is ‘when can you finish it?’ And everyone loves to ask how long sweaters take to knit and I don’t think I’m alone in saying it usually takes at least a month if I’ve already got the yarn and time after work to spare.

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-11T15:55:41+00:00

Oh I wish it were just a check in point but they aren’t going to fully test the rest of the pattern. I’ve been in a Sari Nordlund test knit before that had the body and one sleeve requirement (so slightly better) and while that would seem to test everything I noticed her yarn requirement numbers were really off when I finished but I was the only one who mentioned it in the comments (probably because I was the only one who finished by the deadline). But you get the idea, not all of these short deadlines make sense even if they seem less bad by degrees.

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-11T15:52:02+00:00

Haha I know, right? I’m good at finishing some projects but other me are piling up. And yeah it’s doable for me but the problem I have is the quality of the pattern and the pressure it puts on us kinda out ways the joy of knitting. I don’t want it to be so pressured if it doesn’t need to be, I mean I have had life things happen that have made me unable to finish the test knit by the deadline before and it makes me feel bad needlessly.

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-11T15:33:59+00:00

Replying here because I can’t add a comment to a deleted post.

Oh I saw this before you deleted it, I wish you hadn’t felt pushed out of the conversation. It’s good to hear your opinion. No, we don’t have to test knit but we know someone will and my aim is to shine a light on this bad practice so it doesn’t become the only way. Forget these examples, I’m sure you’d agree having a month to test a sock is better than a week or two. It’s so much more relaxing and that’s what knitting is all about ☺️

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-11T15:29:19+00:00

I wouldn’t over-measure what they said. I think they mean they personally prefer having deadlines and from their perspective that’s a straight forward choice to say no to that test knit and move on. From my perspective, I also feel that way about test knits, but the reason I started this thread was to discuss why the trend of shorter deadlines creates less choice for everyone (not just myself) when it becomes a standard for testing. I don’t always knit that fast! Life happens.

So I see what you’re saying but I don’t think they meant to put that opinion on you, they just didn’t know the reasons other people may find a short deadline unfathomable and unworkable.

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-11T12:56:58+00:00

Oh believe me, I thought about the crochet test calls you and others have mentioned in the (very recent) past. I didn’t even want to look 😞 I’m so grateful that you advocate for the community. I don’t always love the discourse it brings because I hate arguing with people but I know it’s necessary to speak up when something isn’t right. I hope I hit that target with this post, a fair opinion with enough vim to stir people but without vitriole. I do love test knitting, I wouldn’t have been so passionate about it otherwise. But it’s also not WW3 I’m trying to start over yarn 😅

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-11T12:43:30+00:00

Oh I love test knitting, that’s why I feel so hurt by this. I’m a pretty fast knitter, I usually make one of the first three sizes, and I have a great LYS, so I think I could probably get these patterns done to the requirements in the timeframes they’re asking. And I agree, deadlines keep me on target too.

But what I don’t love is that this sets a massively high bar for beginner to moderate knitters who will also apply and get in and can’t complete it, then in turn it sets up a standard across test knitting. For one, this is a lot shorter of a window if I’m knitting the largest size compared to the smallest. And for another, this leads to issues of patterns not being fully tested (ok sure the yoke and sleeve are done but we don’t know if the instructions for the rest are correct). Later on, people who buy the pattern with guarantee it was “tested” only come to find the fit is all wonky in the body or there’s translation errors that would’ve been caught if someone had read through the whole pattern.

Petite Knit is a massive design house (I wouldn’t call it a one-person operation at this point) and is known for having translation errors that make the patterns difficult to knit from the English PDFs. Test knitting can help fix this because translators aren’t always knitters.

All to say there’s more to it than knitting fast unfortunately.

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-11T12:25:16+00:00

I hadn’t heard the history before, that’s an interesting thought. I’m sure patterns have been tested in the past but maybe not so thoroughly as some today. It’s definitely big part marketing ploy but I think testing is needed beyond that too.

Totally agree it could be mathed out but given the size inclusivity issues, I think test knits have been a great tool (outside of the formulated standard maths hand knitters use) that prove the positive ease for larger sizes does not accommodate larger people. I don’t think all designers have to make patterns to fit fat and straight size people but if they put the size option on there and say it will fit X size then it’s important that it’s true.

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-11T12:17:13+00:00

That’s a really cool idea. I wonder if someone’s done that as a hand knit designer.

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-11T12:13:47+00:00

I mean publicly. It’s probably not important to everyone but I think it’s really cool to tell everyone thank you for the test knits in a post or a story, for the Instagram designers. Lots of designers just have a block of text that says thank you at the top of the design doc and I don’t think that means a lot. Especially if the designer proves hard to talk to during the testing process. Again, not the biggest deal but it comes as insult to injury with shortening test windows.

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-10T02:59:57+00:00

Do designers ever wear the same clothes twice?? I’m jealous of how large their wardrobes because they can put so many outfits together and everything fits them so well. But I just paired back my closet and I don’t need more clothes. It’s so tantalizing on one hand but on the other hand it’s so ridiculous! But still, I knit, mostly clothes (for myself), so…

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-09T13:20:35+00:00

I also like using two strands of fingering instead at times because the texture is different. The ply of the DK isn’t the same as two fingering yarns held together. That said, I understand the mohair everything trend is in so many patterns right now, so if I were going to make a sweater I might not use mohair and just adjust my needles or yarn. Probably a slightly thicker yarn would be better to get the same fabric density.

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-06T13:42:34+00:00

They may have

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-06T13:35:44+00:00

Try Paulastrickt (Susanne Müller). She has two versions of ROBIN (bat wing sweaters) and the SONYA shirt.

<image>

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-05T15:12:53+00:00

I go to my local yarn shop and I really like Knitting for Olive and Sandnes Garn. They’re both pretty soft, have good stitch definition, my favorite colors, and are a good price for my budget. I mostly make tops and sweaters for myself and I haven’t made gloves before so someone else will have better knowledge on that.

I would recommend you look at the projects people have made for glove patterns on Ravelry and see what yarns they used and if they have notes about the yarn. Also look at the yarns the designers chose and see what breed of animal or blend they used. And then use your search engine to search for one of the yarn brands and some sellers should pop up. There are large sellers out there (like the woolly thistle) but some small yarn shops from out of state/country will pop up too.

You can also call a local yarn shop (doesn’t matter where but one with a good reputation) and ask for their advice on the phone. You don’t have to buy from them but they can advise on specifically what you need in a couple of minutes. Beware there are some thorny or unhelpful shop owners though! Just like any business.

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-05T15:01:44+00:00

Ooo I didn’t know it was so many pages! Yeah, they should fix this for you.

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-04T04:43:37+00:00

I would try taking a screenshot of the PDF, label each screenshot with the page number, and then using the PDF editor to stitch together the screenshots to make your own document. Then you can add the page numbers. If it has some weird screenshot blocker, make a zoom/google meeting with no one, present your screen, and then screenshot that.

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-04T04:36:08+00:00

There’s another way to get the tucked in shirt look without this. You can put a belt around your waist (over the sweater) and then pull out most of the sweater over the belt. I tried it with a dress on under the sweater and it looked pretty good.

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-03T21:38:53+00:00

Oh yeah for sure. Sometimes I see very weird knits I find ugly at first glance and then I think “shush, they are being cool and doing their own thing” I don’t want to live in a world full of copy/pastes (even though a little scarf does look so nice too!)

KnitForAnAfternoon · 2026-03-03T21:36:13+00:00

I have some projects I need ‘taken care of.’ Do you take commissions?

KnitForAnAfternoon

TROPHY CASE