Brutkey

myrmepropagandist
@futurebird@sauropods.win

I think this dynamic of people learning a task wanting formal official steps leads to people thinking that there is "One Right Way" to do tasks that can be done in many ways.

A frustrated teacher formalizes something that just isn't formal to avoid having everyone bugging her over and over "but how do I start it? how do I knot it?"

Will I cause someone in 20 years to be told "That's the Wrong Way to do it."

hmmm

Alan Bucknam
@bucknam@mastodon.social

@futurebird@sauropods.win tying shoes is like this. I thought my mom taught me The One Way To Tie Shoes. Then I met my wife and she had a completely different way of tying her shoes. When we had kids we each taught them our own separate ways of shoe-tying. Now that they are grown up I am dying to watch them tie their shoes to see which method they went with.

Patrick Lam :tinoflag:
@va2lam@mastodon.nz

@bucknam@mastodon.social @futurebird@sauropods.win what? You don't have to have a knot to start sewing?

I just learned about better ways of tying shoelaces which don't come undone as much. I used to have to re-tie every few hours.

myrmepropagandist
@futurebird@sauropods.win

@va2lam@mastodon.nz @bucknam@mastodon.social

Yes, knots are overrated in much of sewing. Or rather by stitching so the thread overlaps and has friction with itself you can make a sturdy anchor without the problems a bulky knot might cause.

A knot probably should never be what is holding a book or garment together. It's too easy for it to pop through the hole and come apart.

Knots are psychological crutches.

Anke
@Anke@social.scribblers.club

@futurebird@sauropods.win @va2lam@mastodon.nz @bucknam@mastodon.social
I would really like a diagram of a way to do that...

myrmepropagandist
@futurebird@sauropods.win

@Anke@social.scribblers.club @va2lam@mastodon.nz @bucknam@mastodon.social

OK I've tried to draw it.

Do not overthink the details of these diagrams. Consider the difference between using a knot to hold the thread vs. using friction.

Friction is often a better, more robust solution. There are many ways to start sewing. Just overlap your stitches, back-stitch a few times until you feel it will not slide out.

Two diagrams, hand drawn showing how a "people think sewing works" and there is a thread with a needle weaving in and out of a paper with holes in it. At the end a know too large to fit through the hole holds the thread in place. The diagram points out this is a "point of failure and bulky" Then there is another identical diagram but this time the thread goes through the first two holes and there is no knot. Friction hold it in place. "Smooth!"