What does it mean to be ‘knit worthy’? How many of you have asked this question? Have any of you been the victim of the “knit-for-boyfriend-and-he-dumps-you” curse.  I have!Â
My daughter’s best friend said to her yesterday, “I keep hinting to your mom that I LOVE that sweater in Vogue Knitting (design #15 — thank goodness it’s in Cascade 220 and not cashmere!) and would love for her to make it for me for Christmas — she just doesn’t seem to be getting the hint.” So, should I take the hint? She is my daughter’s best friend, she comes over every morning before school to eat breakfast and give Laura a ride, she is called “The Third Sister.” Why oh why didn’t she ask for something a little simpler??!!@@#??  Aaaaaaaaacccccckkkkkkkkkk! Now I must decide how to spend my precious knitting time.
My daughter is definitely knit worthy, and because I just made something for the little one I must now make something for the big one. We loved the lace glovelets in the new Interweave so I started a pair for her yesterday. She wants fingerless gloves with actual fingers, so I have extra work to do on them. The gauge is supposed to be 8 sts per inch but mine is more like 9 so some adjusting was necessary. I’ll post a picture tonight after the first glovelet is finished. I’m on the fingers now.
Knit worthy does not have to mean knit to order. Sometimes our knit time is too precious but knit time is renewable. It’s hard when the Christmas deadline and budget control our choices. When is her Birthday? I’ve tried to give small knits for Christmas and save the big ones for the stand alone special day. It helps that my family’s birthdays are nicely paced.
Comment by fairygodknitter — November 6, 2006 @ 10:04 am
That depends. Do you have the time? If you do make it, will you feel as though you were pressured into doing it (and therefore resentful) or would it be a pleasure to know you brought joy to the Third Sister?
If you don’t have the time, but want to express your appreciation for your daughter’s best friend, then make them almost matching fingerless gloves that express something of the personality of each girl.
Comment by Karen B. — November 6, 2006 @ 10:09 am
i think both commentors above make good points.
knitworthy … a girlfriend of mine was shopping at our lys last year. she loves cashmere, and never had bought it for herself. she was going to knit a hat for the current *boy* she was dating. she brought the two hanks of cashmere up to the register … i looked at her and said, “is he cashmere-worthy ?!” something sparked in her eyes, and she snatched up the cashmere and came back with alpaca. i allowed her to make that purchase.
the *boy* was out of the scene a few months later.
Comment by gray la gran — November 6, 2006 @ 10:58 am
HMMMMMM! Reminds me of the Seinfeld “sponge-worthy” episode.(sorry, couldn’t resist!)
Personally, unless it’s a scarf, noone other than my daughter, son, husband, mother and dearest dearest friend would deem the title “knit-worthy”. OR a charitable good cause. Otherwise get her a g/c for Old Navy OR perhaps a knitting lesson!
Comment by Michelle — November 6, 2006 @ 11:51 am
You could offer to teach her how to knit? If you want to give her a gift, you could buy her the yarn. Sometimes the people who ask for things don’t really understand the time/effort involved.
Comment by June — November 6, 2006 @ 1:57 pm
But does she feel like the “third daughter”? I wouldn’t do it if you feel you have to. Do it because you want to and you have the time.
Comment by Marina — November 6, 2006 @ 2:06 pm
I think you just have wo go with your gut feelings & heart on this one. Admiring eyes who don’t belong to knitting hands don’t understand the work involved. My guess is though, you’ve already bought the yarn for it 😉
Comment by Carol — November 6, 2006 @ 2:09 pm
I guess it would depend, but for me, I guess I wouldn’t — unless you usually give largish gifts to this friend of your daughter’s – and want to knit this sweater anyway. Obviously, and this is a good thing, she considers herself important to you and your family, and is showing it in the way our own kids do — by taking for granted that she has a right to this rather large gift.
I’d give her yarn and lessons.
Comment by Pam — November 6, 2006 @ 2:50 pm
I have definite feelings with respect to this- I was discussing this very subject with a friend. Just because we knit, it certainly doesn’t mean we should knit all our gifts. If I feel in any way pressured or guilty, it takes the joy out of it. And we knit to be happy, don’t we?
So, follow your heart, and for sure, offer a few lessons. I was asked to make someone a quilt, and it’s just too much work, and way too personal.
Comment by Lorraine — November 6, 2006 @ 4:46 pm
I knit a knit-to-order baby sweater for a girl I work with, and I don’t think she has ever put it on her son. She got a friend in Norway to send the yarn to her for free and I knit it for her for free, and there must have been *something* wrong with it. Since she didn’t have any time or money of her own invested in it, my guess is that it wound up at Goodwill shortly after I completed it for her. (I hope someone that appreciates it snapped it up.) I don’t think that people that don’t knit or buy yarn can understand what they are asking of you when they want you to knit something for them. I would give her a GC for Old Navy and forget about knitting something for her. (Yeah. . . I this experience has left me a little bitter—I feel like I was really used.)
Comment by Brenda — November 7, 2006 @ 1:59 am
This 3rd sister would really have to appreciate the effort and time that goes into the sweater. You know her best, but it sounds like she is hinting too much and making you feel too quilty. What does your daughter think?
Comment by katomliz — November 7, 2006 @ 10:29 am
Well, it looks like my 2 cents has been posted by others, but I’ll add my voice to the chorus, anyway. She may be very dear, but she clearly doesn’t understand the effort required. I would buy her the issue of Vogue Knitting, as well as a “kit” for a smaller, simpler cabled project, and teach her to knit. (The whole thing would be packaged as her Christmas gift.) I’d tell her that when she completes the cabled project, another project that involves shaping, and one that requires careful attention to gauge, that I’d help her with the Vogue jacket. Just a thought.
Comment by Stephanie — November 7, 2006 @ 8:10 pm