Knit Sisters

I too have had some experience with the AMSMCR phenomenon, and I believe it is first cousin to another phenomenon I like to call the “Knitting Interview.”

When our mother was taking library science classes, and afterwards when she was working as a librarian, she told me about a little something that librarians call the “Reference Interview.”  It goes something like this:

Patron:  I saw this cool bug yesterday, and I want to know what kind of bug it is.

Librarian:  What color was it?

Patron:  Black.

Librarian:  Where did you see it?

Patron:  On the ground in front of my house.

Librarian:  Did it have wings?

Patron:  I’m not sure.

Librarian:  How big was it?

Patron:  About half an inch long.

Librarian:  Was it some type of beetle?

Patron:  Yes, I think it might have been.

Librarian:  Well, I think that, based on what you’ve told me, if we look in XYZ Book of Bugs, we might be able to find it.

You see how simple?  And satisfying?  The patron goes home happy, the librarian feels a sense of deep satisfaction with his/her job.

On the other hand, the Knitting Interview goes something like this:

Man:  Could you make me a cardigan?

Knitter:  (very pleased)  Sure!  What color?

Man:  I don’t know.  Something dark.

Knitter:  Like a dark charcoal?  Or maybe dark green?

Man:  Uh, I’m not sure.

Knitter:  What kind of stitch pattern would you like?  Maybe some simple cables?

Man:  No, that’s too fussy-looking.

Knitter:  Do you want a plain yarn, or a tweedy-looking yarn?

Man:  Huh?  Just not itchy, OK?

Knitter:  Do you want it to fit close to the body, or be more loose and casual-looking?

Man:  I don’t know.  What do you think?

Knitter:  Do you want a set-in sleeve or a drop shoulder?

Man:  What does that mean?

Knitter:  V-neck or crewneck?

Man:  Um, I hadn’t thought about that.

Knitter:  Do you want it to hang straight down or have a ribbing that pulls into the body?

Man:  I want it kind of like my favorite fleece jacket, but different.  Can you make it like that?

(Knitter throws up hands in frustration and walks away.)

The chief difference between the Reference Interview and the Knitting Interview is that, after the latter, the interviewer goes away feeling more confused than before.  In the example above, the poor knitter (you understand, of course, that I’m not saying that this is a conversation I might have had with my own mate) wants to please her man, is thrilled that he actually wants her to knit him something, but knows that if she doesn’t get it right he will never, ever wear the sweater that she worked her fingers to the nub making for him.

There are many ways in which the sweater can be wrong, and only a few in which it can be right.  And she doesn’t have much information to be going on with.  It’s a fortunate knitter who is able to navigate this minefield.  I myself have failed more than once.  In fact, at one time I swore that I would never make another sweater for my husband.

But hope springs eternal!  The last sweater I made for Rob turned out well–in other words, he actually wears it.  For the curious, the details are as follows:  dark charcoal tweedy yarn (Jo Sharp Silkroad Tweed), seed stitch, modified drop shoulder, V-neck, fairly close-fitting.

There, perhaps I’ve spared someone else the dreaded “interview.”  If I can help even one poor knitter, I can feel fulfilled.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 13th, 2006 at 10:33 pm and is filed under It's the process. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.