Piece4PeaceCrafting Podcast Ep. 77 

Hi Michael, it has been a delight getting to know you so much more this year. We have the same ethos, even though I am old enough to be your mother 🤭. It’s been really lovely seeing your woolly wonders and hearing about your adventures. A very Happy New Year to you and everyone in this community. Now I will sit and knit ( a sock - not sure if I will knit a match but I don’t mind wearing odd socks 🙈)and enjoy watching and hearing your update. Take care from Jill in Cumbria, England.⭐️

I think you're right about size inclusivity. The problem I had for years was that American designers went from 35 to 45 inches. There are plenty of designers now that address the sizing. I visited China as an American size 14 (i.e. average American) and they kept telling me there was nothing I could buy in my size. I wasn't upset... I was not their normal market size. So I completely get what you're saying.

Happy New Year, Michael! Love those Sunfish socks! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and insight about how a cultural reference point might determine a designer’s range of sizes, and to perhaps not be too critical of (or take personally) that designer’s choices. As you suggest, different locales might present a different set of body types than where a particular knitter is from. This is a very thoughtful point of view and very much appreciated! And it’s great that we have the opportunity to share in designers’ art from around the globe. Be well, and hope to see you in the KAL!

Great podcast and you are spot on with the sizing requirements for different places More people have to take that into account Thank you for sharing with us

Love the size inclusivity discussion. "Let's be thoughtful for 2024!" should be a mantra for all things! The tee looks great! Miss you!! xo -Kate

What you said makes so much sense about the sizes and designers reference point. Thanks

Thanks for the music recommendation. That is my era of music. I will be watching 1971!

I come for the knitting, I stay for the positivity, glass is half full outlook. Thank you for both. ✌🧶

27:00 Wow, well done! Looks great! It's difficult to find this type of alignment in knits even in higher priced designer wear. I so appreciate when patterns align across seams. That alone is worth the effort of learning how to skillfully knit a sweater.👍🏾👍🏾

I may subscribe to Apple TV just to watch 1971! I was a teenager back then, and love the music you mentioned. Lord, I'm old LOL

LOVE your short sleeve sweater!!! As always, those socks are on point. ❤ I'm getting my yarn together for the cast on tomorrow! I can't wait!

Happy New Year! I agree about your comments about size inclusivity. I think it actually used to be common for patterns in Japan to be one size and the responsibility was on the knitter to do the math. I need the larger sizes and I love designers that grade to them, but I’m game to do the math if I find something amazing. Keep sharing! Thanks for the great content.

Happy New Year to you! Thank you for all your lovely podcasts this past year. Loving those hot tangerine cuffs, heels and toes on your socks. I have been stash diving for the Artus shawl and swatching today. This will be a new skill for me, but worth it to join the knitalong. I appreciate your comments regards size-inclusivity and culture. I noticed similar issues with historical UK patterns. I think that people were skinnier and shorter back in the 1930s and 1940s especially; at least the knitting patterns seem so tiny to me.

Michael, have loved watching your podcasts this year. I completely agree with you thought on size inclusiveness What you said makes perfect sense. Have a wonderful New Year.

Love the sweater. Also obsessed with the way your stripes line up

Happy New Year Michael, wishing you all the best in 2024. Thanks for orchestrating a fun community of crafters. Sending you hugs.

Love your podcasts and really enjoy how mindful and reflective you are about the craft. Yes, for many folks, knitting is more than a hobby - it has a positive impact on our mental health. Happy New Year and looking forward to the Artus KAL.

Happy New Year! 🎉 I’m so glad you brought up the conversation around size inclusivity because I have had the same thoughts whenever I hear someone talk about not using a pattern because it’s not “size inclusive” even though they want to and they are within the size range of the pattern. There are plenty of patterns that just aren’t made for my frame and understand why…it’s not that the designer specifically chose to exclude others, they typically are just from other countries that have a different frame of reference for size. There are also some patterns that may just not grade out to fit comfortably on different frames or even look the way someone may hope for them to look across multiple frames. It’s a VERY different conversation when it comes to available options for a wider range of frames in general, but I do think it’s important to consider the broader concept of what’s actually occurring in each instance.

Happy New Year Michael, wishing you a healthy and happy new year! Your podcast is so fun to watch.

All of your socks are so good!

Wishing you a Happy New Year! 🎆Always feel a bit homesick when watching your podcast (I grew up in Chicago). We left in 1971, moved back to Norway. I still have family in Chicago and visit occasionally. Ready for another visit soon. (I hope!) Looking forwards to watching you in 2024. Regards from Irene in Norway.🎆

And happy new year everyone

Happy New Year Michael! Oh my, your tee came out amazing! Regarding designers, I think that most try their best to be size inclusive. You have the European measurements with centimeters etc and the US has inches etc. and the conversion from one to the other is not exact. No two bodies are alike. I am by no means a designer or professional knitter, but I do try my best to find the best fit for myself and others in whatever I knit. It’s taken me nearly 4 years to get a nearly perfect fitting sock for myself (don’t ask 😂). For next year on your channel, I’d love to see you do a small snippet or two of you spinning if you wouldn’t mind. I find it soothing to watch. Other than that, just keep on giving us your fabulous self!

appy New Year Michael! It have been a wonderful year following your podcasts and watching you create beautiful things!! Looking forward to the new year and what you make!

Hello Michael from my new home in Swansea Illinois. Now comes the unpacking and putting everything away. Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Michael. Thank you for all the joy and content you've shared this year. You are a true light in the world (at least IMO!) Looking forward to all of it in 2024. And wishing you everything good❤

I will live vicariously through your knitting of the Woolens & Nosh/Les Garçon collab. I’m hoping she runs another batch or pre-order.

As someone who usually knits one of the larger sizes of most patterns - I love the movement to size inclusivity. It means a lot more patterns are accessible to me. But I do agree we should stop all the shame of those who don’t have a huge size range. Because on the flip side - I find a lot of designers will scale their sizes without a lot of knowledge of how bigger bodies work. IE - we don’t get proportionately fat through our tummies and arms etc. It’s more then math - so I love designers who actually work hard to make sure that their adjustments fit everyone at every shape and allow for adjustments on parts that tend to vary greatly as sizes increase (hello busts and arms). So anyway - it’s good to have open dialogue and I appreciate your perspective on how different cultures have different ideas on what size inclusivity even is. ❤❤

Dear Michael, Best wishes from South Australia. Have a healthy, happy and successful 2024. ❤

Belated Happy New Year Michael, warm wishes for a wonderful year ahead full of yarny goodness along with much health and happiness x

Happy New Year! I hope 2024 brings peace and fun to us all. Your sweater looks great! I love the colors you chose for the stripes. Your socks look great, too! I also think size inclusivity is very important. You have a great point that a designer’s demographic may not include certain sizes. I’ve also heard independent designers say how difficult, time consuming, and therefore expensive it can be to grade a pattern to multiple sizes. Joji Locatelli said she’s wrote a pattern where she couldn’t grade it for the range of sizes she wanted, and decided not to release it. Quite a dilemma for designers.

Happy new year Michael when it comes and all the best for the 2024

Good to explore size issues. I’ve often noted that designs that have cross gender appeal don’t always give enough information to help the knitter adjust for wider / narrower shoulders. Perhaps it’s more about providing enough information to be able to produce a knit that fits. I suspect technology is the way forward for some people too.

Happy New Year Michael! I love your socks and tee!!! You are right about being more thoughtful❤. Have fun with your new WIPs🎉🎉

I really love your sweater, the short sleeve is great

Happy New Year, Michael! I look forward to hanging out with you more in 2024. Size inclusivity (or rather the lack of it) is what drove me out of knitting in the late 80s, when patterns rarely went as high as a 38-inch bust for women, or even for men. Cleverer knitters than I could adjust yarn or needle size to get what they needed, but such things were beyond me then. I'm very glad things are more inclusive now, and that designers show their pieces on a variety of bodies and say what size the model is, and what size garment they're wearing and with how much ease; it's much easier to gauge how a thing will look on a particular body shape. I take your point about a designer's country of origin informing the sizes they include, and it's a valid point, but I think the language and region of publication also needs to be taken into account. Like, a Japanese knitting pattern published in Japanese will be a vastly shorter, more concise thing than the same pattern published for the English-speaking market, where the expectation is that instructions are thorough and clear and assume no degree of knowledge on the knitter's part (very "hand-holdy", I've heard it called). Similarly, if you're only publishing a pattern in Japan, only in Japanese, you will of course use the size range most common in Japan. But if you're publishing for knitters who work in English, you have to at least try to include as many of those knitters as possible in your size range. ("Size inclusivity" is usually interpreted as including the larger sizes, but it should also include the smaller ones, because knitters come in those sizes, too!)

Hi Michael , Just want to wish you happy new for 2024 and look forward different kinds of projects 🎉🎉

Lovely sweater :) I really like your thoughts on cultural influences on size inclusivity, but I also think that designers need to be aware that we are in a global environment, so some additional thought should go into it nowadays. I really want to make a dotted rays, but me and that pattern do not get along unfortunately. Cue sad trombone.

I believe 23 is the year you wanted to make more socks. I remember you saying that. I haven't been too much before this past year. A little. I am terribly overweight, had some problems I the past finding sizes for me to knit. But.....i get what you are saying about designing sizes within your "culture"? oh well. I so love your podcasts. I tend to enjoy those who are not just selling,. Some I feel are a huge knitting QVC. Anyway, Happy New Year!

Hello , i am so greatfull to have discovered your channel in 2023. Thank you for you happyness smile and always sunny voice. Keep on crafting

😢 I saw this late, so I missed the Zoom. Happy New Year Michael, those colors on your sweater look so great on you!

Happy New Year and thanks so much for your podcast. I needed some peace this week. I don't do resolutions either, but I do goals. 2024 goals are to finish my leftover 2023 WIPs before casting on anything new (which I am already getting started on), and work down my stash. Hope you have a lovely new year!

I love this sweater! HNY!! see you in 2024!

Michael, thank you for your podcast. I can't add much to all the insightful comments that others have made. I know that I appreciate your kindness in all things. By kind I mean joyful, fair minded, giving, taking care of self and so much more. I love to hear you chatting with Kendrick. I love how much you enjoy making and giving and keeping and excelling in your skills and adapting. I love the mugs. I love the familiarity of regional events and the discovery of ones out in the world. I love watching the stash change and grow and the parade of socks! Love it all. I spent December binge-watching your podcast from episode 1 and the music would be in my head all the time and I would give a shoulder shimmy to whoever was around and some people would laugh. A little joy for a hot second is great. Everything about you and your podcast offers that to all of us that watch. Joy vibe. So, happy new year and I am excited to be caught up! Many thanks.

Loving your knitting as always!! Can't wait for the knit along - amazing way to start 2024 and I'm super excited about it! Can't wait for another year of your beautiful knits and wonderful spirit!! I agree with you about the different cultures or regional size inclusivity! I was in Spain earlier this year and I did notice the patterns in the stores were for "thinner" people. Happy New Year and hugs from Texas!!

Yes Michael I did the same can't wait to get my yarn and start my socks Have a happy new year with lots of knitting

Hi Michael! I totally understand what you were saying about the size inclusivity. I recently knitted a Japanese pattern and it was so delightful that I thought the design deserved more attention of the world outside of Japan. Unfortunately, it was only written in Japanese with only 1 size. Naturally, the marketing target is Japanese people for this designer. It also takes a lot of effort and time (and money!)to grade different sizes and translate into another languages… so much so that it’s not even worth the effort for some designers especially when the targeted market is already large enough. Like you said, instead of criticizing those designers, we can gently let them know that there is the whole wide world waiting for them. Rananculus and Utsubo socks are the good examples that have become size/language inclusive patterns.

Happy New Year, Michael. Hope is the best year ever. Thank you for being here sharing all the things with us ❤

Love your seaside tee! Happy New Year Michael 🎉

Love your socks and have really enjoyed learning more about you:)

Beautiful socks!

Thank you for your words about size inclusivity! That’s a good point about where the designers are from, I hadn’t thought of that. Sooooo true! I think about the people who are tiny/little people or any other size group beside larger people. We all learn to adapt in all situations. I know I can’t shop at Lane Bryants because they don’t carry my size. I don’t shop at Baby Gap for the same reason. Thanks for being reasonable. 😊 I graduated from high school in 1971, so I know the music well! I’ll check out the doc.

Happy New Year Michael!!! I am hoping to relearn knitting in 2024. I can crochet anything, but knitting is a lot harder for me.

My thoughts on the size inclusitivioty / county thing... Certain cultures have different ways of writing patterns. For example, Japanese patterns are typically one page and one size and it's up to the knitter to make the adjustments. Scandi patterns tend to also assume that the knitter has more advanced knowledge and there is also more limited sizing and instructions than a "western" pattern. Grading can be challenging and require a decent amount of skill, especially with more complicated constructions / stitch patterns. For example, raglans can be very easily sized up to a certain point, but once you get to a larger size the construction needs to change to a compound raglan. I'd personally be more inclined to give more indie designers a break, while people who sell greater amounts of patterns more criticism. Loving all the stripes.

I can't wait to see how the Dotted Rays shawl turns out, with those great colors - fun, fun, fun! Happy New Year, Michael.

Happy New Year, Michael! I’ve got too many planned projects to start a shawl but I’m tempted just to join your Zoom. Lol

That is such an interesting way to look at sizing and so true I know when I go to Asia there will never be anything to fit me not even shoes 🥿 so it makes sense that designers design for their own cultural audience. Happy and healthy 2024

Love both pair of socks! Les Garçons sold out before I got their collaboration through :( I did finish my Arne and Carlos Christmas stocking. I'm hooked. I never thought I could do it but I pushed myself and did! I may soon be taking after you and making socks galore! That sweater pants set would drive you crazy and your eyes would cross!!! BUT it is very interesting! Happy New Year! I wish you all the best!

Happy New Year Michael🎉 Many blessings to you in 2024🧡🤎

Happy New Year 🎆 Michael! I hope you have a great New Year's Eve and a calm and peaceful 2024 filled with joy and beauty. Your socks 🧦 are so inspiring. Happy knitting! 💚🧶💚

Happy New Year!

I agree. Country of origin matters. I actually did look up the European sizing standards for knit garments, and it is different from the US.

I also tried italian bind off this week and was also confused from my searches about if its the same as tubular bind off. Love the bright colours in socks you make.

Ok... the size inclusive thing. Ugh... I don't fit into the BMI chart at the doctor's office either. I know me and I adjust. Honestly, unless it's a hat, I have to adjust every garment pattern to fit ME. Not mad about it. That's why we knit our own stuff. We are our own tailors! ❤

Happy New Year, Michael! Great dialogue on size inclusivity. As a former International Finance manager, respecting and appreciating other customs / cultures is very important, in my opinion. Perhaps for some markets, the cost in time and money to be inclusive for the North American market would be prohibitive, and not necessarily take into account body type. Thanks for the fun session! Much love and Peace for you in the new year.

Hi, love the short sleeve shirt. It turned out beautifully. I think big people are in every country. In case of Japan I think of sumo ringer to be cliche. But they have about 4% of obesity compared to Nordic countries of about 20-30% and USA of about 40% 🤷‍♀️

27:49. Right?!!😂🤣🤣.....Seriously tho, it's such an impeccable finish!🤌🏾

Happy new❤✌🏻

"Crafty Chaos in 2024." OMG!!! You are so funny!!! xox

"Ol girl's stretchy bind off" 💀💀💀💀💀

Hello Michael, the point you made about the designers country of origin struck me a while back. Designers often sell their patterns in various countries as well as their own so perhaps extending sizes up or down is an additional burden on them

Size inclusivity is very much affected by the norms of the maker/manufacturer: Shopping on the EvilEmpire and the men's pants I like say "Size XXXL will fit you best." Per the size chart that's a 32" waist. Double digit negative ease waistline/gaping zipper does not look good on me, but, Hey! If it's your thing, then you do you and Happy New Year!

Michael, re: inclusivity and country of origin makes sense. Thank you! Definitely something to chew on.

Happy New Year Michael! I’ve been watching your old episodes all week while I knit. Can we go to the Zoom if we are not knitting the shawl?

Hi Michael, you made a good point about size inclusivity. I'm from Germany and I think we don't have so many big people like you do in the US. I am very thin with long arms and legs and I am a loose knitter. For me, almost no pattern works; I have to modify always - so all the talk about size inclusivity goes a bit on my nerves. I think it is a main concern for beginner knitters who want to have written out row by row what they have to do and don't have to think. For me a basic pattern in three sizes is enough, because I have to modify anyway - and the argument - I hear that quite often - that the pattern from Indiedesigners are more expesive because they have a broader size range and are better explained, well, I don't care, because their is never a size that suits me. And funny enough, one of the most knitted patterns, the ranunculus, originaly came only in one size, with notes how to modify and that is actually what I would like to see more. Seasonal Greetings from Munich, Gabi

I think you have a very good point regarding size inclusivity in patterns. There's one thing I really find disappointing in the knitting community is that I see many people who seem to be very quick on accusations. (Note: that's from my point of view and I'm in no way saying that it's the absolute truth or that every single person is like that.) Before telling everyone that a designer has a non-inclusive pattern and that we shouldn't purchase it, how many people go and ask the designer why the design isn't more inclusive? Maybe there's a very good reason behind that. Yes, inclusivity is very important and I'm myself often disappointed that a pattern doesn't come in my size (we hear way less about that side of things but sometimes the smallest sizes offered are too large). But I think maybe you can go and talk to the designer and see where that goes. Maybe they'll be a jerk (nothing's impossible) but maybe they'll be very nice and offer some help to make adjustments that will work for you!

On the size inclusivety thing: Different regions may have different normal sizes (for example I am an asian XL and an American M), but there are also plus-size Asians who deserve to have patterns that fit them. I don't even think the backlash against non-size inclusive patterns is that severe - many people still knit patterns that aren't size inclusive. The pushback should be toward the larger creators who have the resources to properly grade their patterns and honestly we should just step away from the s-m-l sizing and put the actual measurements anyway

5pm in the UK

I am afraid if I wake up and do something in the middle of the night that my body will want to keep waking up.

Just add sleeves, then it won't be a vest

Hi Michael, thanks for another great podcast ❤. Love your t-shirt. I think wet blocking will relax the increase seams. About inclusivity, I have been looking into it quite a bit. I found this podcast very interesting Knitfix and Chill Ep 2 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-POPOUOm8-fs.htmlsi=mmlSNEe6YmCGyb57 Basically there are no standards for designers, so they choose what inclusivity means to them and what measurement scales to use. Which makes the whole discussion very subjective. I find that you have to look at the designer in mind. They often design to their own body shape, and scaling will be done accordingly. So I definitely think you're right about the origin of the designer. I find that inclusivity is a strange concept, because when are you actually inclusive. If you design bust stars for large breasts you rule out Men or in the video they rule out women with a large hip circumference. I t would be nice if the discussion is not only about being able to resize it and fit around bust. Making it fit that way doesn't necessarily make a design flattering. I think everyone would benefit from learning their bodyshape and how to modify a knitting pattern. Of course this is not for beginners. 😊 Sorry for the long post. It is a big subject. Thanks for the considerations. And happy new year 🎉

Michael Omw your sunfish socks breathlesspiar nr 2 my heart o o o the yarn steel my heart 2 pairs socks sounds like me During the past 4 days during a mountain fire 🚒🔥 episode in the operating communication room Love your See side tee sweater your stripes so awesome. Bindoff in opsite direction ⬆️ work wonderful Pattern sizing I understand our South African ladies has the problem length and size. Thanks for the idea Always a pair of socks on the needles sounds like me....😅 2socks a a time my method 💕 to knit my socks Busy bee a nite😊

Happy New Year Michael!!!🎉🎉🎉 I spent a lot of money on Ravelry in the past couple of days and I’m always thinking about size inclusivity. I have found that certain designers especially those who are in Scandinavia and some from Asia don’t grade their designs for us Americans who require larger sizes. I’m only not pleased when I notice that they bothered to have their pattern translated into English, but they don’t bother to accommodate me size wise! Unfortunately for them, my first major in college was fashion design so I know the ends and outs of grading up a pattern, bwahahaha! Anyway I personally see it like this. If I REALLY like your pattern, I’m going to buy it, grade it and tag you in the picture when I post it on Instagram… yeah, I’m that bitch, lol 😝 Looking forward to 2024!