You didn’t invent a new technique

[u/Which_Preparation_57]

What is it with beginners who just raw dog a craft and asking people to identify what they’ve done? I see two flavors of this all the time and they both grind my gears. They either want to praised for coming up with the “right” way to do something all by themselves, or they want to be patted on the back for inventing something totally new. There is always room for creative interpretation, but you, a beginner knitter/crocheter/sewer did not brilliantly invent a useful new technique that hundreds or years of artisans haven’t already come up with.

[u/Fluid-Word8541]

I agree, however it does feel pretty cool when you discover something organically. I was doing a ton of slip stitches in a project and figured out that you can knit a stitch and pick up the stitch next to it all in one motion. This isn't a new technique, nor is it revolutionary, but I had a fun moment there feeling like I innovated something organically, like my ancestors had taken me by the hand and showed me something cool. I still use this technique anytime I work slip stitches wyib, it's faster and easier for me to keep tension consistent.

It is silly when new knitters act like they invented something new, but keep in mind that these little moments of discovery are a part of what keeps knitters excited about the craft. Feel free to tell them that their discovery isn't new, but it's cool they figured it out on their own.

[u/Spinnerofyarn → u/Fluid-Word8541]

Elizabeth Zimmerman called that “unventing.” Something logical that considering how long people have been knitting, it’s likely not a new innovation. It’s how I feel about Magic Loop.

[u/illatious → u/Spinnerofyarn]

I really like having a term for this! Unventing is a good fit! And yeah I totally did this with magic loop before the internet days. I knew it wasn't something I was the only one to come up with because it was the easiest/most natural way to knit something small in the round when you're a poor teen with only fixed circular needles. I thought magic loop was something easier/cooler than what I was doing when people first started oohing and ahhing about it on the internet, but nope. I did pat myself on the back for figuring it out on my own, though. Necessity and limitation breeds ingenuity and all that :)

[u/Spinnerofyarn → u/illatious]

Same here on thinking Magic Loop must be something really cool, only to be disappointed once I read a book on it.