'AITA for dyeing the sweater my sister-in-law knitted for me?'
"AITA for dyeing the sweater my sister-in-law knitted for me?"
My sister in law (my brother’s wife) offered to make me a sweater. I am also a knitter and I understand the time and effort that goes into a project. I said yes, but asked if I could pick out the color and also said I would happily pay for the yarn. She declined and said she wanted it as an excuse to use up her stash. She is a big time “tee hee I have a stash beyond life expectancy!” type.
She finished the sweater for me, and it fit great but was in a beige color that I would never wear. I’m a soft autumn who favors plums, roses, terra cottas, olives, etc. I don’t like plain colors very much. But I loved the look of the sweater, so I ended up dyeing it to a pretty green. I reach for it all the time.
I wore it when I was hanging out with family, and she was there. She said it looked like the one she’d made me. I said that it was, but I’d dyed it. She stared at me for a long time and finally said “I wish you would have told me you were going to do something like that. I wouldn’t have wasted my Malabrigo on you.”
I was taken aback and told her that I absolutely loved the sweater, I just would have never worn it as a beige sweater. She got the sour lemon look on her face and said she would keep in mind to never knit anything for me ever again. She got up and left the room and I didn’t talk to her the rest of the night. I live in a different city than my family, so I probably won’t see her again for a while.
She has every right to not knit for me again, but was dyeing that sweater really that big of a deal? I thought it would be better for me to dye it a color I would wear than for me to never wear it. AITA?
Here's what people had to say to OP:
RhubarbSkein said:
Hi. Knitter and yarn snob here. NTA, and you can tell her Malabrigo is not that special and she should have listened to you about the color in the first place
nonamejohnsonmore said:
NTA. She specifically said she was "Using up her stash." This implies she was using yarn she wanted to get rid of, and the color was secondary.
nonamejohnsonmore said:
NTA. She specifically said she was "Using up her stash." This implies she was using yarn she wanted to get rid of, and the color was secondary.
JGalKnit said:
NTA. She used non-dyed malabrigo. Now, I love working with malabrigo, it is soft and lovely, but it also dyes so beautifully. SO.... you dyed it. You turned a sweater you liked the pattern on into something you love, and she made it. What is the problem?
Now, if you requested that color and then dyed it, maybe there would be something to complain about, but even then, you are still wearing it, she STILL made it and STILL used her stash. Also, I am a knitter. I love using a lot of different yarns and often use malabrigo. But hands down, NTA.
piratemeow21 said:
I'm a huge knitter and crafter, I'd be so happy if someone dyed a sweater I knitted into something they liked! It's way better than never wearing it, donating it, or throwing it away. Why is she mad if she got to use her stash yarn? She needs to chill out.
False_Adeptness1541 said:
Not a knitter, crocheter here...NTA. I would never make a sweater for someone without getting input on the color first, even if I'm using yarn out of my stash. I want my gifts to be used, not shoved in the back of a closet to never be used.