As an example, consider a new pattern published today, Chocolate Stout by Thea Colman. As usual, it appears to be a beautiful design because Thea is a terrific designer. But the problem is that there are 11 photos on the Ravelry pattern page, and not a single one shows me the entire sweater straight on from the front, back, and side.
I appreciate beautiful photography, but when it comes to buying a pattern, I want to see the whole damn sweater, front, back, and center. That's the only way I feel comfortable buying a pattern. With the artsy fartsy photographic approach, it's up to me to reconstruct the sweater in some Frankenstein way. Drives me nuts.
Another complaint: why do pattern publishers use models with long hair that covers up important sweater details? Here are a few examples:
Is this sweater have raglan or set-in sleeves? Who knows?
 |
| Kindra |
 |
| Check Cable Cardigan |
 |
| A La Carte |
 |
| Aeneas |
Posts
Yes to all your comments. Its nice to have pretty pictures, but please also include the realities of the garment: the collar; the sleeves; the front closing; the cuffs; the back, et al. If we knitters are making a committment in time and money to knit your sweater, we really want to know what the darn thing is supposed to look like.
ReplyDeleteSing it Sistah!!
ReplyDeleteHear, Hear!!! nothing more frustrating than paying for a pattern just to find out its not right for your body type
ReplyDeletedottie2
This was a pet peeve of Maggie Righetti's when she wrote Knitting in Plain English, and it's still going on!
ReplyDeleteAmen to that!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat about a plus size sweater modeled by a size 2 model?
ReplyDeleteI had that exact thought about Chocolate Stout! Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteHi Julie, glad you posted about this.
ReplyDeleteI always feel that when they don't photograph the sweater so that it can be seen in it's entirety, there must be a design flaw that is being hidden.
This is my one complaint about Dark and Stormy, also by Thea Colman. It must have been photographed by the same person. There are several pics within the pattern, but, no full view of the front or back.
ReplyDeleteI'm loving the project/pattern but really wish I had a better picture to go by from within the pattern pages. Luckily, I have found a few from fellow knitters on Ravelry.
Absolutely! I agree.
ReplyDeleteYou go, Julie! I'm often quite surprised when I see the details in ravelry project photos. Granted, sometimes the knitter has taken some liberties and modified the heck out of the thing, but sometimes I steer clear when I see how the projects are fitting.
ReplyDelete|Amen sister. Amen.
ReplyDeleteI agree totally with weaverpat. I have formed the view, from experience, that: if you can't see the top of the sleeves - then there is a problem with the fit there; if every shot has the model pulling or holding down the edges of a sweater/cardigan - it means the edges curl. Be suspicious of any pattern where sections are being held oddly or hidden in every photo.
ReplyDeleteMost effective response is to contact the pattern designer/publisher and say "I was going to buy your pattern, but decided not to because ....". Notifying them that they are missing out on income is a sure-fire way of getting them to alter their actions in future.
yeah!! good for you1 Mary in Cincinnati
ReplyDeleteI totally agree!
ReplyDeleteI just saw "Helen" by Jill Wolcott over on ravelry. Try and make sense of that one from the pictures! I thought of your post immediately.
ReplyDeletewhat they said............
ReplyDeleteYes, sacrificing clarity for art, in the case of knitting patterns, is a Cardinal Sin, and I have more than once made the decision to not buy a pattern when I couldn't tell from the photographs how it was made, how it was supposed to fit, what the construction details included, and so forth.
--Lynda in Oregon