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~bananaKnits~
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
516 Posts |
 Posted - 07/26/2006 : 12:01:15 PM
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I was curious about other knitters habits, which comes first the pattern you want to knit or yarn you fall in love with.
For me both, sometimes I do fall in love with the yarn and just buy it then later on I decide what to make. How do I know how much to get? Well it depends on the yarn, and how expensive it is and what it could become. Then I choose a pattern or often combinations of patterns or even make it up.
Happy Knitting,
ana
http://bananaknits.blogspot.com/
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Ditzy Girl
Permanent Resident
USA
4712 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 12:05:38 PM
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Some times its yarn and some times its the pattern.
Zola, Seattle, Wash.
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gwtreece
Permanent Resident
USA
7254 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 12:06:11 PM
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Mostly the pattern comes first. But if I see a yarn I can't live without, I will buy it.
Wanda
My Blog
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LittleMousling
Permanent Resident
USA
1093 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 12:26:16 PM
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"Pattern" is a little strong for my style, but I do both - I'll buy sock yarn just because I see and want it, or specifically order sock yarn because I want socks in that yarn. And sweaters - I'll get a sweater's worth of wool, but sometimes I'll have a design in mind when I choose it.
-Molly, obsessive but not exclusive socknitter
Stash photos, WIPs and some FOs |
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AngieSue
Permanent Resident
USA
1606 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 12:50:26 PM
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I would say both too. I agree with Molly about the sock yarn and the sweater yarn. I've purchased yarn for a sweater when it's been a great price, knowing that I will find a pattern to use it. For lace, I've been more, "ooohh, that's beautiful, must find yarn".
Angie |
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hissyknit
Permanent Resident
USA
1349 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 1:02:26 PM
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I have to say, for me, it's the yarn. There's just something about touching the yarn. The pattern comes later (much later after I'm through imagining what the yarn could be).
Christy B.
"I run with scissors and eat paste." |
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Kathleen-NYC
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
444 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 1:37:03 PM
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Usually the pattern. I see something I "must" have - then comes the yarn hunt.
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AuntyNin
Seriously Hooked
USA
771 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 1:43:19 PM
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It's about half and half for me. When I go to visit my favorite yarn pusher I always have a list of projects for which I need to buy yarn. But, inevitably, there's something luscious on the shelves that just plain demands to go home with me, even though I have no idea what it'll become.
This may just be the reason I've got enough in stash to keep me busy for the next 30 years or so...
AuntyNin
Everything happens for a reason, except possibly football. --- Terry Pratchett
http://home.earthlink.net/~lradiga1/ |
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gwtreece
Permanent Resident
USA
7254 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 1:47:59 PM
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AuntyNin, Only 30 years worth of stash. You definitely need some more. hehe
Wanda
My Blog
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Mama Cat
Permanent Resident
1223 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 2:17:09 PM
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Most decidedly the yarn. I think I did it the other way when I was really just starting with sweaters - I'd know I want to make a sweater, search through the patterns, find one I liked, then pick out the yarn.
But in recent years, it's the yarn that calls my name. I've sometimes had a vague idea that I want to make this-or-that kind of sweater, but by the time the yarn gets knit up my plans have changed. |
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Medea
Chatty Knitter
334 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 4:37:14 PM
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Usually the pattern for me. If I pick a yarn without a pattern sometimes I have a hard time finding a pattern to go with it. I'm too much of a beginner to improvise easily from the yarn.
Jenny
I'm teaching myself to knit -- dare I call myself an "advanced beginner" now? Pictures are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsphotos |
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kjtendyke
Chatty Knitter
USA
216 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 4:49:17 PM
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The yarn usually comes to me first. I'm one to usually make up my own patterns so when I see a yarn that calls for something to be made, I'll buy what I think will be enough for the design that pops into mind... Then it gets set aside and forgotten about until I finish up whatever it is that I'm currently working on...I try not to buy yarn too often.
~Kristen~ [img]http://kristentendyke.com/images/turtle.gif[/img]
www.kristentendyke.com |
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abt1950
Permanent Resident
3019 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 5:01:01 PM
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For me, it's both. Sometimes I go in with a pattern in mind and find some yarn for it. Other times, it's the yarn that's calling my name.
Lately I seem to have developed a knack of buying yarn for a specific pattern and discovering once I'm home that I either can't get gauge or I bought the wrong weight for the pattern. So then I scramble either to find a pattern that will work or to rewrite the original pattern.
Anne
Knit long and prosper |
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kadiddly
Permanent Resident
USA
3076 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 5:47:08 PM
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Generally, the pattern idea comes and then I hunt for yarn for that pattern. Socks don't count, however. I'll buy sock yarn just because it's pretty and soft and find a pattern for it later, if I use any at all.
"Alright everyone, back to your knitting..."
- Fred or George Weasley, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (movie)
Backstage Stitches |
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knittingbaglady
Permanent Resident
USA
1207 Posts |
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cknits
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
464 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 8:18:51 PM
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Fun thread to follow! I wonder if our yarn/pattern buying trends reflect our personalities a little?
When I first started knitting, I stashed a lot of yarn without a pattern in mind. Now, it's usually the pattern that inspires me. I have the fun of finding the perfect yarn, and sometimes that can take a long time, but my purchases fit the project. I have bought many skeins of yarn on impulse, thinking that I'd find a project later, but those yarns usually end up in the forgotten stash for various reasons.
I buy beautiful sock yarns whenever I find them, I know that I'll easily find a pattern later.
Carrie |
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luv2knit944
Permanent Resident
USA
1789 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 8:29:12 PM
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I guess we all think alike when it comes to yarn and patterns.
Pauline |
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stupaj
New Pal
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 8:50:31 PM
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For me it is 99% of the time, the yarn....then after I have sat with it, sometimes for a couple of years it finally speaks to me..sometimes I "hear" it before I even get home with it..but it is as I said, the yarn first...Color & texture are the most important thing, weight is of little concern, I can always find a project for it. Price? I wish I could say I control myself..but I would be lying..very seldom has the price of a beloved yarn stopped me. I may eat oatmeal for 2 weeks, but I have my yarn! Sick? Perhaps, but who the heck cares?! In this world a fiber addiction is a small thing.
Fiber Freak |
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abbierose
Seriously Hooked
USA
985 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 8:51:37 PM
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For me it's always the pattern. I'm never looking for yarn without a pattern in mind. The stash I have is all a result of buying yarn for a specific project that didn't work out.
Melissa
Tia Knits |
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Atavistic
Permanent Resident
6604 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 8:58:07 PM
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I keep a running list of projects I want to design. I generally have a yarn in mind but that usually changes.
I buy yarn first, usually.
When using commercial patterns it's often a case of finding a pattern then digging out a yarn from my stash. (My current in-house stash is down to 17 balls, 3 of which are being used for specific projects. Arg!)
Amanda Takes Off... and
Amanda Knits
Only you can decide how tongue in cheek I am. |
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mamid
Permanent Resident
Canada
1568 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2006 : 9:39:33 PM
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Which came first the yarn or the pattern is a lot like asking which came first, the chicken or the egg.
IMO, I have no clue!!!
"I want to make X"
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"oooo purty yarn... what can I make?"
happen all the time for me. DP has given up trying to figure me out.
The Last Thread |
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Topic |
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Which comes first? The Pattern or The Yarn?
