Sweater curse

Knitters use the term Sweater Curse or the Curse of the Love Sweater to describe a situation in which a knitter gives a hand-knit sweater to a significant other, who quickly breaks up with the knitter.cite book | last = Stoller | first = Debbie | year = 1994 | title = Stitch'n Bitch Nation | publisher = Workman Publishing | location = New York | id = ISBN 0-7611-3590-1 | pages = p. 120] In an alternative formulation, the relationship will end before the sweater is even completed. [cite web | author = Sarah Kerner | year = 2006 | title = Having a ball with knitting | url = http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/solutions/stories/DN-nso_knitting_0417liv.State.Edition1.75c246d.html | publisher = The Dallas Morning News Accessed 11 May 2007] The belief is widely discussed in knitting publications and some knitters claim to have experienced the Sweater Curse;cite book | last = Manning | first = Tara Jon | year = 2003 | title = Men in Knits: Sweaters to Knit that He WILL Wear | publisher = Interweave Press | location = Loveland, Colorado | id = ISBN 1-931499-23-3] cite book | last = Roghaar | first = L | coauthors = Wolf M | year = 2002 | title = KnitLit: Sweaters and their stories | publisher = Three Rivers Press | location = New York | id = ISBN 0-609-80824-9
cite book | last = Roghaar | first = L | coauthors = Wolf M | year = 2004 | title = KnitLit (too): Stories from sheep to shawl | publisher = Three Rivers Press | location = New York | id = ISBN 1-4000-5149-5
cite book | last = Roghaar | first = L | coauthors = Wolf M | year = 2005 | title = KnitLit the third: We spin more yarns | publisher = Three Rivers Press | location = New York | id = ISBN 1-4000-9760-6] cite journal | last = Welsh | first = K | year = Winter 2002 | title = The sweater curse | journal = Knitty | volume = 2 | url=http://www.knitty.com/issuewinter02/FEATsweatercurse.html] a recent poll indicated that 15% of active knitters say they have experienced the sweater curse firsthand, and 41% consider it a possibility that should be taken seriously.cite web | year = 2005 | title = Who Are We? The Anatomy of a Knitter, As Revealed in the KR Polls | url = http://knittersreview.com/article.asp?article=/review/profile/050310_a.asp | publisher = Knitter's Review ]

Despite its name, the Sweater Curse is treated in knitting literature not as a superstition governed by paranormal forces, but rather as a real-world pitfall of knitting that has real-world explanations and solutions.cite book | last = Pearl-McPhee | first = Stephanie | year = 2006 | title = Knitting Rules! The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks | publisher = Storey Publishing, LLC | id = ISBN 1580178340 ] Several plausible mechanisms for the sweater curse have been proposed, but it has not been studied systematically.

Existence

No controlled studies have investigated this phenomenon, and the available evidence is largely anecdotal, which is generally of low reliability due to cognitive bias. [cite journal |author=Podsakoff PM, MacKenzie SB, Lee JY, Podsakoff NP |title=Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies |journal=The Journal of applied psychology |volume=88 |issue=5 |pages=879–903 |year=2003 |pmid=14516251 |doi=10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879] Particularly important in this effect may be confirmation bias, as knitters may remember breakups more clearly after giving a hand-knit sweater, which represents a significant investment of money (typically over $100), effort (~100,000 stitches), time (as much as a year)cite book | last = Righetti | first = Maggie | year = 1990 | title = Sweater Design in Plain English | publisher = St. Martin's Press | location = New York | id = ISBN 0-312-05164-6] and romantic imagination.

Proposed mechanisms

Although the existence of this effect remains uncertain, it is a common belief amongst the knitting population and several plausible and non-exclusive mechanisms for the Sweater Curse have been suggested within knitting periodicals and books:

* "Unlucky timing." Knitting a sweater takes a long time, and the relationship dies of natural causes during its making.cite web | year = 2005 | last = yclept | title = Sweater curse | url=http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1772702 | publisher = everything2.com]
* "Rescue mission." The knitter senses subconsciously that the relationship is about to end, and knits a sweater as a dramatic gesture to save it.
* "Catalyst for analyzing the relationship." Giving or receiving a significant gift such as a sweater may cause either the giver or receiver to evaluate the relationship. For example, the gift may seem too intimate, too domestic or too binding to the significant other. It can be seen as a signal that makes them realize that the relationship is not reciprocal, prompting them to end the relationship before it involves obligations.cite web | year = 2006 | last = Kit is Knitting | title = My thoughts behind the sweater curse | url = http://kitknits.blogspot.com/2006/10/my-thoughts-behind-sweater-curse.html | publisher = kitknits.blogspot.com]
* "Aversion." The significant other may simply not want to wear "anything" hand-knit. A hand-knit sweater can also subject them to ridicule, either because the sweater looks bad (i.e., poorly made or unfashionable) or conveys overly domestic connotations.
* "Misdirected attention." The knitter loves their sweater a little too much, and pesters the significant other about the sweater instead of working on their relationship. Alternatively, the knitter loves to knit too much, and spends too much time with their knitting instead of with the significant other.
* "Delusion." The knitter imagines incorrectly that their significant other likes them, and is not disillusioned before knitting the sweater and giving it to them.

Avoidance

For many knitters, making a hand-knit gift is an emotional experience, an extended affectionate meditation on the person receiving the gift. A metaphor commonly used by knitters is, "I knit my love into every stitch."cite book | last = Pearl-McPhee | first = S | year = 2005 | title = At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much | publisher = Storey Publishing | id = ISBN 978-1580175890 | pages = p. 43] Since giving too significant a gift too early in a relationship can evoke apprehension, knitters have been advised to match the knitted gift to the stage in the relationship, beginning with scarves, socks, mittens or hats before graduating to sweaters.cite book | last = Durant | first = Judith | year = 2006 | title = Never knit your man a sweater (unless you've got the ring) | publisher = Storey Publishing, LLC | id = ISBN 1580176461] Many knitters wait until marriage before making a sweater for a significant other, or ask their affianced to sign a "pre-knitual agreement".

Common-sense advice to knitters is that they should determine whether the recipient would ever wear a hand-knitted sweater. For example, a sweater may not suit the intended recipient's clothing style or it could make them uncomfortably hot. More serious problems include wool intolerance, [cite journal |author=Wollina U, Abdel-Naser MB, Verma S |title=Skin physiology and textiles - consideration of basic interactions |journal=Curr. Probl. Dermatol. |volume=33 |issue= |pages=1–16 |year=2006 |pmid=16766877] which is particularly severe in people who suffer from atopic dermatitis. [cite journal |author=Bendsöe N, Björnberg A, Asnes H |title=Itching from wool fibres in atopic dermatitis |journal=Contact Derm. |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=21–2 |year=1987 |pmid=3652686 |doi=10.1111/j.1600-0536.1987.tb02638.x] Knitters have also been advised to involve the significant other in designing the sweater (e.g., in choosing its design, colors and materials) and follow their suggestions, even if the knitter objects. [cite web | last = Feeley | first = P | year = 2006 | title = Avoiding the curse of the Boyfriend Sweater | url = http://www.highcountryknitwear.com/tips.shtml | publisher = High Country Knitwear] Several books offer practical design advice for avoiding the Sweater Curse.

ee also

* Sweater design
* Urban legend
* Friday night death slot
* Superman curse
* Star Trek movie curse
* Curse of the ninth
* Curse of the Billy Goat
* Curse of Muldoon

References