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Gameplay Discussion: What does Knitting in The Sims mean to YOU?
SimGuruSarah
Posts: 53 SimGuru
We’ve seen lots of wonderful suggestions on the forums about Knitting gameplay. We’ve decided to make an official thread to gather these ideas in one place to make it easier for our design team to review your suggestions.
Being able to knit clothing, toys, and household items is obviously a must, but what else are you looking for with knitting in The Sims 4?
Gift giving? Profitable Crafting? Funny failures?
What kind of interactive knitting gameplay objects would you like to see?
Yarn basket? Rocking chair? Craft Table? Something else?
We've seen "teaching other Sims to knit" come up a lot. How do you imagine this would work? Are you familiar with our existing "Mentoring" system that let's Sims with high skill levels teach other Sims those skills?
Please share with us what is important to you
PS – We have a separate thread for crafted clothing and object suggestions here: https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/971040/what-should-we-be-able-to-knit/
Please continue to post your thoughts on WHAT your Sims can knit on that thread.
Being able to knit clothing, toys, and household items is obviously a must, but what else are you looking for with knitting in The Sims 4?
Gift giving? Profitable Crafting? Funny failures?
What kind of interactive knitting gameplay objects would you like to see?
Yarn basket? Rocking chair? Craft Table? Something else?
We've seen "teaching other Sims to knit" come up a lot. How do you imagine this would work? Are you familiar with our existing "Mentoring" system that let's Sims with high skill levels teach other Sims those skills?
Please share with us what is important to you
PS – We have a separate thread for crafted clothing and object suggestions here: https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/971040/what-should-we-be-able-to-knit/
Please continue to post your thoughts on WHAT your Sims can knit on that thread.
Post edited by SimGuruSarah on
25
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
Another gameplay item could be a sort of multipurpose crafts table where knitting could be completed alongside woodworking and similar crafty activities already in the game (flower arranging maybe?). Knitting would also be able to be completed away from the table with knitting needles/yarn ball in the Sims inventory.
I would love the idea of certain colours of yarn being purchasable but then "rarer" colours could be implemented using dyes from harvestables (i.e. flowers, berries). These harvested based knitted items could be sold for more, and also provide special moodlets?
EDIT: This may belong moreso in the "what should we be able to knit" thread, but I think it'd be more resource-efficient for the devs if some of the knittable items were instead new swatches for previously designed items (i.e. new bedspreads for existing frames, new couch cushions for existing couches, new curtain swatches, new children's toy swatches). This would increase the amount of knittable items, but not take away from other resource-intensive object creation.
Maybe it would be great to be able to have baskets of different colored yarn that you can also incorporate into the retail system of Get To Work, so you can have your own textile shop.
A new death from wrapping yourself in the knitting process would be very much fun.
OR a new creature in the style of the scarecrow but it's a lifesize yarn-doll.
I want to say all three!
What kind of interactive knitting gameplay objects would you like to see?
Yarn basket? Rocking chair? Craft Table?
Definitely would like to see a rocking chair for the elderly to use, or other Sims. Pregnant Sims should be able to use this so that they could knit little booties (socks) for their newborns!
If we could get different dyes for colored yarn, please don't make it super easy to obtain. I'd like some rarity colors that we'd have to "find", in the worlds, or something like that.. or getting our knitting Skill up and needing certain flowers, etc in order to create the colors at the crafting table. Then as Simmer_Will said, being able to just have that yarn that we've made from the crafting table into our SIms inventories, we could then knit where-ever we wanted (ie: a rocking chair, or at a chair/table, etc).
We've seen "teaching other Sims to knit" come up a lot. How do you imagine this would work? Are you familiar with our existing "Mentoring" system that let's Sims with high skill levels teach other Sims those skills?
I'm not sure exactly how it would work, but I would like to see mom's/dad's or grandparents that knit be able to teach their kids, yes, CHILD Sims to knit. They could knit only a few things at first, though.. like small toys, or a scarf and then this is where the funny failures could come into play because some kids or new knitters wouldn't know how to do it, yet as they're still learning and this is where they could have some mess-ups and maybe get wrapped in the yarn, or get their fingers knotted in yarn, lol, or something like that.
I'm sure you guys will come up with a better idea for the failures, I still love the animations when my Sim working at the flower arranging table and is just snipping away at the flower and accidentally cuts the flower off, leaving only the Stem, and her eyes get big, and she covers her mouth and has to toss the stem away! Lol. ♥
Craft tables and paper crafting would be amazing! Maybe they could create birthday cards and photo albums? Lots of craft room objects and craft storage would be great too.
Also it would be so cool if sims could sell their creations online, sort of like Etsy. So in their inventory there could be a “list item for sale online” type option and they can check back to see if it’s sold and claim the cash.
Just please, don't make it all about old people.
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And I, personally, would want it to work more like "help with homework" than mentoring... which, I know they're more or less the same, but if I remember correctly, you need to be level 10 to mentor someone, so it's not possible with skills that don't have a full 10 point progression. I'd like to see "Teach others to Knit" be mid level (3 if 5 point scale, 5 or 6 if a 10 point scale) interaction, because even the lady who got me started on knitting - excellent as she was - didn't feel she was up to high difficulty patterns. But she did help me get started. And my grandmother, bless her, never really progressed beyond turtleneck sweaters (She died before I could get her to teach me.) But my point being that I think the Mentoring system sets the bar for teaching others to knit too high. I know that it's high enough I usually forget about it, or else by the time my "mentor" sim hits level 10, the sim they'd be mentoring is level 4-6.
Gifting and funny failures are of more value to me personally than saleable, but I'd want saleable too.
I'm not into rocking chairs, personally (Mine is currently doubling as a throw blanket repository, much to the annoyance of the old lady cat in the house who can't climb up there any more.) but I get that they're part of the classic stereotype. I'd love an interaction with a cat's tail being caught under one (doesn't always happen, but if we're going stereotypes, let's really go for it) for those of us who have Cats&Dogs. Craft tables are best suited for large scale projects or people working together on a project. Yarn baskets as the primary "knit something" interaction is, imo, a must (and a couple of different styles, from modern backpacks to classic wicker baskets that catch on the yarn...)
The other "bonus" I'd like for those who own cats and dogs is to send all those darned hairballs off to be spun into yarn (or for the sim to do it) If/When farming comes along, you can add rabbit hair as well as sheep and llama wool.
I wanna be able to knit little sweaters for my cats though. Knittable pet sweaters, surely!
This would be cool if you have Parenthood where they can set the tables. Maybe something similar could be implemented with setting different tablecloths out.
- Origin ID: PolluxSims -
As for the purpose of knitting, for me it's all about DIY and gift giving. I think it's already too easy to make money in the game, so I'm not looking for more profitable activities.
Instead, I want my sims to be able to decorate their homes with stuff they crafted, and then also being able to gift friends and family their own creations.
A rocking chair would be adorable (but please, make it so we can actually rock our toddlers in them too!). When it comes to the knitting itself, my biggest requirement is that we have something portable so Sims can take their knitting with them wherever they go. A larger item like a craft table would be nice, but not at the expense of being able to knit anywhere.
Gift giving seems to be in the game already, so wouldn't mind using that existing feature with it. Profitable crafting and funny failures would be fun. Profitable crafting I could see being sold on a circle standing display like this:
Funny failures would be like Sims getting their yarn tangled which has happened to me a lot while knitting or skipped stitches while talking to someone and having to go back. Also saw someone mention on forums kids and cats being able to play with the yarn balls which would be cute to see.
I would love a rocking chair and craft table. Having knitting needles, looms, and crochet hooks would be fun to have. Sometimes I use a crochet hook to fix a dropped stitch while knitting or to finish off an edge. Yarn basket I would want as a deco object.
This table loom is neat and would be compact for Sims' homes for them to knit with:
It would be cool to see a spinning wheel to make yarn and possible pass out interaction if a Sim pricks their finger on it in reference to Sleeping Beauty:
https://cdn7.dissolve.com/p/D223_8_365/D223_8_365_detail.mp4
Teaching Sims to knit I would see kind of like I guess the help child with homework interaction and yes think it could tie into the mentoring skill. Adult helps another Sim adult or child learn to knit while both of them are holding knitting needles and talking to each other. With toddlers, parents could teach them how to finger knit which would be both of them sitting down like the flash cards.
I like how this lady uses the fish and bird story to teach kids how to knit, so that would be a fun set of speech bubbles:
I also hope there are skill books for knitting too since I like those. The Knitter's Handbook by Debbie Stoller has been one of favorite sources of learning to knit which even can teach someone how to make a cat bed with it and has some fun 90s reference song titles with some of the chapters.
"what else are you looking for with knitting in The Sims 4? Gift giving? Profitable Crafting? Funny failures?"
Definitely gift giving for me, and it would be especially neat if this could tie in with holidays from Seasons. But also, just normal gift giving as well. Like someone in the family is pregnant, you can knit them baby stuff. Kids knitting friendship bracelets to give to friends. Children are finally young adults and are moving out, the parents can craft some homey furniture for their new home to give to them. Things like that would be amazing.
Profitable crafting isn't of huge importance to me, as I think of knitting as a more homey, hobby thing, but it would be great to have the option for those who want something like that. Honestly, I think the idea of a toy store with hand made stuffed animals would be amazingly adorable.
"What kind of interactive knitting gameplay objects would you like to see? Yarn basket? Rocking chair? Craft Table? Something else?"
Yes to everything, honestly. I'd totally love both a yarn basket and something like the big yarn storage objects that were in the DIY and Granny Chic example rooms, mainly because I'd like options for sims of all financial situations. Sims with smaller homes and less space would probably be fine with simple yarn baskets, but someone with more space would most likely appreciate a larger place to store their yarn. So it would be great to have both options. Also, kittens and cats playing in a yarn basket or climbing up/playing with yarn hanging out of a storage would be super cute.
I'd 1000% love to have rocking chairs. I think it would be so cute for a sim to be calmly relaxing while knitting something in their rocking chair.
A craft table would be perfect for kids, and it would be incredible to have multiple kids able to craft together at once. It would be great for a kids knitting club using the club system, where all of them could sit at the table together and knit stuff as a group.
"We've seen "teaching other Sims to knit" come up a lot. How do you imagine this would work? Are you familiar with our existing "Mentoring" system that let's Sims with high skill levels teach other Sims those skills?"
When voting for the gameplay, knitting included a line saying we would be able to teach others to knit, so yes, I definitely want this in the pack. I'd love it if sims with an advanced knitting skill, maybe 6+, could teach children and older sims to knit. They could sit with them on the couch, on the floor, at a crafting table, wherever and show them how to knit; starting with small crafts before moving to more advanced items with more intricate designs. It would also be great if sims could show toddlers how to knit as well. Even if toddlers won't be able to knit on their own, it would be cute for a child and older sim to sit down with them and show them the ropes of how to knit, with toy knitting needles and the like.
Just spit balling ideas You could maybe bring in with gardening a "wool tree" and then a dye station to dye the wool different colours and then go from there to knitting. Using the computer or a book to find knitting patterns like how to knit socks, how to knit jumpers,hats and scarfs. During colder months the items would provide warmth and in up in the CAS inventory similar to what buying festival shirts are.
Interactive objects
Mentoring
Agreed with the above that lower/mid level skilled Sims should be able to mentor other Sims. The homework animation would be good, but I'd also like to see Sims sitting next to each other with knitting needles being taught that way. The teacher would demonstrate and the student would try to copy the action.
The teacher would convey approval or disapproval and show them how to do it again until the student gets it right. Friendship should definitely increase from this action, but I don't think it should be extremely fast. For instance when a Gym trainer is training your Sim, they become good friends within minutes. That's too fast.
The teacher should be very patient with children and give them encouragement and hugs for a job well done or for not so well done. BUT, if the teacher has a negative trait, for instance mean or hot headed, they should be allowed to get angry or impatient. Just let them act appropriately for their traits. It shouldn't always be a positive experience.
I'm sure there's more I haven't thought of that other Simmers will include, but that's all for now from me. Thank you so much for asking, very much appreciated!
Happy Simming!
I would love to see Sims learn how to knit from the beginning, how Sims drops their knitting needles, or the yarn itself, get's in a knot, those types of fails are real, though it may be annoying to some simmers but to me, it's like that in real life, I dropped my knitting needles so much when I first started and my yarn got tangled up into a knot, those I'd like to see for fails, plus knit for profit-make certain items like bears, pillows for bedding and sofa's and rugs to sell and hanging plant pots from the ceiling or walls
What kind of interactive knitting gameplay objects would you like to see?
Yarn basket? Rocking chair? Craft Table? Something else?
The ability to ''Yarn bomb'' anything and make the street colourful full of knitted trees, a rocking chair as mentioned by ''others'' and a interactive yarn basket with various yarn textures.
We've seen "teaching other Sims to knit" come up a lot. How do you imagine this would work? Are you familiar with our existing "Mentoring" system that let's Sims with high skill levels teach other Sims those skills?
Knitting groups, just like in Discover University, where you pay to sit and learn skills, add knitting skill to that if Sims don't want to learn in a group like environment, they can sit in a ''rabbit hole'' building and learn from the beginning and then once learned the first skill point, then they can form a group themselves and knit and teach other Sims
On the PC where Sims can search for Knitting stuff, knitting groups, knitting social-speak with ''other knitters'' online, gets idea's on the computer, orders knitting needles online and gets sent to them by post,
knitting books to read as skill points, ordering yarn online,
knit for your their cats and dogs, coats for them for winter,
also for freelance career, with using the tablet, have clients wanting Sims to do various odd jobs with knitting, perhaps fix a hole in their blanket or something and the Sim can travel there to ''fix'' odd jobs,
also in the phone interaction where it has ''volunteer'' the Sim can volunteer for a knitting event,
For Island Living pack-conservation career-have the Sim knit a fish basket or knitted fish blanket to capture rubbish and other stuff easier.
In Fashion Career-Design knitted dresses and suits and hats for the sophisticated Sim
In Seasons-Add more knitted winter clothing, mittens, hats, scarves, knitted stockings, knitted boots for all ages
Dine Out-Knitted table cloths and chairs to match, knitted lights-hanging and wall'
Parenthood-Parent Sim can teach their youngest to knit, to pass down that skill so that if that parent passes away, at least their child has the knowledge to continue that skill and perhaps teach others
Cool Kitchen Stuff Pack-Add cafè style knitted curtains to each window, knitted curtains on the door, window door with knitted lace curtains, wash cloths as decorative items, knitted kettles as decorative item
Movie Hangout-have a knitted programme on TV and get a group of Sims to watch it and learn as they knit together
Kids Room SP-knitted toys galore for the kids/teens/toddlers to have, on the activity table-have kids do knitted crafts as a creative skill.
Laundry Day SP-more knitted hampers, folded towels that are knitted and folded clothes that have a bulky jumper folded as decor
Endless idea's really, you could have a hanging knitted art blanket on the wall in various patterns and colours,
Decor idea's-
Bookshelf full of yarn and unreadable books
Bookcase full of yarn and readable books
Open linen cupboard full of knitted bulky jumpers hanging out -for messy Sims
folded ones for neat sims
Knitted fake flowers in a vase
Knitted Christmas Tree non light up
Lots of knitted wall hangings
Pillows for sofa's and beds-unattached, like move them around to various places
Bed blankets unattached to beds, again move them around like Pillows
Knitted lace curtains as mentioned above -to fit ALL window sizes, various curtains, not just 1 style
plants in a pot
Thankyou for doing another community stuff pack for all of us Simmers to help you create an awesome pack, I seriously cannot wait to see what's in this pack and cannot wait to know what you've decided what will go in this pack, anyways Thanks SimGuruSarah and to all the Simguru's that are creating this pack.
Different types of yarn: Wool, acrylic, cotton.
On the computer: watching knitting podcasts, which also increases knitting skill.
Gameplay: Knit alongs, yarn dyeing, having a yarn store.
And I'm all for the things that you mentioned.
> All 3. For me it’s relaxing and a great stress relief, I enjoy seeing someone get something I’ve made and their eyes light up that I went through the trouble of making them something like that. I’ve sold a few items but I really don’t get much pleasure out of that as gifting it.
Agreed.
I've only been knitting for about a year and crocheting for about 6 months, but for all the trouble and time and cost that goes into knitting something, you can't really sell the finished product for what it's worth. That's why knitted or crocheted items I've made are always gifted to special people who I know will appreciate them and look after them for the rest of their lives. The joy people have when they receive something handmade is much more valuable than the price you would have to sell the same item for in order to break even on your time and materials. That's why I'd like to see knitted or crocheted "heirloom items" that can be gifted to the next generation and maybe gain sentimental value over time.
Knitting is very meditative for me and relieves anxiety, so I think Sims should be able to relieve tense moodlets via knitting and gain a zen moodlet of some sort if they've been knitting for a certain length of time. Sims should also be able to knit and watch TV at the same time because every knitter I know does that. Cats should be able to play with yarn balls and tangle yarn and have to be taught to stay out of it via lectures.
An item I would love to see in the game is crocheted plant hangers and some specific plants to go in them, like a spider plant, which is very traditional and I grew up with. Crocheted hacky sacks were super popular when I was in high school and teenagers would play hacky sac with each other all the time. Maybe have hacky sack as a group activity that builds friendship and fitness?
I liked the idea that's been floated about using gardening items to dye wool for yarn. I think that'd be pretty cool. There's not enough uses for fresh produce and flowers, imo.