"The hint"?
 My husband sent me a link to this essay, focusing on the following statement (the context is advice for writers):

When you hit your daily word-goal, stop. Stop even if you're in the middle of a sentence. Especially if you're in the middle of a sentence. That way, when you sit down at the keyboard the next day, your first five or ten words are already ordained, so that you get a little push before you begin your work. Knitters leave a bit of yarn sticking out of the day's knitting so they know where to pick up the next day — they call it the "hint." Potters leave a rough edge on the wet clay before they wrap it in plastic for the night — it's hard to build on a smooth edge. 

He wanted to know if this was true, and I told him it wasn't and I had never heard of it, but that I would check with the knitting community to make sure. (He would like it not to be true because he does not like this writer and would like another excuse to dislike him.) I don't even really get it--why would you need to know where to pick up the next day, other than, you know, where you left off? I understand marking your place on a pattern, but on the knitting itself? I thought maybe it was a term from weaving or some other craft and the writer misunderstood. Has anyone ever heard of "the hint"?

(Post a new comment)

	webbgirl 2009-01-11 08:27 pm UTC (link)
	I've never heard of this either. The closest thing I have is that when I'm doing a lace pattern, I'll only stop at certain points in the repeats. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	air_ocean 2009-01-11 08:34 pm UTC (link)
	That. Either Cory Doctorow is into some alien knitting tradition, or he's making it up/mixing it up with another craft. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	dragonintherain 2009-01-11 08:30 pm UTC (link)
	the working yarn isn't clue enough? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	goodgothgirl 2009-01-11 10:54 pm UTC (link)
	IAWTC! Seriously! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	serena1977 2009-01-11 08:32 pm UTC (link)
	I guess that's something you do in crochet, when you leave a huge loop of yarn so that your work won't unravel... (Reply to this) (Thread)

	velvetpage 2009-01-11 08:58 pm UTC (link)
	Yeah, but that's not the same as leaving a bit of yarn hanging out - it's just leaving the yarn attached like you do in knitting. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

(no subject) - jacquez, 2009-01-11 11:42 pm UTC

(no subject) - velvetpage, 2009-01-12 12:04 am UTC

(no subject) - jacquez, 2009-01-12 12:15 am UTC

(no subject) - isitnotnifty, 2009-01-12 12:35 am UTC

(no subject) - nolly, 2009-01-12 10:45 pm UTC

	geekosaur 2009-01-11 08:32 pm UTC (link)
	I'm wondering if that writer saw and completely misunderstood a lifeline. (Reply to this)

	tashabear 2009-01-11 08:33 pm UTC (link)
	Nope, never. We *have* to leave yarn attached. The essayist was probably thinking of weaving, but what the hell, they're exactly the same anyway, amirite? And no one will think to question him, so what difference does it make? (Reply to this) (Thread)

wildemoose 2009-01-11 08:42 pm UTC (link)

Also, now that I look at that paragraph more closely, even if there were such a thing, it wouldn't be the equivalent of what he's talking about. If you want to "build on a rough edge" to propel you forward, that wouldn't be done by marking your place, it would be done by knitting a few stitches on a new row before putting your knitting down, or something like that. What crap. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

(no subject) - knitsta, 2009-01-11 08:49 pm UTC

(no subject) - jacquez, 2009-01-11 11:44 pm UTC

(no subject) - spookygrlfriend, 2009-01-11 11:54 pm UTC

(no subject) - kightp, 2009-01-13 04:33 am UTC

arkenholtz 2009-01-11 08:36 pm UTC (link)

I have a pretty bad memory. If I stop in the middle of a sentence (in writing or speech) I forget the rest of it. Pretty much immediately. As a matter of fact, my memory is so bad that I often pick up my knitting and not remember which side the working yarn is supposed to come from until I actually try to knit and realize it feels/looks wrong haha. That said, I have never heard of "the hint". I mean, where is this little bit of yarn supposed to be coming from in the first place? What a strange comparison... (Reply to this) (Thread)

	commelespommes 2009-01-11 08:44 pm UTC (link)
	I've been knitting for about 10 years (scary! But I'm only 17, so...) and I've still yet to figure out how to determine whether I should be knitting or purling to continue with a stockinette stitch when I didn't start the row before setting it down. And I mean, I'm a pretty decent knitter. (Not that this is actually relevant, or anything). (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

(no subject) - tashabear, 2009-01-11 08:55 pm UTC

(no subject) - kuangning, 2009-01-11 09:12 pm UTC

(no subject) - knitsta, 2009-01-11 09:54 pm UTC

(no subject) - knittinggoddess, 2009-01-12 12:00 am UTC

(no subject) - kuangning, 2009-01-12 12:05 am UTC

(no subject) - dujour, 2009-01-11 11:27 pm UTC

(no subject) - library_lil, 2009-01-12 03:44 pm UTC

OT - eclecticmama, 2009-01-13 01:58 am UTC

	melissima 2009-01-11 08:37 pm UTC (link)
	I don't recall hearing about a 'hint' in knitting, but in the round I've lost track of which direction to go when I pick up the needles, and will leave a marker or a note on my pattern to remind myself. Maybe a knitter the writer knows used that term, and he generalized it without asking any other knitters. /shrugs/ (Reply to this) (Thread)

	tashabear 2009-01-11 08:50 pm UTC (link)
	Unless you knit in an atypical fashion, you always knit from the right needle to the left needle, and the working yarn is always coming off of your right needle. ALWAYS. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

(no subject) - melissima, 2009-01-11 09:01 pm UTC

(no subject) - ihasstopwatch, 2009-01-12 02:00 am UTC

(no subject) - tashabear, 2009-01-12 02:27 am UTC

(no subject) - kightp, 2009-01-13 04:36 am UTC

(no subject) - tashabear, 2009-01-13 05:06 am UTC

(no subject) - kightp, 2009-01-13 05:24 am UTC

(no subject) - tashabear, 2009-01-13 05:26 am UTC

(no subject) - kightp, 2009-01-13 05:34 am UTC

(no subject) - tashabear, 2009-01-13 05:36 am UTC

(no subject) - kightp, 2009-01-13 06:15 am UTC

(no subject) - tashabear, 2009-01-13 06:56 am UTC

(no subject) - snowpuppies, 2009-01-12 05:31 am UTC

(no subject) - tashabear, 2009-01-12 06:01 am UTC

(no subject) - snowpuppies, 2009-01-12 02:30 pm UTC

(no subject) - tashabear, 2009-01-12 07:20 pm UTC

	followingmyfish 2009-01-11 08:50 pm UTC (link)
	Yeah, I've never heard of that either. If I have to stop in the middle of a chart or something I'll usually make a note of it on the pattern, but it's sort of hard to lose track of where the working yarn is. (Reply to this)

	manraysky 2009-01-11 08:55 pm UTC (link)
	Yep, I'm going to say that was written by someone who doesn't know the first thing about knitting. (Reply to this)

	beatgirl 2009-01-11 08:59 pm UTC (link)
	I have no idea what that's supposed to mean. I mean, us knitters have the working yarn to let us know where we stopped. I make notes of where I stopped in a pattern if that applies, but I've never heard of 'the hint.' Now I wonder if my self-taught knitting education has missed something or if this author is full of it. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	soph_nyc 2009-01-11 09:05 pm UTC (link)
	Being that we're actually familiar with what we're talking about, I think it's safe to say we're right on this one, self-taught or not. (Reply to this) (Parent)

(no subject) - tephralynn, 2009-01-11 10:43 pm UTC

	syntheticjesso 2009-01-11 09:01 pm UTC (link)
	Now, I like Cory Doctorow's fiction, at least what I've heard/read of it, but his essays are always "meh". He says a lot of stuff that's basically HIS method and acts like it's THE method for writing/copyrighting/whatever. Bah humbug, I say. And then this knitting analogy of fail. I have no clue what he's talking about. (Reply to this)

carolinecrane 2009-01-11 09:24 pm UTC (link)

As a knitter and a writer and a potter, I can't say I agree with any of the above. Though I've only been making pottery for a short time, so I could be wrong there. As for knitting, I can't imagine the point of a 'hint', and I think stopping in the middle of a sentence when you're in a writing groove is a slow way to drive yourself insane. I know that I, at least, rarely remember the next day where I was going with a particular sentence when I leave off in the middle for whatever reason (usually this only happens when I can't figure out what to say next). (Reply to this) (Thread)

	eliseamelie 2009-01-11 10:53 pm UTC (link)
	When I took a pottery class and a project was taking more time than I had in one day, we were taught to wrap the wet clay in plastic. Not what Cory is saying! (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

(no subject) - carolinecrane, 2009-01-11 10:54 pm UTC

(no subject) - dujour, 2009-01-11 11:29 pm UTC

heathwitch 2009-01-11 09:49 pm UTC (link)

I've never heard of it, either. On a different topic -- As a writer myself, I can offer the following advice in relation to the excerpt quoted. One of the things that I do when returning to my work at some point after leaving it for a while is to re-type the last few paragraphs/pieces of dialogue immediately below the end point (so, in essence, you'll have a duplicate of the last thing you wrote)... By the time I've done that, my brain has usually clicked in to where I was going next and I'll continue writing. The only thing to remember is to delete the duplicated section at some point later on! Hope that helps. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	knittinggoddess 2009-01-12 12:03 am UTC (link)
	Oooh, I like that idea. As far as "writing ahead" goes, I'll often put down a few words or phrases that I'm going to use next but am too tired/distractable to fully discuss. Sometimes that takes the form of a half-completed sentence, but usually it's less than that. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

(no subject) - msmcknittington, 2009-01-12 02:56 am UTC

(no subject) - captaineri, 2009-01-12 02:53 am UTC

(no subject) - heathwitch, 2009-01-12 08:43 am UTC

cloudshapes 2009-01-11 10:07 pm UTC (link)

Like others have said, I never lose track of where the working yarn is or where to start knitting. However when following a pattern I often write a note about which row I'm on or how many repeats I've done or something so I don't lose track when I have to stop and start again later. But, why would you need a loop or yarn pulled out when we always start in the same place -- where the working yarn is?? Also I have to say based on this one paragraph of the essay, I don't think I like this author much either! (Reply to this)

	hirtzenocker 2009-01-11 10:14 pm UTC (link)
	What everyone else said. I am inclined to join your husband in his dislike for this particular writer--he doesn't seem to know what he's talking about, and not just in regard to knitting. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	rallymama 2009-01-12 02:32 pm UTC (link)
	Where's the "agree" button? (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

(no subject) - hirtzenocker, 2009-01-12 06:20 pm UTC

mwknitter 2009-01-11 10:16 pm UTC (link)

Well, when you stop knitting before you cast off, there is always the working yarn attached to the last stitch you knit. So you know from that where to start. maybe that's what he meant. I mostly knit socks on 4 DPN's - 3 to hold the stitches - instep stitches on one & the bottom of the foot stitches divided on 2. I always try to stop in the middle of the needle with the half (instep) stitches - just because it makes a neat way to fold the sock in half & it's less likely that I'll lose a needle! (I cannot count the number of small [2.25-2.5 mm) DPN's I've lost) (Reply to this)

firiel44 2009-01-11 10:23 pm UTC (link)

Oh, Corey! How could you be so wrong when you're clever about so many other things? I don't see how you could not leave working yarn attached, unless you're at a color change. Then the cut end would be a reminder that you want to start with a new working yarn. My best guess is that he's misunderstood the use of a lifeline, or possibly knows someone with a rather unique method of knitting. Obviously this writing method works very well for him, and some of the other advice is good, but I'm of the "Get it all down now before it disappears!" school. Otherwise, I would spend the 20 minutes re-reading and trying to remember where I was going with it. (Reply to this)

	hugh_mannity 2009-01-11 10:39 pm UTC (link)
	Wrong. I'll mark a chart, but the actual knitting the yarn is where I continue. The potters I know don't leave half-finished work on the wheel. I can't speak for all potters, but I can't see doing that myself. Sculpture perhaps, because it's a multi-day project but most wheel work can be done in a day. (Reply to this)

	apis_mellifera 2009-01-11 10:46 pm UTC (link)
	Yet another reason for me to think that Cory Doctorow is an idiot. And there were already so very many. (Reply to this)

	karmic_fishie 2009-01-11 11:19 pm UTC (link)
	I'll place a bit of scrap yarn at the end of whatever row I'm working on when I pick up something for the day... but only to see how much I've knit in one day, not to keep track of where I am. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	emmacrew 2009-01-12 03:42 am UTC (link)
	That was the only thing I could think of, too. Putting a safety pin or bit of yarn in your work at the start and/or end of every day just to be able to see that you're making progress on what feels like miles of plain stockinette. Not the same as something telling you where to start again, at all. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	yarn_grrl 2009-01-11 11:34 pm UTC (link)
	Maybe he is thinking of stitchmarkers (some people use some scrap yarn)? But that doesn't tell you really where you left off, just where you need to make certain stitches in your pattern. (Reply to this)

	spookygrlfriend 2009-01-11 11:48 pm UTC (link)
	I've never heard of it and it doesn't make any sense. The whole of your working yarn is hanging out of the place that you left off... (Reply to this)

	cpolk 2009-01-12 12:11 am UTC (link)
	Oh dear. Cory's got good advice there about stopping right in the middel of a sentence, but I have absolutely no idea what fiber art would require this. stitch markers to help you track pattern repeats and chart switches, okay. but yeah I don't know where he got that. (Reply to this)

wronske 2009-01-12 01:49 am UTC (link)

agreed with others: never heard of it, and it makes so sense whatsoever. unless you're a freaking moron, i don't think you'd need to leave yarn 'sticking out' to know where you left off. it's pretty obvious where you left off from- oh, i don't know- the fact that the knitting stops at that point? weird. i totally don't get it. this myth must have been made up by a complete non-knitter. (Reply to this)

ihasstopwatch 2009-01-12 02:07 am UTC (link)

This hint think doesn't make any sense to me. Neither does the writers' thing. Say you're writing for NaNoWriMo, where your daily goal should be 1667 just to make it over the final 50k mark. Unless you're one of those writers who plots out each scene of your novel before November and you follow that plot outline exactly, then you might not know where you were trying to go with the scene if you stop in the middle of a sentence. Hell, you might not be able to figure it out even IF you use a plot outline. (Reply to this) (Thread)

melissima 2009-01-12 08:50 pm UTC (link)

I guess everyone's just different, and different methods work for different people. If I stop mid-sentence I can remember what comes next...but if I stop at scene-end, and I haven't outlined, I will have to sit and stare at the page for hours, figuring out what comes next. I think it's Sarah Monette (truepenny) who says something like try all the different methods you find...some will work for you. Use those, and forget the rest. (Reply to this) (Parent)

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