This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s fall editorial intern Elizabeth Miller. Find them on Instagram at @Lizzy_7979. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
For us crafters, the winter holidays often mean that we get busy making gifts for our loved ones. We make small accessories like hats and bandanas for friends and more distant family, and more personal gifts like trendy patterned totes for good friends, siblings and close family members. But, there is one type of handmade gift that stands out from them all, that takes considerable time and effort to get just right and seems just perfect for a specific type of person in your life: a sweater for a significant other. Though this gift seems perfect, there is a superstition in the knitting community many agree should be taken seriously, the sweater curse! If you’d like suggestions on how to break the sweater curse to avoid its consequences, here are some suggestions to make an equally thoughtful gift.
What Is the Sweater Curse?
The sweater curse is a superstition that if a crafter decides to make a sweater for their significant other, their partner will break up with them before they can finish making the sweater. The crafter will have put a lot of time and money into the project and all of that effort will go to waste. Not only will the size difference not work as justification to finish the sweater for themself, but the yarn will be attached to sour memories. Who would want to make and wear a sweater in their ex’s favorite color? Or, more generally, who would want to wear a sweater they were making for their ex? My answer would be no. I’d frog (rip out) my work and search for something else to make for myself.
The reasoning behind this “curse” is that a relationship, like knitting a sweater, takes a lot of time, energy, and effort. Any doubts you have about your relationship will be represented in the time you dedicate to making the sweater. You’ll reflect on whether the other person values the time you put into the relationship, and how they reciprocate.
How To Avoid The Curse
Well, the most obvious way to avoid the curse is to not make a sweater! But, there are so many fun sweater patterns and general elements to sweaters that are impressive and show the skill and care that it takes to make a sweater. Here are a few alternative project recommendations to help avoid the sweater curse.
Work Arounds To The Sweater Curse
These are highly debated in the knitting community, but some people recommend making a cardigan instead of a sweater. This is mostly on the speculation that a cardigan has a different distinction than just being a sweater, so it therefore “breaks the curse.” This has not been thoroughly tested.
Or, you could make a vest instead! It’s almost a sweater, but not quite! The lack of sleeves cuts down on the overall time, but it still takes a significant amount of time and effort to complete.
To Show Off Your Cable Skills
If you love cables and were looking to make a fisherman-type sweater for your significant other, there are plenty of other projects that can showcase your cabling skills. You can add cables to hats and other headwear. Or, try adding cables to socks, especially boot socks. Or, if you want to avoid garments altogether, pillows with cable patterns are a nice, versatile home decor piece.
To Show Your Fair Isle Or Stranded Knitting Abilities
Fair Isle and stranded knitting are so impressive! Learning to change colors when knitting can be a bit harder than people realize, especially if they have no idea how knitting works. Luckily, there are lots of projects that use Fair Isle patterns to get that Fair Isle sweater look without risking the sweater curse! There are so many different patterns, from geometric shapes to nature themes, and so much more. If you can think of it, there is probably a pattern somewhere. These patterns can be used in a plethora of garments. Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of patterns for hats that use Fair Isle patterns.
Hopefully, these recommendations help you break the sweater curse! Have you experienced the sweater curse? Let us know in the comments below!
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