23 comments

1. Wendy / July 8, 2013 Another quibble…if you call it crochet week you should define your ‘week’. I assumed it would run July 1-5 since you announced it on the 1st. Funny how you missed the opportunity to post on the 3rd and 4th. And while yes the 4th was a US holiday, you can easily set a post to appear on a day when people are not in the office it is not difficult. However here it is the following week and you are still posting about “crochet week”. So how many days are in your week?

2. Wendy / July 8, 2013 I had been interested in KP yarns before because I had read good reviews, but to be quite honest I was very put off by many of the comments that came from the company that said knitting was the focus and really treated crocheters as a second class citizen in the yarn crafting world. As a business decision it was yours to make, but I believe a very poor one and perhaps KP is realizing that they boxed themselves into a corner and are now reaching out to crocheters. That being said I am open to giving people/companies a second chance so I decided to give KP a second look assuming you were ready to roll with your promotion of crochet and being more inclusive. I have to say quite honestly I don’t think you were actually ready for this unveiling, and it makes me wonder did you actually do any beta testing with anyone that is not actually employed by KP for an honest opinion? The good, the colors in the Curio look fantastic but to be honest I don’t do a lot of thread work so it is nice to know but not on the top of my wish list. (BTW any yarn is crochet yarn, while there is the S twist and the Z twist you can crochet with either and quite frankly I could care less about the twist provided the yarn is the right content and color. So labeling any yarn as crochet yarn or knitting yarn is just stupid it is yarn.) Also in the good column the new patterns you have listed, not many are to my taste but I can certainly appreciate them and have a feeling that there is a lot there for people to like. I did like the “Kit Builder” portion when looking at a specific sweater that did happen to catch my eye. The bad crochet is still relegated to a corner of your site like it is something shameful. In the Needles + Hooks sections , hooks are listed under accessories ! Really is that anyway to try to welcome a new base, by treating their tools as accessories? I am not expecting top billing but equal billing is appropriate. Your Kits + Samplers page, should have included a filter so that you can filter by craft, either crochet or knit. Yes I understand I can go to the specific “Crochet” tab but that just smacks of go sit in your corner and don’t bother me, or at best here let me help you feeble little crocheter by pulling out the patterns for crochet and put it in its own tab. EQUAL billing is appropriate treat us the same as you would treat a knitter. And finally KP must remember their attitude to crochet has turned off many a crocheter and past forays into crochet were tepid to put it mildly. While I think what you have done is certainly a step in the right direction, it is not as great as it could have been. I am certainly intrigued but personally after the harsh treatment I still need to be woo’ed and don’t want to get sucked in only to be told to sit in a corner again. I shall sit and watch to see if KP is serious this time or not, but I hope you are not expecting an instantaneous out pouring of love and money. It takes time to build a customer base, especially from a segment of that has been treated harshly in the past so I hope KP has the strength to carry on and not just frog the whole thing quickly if the response is not exactly what you want. Remember it takes time.

3. SuzyQ / July 5, 2013 If you are indeed serious about including people who crochet into your customer base, I would suggest that you treat people who crochet the same as those who knit. Starting with your website design – almost every main tab is geared specifically towards knitters. Crocheters are relegated to single tab. Yarn and Fiber is fine, but Kits, Needles, Patterns, Books, Tools – all are geared towards knitters. And then there is that single lone tab “oh, by the way, if you like to crochet, we have a few things that might interest you”. I have worked on web design, and I do understand that an overhaul like I’m suggesting is time consuming. But I strongly suggest in secondary tabs include crochet items at that level. For example, on the Needles tab – Crochet hooks are a separate category. I have to go half way down the left menu selection to even find Crochet hooks. The main body of the Needles page doesn’t have one example of crochet – all are knitting. So, sending out an email proclaiming “KP Crochet” is all nice and fine. But when I get to the website, I want to feel welcome. I don’t want to have to navigate solely from the email.

4. Amy / July 4, 2013 What do I as a crocheter want? I want the same things you give the knitters. I want to see crochet patterns right there next to the knitting patterns on every page of your catalog including plenty of crocheted garment patterns. I don’t want to feel segregated off in some little crochet corner like an afterthought. I agree with the other posters that there’s no need to specifically designate a yarn as good for crochet. I had to laugh at the page in the catalog entitled “Yarn Great for Crochet” that only showed 3 yarns. Does that mean your other yarns aren’t great for crochet? I know that’s not true. I found it doubly funny because the descriptions of two of those yarns mentioned knitting. I do commend you on making new efforts to include crochet. Some of the patterns in the latest catalog are lovely especially the Witchlace and Inkling sweaters. Give us more like that!

5. Amanda / July 4, 2013 I am so happy to see KP being more crochet friendly. I’ve ordered hooks and yarn from you before and enjoy working with both. I would love to see more crochet patterns and kits like so many others have commented before me. I would also love to see crochet versions of some of the knit patterns, so that people can then knit or crochet the gorgeous patters you have. Lastly I would be extremely happy if KP looked into offering ergonomic hooks, wooden or otherwise.

6. Lori / July 4, 2013 Thanks for the recent progress in including crocheters – we spend a lot on yarn & supplies too. I would like to see some pretty crochet hooks (like the knitting needle selection) with a head shaped more like Susan Bates silvalume instead of the shallow throat like Boye. For patterns, some shawls in a circular or crescent shape instead of triangle would be nice.

7. melissa / July 3, 2013 I don’t purchase yarn from your company, because I am so very, very tired of seeing a catalog full of pages devoted to wonderful knitting designs with yarns to accentuate them — and then finding a few outdated crochet patterns and books all the way at the back, with the suggested yarns all in acrylic. I crochet. I crochet with wool, alpaca, silk, bamboo, milk fiber, sugar cane, seacell, camel, bison, and blends of all of these. And yes, I do crochet with acrylic — but it’s hardly the sole focus of my stash or my time. I understand that your company caters mostly to knitters, and that’s certainly your choice. Now it seems you want to reach out to the crochet side of things a little more. Unfortunately, the bad taste of second-class citizenship is already in my mouth, and for me this is too little, too late. My money will go to companies that are already treating fiber artists as fiber artists, regardless of their preferred techniques.

8. CraftyCSW / July 3, 2013 Congratulations on adding the new web page for crochet. I think this is a step in the right direction. The new crochet pattern is lovely, and includes some of my favorite designers. Please continue to bring us more crochet content–patterns in different gauges, using different techniques, photos for inspiration, crochet designers on the podcast, etc. Include people who are crochet experts on the podcast, working on advanced projects, not just staff members who sound like they are just learning to crochet. Curio looks pretty, but I don’t generally crochet with thread. I use laceweight and fingering weight yarns, Stroll Tonal and all the KP lace yarns are favorites. How about a color changing lace yarn? I agree with some of the others that I as a one who primarily crochets, have felt alienated in the past by KP editorial choices. I hope this is about to turn for the better, and include a whole new group of customers! I also agree with the comment that yarn does not need to be categorized for knitting or crochet. No need to tell us which yarns are “great for crochet,” we crocheters figured that out long ago. Just because Knit Picks has just discovered crochet, doesn’t mean we haven’t been immersed in it for years. Thanks for listening! 🙂

9. hamburke / July 3, 2013 one of my favorite crochet topics is joining. I’d love to see what the community thinks about it and how to convert patterns between the methods.

10. Kris B / July 2, 2013 At last, crochet thread, exciting. Would like to see more colors. Any chance you are going to have size 5 cotton thread? This size is great for people who are intimidated by size 10 thread.

11. Fran L / July 2, 2013 I agree 100% with everyone who posted before me but I would add something about the Knitalongs on the knitting community page. I do lace, color, charity work and have UFOs but I do it all in crochet. On the community site there is a KAL for all those things but for those that crochet we have to just put everything in 1 place the Crochet along. I would like to see more crochet options on the community.

    • hamburke / July 3, 2013 I love KALs and CALs!!

12. LDearie / July 2, 2013 since I am, pretty exclusively, a crocheter, I’m happy to see ‘us’ finally getting some recognition in ‘your’ world – we don’t just live on granny squares and doilies, but use our hooks to range as far as we can. more crochet patterns, please! more crochet goodies, please! and more lightweight yarns in solids, patterns, and different fibers, please!

13. gray la gran / July 2, 2013 as opposed to a previous commenter that feels “alienated”, i am very excited! i mostly knit, but learned to crochet first as a child, and recently have fallen back in love with the craft. i plan on ordering some curio thread — if i could just decide on what color! — it’s such a nice palette. i’m very much interested in crochet garments, and techniques such as tunisian.

14. Mary B. / July 2, 2013 I am a longtime crocheter. I used to do a lot with thread and I am overjoyed to see you offering Curio in such lovely colors! (Just received my order.) So I will be doing more now! I love designs from old crochet books but the instructions are usually not easy to follow or consistent from pattern to pattern. I know there are modern designers who are developing patterns based on those old patterns but with updated terminology. I would love to see more of those patterns!

15. Sheila / July 2, 2013 I am a pretty new crocheter, and I’m excited to see KP growing with me 😉 But why is the yarn separate for knitters and crocheters? My knitting side wants to try curio for lace shawls, and my inner crocheter is still a baby and likes to use worsted weight yarn to better see stitches! It seems very silly to label yarn as being specifically for knit or crochet. I agree with the “snubbed” comment above, and I do both crafts!!!

16. Saavikam77 / July 2, 2013 As a crocheter first, I’m so glad to see KP embracing the awesomeness of crochet. 🙂 I’m loving the new KP crochet page, and the Serenity pattern collection is lovely. As there’s always room for more, though, I’d love to see (across the board, not just in KP Crochet): *More free crochet patterns *More crochet patterns featuring different techniques, such as slip stitch crochet, sideways construction, bias construction, fitted ribbing (using different stitch heights to create shaping), etc *More tunisian crochet patterns *Patterns using lightweight yarns in an open, lacy construction (not just doilies and circular shawls) *More patterns for lightweight accessories *At least one crochet pattern suggestion on every yarn page *An interchangeable crochet hook set *Harmony crochet hooks in more of the smaller sizes (B, C, D, and F) *And finally, crochet hooks in the Sunstruck line. Yep, I’ve given this some thought. :p Thanks for listening to our feedback!

17. Kelly / July 2, 2013 I’m a brand new crocheter (long-time knitter), so more tutorials and patterns would be great. I am so intrigued by the new thread, but have absolutely no idea what to do with it, beyond the 2 patterns already posted and doilies (but I’m 34, not 94 so doilies have limited appeal). BTW, you guys have done a great job so far. I really love 99% of your website and products. My favorite part is the pattern builder. I am hopeless at putting my own yarn/patterns together (they never turn out like I hope). In general, I would love to see more tonals and multicolors though.

18. Lee Wright / July 2, 2013 Your current efforts are to be commended. I realize because of the name “Knit Picks” who your target audience is, but you are leaving out, alienating, a large group of potential customers. I do feel, when looking (drooling) over the latest catalog that I am somehow being snubbed. I crochet exclusively. I see no reason to label yarn as knitting or crochet, yarn is yarn.

19. LJ / July 1, 2013 I would love to see a crochet version of the Sheldon turtle pattern and at least a few of his various “shells.” 😀

20. Nicola / July 1, 2013 A crochet thread like Lang Marisa. It is the best crochet thread I have ever used for garments, and is no longer available in the US. It is great for summer tops, and I think it would make great shawls also.

21. Sandra / July 1, 2013 I’d love to see kp explore the various methods of crochet. As well as exploring how crochet and knitting can play really well together. I’ve seen plenty of vintage crafters do it but extremely few modern.

22. Tiffany Carlson / July 1, 2013 Sunstruck crochet hooks? Other than that would love to have more patterns and kits available. I tend to skip buying the kits because Knitting and i are still learning how to be friends. If you had more crochet patterns and kits………you could take even more of my money. Just a thought! 😀