I’m a professional art director and graphic designer, and honestly you would be SHOCKED how much conscious effort I put into not accidentally making penis or swastika looking designs. The former is just such an easy shape organic shape to create accidentally, and the latter is a geometric symbol that is so easy to accidentally make. This sucks for the designer and I feel super bad for him. But he handled it as best he could.
@@LolaOpheliacnah, they’re right. Excluding works that intentionally have those symbols, there are so many places in every form of art where you can go, “huh, that looks like a penis/swastika.” They’re both symmetrical (although not always for the former) and simple shapes. Like in architecture, geometric patterns, furniture, abstract art, hell, even landscaping.
A backwards N#zi symbol is a Four Winds symbol in my culture. It makes me sad this symbolism was stolen & is only related so closely to hate. I applaud his ability to adapt & respect the feelings of so many though.
I recently discovered the _Behind The Bastards_ podcast where they dedicated a few episodes to the swastika and how it's been a part of cultures as a sacred symbol for _thousands_ of years. It's crazy that one group of total monsters managed to co-opt something that can be found in ancient historical sites wherever there have been people. The general shape is quite probably older than civilization as we understand it.
It’s sad that people associate the symbol with evil, when in actual fact it represents positivity, good luck, the movement of the sun and the movement of the wind. A 7000 year old cross that has spiritual meaning to many people and cultures has been tarnished by one evil mad man. It’s a shame that people look for the negative rather than the positive in this world. Personally I would like to have seen what the end item would have looked like.
@@catherinearangie2311 I think it will take more time. Look at the mess in the Middle East. There are a lot of people who are still super-militant about self-defense. I can't blame them. My own father had to leave Europe because of what was starting to happen.
@StephenWest is really a deeply nice person! I have followed his career for years - and he always follow through with honesty, respect and integrety. I can only support him - and hope this all will settle calmly. He is one of a kind ❤
As a Jew I must say, the gentleness and kindness in his voice while discussing the pivot of the design makes me tear up. To hear the “We’re going to knit love and respect and empathy into every stitch” is so heartwarming
Год назад+73
It's so sad that it is not the norm, I wasn't going to do it but seeing how he responded I just want to do it to show support.
As a Jewish artist that makes a lot of pattern artwork, radial designs can easily look like a swastika. I would be horrified if I displayed my art publicly and then found out it looked like a hate symbol. He handled the situation with the kindness and empathy I would hope to myself. One of my great grandmothers was Basque - but it's sometimes not worth wearing a sun cross in a place where it could be hurting other Jews.
he seems like such a sweet man, it made me tear up a bit watching that apology. he handled it with grace I think and should be a role model for these things.
I feel the same (and am also Jewish). I want to support this creator and will probably seek out his Instagram to hopefully follow (since I can’t knit due to physical issues).
The amount of times I’ve had to say “that may be interpreted as a swastika” while designing logos / editing at work is wild. It is so easy for that geometric pattern to appear in the negative spaces or etc. it just takes one person to see it as a hate symbol to make it worth modifying. Idk if this makes sense but I think this guy responded in the best way he could!
I am a writer. As a writer I have to tell people that what they are writing might be interpreted as racist ALL the time, and most of the time people don't 'get it'. I'm surprised there aren't accidental swaztikas everywhere.
@@RogueAstro85 the funniest part about that idea is, there's no doubt the 15 year old boys would immediately notice any accidental dicks or swastikas. They'd notice it for sure... the problem is, there's no guarantee that they wouldn't sometimes "accidentally" give a sus design the green light for shits and giggles, because again, they ARE 15 year old boys! LMAO
Just to put my post 70 yrs old opinion in the mix. This shawl was the first time I experienced his teaching method and while not needing super detail instructions on my own I was so amazed and happy to see and experience who he is and joyfully sharing his talent. He did not crumble, he addressed the issue beautifully, maturely and held up his obviously ethical and greatly human pov. I respect this young man. Let the stupid attention seeking weenies fall on their needles.😂
@@IsabelaGiusti same!! It’s going to be my new insult along with calling someone a ‘bony-eared assfish’. I don’t know much about the actual fish aside from its unfortunate name and that it’s actually an eel and not a fish, but either way, it’s such a great non-insult insult. 🤣
He lives in Amsterdam - Anne Frank's house is local to him. He has a daily awareness and reminder of recent history, and I think this feeds into his emotional literacy. He handled this impeccably and you can see in his videos just how much empathy he has, especially when talking about the granny receiving the woman's shawl.
I was thinking about this too. I moved to the Netherlands as a young adult and I noticed that this country lives very close with the memories of the ww2, and do an active effort to keep them alive
I’m Jewish and I don’t quite see it unless I squint REALLY hard but HUGE props to stephen for being sensitive and quick to change it if people were uncomfortable!!!!
@@mongmanmarkyt2897Unfortunately, the symbol in it’s original form was made for pleasing geometric balance so as the represent the concept of wellness in Hinduism and the mark of the auspicious footsteps of Buddha in Buddhism. Which means, since it’s made for geometric balance to represent these concepts, anyone trying to make something with geometric balance along a centre point runs into this hazard. It sucks. It sucks on…SOOOOOO many levels. Cultural appropriation being used as a symbol of antithetical hate and antisemitism and white supremacy bing the biggest among those reasons, but it being so easy to accidentally recreate being another big one.
@@aersling5391But where is the hate? People were very politely bringing up the fact that this symbol might represent a hateful symbol. No one was frothing at the mouth. Except that one conservative dude
I am happy to see such an empathetic and swift response from the designer! as a Indian American raised Hindu it really saddens me how this religious symbol with such mathematically pleasing symmetry was completely corrupted by Naz*s. I do visually like the original version more because I like triangles... But I respect Stephen's decision to make the change in the way that feels most sincere to him.
That was my first thought. Most non-Hindis don't know "an opposite direction swastika" is not a hate symbol and is way older than the Nazi swastika. 🤦♀️
I couldn't agree more. As a Hindu, it saddens me that the Nazi's abuse of the symbol (which is truly a disgusting blotch on human history) overrides most of human history for most of the human population. For thousands of years, including till today, most of the world values the symbol as being sacred and auspicious. Westerners are grossly ignorant of anything eastern and it really shows. That of course doesn't mean that we should overlook Nazi history or what happened to the Jewish people then - just that there's truly SO much more to the swast^k than that.
It really is sad that an ancient symbol was ruined. I've tried to convince myself to see it as a geometric design -- it often shows up almost accidentally in weaving. But I can't view it with any objectivity.
I feel so bad for this designer, he responded to people's worries in such a responsible and thoughtful way and the internet does what it does best, be cruel even when he was doing the right thing (and what was being asked of him). It was heartbreaking to see him in tears over everything. He seems like a really good man and we need more people like him in the crafting community.
He is oddly popular among conservatives. The wife of one of my coworkers who is a knitter and went viral for an article she wrote about how the "woke" knitting community pushed her to go to a Trump rally and they were super nice to her there so now she's a conservative continued to be a huge West fangirl for a long time.
@@hullaballoon522 I've always just crocheted by myself, so I'm sort of so not a part of the crafting community social media it would have never occurred to me that they intersected with politics at all. That's absolutely wild to me!
@@hullaballoon522 I was thinking about it too. But I think he is just popular in general. Because one of the first videos I've seen when I was searching about knitting and crocheting was from a leftist, nonbinary person with an heavally alternative visual, who was obsessed with his designs. I love their videos and they actually convenced me to start with crochet and plan on a Stephen West knit along as soon as I am good enough with knitting (not yet). 1. I feel like knitting, and other older techniques, appeals to these conservatives, because they connect it with their idea of the past being better. 2. I think Stephen West is popular in general because his projects seem to be interest and it seems like he usually do not talk about his political inclinations, whatever they are. So people just focus on rather they like his designes or not. English is not my first language, so I hope it makes sense.
I'm a crochet pattern designer, and I work a lot with squares and it is amazingly easy to accidentally design something like this. Square + spiral = hate symbol. I've thrown out a number of designs because I thought they were too close. I'd rather not hurt anyone. I think Stephen handled this very well.
@@SashaBlueMoontrue but the majority of people doing the mkal are from the west, where this design is much more associated with antisemitism or overall bigotry due to nazis. It’s not wrong or unreasonable for them to get upset when it’s largely seen as a hate symbol in their culture. It’s like how cows are sacred in Hinduism, but in the west, people commonly eat beef and they’re seen as normal livestock.
See now that's pathetic you, you are that conscious of what people think even though you know for. Well that's not what you drew. That's sad and this is what's wrong with the world right now
Agree 100%! Especially after creating an objectively lovely pattern, unfortunate imagery aside. When Emma laid out his bio in the beginning I thought wow what a true contributing member of the crafting community- after seeing his reaction, I think he’s really someone we need at the leading edge .
most people about it: Hey Stevie, buddy, we uhh noticed that this kinda looks like a hate symbol and we don't want to accidentally commit a knitting hatecrime Steven West: Oh yeah, no problem, I kinda see it, lets just fix that Most people: thanks man, lets keep on with the MKAL Fucking Neil for some reason: *frothing at the mouth rabidly* YOU RUINED IT!!1! RUINED I SAY, YOU TOOK AWAY ALL MY FUN BY BEING NICE
The fact Neil was so massively butthurt about it says a lot. Why is he so upset about an accidental swastika being taken away? Seems particularly sus to me.
Yeah. For the most part... on the official forums. The grumbling undercurrent though is that the new center is really, REALLY boring & not at all why people choose to do this MKAL. I absolutely think changing it was the safest bet, I just wish he'd said hey, we're gonna delay this a week or two, let me rework this into something really flipping cool, and then we'll just start over.
I actually have screenshots (they have approximately 8 pixels, so sorry) of some of the other knitters who were so rabid to knit the original version and had that similar take of "if you can see it, YOURE THE NAZI" which is ...a bold take
As a German person who has worked at a WW2 memorial site and who has been fortunate enough to meet survivors of both the Ghettos and the Shoah, I am very appreciative of how Stephen West handled the situation. I had no clue of this person's existence prior to this video, but they seem very genuine to me. I've seen the direct repercussions of people handling swastikas and projects that resemble its shape too lightly so I can appreciate someone reacting so quickly and to be so open about the change-and-removal-process.
From a Jew, HUGE respect for doing that job and doing it well. It's not easy for any group involved in the Shoah, and that extends to modern Germans who grew up in that terrible shadow. You're a mensch. 💖
@@truegemrn that is not what anyone said. However, the pattern this whole situation was about was resemblant of a 'Hakenkreuz' and not just a pinwheel, and thus this very specific pattern was taken down by its creator. Nobody is trying to say you can't do pinwheel designs.
@@medeaworbs6970but if this design resembles *both* a pinwheel and a Hakenkreuz, any design that looks like a pinwheel also looks like a hate symbol. So effectively, anything that looks like a pinwheel bears a resemblance and should therefore not exist. This is *not* what art is. This is so sad.
@@resintom852 that is not what I said nor what I meant. It is possible to make pinwheel designs that do not look like a swastika - however with this very specific design this was not the case and so the original artist who designed this pattern made their own choice to change it. Art is about beauty, community, expression and creativity - and to change a design so to not accidentally bear resemblance to a Hakenkreuz is in favour of community and creativity. Nobody forced this artist to make that change, but they made that choice to protect and support people in their creative community. If to you, making the concious choice to step away from a pattern that accidentally resembles a horrific hate symbol is sad, then I cannot help you.
I respect Stephen West’s statement and pivot to correct an honest mistake. I don’t do MKALs because I’m not very good and am slow at knitting. I applaud his mature and speedy response.
You can be slow. There's no rule in having to finish at a certain time. I usually finish my Westknits MKAL months after everyone else because Holidays. And he certainly isn't the only one to do them. You should check out Casapinka for when she does MKALs. Hers tend to be simple with loves of flowing colors rather than intricate stitches. I recommend WestKnits if you want to push yourself & learn new techniques. He does always include alternatives for harder skills like brioche.
I don't do them either, but in my case it's because I'm entirely too picky, and have to know I'll like something before I start working on it. Also applaud him for changing it, even if I saw it as a pinwheel myself.
It simultaneously broke my heart and restored some faith in humanity seeing Steven tear up about the pattern. It just showed he really did not mean to hurt anybody and wanted to be respectful and sensitive moving forward. Such a great way to handle it
I’m in the camp that saw it as an interesting pinwheel rather than the other symbol. However, given recent geopolitical events I think the designer did the right thing, and it appears that he did so in a classy manner. It’s his design and if he doesn’t want to be associated with that symbol it’s totally within his rights to change it.
@@epain There’s a cloud in my backyard that looks sort of like a frog. Look, another sentence that has nothing to do with how classy the designer has been in this situation.
Honestly, Stephen West's reaction to being informed of the resemblance is a master class in integrity, respect and accountability in a very professional, concise and humble way which is very rare nowadays. He not only acted immediately, he posted a genuine apology. I knew of his designs and him, but his reaction honestly has made me a fan.
the part where he said he was feeling more pressure to keep up the old design than to take it down made me feel so sad. people wanted their "harassed by the woke mob" narrative so badly that they tried to harass him into doing what They wanted instead
Right? Heaven forbid he have some empathy towards a massively traumatic history :/ I feel like ironically a lot of bigoted "they're trying to control us!" narratives end up resulting in removing people's rights and doing the exact thing they're shouting about, when it wasn't even happening to them in the first place. Also, unrelated, but your PFP made me snort laugh and I appreciate that, lol.
@@claudiameier666 You're missing the point! He didn't NEED to change it, he CHOSE to because he didn't want something he designed to be a shape that maybe looked like a swastika to some people. He has the right to make that choice. There was no woke mob pressuring him to change it though. The vast majority of the people who originally thought it looked like a swastika were all saying that they were sure it was unintentional and they might just modify their own project for their own comfort since they're going to be the ones wearing, or gifting to loved ones, the finished product! No one was telling him he should change it or should take down the original design. It was his decision. That buttinski Neal made up the narrative of a woke mob because he (and, I'm guessing, people like you!) wanted that to be the case when it just wasn't!
@@claudiameier666 Yeah, he didn't need to change it. But he decided to change it, because after it was pointed out to him, it made him uncomfortable, too. He explained that. It was his right to make that decision and he made it, and subsequently was harassed by people who, like you, missed the mark by a mile.
My first thought was more pinwheel, but I can see it if I look for it after hearing the comments. Quite a few people seemed to see it immediately so there's clearly a noticeable enough resemblance for there to be an issue. Good on him for fixing it quickly, owning he made a mistake, and not downplaying the potential harm no matter how unintentional - I agree I think he handled it well. The poor man is clearly very genuinely upset that he's possibly hurt anyone.
I saw it more as a pinwheel at first too, but it’s still good for him to acknowledge and act on it. Sad to see some people see others being mindful and considerate as being weak or a pushover
I really love triskels, and I like the original pattern. It's radial, with bent arms, and it's square, so it has 4. But a swastika has arms bent at a 90 degree, but this design is 45 degrees, and stripes instead of a clear figure. Well, few people realize that the swastika is an ancient nature symbol that arose in several different civilizations. It's really a shame that the Nazis were able to reverse (they changed its direction) a pretty universal, simple, symmetrical geometric design and completely change its meaning in less than a generation. It's sad, really, that anything even similar is now a trigger for so many.
I think it looks way more like a pinwheel too and that a swastika is a bit of a stretch. But it's West's decision if he doesn't want to even take the risk of hurting a few people who think it looks close to a swastika! Neal was the one who was way out of line sticking his nose into this situation to invent a narrative about a woke mob.
@@aileenhampton6911 Here's the thing though. A similar symbol had been used for hundreds of years by several Native American tribes. Long before anyone had ever heard of a Nazi. And the symbol had sacred meaning to them. In 1941 the Navajo, Hopi, Apache, and Tohono Oʼodham published a decree that they are renoucing the use of this symbol because it had been desecrated. This is very sad because this symbol was associated with something bad through no fault of their own. They'd have every reason in the world to compain about how it isn't fair why do the Germans get to be the ones who define what this symbol means when it's had meaning to their people for generations? However, they displayed far more compassion and understanding than people who complain about how "wokeness has gone too far!" because some people thought that a pinwheel design resembled a swastika.
imo everyone should be super invested in least one low-stakes incredibly niche kind of drama that they have nothing to do with. it's good for the soul, really.
Being told that something resembles something upsetting, especially so upsetting as this, and then pivoting, making a new pattern, making an explanation and telling why you're changing things....it's all very mature and empathetic and classy, and I think this is a great "non-drama drama" story. Thanks for sharing it.
When he started crying in his video, you could see how deeply it affected him. I think he made the best decision he could and you can see how empathetic and kind he is. I wish him nothing but the best, and I hope he can heal from this stress.
I think it's also close to him he lives in Amsterdam not the states, who knows what experiences hes had, seen, or stories hes heard. He always seems like such a fun gem of a person. I hope hes ok
I was so torn about what I should do until I saw his New Direction video - when he got tearful, I got tearful, and I was like he’s right. It’s just knitting, it’s just a few hours of my time, so the choice to knit kindness, positivity, and empathy into every stitch was easy!
Where's the kindness and empathy to the people he's shaming cause they rightfully pointed out that it's not a swastika, it looks more like a celtic knot. And towards all the cultures that have similar geometric shapes like the celtics and hindus which the swastika was stolen from. Screw them I guess.
I didn’t really think it looked like the symbol, even after it was pointed out, but I would still go ahead and change it because if so many people online thought it resembled the symbol, then wearing it out and about other people would definitely see it too. It’s not worth it if others will still see that and feel the impact like it really was that symbol :(
That's honestly such a big thing. Own opinion doesn't matter alone - what also matters is if other people will see it as a symbol. Speaking as a German person who is queer and disabled and was lucky enough to have met actual Shoah survivors, I would not trust someone I'd see in the streets wearing something resembling a 'Hakenkreuz' swastika. There is so much impact to everything symbolistic.
I honestly couldn't see it at first either and had the same opinion. Even after seeing it I would never assume someone had done that on purpose because its so subtle. But either way it's really not worth it because it could trigger a lot of trauma for people. I saw it once I focused only on the black stripes; I was looking at it the wrong way.
@@medeaworbs6970it's unfortunate that as a german you don't know what a swastika looks like. That isn't one and it looks more like a celtic knot. And one of the commenters pointed out that it's backwards (which would make it a hindu symbol). Your country stole a religious symbol and now every culture that has anything remotely similar geometric shape in their culture is being shamed from knitting it to appease YOUR feelings.
I think it wouldn’t take a big change to turn it into a pinwheel, if it were crochet, but with knitting you wouldn’t be able to change the border pattern without frogging the entire thing 😞
I am so impressed by Stephen West. I am not able to afford his big projects but I love his designs. This entire episode shows that there are people who have empathy. I applaud Stephen West for quick response. I intend to save my pennies so I can purchase his next project.
I felt so bad when he was trying not to cry. The poor guy just wanted to share a fun project and I respect him a lot for being so mature and understanding about the dilemma.
As someone who is Jewish I really appreciate his response! It’s so common to see people get defensive when approached with subjects like this and his response was really refreshing and respectful.
Same, I'm Jewish myself, and a quilter, and it's so hecking, easy to make the hate symbol by accident, it's a geometric shape. at first, I didn't see it until it was pointed out, but he handled this so well.
I too am Jewish, do not see the symbol. His response was a CYA for his business brand. Better he allow the people to decide what version of the first clue they wanted to do versus strongarm people into doing his second (bland) choice. I have put away this project after finishing the original clue. I am done with Stephen West.
@@sewwhatsportshow is someone strong arming you to knit something that is 1. Free and 2. Still available to use. I think we have a different definition of strong arming.
@@sewwhatsportsah yes you’re being strong armed into using a specific pattern for your craft of choice totally a real thing. You realize being a pick me doesn’t *actually* make them like you more right?
@@sewwhatsports Do you think people might show their finished work in public? Do you think you might actually want to wear a shawl with this pattern in public? Then are you prepared to go out into the world knowing that people you care about will likely see you as wearing a symbol of hate (since it’s clearly something that many people DO see) and, should they ever carefully tell you that your art has a hate symbol on it, reply to them that you know SOME people see it that way, but you don’t care about those people’s feelings?
ppl: "this kinda reminds me of a hate symbol. obviously unintentional, probably still going to keep knitting, but it made me uncomfortable." west: "wow, didn't realize this, but now i see it too. obviously unintentional, but as this is meant to be a fun community project, i don't want people feeling uncomfortable with participating. here is a revised version." this guy, for some reason: "west has DEBASED himself by BOWING DOWN to the WOKE MOB!!!!"
The poor designer. I really feel his pain over this mistake. I can see the empathy and care that he is approaching this issue with, and I hope that he comes through this experience still with a love for knitting and designing, because he obviously has a lot to contribute to the community. I do think the updated design could have been a bit more interesting than just a gradient square. I think the geometry of the first design was a big draw, and if it had been shifted a bit I think it could have maybe worked and still been a bit more fun, but I also know he was under a time constraint and I'm sure the rest of the pattern will be beautiful.
The new clue one is a simpler design but it works with what has been revealed as clue two, and he put it out within hours. I mean the man pivoted on a dime ❤
I wish you could have been more than a gradient square. Yeah, it could have been that nice f****** other pattern that everyone thought was a swastika so that's what you get. Boring ass s***
"Hey guys, about my baking recipe. A small minority of people have reported that the contents in step 1 made them violently ill. So I've posted a modified recipe." Online baking community: OUTRAGE FROM EVERY ANGLE
As a creator myself: He didn't change it for other people, he did it because he didn't want to be behind its existance. When you realize what you've accidentally made, you feel a strong need to correct it.
Ok, also, he lives in Amsterdam so, contextually, he sees Anne Frank's house museum every day and there are wee plaques around the city commemorating Jewish people who were taken away and never came home. We were recently there and I was really moved, not just by the memorials but by how the scars of those events are still quite visible around the city. So I would hypothesise that that might contribute to rhe depth of his feelings about this.
Thank you so much for doing a video on this, as someone in the MKAL it's been a wild ride and Stephen definitely did the right thing. My shawl is in a red colour scheme so when I saw what was happening with the clue originally I was like 😳
I too am knitting the MKAL and I think Stephen did a wonderful job addressing this. I did 3 sections and frogged it and started over with a new design. All is fine. Relax folks.
not a part of the mkal, but i recently frogged about half of a sweater panel (in mens 2xl) and it was painful but also...frogging is a part of knitting. its okay. my grandma always told me that if you have to frog your work, it just means you can spend more time knitting with the same amount of yarn :)
What get's me is that kniyting patterns get continuously updated for errata and fixed, even years later. Having a designer say "hey I fixed something" is nothing new to the knitting community. Everything I have ever heard about Stephen West points to him being a lovely human being with a kind and genuine soul. From what I've read online, he grew up in a conservative part of the US and was interested in hobbies considered to be conterary to heteronormative masculinity. I am sure growing up in that situation, he experienced hate. So this leads me to believe he would never want to have another person experience that. Usually his designs aren't something I would normally wear, but I feel like I want to start this MKAL in solidarity. The people saying he "bowed to the woke agenda" are part of the problem and I really hope they learn tolerance and kindness one day.
I don’t knit and I have never heard of Stephen West but I really respect how he handled this situation. I don’t know how he could have done it any better. It made me tear up seeing him tear up. I’m also lowkey impressed with how the knitting community pointed it out in the first place, seems like there was a majority of kindness and respect all around.
i appreciate this video so sooo much. I had only barely started when the drama began, and i was SO soo mad when he took the video down for the OG clue. I swore i was going to stick with it no matter what and that the new clue was boring and uninspired. And then i watched this, and went and watched his video on it, and sat with it in my heart. I will be starting over today, i am sad for Stephen and have followed him since i started knitting - my first shawl was his Daybreak and i still wear it. My first MKAL was his second year doing it. They are supposed to be a fun community thing and exciting to share and learn and then show off. And i wouldn’t be proud of a knit that i couldn’t show the designer without breaking their heart! People have got to stop with the “left vs right” when it comes to things that are literally just “right vs wrong” ~kindness doesn’t cost us anything at all, and with that i’m off to print out the new clue 1, and clue 2 because what’s a MKaL without me being behind 😂 Thanks again! ❤
It is actually nice to see someone acknowledging and responsibly taking action, he seems such a nice person and if more people were like him the world would be such a better place. Not a knitter, never heard of him, so like the fact you explain things to people not in the know.
Honesly I'll actually go out of my way to support Stephen West in the future. Seeing him starting to cry talking about that knitter's grandmother and reflecting about his first design made me realise that he feels genuinely terrible about what seems like such an awful mistake.
My mum is a big fan of Stephen‘s patterns and even made my sister and me the Starflake. She bought the pattern for this MKAL as well and told me she had to mute the Facebook group because all the posts about it got on her nerves. 😂 But I think Stephen handled the situation very well.
I got your channel recommended to me ablut three weeks ago and when this "event" got more and more dramatic I couldn't stop thinking about that this probably would end up as a video from you. I'm the writer of post #35 and I've gotten several DMs and comments on my projects blaming me for ruining the MKAL, it's been a super weird situation. Me and my mom struggled with choosing our colors and thats why i jumped to the end of the original clue 1 video in the first place. Feel free to reach out in private if you have any questions.
I think your post was tactful. You didn't attack him, you just said that that's what you saw. It was a legitimate question to ask if it was just you or did anybody else see it too.
Stephen handled it beautifully, and so genuinely - seeing him tear up over it because he felt so bad. It’s absurd that people are still wanting to make something with such an awful visual connection. I bought a quilt from an antique shop that looked like it had another na/zi symbol on it once, I didn’t realise until I got home, and ended up dying it so the pattern didn’t look like that anymore
my main takeaway is that it’s so incredibly refreshing to see someone with a platform handle an unfortunate situation with so much compassion. i also want to thank you for being so sensitive about the topic and symbol and being careful about what images you showed!
To me, the original looks like a Celtic Brigid's cross, but I can understand people seeing a resemblance to *ahem*. I think West did the correct and thoughtful thing by providing an alternative for anyone who felt uncomfortable about making the design.
This is my first exposure to that creator or his designs, but from the few clips you provided, he seems like such a sweetheart! I genuinely believe any resemblance to that symbol was an accident and people should accept his apology and move forward. It's clear that he does care about all people and takes their concerns seriously. ❤
I had not made the connection of the symbol with the KAL. But I completely understand why Stephen has changed the design. We knit for pleasure, and the thought of my knitting making someone else uncomfortable, or bringing about distress makes me feel just ugh! I'd have done as he has done, and I believe he has made the changes with good grace and empathy. Kudos Mr West!
I didn’t really see it, but admire how the designer handled the situation with such grace and empathy. Choosing kindness over defensiveness was a very ethical choice on his part.
It’s honestly heartwarming to see someone actually handle a situation like this with such compassion. This is the first time I’ve heard about Stephen West or MKAL but he seems like a great guy and the event sounds like lots of fun.
Thesw knit alongs actually sound like such a cool idea, although knowing me, it would feel like a demand and i would never finish it (and i only know knit stitch)
Also I am painfully slow at knitting and crocheting (idk how other people (including my sister) can be so fast) to be fair I also have dyspraxia so that might explain it a bit too lol
I think most people who design anything at all know it's much easier than you'd think to draw this symbol when you're starting to draw grids, layouts, etc. You're working on your design, you think you're great, you come back from a cup of tea and look again and you're like, oh, oh no. So i definitely agree that he didn't intend anything sinister. (Don't get me started on when you try to draw organic forms and they all turn out as genitals 🤦♀️). I actually wasn't the biggest fan of him before this because I was a bit like oh my god, stop being a celebrity knitter blah blah. But his reaction to this has made me like him a lot more. He's dealt with it very sensitively and it's really clear that he cares a lot about his knitting community. He could have doubled down and he didn't. He was really thoughtful. So yeah, I'm impressed with his response and it made me like him more.
Years ago, due to a personal experience with a bad recovery from a surgery, I came to realize that some people take stuff way to personally and become invested in their anger. They view the matter as a personal affront (even when it literally doesn't affect them at all) and will not let go of the desire to make someone suffer for that anger
I hate the idea that everyone changing their mind is "crumbling". It's so reductive and anti critical thinking. People are more than capable of changing based on new information and that's clearly what West was doing here, not freaking "crumbling"
Seriously! The dumbing-down of a critical thinking skill is just so sad for our society. "I like broccoli, but now it makes me think of deforestation so I don't like it anymore" (cue the idiots) "OMG, THEY GOT WOKE AND NOW ARE BROCCOLI-HATERS!!" Really, this whole situation should absolutely be taken at face value: He was gracious enough to change it up and still make it work (a tremendous feat of design, by the way), and if you don't see what others saw? So what? Make the design Stephen has provided and wear that shawl proudly.
This immediately makes me think of the infamous ravelry UI redesign of a few years back, and how they reacted opposite to Steven West in every way lol. That also involved a minority of people having issue with a design, and ravelry went HARD in the gaslight direction. I'm excited to see your video on them
His reaction was perfect. When he mentioned the person whose grandma survived the holocaust and broke down, you could really tell that he cares so much and is very sensitive about these matters. What a graceful way to handle this slip-up.
I've been following Stephen for a long time, and it was really heartening as a Jewish person myself to see how respectful and empathetic he was in handling this whole situation. Also, I ran into him once many years ago in the checkout line at the Purl Soho flagship store while I was on vacation in NYC, and he was delightful to chat with. He was wearing a fantastic shawl.
I haven't followed Stephen West before but his heartfelt response to this makes him seem like such a genuinely sweet and kind person! I can understand how he ended up in this situation- I was once looking at reviews for a Mosaic knitting book (a colorwork technique which often uses geometric designs) and one of the negative reviews was like "this book just shows you 300 ways to make things that look almost like swastikas" and I hadn't thought that at first, but once I read that comment, I could unsee it!! Definitely have to be careful with geometric designs. I think he handled it well, and I totally understand why he'd want to just pull the original clue altogether - even if not everyone saw it, this shawl is meant to be a fun and positive knitting experience, so why keep the original design around if the graphic can be misinterpreted!
I really enjoyed this video! As fun as it is to hear you recount petty drama between creators and as important as it is to call out creators who are doing genuine harm, it is nice to have a reminder that there is still respect and empathy on the internet and that it is possible to respond to a potential flashpoint in a responsible way. I agree with you that West couldn't have handled it better and he has earned a fan in me.
I love the idea of a mystery craft-along. (I crochet but learning knit slowly). His response made me feel like he cared so much about his community and was trying to do right by everyone involved
He seems so warm and sweet and genuine, he handled this whole situation really well especially with how difficult of a situation it can be to navigate.
I've followed some of Stephen West's tutorials to help with shawl construction and cast on methods and he's the kind of person that exudes positivity and compassion wherever he posts. I was not expecting to see this video pop up but I am relieved to see the situation wrapped up in a manner that matched up with how he presents himself. It's so common for "EXPOSED" dramas to pop up when someone's online persona and real life character don't match up so having this type of story pop up is honestly such a breath of fresh air.
Don't be at all intimidated by his designs. He writes patterns so beautifully they are easefully knitted and he usually has youtube videos to support the designs and does both english & european knitting in the vids. I've never had to frog a project of his design. Give one a try, he has some free sock designs on his raveley for you to dip into. But yeah, love this designer and how he does his pattern and pattern support.
I recommend checking out his “jigshawl” pattern, it’s all garter stitch but the construction is just bonkers and so much fun. I made it for a costume for a character who has a very patchwork aesthetic. It knit up surprisingly quickly and is very cosy.
Don’t be intimidated by his designs, he has a way of designing fairly simple knitting that looks really complex. He uses a lot of slipped stitches which looks like colorwork in a way but it’s not. He also has tons of video support which is great
I think what makes him such a popular designer is that his projects are easy to knit but look complicated. The knit alongs especially are a great way to try one of his designs because he releases video tutorials to support each section, plus you are only looking at one section at a time, not the whole project right from the start so you don’t feel overwhelmed. I’ve knit other designers far more complicated pieces that I’ve looked at after and thought “all that work for this????” 😂 Start with one of his smaller projects if you decide to give his patterns a try.
I’ve always like Stephen West, and remember when he burst on the knitting scene and took it by storm with his unique style. I’ve only knit a couple of his designs (including a MKAL years ago: it was lots of fun!), but he’s always struck me as a genuine, caring person. I’m so glad you reported on this; his response is apropos and so unlike a lot of designers that have made mistakes and dug themselves in deeper. I think it shows a lot of humility on his part. ❤️
I actually feel I ought to buy the pattern to support him as he has handled this so well. We should all have the scarf of "empathy, kindness and respect" as a statement of care to each other.
I am headed to Amsterdam next summer and am adding this shop to my list of places to visit/shop. His sincere concern for his fellow knitters is lovely.
When I was in highschool my rubber stamp project with my initials turned into an accidental swastika in one of the pattern sequences we had to do. It was so embarrassing cuz I was one of the only white kids and everyone started calling me a Nazi. Little did they know my stepdad family is Jewish so I felt incredibly shameful
Something similar happened to me lilke I was bored and scribbling in my jotter/notebook like always just random lines and it accidentally turned into swastika and everybody at my table saw it so embarrassing😫😩😩😩so I just threw that sheet away😢
I had something slightly similar, but fortunately everyone forgot about it soon after. When I first moved to the Midwest, I went from a very Asian community to an overwhelmingly white community. I was raised Buddhist when I was little, so I had a Buddhist keychain that my parents attached to my backpack. Unfortunately, the N*zi swastika comes from the Buddhist swastika so I had a tiny swastika on my backpack. One little girl tried calling me a Nazi and when I told her it was from a Buddhist temple. She was like, "Buddhists are Nazis then." Luckily, she didn't make it a bigger deal. However, that's the first time I ever experienced being ashamed of my religion
had to completely destroy a half done blanket I'd tried to design because I thought I'd be all cute and make a windmill--NOPE. Accidental sw*st*ka. I was FURIOUS with myself. Fortunately I'm a knitting knobody (LOL) so no one ever had to see it and I was able to do a different thing.
Honestly it's wonderful to see an example of a knitting controversy where the designer handled matters with compassion and professionalism. Thanks for posting.
"weirdo hate-symbol apologists" It's not even a swastika you immature child 🤡 It looks like a celtic knot and as one commenter stated it's backwards, that literally makes it a hindu symbol. Are you gonna tell people they can't knit a cultural symbol because it's a geometric shape like the swastika and call them "weirdo hate-symbol apologists" too. The swastika is a specific symbol with a specific shape and specific colors. Stop being ridiculous.
The design is one of those things where i dont think i would have noticed it if I hadn't been told others saw it, but now that I've been told, i keep noticing it (i also think its the most noticeable in the black and white photo cause the part is literally black, whereas its harder to notice in the orange and pink version shown later)... he reacted amazingly, so professional
I wasn't aware of all this until this video found me a couple of days ago. Stephen handled this situation like a champ! He fkd up, changed the design, apologised, and was heartbroken for any hurt caused. ❤. I've loved his designs for years, but I got a (knitting) injury before I could buy his patterns and haven't been able to knit too much for about 6 years. After seeing how he handled this, there are 6 or 7 patterns in my want list that I'll be buying before the year is out, whether I'm able to knit them or not!
Stephen sounds like an amazing person and I respect them so much for their quick response and action. They seem very sincere and when I saw them crying I just wanted to cry too! They don’t deserve that
This is an issue I run across in one of my own hobbies. (Card/tablet weaving) The craft qualifies as 'ancient', dating back to BCE, and was common until the late medieval period. Because of this, a lot of the dark age and medieval historical pieces have that symbol worked into them. And, people still use the patterns, or deliberately make new patterns, with that symbol. The 'reasoning' (excuse, imo) being 'historical accuracy'. It was one of the reasons I chose not to join the SCA...historical accuracy is no excuse for ignoring modern connotations, especially ones *that* horrific. I think the designer handled it beautifully.
Wow, I have never been a part of one of his NKALs before, but seeing his response has made me want to support him. What a humble, thoughtful response from someone who really cares about what he’s putting out into the world.
I was waiting for this. My whole office has been taken over by this drama. Like literally we all of us gathered around to watch Stephen’s apology video and we all (all but two of us knit btw) felt terrible for him. Is this my sign from the universe that I should start knitting?
I would say, "It's great therapy and cheaper than a therapist," but looking at my yarn and Addi Circular Needles stashes, that would probably not be true for me. But surely more enjoyable!
As a knitter myself, and lover of Stephen West designs I wasn’t going to buy this pattern and do the MKAL this year. After seeing how kind and compassionate Stephen was in handling this whole situation- I bought the pattern anyway and will knit the revised version to show my support of him 🩷
I’m a professional art director and graphic designer, and honestly you would be SHOCKED how much conscious effort I put into not accidentally making penis or swastika looking designs. The former is just such an easy shape organic shape to create accidentally, and the latter is a geometric symbol that is so easy to accidentally make. This sucks for the designer and I feel super bad for him. But he handled it as best he could.
😂
@@LolaOpheliacare you saying this also as a professional art director and graphic designer?
3 adjacent ovals and 2 lines flipped over both the x and y axis is all it takes
@@LolaOpheliacwhy?
@@LolaOpheliacnah, they’re right. Excluding works that intentionally have those symbols, there are so many places in every form of art where you can go, “huh, that looks like a penis/swastika.” They’re both symmetrical (although not always for the former) and simple shapes. Like in architecture, geometric patterns, furniture, abstract art, hell, even landscaping.
A backwards N#zi symbol is a Four Winds symbol in my culture.
It makes me sad this symbolism was stolen & is only related so closely to hate.
I applaud his ability to adapt & respect the feelings of so many though.
Yeah I just commented about thos that it used to be a symbol of another culture.
I recently discovered the _Behind The Bastards_ podcast where they dedicated a few episodes to the swastika and how it's been a part of cultures as a sacred symbol for _thousands_ of years. It's crazy that one group of total monsters managed to co-opt something that can be found in ancient historical sites wherever there have been people. The general shape is quite probably older than civilization as we understand it.
Maybe it's time the symbol was reclaimed.
It’s sad that people associate the symbol with evil, when in actual fact it represents positivity, good luck, the movement of the sun and the movement of the wind. A 7000 year old cross that has spiritual meaning to many people and cultures has been tarnished by one evil mad man. It’s a shame that people look for the negative rather than the positive in this world. Personally I would like to have seen what the end item would have looked like.
@@catherinearangie2311 I think it will take more time. Look at the mess in the Middle East. There are a lot of people who are still super-militant about self-defense. I can't blame them. My own father had to leave Europe because of what was starting to happen.
he handled it excellently, and he seems like a great person honestly lol. "we're going to knit empathy and kindness and respect with every stitch"
i honestly love that quote
Love that quote too.
@StephenWest is really a deeply nice person! I have followed his career for years - and he always follow through with honesty, respect and integrety. I can only support him - and hope this all will settle calmly. He is one of a kind ❤
As a Jew I must say, the gentleness and kindness in his voice while discussing the pivot of the design makes me tear up. To hear the “We’re going to knit love and respect and empathy into every stitch” is so heartwarming
It's so sad that it is not the norm, I wasn't going to do it but seeing how he responded I just want to do it to show support.
As a fellow Jew, I had the same reaction.
As a Jewish artist that makes a lot of pattern artwork, radial designs can easily look like a swastika. I would be horrified if I displayed my art publicly and then found out it looked like a hate symbol. He handled the situation with the kindness and empathy I would hope to myself. One of my great grandmothers was Basque - but it's sometimes not worth wearing a sun cross in a place where it could be hurting other Jews.
he seems like such a sweet man, it made me tear up a bit watching that apology. he handled it with grace I think and should be a role model for these things.
I feel the same (and am also Jewish). I want to support this creator and will probably seek out his Instagram to hopefully follow (since I can’t knit due to physical issues).
The amount of times I’ve had to say “that may be interpreted as a swastika” while designing logos / editing at work is wild. It is so easy for that geometric pattern to appear in the negative spaces or etc. it just takes one person to see it as a hate symbol to make it worth modifying. Idk if this makes sense but I think this guy responded in the best way he could!
Same. Design has to be done so carefully.
I am a writer. As a writer I have to tell people that what they are writing might be interpreted as racist ALL the time, and most of the time people don't 'get it'. I'm surprised there aren't accidental swaztikas everywhere.
I've always said that every company should hire a group of 15 year old boys to check everything for accidental innuendos, genitalia, or swastikas
@@RogueAstro85This made me cackle like a witch! 😂😂 It would actually work on some level lmao.
@@RogueAstro85 the funniest part about that idea is, there's no doubt the 15 year old boys would immediately notice any accidental dicks or swastikas. They'd notice it for sure... the problem is, there's no guarantee that they wouldn't sometimes "accidentally" give a sus design the green light for shits and giggles, because again, they ARE 15 year old boys! LMAO
Just to put my post 70 yrs old opinion in the mix. This shawl was the first time I experienced his teaching method and while not needing super detail instructions on my own I was so amazed and happy to see and experience who he is and joyfully sharing his talent. He did not crumble, he addressed the issue beautifully, maturely and held up his obviously ethical and greatly human pov. I respect this young man.
Let the stupid attention seeking weenies fall on their needles.😂
😂❤
Attention seeking weenies was not on my vocabulary prior to this, but I'm so glad it is, now!!
"Let the stupid attention seeking weenies fall on their needles."
Poetry.
@@IsabelaGiusti same!! It’s going to be my new insult along with calling someone a ‘bony-eared assfish’. I don’t know much about the actual fish aside from its unfortunate name and that it’s actually an eel and not a fish, but either way, it’s such a great non-insult insult. 🤣
The one time an influencer actually responds the right way and some people still turn it into drama :(
@ville__shock promotion is so 2010, yawn
@@sleepynights2677 did it even work back in 2010? I remember it being dismissed back then too
@notville_ lol did you forget to switch accounts
@@previously4821it's a bot
Omg I did not expect to see a Saena icon in this comment section haha
He lives in Amsterdam - Anne Frank's house is local to him. He has a daily awareness and reminder of recent history, and I think this feeds into his emotional literacy.
He handled this impeccably and you can see in his videos just how much empathy he has, especially when talking about the granny receiving the woman's shawl.
I was thinking about this too. I moved to the Netherlands as a young adult and I noticed that this country lives very close with the memories of the ww2, and do an active effort to keep them alive
I’m Jewish and I don’t quite see it unless I squint REALLY hard but HUGE props to stephen for being sensitive and quick to change it if people were uncomfortable!!!!
Tbqh it's one of those things, that due to its simple geometry - is really easy to do on accident. It's WILD
@@mongmanmarkyt2897Geometry and human pattern recognition. It is really, really common.
@@mongmanmarkyt2897Unfortunately, the symbol in it’s original form was made for pleasing geometric balance so as the represent the concept of wellness in Hinduism and the mark of the auspicious footsteps of Buddha in Buddhism. Which means, since it’s made for geometric balance to represent these concepts, anyone trying to make something with geometric balance along a centre point runs into this hazard. It sucks. It sucks on…SOOOOOO many levels. Cultural appropriation being used as a symbol of antithetical hate and antisemitism and white supremacy bing the biggest among those reasons, but it being so easy to accidentally recreate being another big one.
Well... some people just want to see hate around every corner.
Tells more about them than about the artist.
@@aersling5391But where is the hate? People were very politely bringing up the fact that this symbol might represent a hateful symbol. No one was frothing at the mouth. Except that one conservative dude
I am happy to see such an empathetic and swift response from the designer! as a Indian American raised Hindu it really saddens me how this religious symbol with such mathematically pleasing symmetry was completely corrupted by Naz*s. I do visually like the original version more because I like triangles... But I respect Stephen's decision to make the change in the way that feels most sincere to him.
That was my first thought. Most non-Hindis don't know "an opposite direction swastika" is not a hate symbol and is way older than the Nazi swastika. 🤦♀️
I couldn't agree more. As a Hindu, it saddens me that the Nazi's abuse of the symbol (which is truly a disgusting blotch on human history) overrides most of human history for most of the human population. For thousands of years, including till today, most of the world values the symbol as being sacred and auspicious. Westerners are grossly ignorant of anything eastern and it really shows. That of course doesn't mean that we should overlook Nazi history or what happened to the Jewish people then - just that there's truly SO much more to the swast^k than that.
It really is sad that an ancient symbol was ruined. I've tried to convince myself to see it as a geometric design -- it often shows up almost accidentally in weaving. But I can't view it with any objectivity.
Checking comments about that. The symbol is much older than WW2.
I feel so bad for this designer, he responded to people's worries in such a responsible and thoughtful way and the internet does what it does best, be cruel even when he was doing the right thing (and what was being asked of him). It was heartbreaking to see him in tears over everything. He seems like a really good man and we need more people like him in the crafting community.
He is oddly popular among conservatives. The wife of one of my coworkers who is a knitter and went viral for an article she wrote about how the "woke" knitting community pushed her to go to a Trump rally and they were super nice to her there so now she's a conservative continued to be a huge West fangirl for a long time.
@@hullaballoon522 why do you think it’s odd that he has a large conservative fan base? That alone should show you the reality vs lies about people.
@@hullaballoon522 I've always just crocheted by myself, so I'm sort of so not a part of the crafting community social media it would have never occurred to me that they intersected with politics at all. That's absolutely wild to me!
@@hullaballoon522
I was thinking about it too.
But I think he is just popular in general. Because one of the first videos I've seen when I was searching about knitting and crocheting was from a leftist, nonbinary person with an heavally alternative visual, who was obsessed with his designs. I love their videos and they actually convenced me to start with crochet and plan on a Stephen West knit along as soon as I am good enough with knitting (not yet).
1. I feel like knitting, and other older techniques, appeals to these conservatives, because they connect it with their idea of the past being better.
2. I think Stephen West is popular in general because his projects seem to be interest and it seems like he usually do not talk about his political inclinations, whatever they are. So people just focus on rather they like his designes or not.
English is not my first language, so I hope it makes sense.
I've followed him for as long as I've knitted, he's just lovely. I totally believe him when he says that wasn't his intent. He's so chilled out.
I'm a crochet pattern designer, and I work a lot with squares and it is amazingly easy to accidentally design something like this. Square + spiral = hate symbol. I've thrown out a number of designs because I thought they were too close. I'd rather not hurt anyone. I think Stephen handled this very well.
The thing is long before it was a "hate symbol" (and even in the Asian world to this day) it is a peaceful religious symbol...
@@SashaBlueMoontrue but the majority of people doing the mkal are from the west, where this design is much more associated with antisemitism or overall bigotry due to nazis. It’s not wrong or unreasonable for them to get upset when it’s largely seen as a hate symbol in their culture. It’s like how cows are sacred in Hinduism, but in the west, people commonly eat beef and they’re seen as normal livestock.
@@gracefoster7587it is so not at all like that in any way!
See now that's pathetic you, you are that conscious of what people think even though you know for. Well that's not what you drew. That's sad and this is what's wrong with the world right now
As a graphic designer/crocheter/artist, you have to be soooo careful when working with squares.
I didn't expect to learn about the existence of a conservative knitting magazine today. That's definitely what the world was missing
Yeah I was just thinking that arts and crafts really need to be more politicized. It’s been too relaxed and welcoming for too long.
And that a man works for one, you'd think conservative men wouldn't be caught dead doing something "feminine" like crafts.
Blame ravelry's rabid lefty bias, "unintended consequences"
Right?? What a weird niche!
@@BjorksbackyardYes! Woke knitters are ruining the hobby! Imagine not being able to knit your holocaust surviving grandma a sw*stika shawl /s
I think Stephen West has provided a model of how to handle a difficult situation with grace, empathy, respect and integrity.
Agree 100%! Especially after creating an objectively lovely pattern, unfortunate imagery aside. When Emma laid out his bio in the beginning I thought wow what a true contributing member of the crafting community- after seeing his reaction, I think he’s really someone we need at the leading edge .
most people about it: Hey Stevie, buddy, we uhh noticed that this kinda looks like a hate symbol and we don't want to accidentally commit a knitting hatecrime
Steven West: Oh yeah, no problem, I kinda see it, lets just fix that
Most people: thanks man, lets keep on with the MKAL
Fucking Neil for some reason: *frothing at the mouth rabidly* YOU RUINED IT!!1! RUINED I SAY, YOU TOOK AWAY ALL MY FUN BY BEING NICE
literally
The fact Neil was so massively butthurt about it says a lot. Why is he so upset about an accidental swastika being taken away? Seems particularly sus to me.
Yeah. For the most part... on the official forums. The grumbling undercurrent though is that the new center is really, REALLY boring & not at all why people choose to do this MKAL. I absolutely think changing it was the safest bet, I just wish he'd said hey, we're gonna delay this a week or two, let me rework this into something really flipping cool, and then we'll just start over.
Was he even participating in the MKAL? I feel like he wasn't and read about it in the forums.
I actually have screenshots (they have approximately 8 pixels, so sorry) of some of the other knitters who were so rabid to knit the original version and had that similar take of "if you can see it, YOURE THE NAZI" which is ...a bold take
As a German person who has worked at a WW2 memorial site and who has been fortunate enough to meet survivors of both the Ghettos and the Shoah, I am very appreciative of how Stephen West handled the situation. I had no clue of this person's existence prior to this video, but they seem very genuine to me. I've seen the direct repercussions of people handling swastikas and projects that resemble its shape too lightly so I can appreciate someone reacting so quickly and to be so open about the change-and-removal-process.
From a Jew, HUGE respect for doing that job and doing it well. It's not easy for any group involved in the Shoah, and that extends to modern Germans who grew up in that terrible shadow. You're a mensch. 💖
@@truegemrn that is not what anyone said. However, the pattern this whole situation was about was resemblant of a 'Hakenkreuz' and not just a pinwheel, and thus this very specific pattern was taken down by its creator. Nobody is trying to say you can't do pinwheel designs.
@@truegemrn Seriously? That's how you reply to a GERMAN working to preserve SHOAH HISTORY? That's pathetic.
@@medeaworbs6970but if this design resembles *both* a pinwheel and a Hakenkreuz, any design that looks like a pinwheel also looks like a hate symbol.
So effectively, anything that looks like a pinwheel bears a resemblance and should therefore not exist.
This is *not* what art is. This is so sad.
@@resintom852 that is not what I said nor what I meant. It is possible to make pinwheel designs that do not look like a swastika - however with this very specific design this was not the case and so the original artist who designed this pattern made their own choice to change it. Art is about beauty, community, expression and creativity - and to change a design so to not accidentally bear resemblance to a Hakenkreuz is in favour of community and creativity. Nobody forced this artist to make that change, but they made that choice to protect and support people in their creative community. If to you, making the concious choice to step away from a pattern that accidentally resembles a horrific hate symbol is sad, then I cannot help you.
I respect Stephen West’s statement and pivot to correct an honest mistake. I don’t do MKALs because I’m not very good and am slow at knitting. I applaud his mature and speedy response.
You can be slow. There's no rule in having to finish at a certain time. I usually finish my Westknits MKAL months after everyone else because Holidays. And he certainly isn't the only one to do them. You should check out Casapinka for when she does MKALs. Hers tend to be simple with loves of flowing colors rather than intricate stitches. I recommend WestKnits if you want to push yourself & learn new techniques. He does always include alternatives for harder skills like brioche.
I do CALs and KALs after bc I want to take my time, I get it lol
@@Chaotic_Pixie - Thank you! I’ll check out Casapinka.
I don't do them either, but in my case it's because I'm entirely too picky, and have to know I'll like something before I start working on it.
Also applaud him for changing it, even if I saw it as a pinwheel myself.
It simultaneously broke my heart and restored some faith in humanity seeing Steven tear up about the pattern. It just showed he really did not mean to hurt anybody and wanted to be respectful and sensitive moving forward. Such a great way to handle it
I think the designer responded and handled the situation perfectly.
I’m in the camp that saw it as an interesting pinwheel rather than the other symbol. However, given recent geopolitical events I think the designer did the right thing, and it appears that he did so in a classy manner. It’s his design and if he doesn’t want to be associated with that symbol it’s totally within his rights to change it.
The Columbia (sportswear brand) logo looks more like a swastika than this knitting pattern and I’ve never seen anyone complain about that.
@@epainSo?
@@epain There’s a cloud in my backyard that looks sort of like a frog.
Look, another sentence that has nothing to do with how classy the designer has been in this situation.
Honestly, Stephen West's reaction to being informed of the resemblance is a master class in integrity, respect and accountability in a very professional, concise and humble way which is very rare nowadays. He not only acted immediately, he posted a genuine apology. I knew of his designs and him, but his reaction honestly has made me a fan.
the part where he said he was feeling more pressure to keep up the old design than to take it down made me feel so sad. people wanted their "harassed by the woke mob" narrative so badly that they tried to harass him into doing what They wanted instead
The first design is just so much more interesting than concentric squares.
he shouldnt need to change it tho.
Right? Heaven forbid he have some empathy towards a massively traumatic history :/ I feel like ironically a lot of bigoted "they're trying to control us!" narratives end up resulting in removing people's rights and doing the exact thing they're shouting about, when it wasn't even happening to them in the first place. Also, unrelated, but your PFP made me snort laugh and I appreciate that, lol.
@@claudiameier666 You're missing the point! He didn't NEED to change it, he CHOSE to because he didn't want something he designed to be a shape that maybe looked like a swastika to some people.
He has the right to make that choice.
There was no woke mob pressuring him to change it though. The vast majority of the people who originally thought it looked like a swastika were all saying that they were sure it was unintentional and they might just modify their own project for their own comfort since they're going to be the ones wearing, or gifting to loved ones, the finished product! No one was telling him he should change it or should take down the original design.
It was his decision.
That buttinski Neal made up the narrative of a woke mob because he (and, I'm guessing, people like you!) wanted that to be the case when it just wasn't!
@@claudiameier666 Yeah, he didn't need to change it. But he decided to change it, because after it was pointed out to him, it made him uncomfortable, too. He explained that. It was his right to make that decision and he made it, and subsequently was harassed by people who, like you, missed the mark by a mile.
My first thought was more pinwheel, but I can see it if I look for it after hearing the comments. Quite a few people seemed to see it immediately so there's clearly a noticeable enough resemblance for there to be an issue. Good on him for fixing it quickly, owning he made a mistake, and not downplaying the potential harm no matter how unintentional - I agree I think he handled it well. The poor man is clearly very genuinely upset that he's possibly hurt anyone.
I saw it more as a pinwheel at first too, but it’s still good for him to acknowledge and act on it. Sad to see some people see others being mindful and considerate as being weak or a pushover
I really love triskels, and I like the original pattern. It's radial, with bent arms, and it's square, so it has 4. But a swastika has arms bent at a 90 degree, but this design is 45 degrees, and stripes instead of a clear figure. Well, few people realize that the swastika is an ancient nature symbol that arose in several different civilizations. It's really a shame that the Nazis were able to reverse (they changed its direction) a pretty universal, simple, symmetrical geometric design and completely change its meaning in less than a generation. It's sad, really, that anything even similar is now a trigger for so many.
I think it looks way more like a pinwheel too and that a swastika is a bit of a stretch.
But it's West's decision if he doesn't want to even take the risk of hurting a few people who think it looks close to a swastika!
Neal was the one who was way out of line sticking his nose into this situation to invent a narrative about a woke mob.
@@aileenhampton6911 Here's the thing though. A similar symbol had been used for hundreds of years by several Native American tribes. Long before anyone had ever heard of a Nazi. And the symbol had sacred meaning to them. In 1941 the Navajo, Hopi, Apache, and Tohono Oʼodham published a decree that they are renoucing the use of this symbol because it had been desecrated.
This is very sad because this symbol was associated with something bad through no fault of their own. They'd have every reason in the world to compain about how it isn't fair why do the Germans get to be the ones who define what this symbol means when it's had meaning to their people for generations?
However, they displayed far more compassion and understanding than people who complain about how "wokeness has gone too far!" because some people thought that a pinwheel design resembled a swastika.
Do i knit? No
Am i incredibly invested in knitting drama? Yes.
Why? You tell me 🤷🏼♀️
imo everyone should be super invested in least one low-stakes incredibly niche kind of drama that they have nothing to do with. it's good for the soul, really.
Same! This stuff is fascinating!
its great, gives you your gossip fix and you dont even need to be rude 😂 using the general you btw, we're in the same boat
🤣🤣🤣💯
LOL
also, the fact the man made an entirely different beginning to a shawl he designed, and the stitch counts and other designs matched up?? amazing
Fr, redid it in like a day, matching stitchcount and working within the yarn allowance so frogging wouldn't even be required.
@@Albinojackrussel and? I don’t like that vegan teacher, but this is off topic
@@KnitGayy it's spam just ignore it :/ they show up under any comment with a decent number of likes so it might even be a bot.
@@gwacie98 thank you, I’m autistic and have an issue with telling if they are or are not
@@KnitGayy huh? Was there another comment here and you accidentally replied to me?
Being told that something resembles something upsetting, especially so upsetting as this, and then pivoting, making a new pattern, making an explanation and telling why you're changing things....it's all very mature and empathetic and classy, and I think this is a great "non-drama drama" story. Thanks for sharing it.
When he started crying in his video, you could see how deeply it affected him. I think he made the best decision he could and you can see how empathetic and kind he is. I wish him nothing but the best, and I hope he can heal from this stress.
I think it's also close to him he lives in Amsterdam not the states, who knows what experiences hes had, seen, or stories hes heard. He always seems like such a fun gem of a person. I hope hes ok
" we're going to knit so much love and respect and empathy into every stitch" I'm crying rivers, words to live by.
Oh my goodness… his emotions regarding this seem so genuine. This was clearly an oversight on his part and I feel like he handled so well.
I was so torn about what I should do until I saw his New Direction video - when he got tearful, I got tearful, and I was like he’s right. It’s just knitting, it’s just a few hours of my time, so the choice to knit kindness, positivity, and empathy into every stitch was easy!
Where's the kindness and empathy to the people he's shaming cause they rightfully pointed out that it's not a swastika, it looks more like a celtic knot. And towards all the cultures that have similar geometric shapes like the celtics and hindus which the swastika was stolen from. Screw them I guess.
I didn’t really think it looked like the symbol, even after it was pointed out, but I would still go ahead and change it because if so many people online thought it resembled the symbol, then wearing it out and about other people would definitely see it too. It’s not worth it if others will still see that and feel the impact like it really was that symbol :(
That's honestly such a big thing. Own opinion doesn't matter alone - what also matters is if other people will see it as a symbol. Speaking as a German person who is queer and disabled and was lucky enough to have met actual Shoah survivors, I would not trust someone I'd see in the streets wearing something resembling a 'Hakenkreuz' swastika. There is so much impact to everything symbolistic.
I honestly couldn't see it at first either and had the same opinion. Even after seeing it I would never assume someone had done that on purpose because its so subtle. But either way it's really not worth it because it could trigger a lot of trauma for people. I saw it once I focused only on the black stripes; I was looking at it the wrong way.
@@medeaworbs6970it's unfortunate that as a german you don't know what a swastika looks like. That isn't one and it looks more like a celtic knot. And one of the commenters pointed out that it's backwards (which would make it a hindu symbol). Your country stole a religious symbol and now every culture that has anything remotely similar geometric shape in their culture is being shamed from knitting it to appease YOUR feelings.
I think it wouldn’t take a big change to turn it into a pinwheel, if it were crochet, but with knitting you wouldn’t be able to change the border pattern without frogging the entire thing 😞
@@happyllama1160 If you did it in black and rainbow, it would probably more interpretable as a pinwheel.
I am so impressed by Stephen West. I am not able to afford his big projects but I love his designs. This entire episode shows that there are people who have empathy. I applaud Stephen West for quick response. I intend to save my pennies so I can purchase his next project.
I felt so bad when he was trying not to cry. The poor guy just wanted to share a fun project and I respect him a lot for being so mature and understanding about the dilemma.
As someone who is Jewish I really appreciate his response! It’s so common to see people get defensive when approached with subjects like this and his response was really refreshing and respectful.
Same, I'm Jewish myself, and a quilter, and it's so hecking, easy to make the hate symbol by accident, it's a geometric shape. at first, I didn't see it until it was pointed out, but he handled this so well.
I too am Jewish, do not see the symbol. His response was a CYA for his business brand. Better he allow the people to decide what version of the first clue they wanted to do versus strongarm people into doing his second (bland) choice. I have put away this project after finishing the original clue. I am done with Stephen West.
@@sewwhatsportshow is someone strong arming you to knit something that is 1. Free and 2. Still available to use. I think we have a different definition of strong arming.
@@sewwhatsportsah yes you’re being strong armed into using a specific pattern for your craft of choice totally a real thing. You realize being a pick me doesn’t *actually* make them like you more right?
@@sewwhatsports Do you think people might show their finished work in public? Do you think you might actually want to wear a shawl with this pattern in public? Then are you prepared to go out into the world knowing that people you care about will likely see you as wearing a symbol of hate (since it’s clearly something that many people DO see) and, should they ever carefully tell you that your art has a hate symbol on it, reply to them that you know SOME people see it that way, but you don’t care about those people’s feelings?
ppl: "this kinda reminds me of a hate symbol. obviously unintentional, probably still going to keep knitting, but it made me uncomfortable."
west: "wow, didn't realize this, but now i see it too. obviously unintentional, but as this is meant to be a fun community project, i don't want people feeling uncomfortable with participating. here is a revised version."
this guy, for some reason: "west has DEBASED himself by BOWING DOWN to the WOKE MOB!!!!"
The poor designer. I really feel his pain over this mistake. I can see the empathy and care that he is approaching this issue with, and I hope that he comes through this experience still with a love for knitting and designing, because he obviously has a lot to contribute to the community.
I do think the updated design could have been a bit more interesting than just a gradient square. I think the geometry of the first design was a big draw, and if it had been shifted a bit I think it could have maybe worked and still been a bit more fun, but I also know he was under a time constraint and I'm sure the rest of the pattern will be beautiful.
The new clue one is a simpler design but it works with what has been revealed as clue two, and he put it out within hours. I mean the man pivoted on a dime ❤
I wish you could have been more than a gradient square. Yeah, it could have been that nice f****** other pattern that everyone thought was a swastika so that's what you get. Boring ass s***
"Hey guys, about my baking recipe. A small minority of people have reported that the contents in step 1 made them violently ill. So I've posted a modified recipe."
Online baking community: OUTRAGE FROM EVERY ANGLE
As a creator myself: He didn't change it for other people, he did it because he didn't want to be behind its existance.
When you realize what you've accidentally made, you feel a strong need to correct it.
Ok, also, he lives in Amsterdam so, contextually, he sees Anne Frank's house museum every day and there are wee plaques around the city commemorating Jewish people who were taken away and never came home.
We were recently there and I was really moved, not just by the memorials but by how the scars of those events are still quite visible around the city. So I would hypothesise that that might contribute to rhe depth of his feelings about this.
Stephen West strikes me as one of the nicest people ever. He would NEVER intentionally do things to hurt anyone.
Thank you so much for doing a video on this, as someone in the MKAL it's been a wild ride and Stephen definitely did the right thing. My shawl is in a red colour scheme so when I saw what was happening with the clue originally I was like 😳
yikes! im glad he adjusted the clue!!
Yeah I saw someone with white-red-black color scheme lmao
I too am knitting the MKAL and I think Stephen did a wonderful job addressing this. I did 3 sections and frogged it and started over with a new design. All is fine. Relax folks.
Oof@@NukeNukedEarth
not a part of the mkal, but i recently frogged about half of a sweater panel (in mens 2xl) and it was painful but also...frogging is a part of knitting. its okay. my grandma always told me that if you have to frog your work, it just means you can spend more time knitting with the same amount of yarn :)
this is such a classy way to handle a mistake, i’d never heard of this guy but i immediately have so much respect
Neil somehow being more of a mob/making the design change a bigger deal than it is: the MOB ATTACKED HIM and he BENT OVER like a CRAZY PERSON
What get's me is that kniyting patterns get continuously updated for errata and fixed, even years later. Having a designer say "hey I fixed something" is nothing new to the knitting community.
Everything I have ever heard about Stephen West points to him being a lovely human being with a kind and genuine soul. From what I've read online, he grew up in a conservative part of the US and was interested in hobbies considered to be conterary to heteronormative masculinity. I am sure growing up in that situation, he experienced hate. So this leads me to believe he would never want to have another person experience that.
Usually his designs aren't something I would normally wear, but I feel like I want to start this MKAL in solidarity. The people saying he "bowed to the woke agenda" are part of the problem and I really hope they learn tolerance and kindness one day.
I don’t knit and I have never heard of Stephen West but I really respect how he handled this situation. I don’t know how he could have done it any better. It made me tear up seeing him tear up. I’m also lowkey impressed with how the knitting community pointed it out in the first place, seems like there was a majority of kindness and respect all around.
i appreciate this video so sooo much. I had only barely started when the drama began, and i was SO soo mad when he took the video down for the OG clue. I swore i was going to stick with it no matter what and that the new clue was boring and uninspired. And then i watched this, and went and watched his video on it, and sat with it in my heart. I will be starting over today, i am sad for Stephen and have followed him since i started knitting - my first shawl was his Daybreak and i still wear it. My first MKAL was his second year doing it. They are supposed to be a fun community thing and exciting to share and learn and then show off. And i wouldn’t be proud of a knit that i couldn’t show the designer without breaking their heart! People have got to stop with the “left vs right” when it comes to things that are literally just “right vs wrong” ~kindness doesn’t cost us anything at all, and with that i’m off to print out the new clue 1, and clue 2 because what’s a MKaL without me being behind 😂 Thanks again! ❤
It is actually nice to see someone acknowledging and responsibly taking action, he seems such a nice person and if more people were like him the world would be such a better place. Not a knitter, never heard of him, so like the fact you explain things to people not in the know.
Slow applause for Stephen 👏🏼 he handled the situation gracefully. He honestly seems like such a sweetheart.
Honesly I'll actually go out of my way to support Stephen West in the future. Seeing him starting to cry talking about that knitter's grandmother and reflecting about his first design made me realise that he feels genuinely terrible about what seems like such an awful mistake.
Yes. I'm definitely going to be working his designs in the future.
My mum is a big fan of Stephen‘s patterns and even made my sister and me the Starflake. She bought the pattern for this MKAL as well and told me she had to mute the Facebook group because all the posts about it got on her nerves. 😂 But I think Stephen handled the situation very well.
I got your channel recommended to me ablut three weeks ago and when this "event" got more and more dramatic I couldn't stop thinking about that this probably would end up as a video from you.
I'm the writer of post #35 and I've gotten several DMs and comments on my projects blaming me for ruining the MKAL, it's been a super weird situation. Me and my mom struggled with choosing our colors and thats why i jumped to the end of the original clue 1 video in the first place. Feel free to reach out in private if you have any questions.
Your 15 minutes of fame,, sweetie! Take good care of yoursellf.❤
@@KarenStrickholm Thank you! ❤️
I think your post was tactful. You didn't attack him, you just said that that's what you saw. It was a legitimate question to ask if it was just you or did anybody else see it too.
Stephen handled it beautifully, and so genuinely - seeing him tear up over it because he felt so bad. It’s absurd that people are still wanting to make something with such an awful visual connection. I bought a quilt from an antique shop that looked like it had another na/zi symbol on it once, I didn’t realise until I got home, and ended up dying it so the pattern didn’t look like that anymore
I think Stephen West’s response was amazing. His explanatory video made me, and a lot of other people, cry. He is clearly an amazing human being.
my main takeaway is that it’s so incredibly refreshing to see someone with a platform handle an unfortunate situation with so much compassion. i also want to thank you for being so sensitive about the topic and symbol and being careful about what images you showed!
To me, the original looks like a Celtic Brigid's cross, but I can understand people seeing a resemblance to *ahem*. I think West did the correct and thoughtful thing by providing an alternative for anyone who felt uncomfortable about making the design.
This is my first exposure to that creator or his designs, but from the few clips you provided, he seems like such a sweetheart! I genuinely believe any resemblance to that symbol was an accident and people should accept his apology and move forward. It's clear that he does care about all people and takes their concerns seriously. ❤
I had not made the connection of the symbol with the KAL. But I completely understand why Stephen has changed the design. We knit for pleasure, and the thought of my knitting making someone else uncomfortable, or bringing about distress makes me feel just ugh! I'd have done as he has done, and I believe he has made the changes with good grace and empathy. Kudos Mr West!
I didn’t really see it, but admire how the designer handled the situation with such grace and empathy. Choosing kindness over defensiveness was a very ethical choice on his part.
It’s honestly heartwarming to see someone actually handle a situation like this with such compassion. This is the first time I’ve heard about Stephen West or MKAL but he seems like a great guy and the event sounds like lots of fun.
Thesw knit alongs actually sound like such a cool idea, although knowing me, it would feel like a demand and i would never finish it (and i only know knit stitch)
Also I am painfully slow at knitting and crocheting (idk how other people (including my sister) can be so fast) to be fair I also have dyspraxia so that might explain it a bit too lol
Awww, Mr. West seems like a real stand up guy. You can really hear how sincere he is about the whole thing.
I think most people who design anything at all know it's much easier than you'd think to draw this symbol when you're starting to draw grids, layouts, etc. You're working on your design, you think you're great, you come back from a cup of tea and look again and you're like, oh, oh no.
So i definitely agree that he didn't intend anything sinister.
(Don't get me started on when you try to draw organic forms and they all turn out as genitals 🤦♀️).
I actually wasn't the biggest fan of him before this because I was a bit like oh my god, stop being a celebrity knitter blah blah. But his reaction to this has made me like him a lot more. He's dealt with it very sensitively and it's really clear that he cares a lot about his knitting community. He could have doubled down and he didn't. He was really thoughtful. So yeah, I'm impressed with his response and it made me like him more.
Years ago, due to a personal experience with a bad recovery from a surgery, I came to realize that some people take stuff way to personally and become invested in their anger. They view the matter as a personal affront (even when it literally doesn't affect them at all) and will not let go of the desire to make someone suffer for that anger
"...invested in their anger..." Wow, what an excellent description. So accurate.
Excellent diagnosis!
Agreed. I know an "angry person" and it seems that they perpetually have to have a target. It's a sad way to live.
I hate the idea that everyone changing their mind is "crumbling". It's so reductive and anti critical thinking. People are more than capable of changing based on new information and that's clearly what West was doing here, not freaking "crumbling"
The new information that his celtic knot is a geometric shape like the swastika 🤦🏻♀️
Right! It is known as flexibility; it is a trait that adults cultivate.
Seriously! The dumbing-down of a critical thinking skill is just so sad for our society. "I like broccoli, but now it makes me think of deforestation so I don't like it anymore" (cue the idiots) "OMG, THEY GOT WOKE AND NOW ARE BROCCOLI-HATERS!!" Really, this whole situation should absolutely be taken at face value: He was gracious enough to change it up and still make it work (a tremendous feat of design, by the way), and if you don't see what others saw? So what? Make the design Stephen has provided and wear that shawl proudly.
EXACTLY!!! THANK YOU 😭 i hate how much society has demonized .. growing and evolving 😭
@@FS-qk5uqThe new information that Some people have a dram of empathy for others, yourself excluded.
Stephen sounds like a cool and genuine dude.
This immediately makes me think of the infamous ravelry UI redesign of a few years back, and how they reacted opposite to Steven West in every way lol. That also involved a minority of people having issue with a design, and ravelry went HARD in the gaslight direction.
I'm excited to see your video on them
It really is a completely opposite reaction haha. Researching that situation has been super interesting.
His reaction was perfect. When he mentioned the person whose grandma survived the holocaust and broke down, you could really tell that he cares so much and is very sensitive about these matters. What a graceful way to handle this slip-up.
I've been following Stephen for a long time, and it was really heartening as a Jewish person myself to see how respectful and empathetic he was in handling this whole situation. Also, I ran into him once many years ago in the checkout line at the Purl Soho flagship store while I was on vacation in NYC, and he was delightful to chat with. He was wearing a fantastic shawl.
I haven't followed Stephen West before but his heartfelt response to this makes him seem like such a genuinely sweet and kind person! I can understand how he ended up in this situation- I was once looking at reviews for a Mosaic knitting book (a colorwork technique which often uses geometric designs) and one of the negative reviews was like "this book just shows you 300 ways to make things that look almost like swastikas" and I hadn't thought that at first, but once I read that comment, I could unsee it!! Definitely have to be careful with geometric designs. I think he handled it well, and I totally understand why he'd want to just pull the original clue altogether - even if not everyone saw it, this shawl is meant to be a fun and positive knitting experience, so why keep the original design around if the graphic can be misinterpreted!
I really appreciate his response. I've never seen a better response to something like this, he's done a great job.
this is one of the most satisfying apologies and efforts to make amends from a creator i've ever seen
I really enjoyed this video! As fun as it is to hear you recount petty drama between creators and as important as it is to call out creators who are doing genuine harm, it is nice to have a reminder that there is still respect and empathy on the internet and that it is possible to respond to a potential flashpoint in a responsible way. I agree with you that West couldn't have handled it better and he has earned a fan in me.
The genuine kindness in his videos, I didn't know about him before but now I really want to follow him. He approached this with such respect.
I love the idea of a mystery craft-along. (I crochet but learning knit slowly). His response made me feel like he cared so much about his community and was trying to do right by everyone involved
He seems so warm and sweet and genuine, he handled this whole situation really well especially with how difficult of a situation it can be to navigate.
I've followed some of Stephen West's tutorials to help with shawl construction and cast on methods and he's the kind of person that exudes positivity and compassion wherever he posts. I was not expecting to see this video pop up but I am relieved to see the situation wrapped up in a manner that matched up with how he presents himself. It's so common for "EXPOSED" dramas to pop up when someone's online persona and real life character don't match up so having this type of story pop up is honestly such a breath of fresh air.
His designed have always intimidated me but damn it after such a great response I want to support him. Love the accountability.
Don't be at all intimidated by his designs. He writes patterns so beautifully they are easefully knitted and he usually has youtube videos to support the designs and does both english & european knitting in the vids. I've never had to frog a project of his design. Give one a try, he has some free sock designs on his raveley for you to dip into. But yeah, love this designer and how he does his pattern and pattern support.
I recommend checking out his “jigshawl” pattern, it’s all garter stitch but the construction is just bonkers and so much fun. I made it for a costume for a character who has a very patchwork aesthetic. It knit up surprisingly quickly and is very cosy.
His designs are awesome and his patterns are very user friendly. He makes knitting something that looks complicated so much fun.
Don’t be intimidated by his designs, he has a way of designing fairly simple knitting that looks really complex. He uses a lot of slipped stitches which looks like colorwork in a way but it’s not. He also has tons of video support which is great
I think what makes him such a popular designer is that his projects are easy to knit but look complicated. The knit alongs especially are a great way to try one of his designs because he releases video tutorials to support each section, plus you are only looking at one section at a time, not the whole project right from the start so you don’t feel overwhelmed. I’ve knit other designers far more complicated pieces that I’ve looked at after and thought “all that work for this????” 😂
Start with one of his smaller projects if you decide to give his patterns a try.
What a genuine sweetheart! I deeply appreciate this designer and hope others follow his lead
I’ve always like Stephen West, and remember when he burst on the knitting scene and took it by storm with his unique style. I’ve only knit a couple of his designs (including a MKAL years ago: it was lots of fun!), but he’s always struck me as a genuine, caring person. I’m so glad you reported on this; his response is apropos and so unlike a lot of designers that have made mistakes and dug themselves in deeper. I think it shows a lot of humility on his part. ❤️
I actually feel I ought to buy the pattern to support him as he has handled this so well. We should all have the scarf of "empathy, kindness and respect" as a statement of care to each other.
I am headed to Amsterdam next summer and am adding this shop to my list of places to visit/shop. His sincere concern for his fellow knitters is lovely.
When I was in highschool my rubber stamp project with my initials turned into an accidental swastika in one of the pattern sequences we had to do. It was so embarrassing cuz I was one of the only white kids and everyone started calling me a Nazi. Little did they know my stepdad family is Jewish so I felt incredibly shameful
Something similar happened to me lilke I was bored and scribbling in my jotter/notebook like always just random lines and it accidentally turned into swastika and everybody at my table saw it so embarrassing😫😩😩😩so I just threw that sheet away😢
I had something slightly similar, but fortunately everyone forgot about it soon after. When I first moved to the Midwest, I went from a very Asian community to an overwhelmingly white community. I was raised Buddhist when I was little, so I had a Buddhist keychain that my parents attached to my backpack. Unfortunately, the N*zi swastika comes from the Buddhist swastika so I had a tiny swastika on my backpack. One little girl tried calling me a Nazi and when I told her it was from a Buddhist temple. She was like, "Buddhists are Nazis then." Luckily, she didn't make it a bigger deal. However, that's the first time I ever experienced being ashamed of my religion
@@orangepencil7I’m so sorry you experienced that :(
had to completely destroy a half done blanket I'd tried to design because I thought I'd be all cute and make a windmill--NOPE. Accidental sw*st*ka. I was FURIOUS with myself. Fortunately I'm a knitting knobody (LOL) so no one ever had to see it and I was able to do a different thing.
as a person with an L name...sympathy
Honestly it's wonderful to see an example of a knitting controversy where the designer handled matters with compassion and professionalism. Thanks for posting.
Stephen seems like an amazing person. Hope he will be able to focus on the support and not be discouraged by the weirdo hate-symbol apologists.
That last part!😂
"weirdo hate-symbol apologists"
It's not even a swastika you immature child 🤡
It looks like a celtic knot and as one commenter stated it's backwards, that literally makes it a hindu symbol. Are you gonna tell people they can't knit a cultural symbol because it's a geometric shape like the swastika and call them "weirdo hate-symbol apologists" too. The swastika is a specific symbol with a specific shape and specific colors. Stop being ridiculous.
What a respectful and professional person! Great job, Wes!!
I really respect the designer and the way they handled this.
The design is one of those things where i dont think i would have noticed it if I hadn't been told others saw it, but now that I've been told, i keep noticing it (i also think its the most noticeable in the black and white photo cause the part is literally black, whereas its harder to notice in the orange and pink version shown later)... he reacted amazingly, so professional
And you, Ms. Emma did an amazing and respectful job in your video as well! Blessings to you and S. West! 🤗
I wasn't aware of all this until this video found me a couple of days ago. Stephen handled this situation like a champ! He fkd up, changed the design, apologised, and was heartbroken for any hurt caused. ❤.
I've loved his designs for years, but I got a (knitting) injury before I could buy his patterns and haven't been able to knit too much for about 6 years. After seeing how he handled this, there are 6 or 7 patterns in my want list that I'll be buying before the year is out, whether I'm able to knit them or not!
Stephen sounds like an amazing person and I respect them so much for their quick response and action. They seem very sincere and when I saw them crying I just wanted to cry too! They don’t deserve that
As someone who has recently gotten into this hobby. I need more of these videos. I love knitting (actually crocheting) listening to these videos.
I'm really glad the designer moved so quickly and professionally.
aw man the guy seems so sweet. i was felt so sad for him when he started tearing up 😢
20:38 you can hear how sorry he is in his voice and how much he's sympathizing with survivors
He made me tear up honestly. Poor guy, hopefully someone gave him a hug.
This is an issue I run across in one of my own hobbies. (Card/tablet weaving) The craft qualifies as 'ancient', dating back to BCE, and was common until the late medieval period. Because of this, a lot of the dark age and medieval historical pieces have that symbol worked into them. And, people still use the patterns, or deliberately make new patterns, with that symbol. The 'reasoning' (excuse, imo) being 'historical accuracy'. It was one of the reasons I chose not to join the SCA...historical accuracy is no excuse for ignoring modern connotations, especially ones *that* horrific. I think the designer handled it beautifully.
As someone who saw all the original comments, your assumptions about the content of the deleted early comments is spot on
Man, I feel bad for him! I honestly can't see it in the design. But, others do see it and he responded appropriately
Wow, I have never been a part of one of his NKALs before, but seeing his response has made me want to support him. What a humble, thoughtful response from someone who really cares about what he’s putting out into the world.
I was waiting for this. My whole office has been taken over by this drama. Like literally we all of us gathered around to watch Stephen’s apology video and we all (all but two of us knit btw) felt terrible for him. Is this my sign from the universe that I should start knitting?
Absolutely!
Yes!
I would say, "It's great therapy and cheaper than a therapist," but looking at my yarn and Addi Circular Needles stashes, that would probably not be true for me. But surely more enjoyable!
do it babes. (just do it, there are no stakes). it's calming and challenging at the same time, and you might meet drama in unexpected spaces
As a knitter myself, and lover of Stephen West designs I wasn’t going to buy this pattern and do the MKAL this year. After seeing how kind and compassionate Stephen was in handling this whole situation- I bought the pattern anyway and will knit the revised version to show my support of him 🩷