Do you ever wish people would tell you honestly

#1

how your knitting could improve?

I love how supportive people are, on this site and the other knitting sites I frequent…

But I wish I had a place to go where I could post a picture of my latest FO and have someone give me gentle, honest feedback on how I did in certain areas and what could improve.

Am I the only one?

I mean, to my eye, my knitting all look like works of art. :smiley: But to a more experienced eye, maybe my tension isn’t great, or picking up stitches didn’t look good, or someone has a tip for seaming to make it look nicer…

Know what I mean?

I remember my first FO - the first half was fine (i.e. in stockinette), the last half was in reverse stockinette (oops!) and I was so clueless I didn’t even notice…

I also wonder how many of us would have learned to stop twisting stitches early on if someone had pointed it out… :slight_smile:

I’m not complaining about the wonderful support we get on these boards! And I totally need to hear “great job!” from someone who understands.

But on the other hand, it would be neat if there was an anonymous site or something where we could post some knitting samples, and an experienced knitter could look them over and provide helpful hints and tips.

#2

I know what you mean. The endless praise here is nice, in a way, but constructive criticism is a good thing, too!

#3

Constructive criticism is an art. This is true even in face to face situations. It’s a definite art in online form. I think people hesitate because any form of criticism can be taken the wrong way. I doubt I’d ever give it online for fear it would be taken the wrong way and end up hurting someone’s feelings.

However, with that said, I believe that if you requested specific help, everyone here would chime in. Worried that you could have made a better color combo choice? Then ask what colors they would have chosen. Sort of like that. I think that would get a response where “Constructive crit is welcome” may not. It’s all in wording.

I know what you mean though. I love constructive crit. Key word is constructive. How can I improve with out it?? So, good luck getting your desired responses.

#4

Maybe if enough people agree there can be a separate board for constructive criticism where people send in pics just for that purpose. That way everyone knows that it’s not to slam peoples’ projects but to help them improve. Also if you belong to a local S&B group I’m sure they can point out the little mistakes that make a big difference in the end.

#5

I think a separate board for criticism is a good idea in theory, but I’m not sure it would be a good thing long term. If someone did end up being a little harsh or someone got their feeling hurt it could ruin all the good in the board (if it were done say, at KH for example).

Someone could start a blog for that purpose. Contributors could put their pics up for criticism and other contributors and commenters could chime in. Since anonymous comments could be posted it might help prevent some of those hard feelings.

#6

This topic has come up in a photo forum I participate in. What seems to work there is to ASK for contructive criticism when you post your FO or WIP. Most people will not offer critique unless asked because many people do not want it and would be offended.

So… when you post your knitting ask for contructive criticism and see if that helps. Keep in mind a photo of something is not like looking at it in person. Photos can skew colors or hide faults. If you have something specific you need help with try to get a clear photo of the problem area.

And finally… if you ask you must also have thick skin and take the critique for what it’s worth. Each person has a different idea of what looks good and how to correct it.

For everyone reading this…remember that knitting is a lot of work and people who ask for criticism want help to make it better so try to keep your help as clear and concise as possible. :thumbsup:

#7

I don’t want constructive criticism and here is why. I knit because I love to knit. I make projects that I love. Something has to really grab me before I knit it. I buy fibers that I love and I work on needles that I love. When I am done I love my finished pieces. I know for me, that if I had someone say, “Well, your stitches are too tight and you could have done this better” I would fall out of love with my creation. I would see it as someone saying to me, “Well, your child is cute, but she has an odd shaped nose, doesn’t she?” I think it comes from growing up with a perfectionist who strove for perfection and would truly take out an entire sweater back to balls of yarn if she found that she did something wrong on the third row (and she was on the 200th row). My mom always pointed out my errors and while she tried to be gentle the criticism always came before the compliment. So I don’t take critique very well. When I make something and finish it (two different things LOL!) I’m in a bit of euphoria for a while as I relish my completed project. I know if someone said something discouraging about my work I probably wouldn’t love that piece like I did when I first made it.

I think that is something you would have to truly consider if you open yourself up for criticism. How would I feel about my completed projects of someone pointed out my errors. Knit for the joy of it and in time you will see fewer of your errors or fewer of your errors will really annoy you. Unless you are like my mom and then you will spend half you life frogging anyway! :frog:

#8

Being a perfectionist myself, I quite often find myself turning to people in the knitting shop and asking ‘is it just me’? I have this annoying habit of wnating everything perfect, and I have finally learned to let it go.

For example, I am knitting a preemie hat for a friend of a friend, and you can see the last stitch of the cable is stretched. Now, do I want to go and fix it so it looks right? Yes. Do I want it to look perfect? Yes. Will the baby care? No. Will the parents even be thinking of looking at it that closely? No. Will anyone notice except me (unless I am pointing it out)? No.

THerefore, my new question for myself is ‘Is it just me, or will someone else notice it?’ Cause honestly, if it is just me, I need to decide if it is worth it to make it perfect if I am the only one who will know that I went back 15 rows.

HTH
Katy

#9

My LYS is a really great place where customers can come in and plop down in a chair and ask for help any time. When I’m there, the owner will ask if I can help others out with questions. I find that I really need to see the pattern or look closely at the knit object to see what is going on or to watch the knitter to see where they are making mistakes. It’s really hard to do that on a forum. I think the help thread here works pretty well already. Just my two cents.