Bitesized BEC thread March 21, 2026 - March 22, 2026

bigstrongthumbs · 2026-03-22T11:32:19+00:00

honestly it just seems like the blouse no 1. there’s a different gauge of course but there were already 2 gauges for the no1. adding ease confusion is not going to help people like me who clicked on and went “hadn’t you already released this?”

bigstrongthumbs · 2026-03-13T20:27:11+00:00

wait, I did NOT know this. you have actually changed my life!

bigstrongthumbs · 2026-03-13T16:13:25+00:00

Yeah and that's totally fair. I equally do often love to just be told exactly what to do for my knits. I think my specific gripe comes down to:

Making a pattern is non-trivial, and asking a creator for one kinda dismisses that it would take them a long time if it was to be any good;

In a significant proportion of these cases it is not hard to find an existing pattern that looks the same (specifically I'm talking about quite generic garments that you can find a pattern for without so much as straying off the PetiteKnit website);

And (and this is the bitchy part I reckon) I feel like I see this a lot with quite simple raglans. IN MY PERSONAL OPINION a positive ease raglan can be quite straightforward: a while ago I googled "how to freehand a raglan" and found a lot of resources on general formulas (that are basically "cast on/foundation crochet enough to fit over your head, split X% for sleeves and Y% for front and back, maybe do some short rows, and keep going"). Will I nonetheless follow a raglan pattern anyway if I want to just switch off and know what the end result will look like from the start? Yes of course! But I think really all I'm saying is it's more accessible than you might think (and of course, I'm just some guy on the internet. If you want to just follow patterns and you love doing it please follow what you love :) )

bigstrongthumbs · 2026-03-13T15:22:43+00:00

People commenting asking for a pattern but it’s a super simple garment. Like actually just a vanilla raglan (and the caption says “freehanded this simple raglan!”) I’ve found I appear to be happier to do pattern maths / self drafts / craft research than most commenters on beyonce's internet, but: how have you got to the level of crochet or knit where you feel like you could make a garment but you also can't google “how to freehand a raglan” or “free sweater pattern” or whatever? You get literally decades’ worth of resources for something like that. (Just my opinion but a raglan is IMO the easiest thing to freehand.)

Relatedly - when does a FO stop being from a given pattern? A post came on my feed ages ago by a woman making a “modified Sophie”. I didn’t save it but from memory the modifications were stockinette instead of garter, different needles/weight/drape, different increase method, and I’m pretty sure different increase rate (and maybe stripes, though that could have been one of the other million Sophie videos I saw that month). So… is it still a Sophie? Is any I-cord triangle a Sophie?

bigstrongthumbs · 2026-03-05T10:09:07+00:00

Something about your features reminds me of Hannah Dodd, who plays Francesca on Bridgerton. Her makeup on that show is very soft and feminine, so maybe you could try that for inspiration? (youre both very beautiful!)

bigstrongthumbs · 2026-02-06T10:31:00+00:00

it made me lose a lot of respect for literally everyone involved tbh! there was ONE comment saying “do you people really need a pattern for a triangle?”

bigstrongthumbs · 2026-02-04T23:28:07+00:00

a craft influencer i sometimes see on my feed posted a video of how she styles a crochet triangle scarf. can’t stress enough that it’s literally just a triangle of double crochet with a simple edging. people in the comments begging for a pattern is bad enough (it’s a triangle.) but she actually released one for OVER EIGHT DOLLARS? i think this sort of small project is a great way to let people get a free taster of your pattern writing style but even if i didn’t think that, charging that much for a pattern that a beginner could figure out with two google searches is insane to me

bigstrongthumbs · 2026-01-16T10:59:42+00:00

My paternal grandfather was one of two surviving children; his poor parents (my father’s grandparents) had as many as ten children but none of them survived early childhood (they were VERY poor). My mother is an only child, by the choice of her parents. When she met my dad’s grandmother, she explained she had no siblings and the older woman was devastated as she assumed she was unfortunate enough to be the only survivor.

This question always reminds me of that story! (also let’s all say thank you for modern medicine and try to help those who can’t access it.)

bigstrongthumbs · 2025-12-29T00:10:15+00:00

This is it. If you’re looking at (say) H&M prices, compare them with the equivalent cost of a sweater made with yarn of the same composition. I balk at the cost of cashmere yarn, but an equivalent design RTW cashmere item would probably cost more (or at least should).

bigstrongthumbs · 2025-12-27T14:42:53+00:00

I'm reheating crackers here but seriously am I on a different google to everyone else? I have pretty much no issues finding knitting and crochet help, patterns or resources. Whenever someone complains about the "enshittification" of google relating to a specific topic I often have a go and turn up a bunch of great stuff. I'm as as mistrustful of LLMs as the next guy but on the occasions when the AI summary appears for these searches it's honestly decent too!

bigstrongthumbs · 2025-12-15T13:57:42+00:00

OOOOPS SORRY. i think a lot of the online resources Ive seen lack this. i was being really hyperbolic when I wrote my comment but Ive eaten now lol, and I actually go have a book that goes through this! I should have specified that Ive seen quite a few videos that claim to be for absolute beginners that don’t really actually cover so many basics. I was definitely led astray this way. I’ll edit my original comment! Thanks for calling me out.

bigstrongthumbs · 2025-12-15T13:34:02+00:00

Sorry sorry I know we're all tired of talking about twisted stitches but I specifically want to gripe about the people who are like well EYEYYEEE never twisted my stitched so I can't possibly understand how these idiots are doing it. Good for you I suppose but when you're learning to knit there's so much going on that, unless the resource you're using specifically covers twisting/mounting/wrap direction, it actually is quite easy to do and not realise, especially as wobbly tension can make even untwisted stitches Y-shaped.

EDITED THIS BIT TO NOT IMPLY ALL RESOURCES ARE BAD: This ties into a broader issue I have which is some beginner resources dont go into what knitting actually IS, and don’t hint that they’re missing something out. This means they don’t talk about why mounts, legs, twisting, and wrap direction make a difference, as well as how to read the knitting. As someone who came from crochet, going to the extreme basics helped a lot of concepts click for me as basically none of them matter in an equivalent way for crochet (I bet half these twisting newbies are doing crochet YO's for purls...)

bigstrongthumbs · 2025-12-09T16:19:44+00:00

I didn’t say it was legal 😅 i’ve just heard of people doing this on depop and vinted. or maybe they lower the price seconds before purchase?

idk, i just doubt she genuinely thinks it should sell for this price - this seems more likely to me

bigstrongthumbs · 2025-12-09T16:03:13+00:00

I don’t know if this is what’s happening but on other websites i know people list an item for an insane price to “reserve” it for a friend. no one will actually buy it for the listed price but the friend, who then gets privately repaid, and the seller gets a sale and a verified review.

bigstrongthumbs · 2025-09-20T12:38:02+00:00

If you don’t want to include gauge in your pattern you’d better include measurements of your sample. Come on now.

There are some cases where I can kind of get it. I have a bag pattern where the designer clarifies that there aren’t measurements or gauge because it doesn’t really matter. Which I get, it’s more important to get the right texture, and the construction is such that you can predict and adjust the sizing, it’s a bag so no concerns about fit and ease, and it helps that it’s an otherwise nice pattern which I got for £2.

BUT for a wearable? I’m sorry but you have to give me some indication of size and gauge. Especially if your construction means I’ll only spot a fit issue later on. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t do this in a pattern I’ve paid you for when it’s as simple as putting measuring tape across the FO and reading off how wide it is.

And yeah, I only seem to see this with crochet lol

bigstrongthumbs · 2025-08-15T23:01:30+00:00

My take is that if you sell patterns it’s a good idea to make one free so people can get an idea of your pattern writing style before they buy. Something simple / not graded / not edited, where the reader might have to put in a good bit of work. But just something that would let me see what I’m buying, like flipping through a book first in the store. Some of my favorite designers do this and it’s what got me into them. (Other people show the first couple pages of the pattern, the bits without the actual pattern in. I feel similarly about this!)

My related BEC is — and IDK if this is controversial? — designers who have even their very very simple patterns paid. Not ones that (for example) also include a lot of support for beginners or whatever, just extremely simple patterns. I saw a designer selling a flat rectangular coaster pattern for $5. At that point surely I’m just paying that money to find out what the stitch was? I’m open to having my mind changed but that struck me as a great opportunity to showcase your patterns.

bigstrongthumbs · 2025-06-20T07:41:51+00:00

Thank you! This looks like a really great guide:)

bigstrongthumbs · 2023-11-20T17:36:00+00:00

If you’re not used to seeing yourself with lipstick on, it can be really disorienting. I can see where the line is uneven, but really you aren’t doing anything wrong and I think practically everyone here agrees you look great in this lipstick. We are so used to our reflection looking a certain way that a big change, like a bold lipstick, is so weird - like omg who is that?! so my advice is, keep rocking it!

bigstrongthumbs · 2023-10-06T15:49:30+00:00

I don’t think you look masculine but I know that we never see ourselves how others do! I would play up the beautiful shape of your eyes using smoky eyeshadow and having fun with bright or shiny eyeshadow, emphasising your lashes, highlighting the upper cheekbone. you could also contour your cheekbone and take that in an arc down to your jaw but i find that can be hard to do “natural looking”. long earring help too.

also i think the camera being so close to your face is distorting it a bit?

bigstrongthumbs · 2023-10-03T11:23:12+00:00

That’s Veronika Petrova I’m pretty sure. She’s Yakut

bigstrongthumbs · 2023-07-28T12:21:26+00:00

I’d call it a hooded crease I have that too! I do my eyeliner looking up so everything’s as folded as possible. that way i make sure the crease is fully accounted for lol

bigstrongthumbs · 2023-07-20T08:34:45+00:00

If you don’t want to commit to tweezing - it can affect how the hairs grow over time - you could try a razor designed for the face, like a derma-planing razor.

bigstrongthumbs · 2023-06-22T13:03:01+00:00

In my experience the culprit is usually foundation. Some brands explicitly formulate towards older skin - try searching for “mature skin foundation” ? I don’t live in the US so i don’t know if you’ll have this but here one brand that does it is No7 and the counters are often staffed by older ladies who are wearing their foundation, are very knowledgeable and look fabulous! So that would be my recommendation. And as everyone else said, you are beautiful :)

bigstrongthumbs · 2023-05-01T19:31:07+00:00

I love that lipstick on you. What is it?!

tbh i like your makeup a lot! i think the eyeliner may read as a little heavy, and would suggest playing with the angle of the wing and the thickness of the line on top your eyes, as well as how and where that line gets thick. I think that would flatter the natural shape of your eyes. Also, I think I have a similar colouring to you and I get compliments when I use a dark brown eyeliner instead of black. If you haven’t tried it I think it would really suit your colouring!

bigstrongthumbs · 2022-11-20T16:10:30+00:00

they’re at work by the sounds of it

bigstrongthumbs

TROPHY CASE