Pattern Scout
Me & Seth: A Tale of Love, Hate, Corrections, and a Sweater Vest
You all know how much I hate knitting tropes like “Not your grandmother’s knitting” and “knitting is the new yoga.” And like everyone, it also drives me nuts how knitting and crochet are constantly mixed up. I wrote about that back in January 2020. Well, recently I had a chance to go to battle defending the good name of knitting.
It all began one summer evening in August of 2021. Actually, it started long before that. Let me begin at the beginning.
I have not watched late night TV regularly since the Letterman days. Back then I was a stage manager and I would get home from work around 11:30 pm. Since changing my life and my working hours, I haven’t really kept up with late night shows. However, through YouTube, I had become a huge fan of Amber Ruffin. I first discovered her in a segment on Late Night with Seth Myers called “Jokes Seth Can’t Tell.” To me, Seth was just the guy that Amber Ruffin worked with.
All that changed during lockdown in March 2020. That’s when all the guys in suits sitting behind desks started to create shows from their own homes with bad lighting, terrible sound, no makeup, no staff, and I loved it. There was something so intimate and adorable about it all. My favorite was Seth Meyers, who I took to calling “the little man in the attic” (he filmed his early pandemic shows from his attic).
Fast forward to March 2021: I became obsessed with an internet-only segment of Late Night with Seth Meyers called “Corrections” that was born out of his viewers tweeting or messaging him corrections. Over the months that followed, the corrections would pour in via comments on the YouTube channel. Seth affectionately dubbed us (the correctors) Jackals. This began a delightful dance of poking us with mistakes, so we’d bite. These mistakes were not made “on accident” (fellow Jackals will pick up on that one). They were meant to keep the joke going.
That’s where the knitting fun began. Allow me to present, a knitting drama in 7 acts. (Complete clips are below, but if you’d like to watch only the knitting parts, they’re here.)
ACT I: August 9
After Seth made a series of mistakes in a segment about knitting, a knitter named Laura Brooks sent a very detailed correction. What really got his attention was the colorful language she used.
He was surprised and commented that it did not fit his stereotype of knitters.
So I posted a one-minute clip on my Instagram with the simple message: “Seth Meyers has clearly never met a f*&^ing knitter.”
knitting starts at 6:15
ACT II: August 23
Then he had to go escalate it by outing me for clipping him and chiding, “Corrections is mean to be seen as a whole.” At the end of the segment, he decided to poke the Jackals again by holding up his note card to reveal on the back “Knit One, Pearl Two, Relax Three.”
knitting starts at 3:29
“Okay,” I thought, “you wanna play?” Well, of course, I clipped him again and posted it on Instagram.
ACT III: September 6
Of COURSE, we took the “pearl” bait, I mean, we are Jackals, that’s our job. This caused Seth to call us the “foul-mouthed (semi true), short-tempered (yes, when you mix up knitting and crochet), incredibly diverse (true) knitting community.”
Game ON.
knitting starts 2:05
I was 2 days away from leaving for my knitting retreat Affiknity, but I had an idea …
ACT IV: September15
While googling “Seth Meyers and Knitting,” I came across an abomination of a photo shoot he did in 2017 for GQ. It showed Seth holding a crocheted blanket with knitting needles stuck straight down into it.
Well, I wasn’t gonna let that one go by without a poke, so I posted this little story on my Instagram.
ACT V: September 17
48 hours later … called out again! You can run, but you can’t hide from your past, mix up knitting and crochet at your peril!
knitting starts 10:50
Before I left for Affiknity, I worked on a little idea for something for Seth in honor of his Emmy nomination for Corrections. However, I knew I didn’t have a minute to knit it—we had about 5 days to turn it around in time. So I sent the yarn and the Emmy image along with the front image (the title card from my favorite misspelled Corrections—Correctshuns) to my pal Brooke Nico since I knew she could knock it out in time. She did an amazing job!
ACT VI: September 17
I recorded a special message in advance of shipping off our gift.
WARNING—language for mature audiences
The Sweater
The lettering on the front is a combination of stranded knitting and intarsia:
The Emmy in embroidery.
And for the (afterthought) secret message on the back: duplicate stitch.
We googled his chest size, which was clearly a lie, but the fact that it’s a bit big on him puts a cherry on the top of the joke.
ACT VII: September 23
I guess he likes it.
knitting at 12:30
Right?
By the way, Seth, we didn’t miss what was on the back of your card.
This story is not over until you learn how to knit.
I just watched this episode last night. Thoroughly entertaining and hilarious. Thanks Patty for an amazing ride.
Enjoying you very much, but I wish you had a more entertauning adversary. Thank you for all the explanations. Always helpful and clear!
Lol. Missed the opportunity to spell his name wrong on the vest though. 😉
Patty PLEASE design an enamel pin for the foul-mouthed knitting community (FMKC!)
Want one…will buy 2!!
Yes!! I’d. Love. One.
That’s a fantastic idea!! Yes please do!!
Total perfection! I love it and I love you Patty!
Oh Patty that’s priceless, what a hoot. Love you, Seth and that sweater!
This is great!! Thank you Patty!!!
I am so late to the game but this is absolutely hilarious!
Thank you Patty! Proof that knitters are clever, funny, multi-talented, creative, courageous and people who have grit. Can’t wait to see you teach Seth to knit. Going to my Twitter and Instagram now
Loved watching Seth speaking about Knitters on his show and then finding out it was YOU!
F%?king awesome!!
Love love love this.
100%!!!
Well executed, Patty!
You missed the fact that he can’t tell a vest from a sweater.
Hysterical!!!
We’ll played!
Ditto
Bravo!
Absolutely fabulous!! You started my morning with a great big smile and laugh out loud!!!
Are you following the news coverage of the knitted quilt that A$AP wore to the Met Gala. It appears to be made of quilted fabrics. No evidence of knitting….
Though it is totally fabulous. And I’ve read about a woman in Pennsylvania who is making fabulous jacket out of quilts.
“Sewed me a sweater” lmao!
Right?! Comedic genius! Keeping the game going!
Yep, maybe more ammo to be used later! Ha!!!
OMG – this is hilarious and I had no idea it was going on! Patty, you kick ass!
Patty, thank you! It’s always a joy to start the day laughing. You’re the best 🙂
What a wonderful early start to my day. Thank you Patty for being the Jackal voice of the knitters. I loved it so!!!
This was fabulous! Yes, I am now a Nana, but I have been knitting since I was a very young girl, knit my way through my degree, endless work meetings, and on and on. And people who mix up knitting and crocheting are usually in for a correction. And the expletives aren’t limited to the mix-ups, but I have been known to throw out a few choice words (not in the presence of grandsons), when something goes wrong with the knitting project! Thanks for a great wake-up this morning!
What an honor to be someone’s nemesis!
Thank you, just what the doctor ordered! Dropped a few stitches laughing.
This is hilarious!
When did knitting become an issue ? WTF ! Knitting has been my creative outlet since 1983 and the one time I asked the local yarn store owner how to show me how to crochet edge on the first sweater I made for my three year old daughter this woman yelled at me about how clumsy I was with a crochet hook ! I have never tried again and took the EZ way of I cord
I hope you never went to that yarn store again. People who teach need to encouraging, not terrifying.
Loved watching this whole “saga” I nfold!
This had me in stitches!
Loved every minute! Especially because before now I only knew a bit of the story from a brief text exchange with my knitting group.
I too LOVE Amber Ruffin. She now has her own show on Peacock. No small feat to be forced to start a show meant to have live studio audience in midst of pandemic and it’s still great – even without the staff chuckling as the audience.
Bonus for Seth, I bet he has lots more viewers thanks to Patty.
F+#king awesome!
I love this so much!
Everything about this is SO GOOD.
hilarious!!! Let me know when the enamel pins are available
I’m so HAPPY to read this article! I had heard about the “conversation” between you and Seth and just did not have the wherewith all to search out the individual sections. Seth Meyers should know better than to “take on” the formidable Patty Lyons! Thanks so much!
Respek, Patty.
Here’s a copy of my Tweet to him:
Hey @sethmeyers @LateNightSeth – joke’s on you: Just wait til you see the size of the knitting needles @Patty_Lyons is gonna make you use when she teaches you to knit…if you’re man enough! And yea, we are a fun-loving, life’s-too-short, hard-partying, risk-taking, wild group!
Hurray! Knitters are a force to be reckoned with! We’ve now gone mainstream thanks to Patty. This is so fantastic, I absolutely love it and will share it around my knitting community. But do call him out on sewing a sweater, please.
Love you, adore this string of interactions with Seth. He is a treat and handled your “needling” quite well. Well played indeed! Thank you for this knitting expose.
spectacular! I love this so much. Going to tweet at him now.
This is so funny! Thanks for the clips! “sewed me a sweater” LOL
So funny!
Loved every moment! Thank you for sharing this whole hysterical ongoing relationship with your little guy in the attic. Especially thank you for representing the knitting community so well!
That’s hilarious! I remember seeing the first part where he read the comment from the sweary knitter, I didn’t know there was an on going interaction!
This made my day!! I’ve been out of the loop (literally haven’t knitted a stitch in months and haven’t been watching much) — Thanks for posting the saga! So much fun!!! Jackals! Yessssss…
Hilarious, Patty! F*&#ing hilarious… Well played and I can’t wait to see you teaching Seth to knit! And to see what you do next. Knit, Purl, MATCH!
One part of the interviews that bothered me is Seth’s references to ‘homemade sweater’. That’s an archaic term for hippy, or elderly pastime hobbies, in some minds. Isn’t ‘handmade sweater’ more appropriate? I know, I know, too picky? I’d be offended if one of my knitted gifts were referred to as ‘homemade’. Truly.
Opps! if this was part of the fun banter – I’m red-faced! Just move on…
I enjoyed reading the Comments as much as I enjoyed watching the videos!!!! Thanks Patty for standing up for all of us…
atta girl. This is wonderful
So awesome!
That was amazing! First time I saw it all. So much fun.
It’s been following along with this. Thanks for the laughs
This is absolutely hilarious! You rock, Patty! Here’s another tidbit for Seth: just read on KP (knittingparadise.com) this morning that Newfoundland has erected a statue honoring …. wait for it … knitters!! Here is the link to the news article https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nonia-100-years-knitting-statue-1.6189671. Enjoy!
I’ve just read and watched the story unfold… Hilarious! This is just sooo good! Thank you! Love a good laugh.
Absolutely awesome, thanks for all of this Patty. Just watched the whole series!
Love this so much….
This is hilarious! Well done my fellow @!#$%@!$ knitter!
Patty – I really enjoyed your “war” with Seth! Thanks!
This is hilarious!! Thank you for sharing the epic battle!
This is THE BEST! Thanks for the Saturday morning laugh out loud!!!
Ready for Act VIII – the difference between a vest and a sweater (geesh!)
Hahaha! Touché Patty!!!
Seth Myers (or is it Meyers, or Mayer’s, or Muiers) should DEFINITELY learn how to sew (or is it crochet, or knit, or weave) a sweater (or is it a jumper, or a vest, or a pullover, or a tank top). 1. Knit. 2. Pearl. 3. Relax.
OMG this is “f-ing” hilarious. Go Patty go!
Fabulously funny
Patty, you are awesome!
Hysterical. “Sewing”? This isn’t over, Seth Myers!
Fantastic finale of Seth wearing his new sweater. But since he’s been planning this for 10 years, does he really think he has it all mapped out as his plan to garner to custom hand knit sweater? All I can say is: Sherry Lewis and Lambchop had Seth Meyers all planned out, many decades in advance.
Now, back into the fray. HOMEMADE sweater!? Will you let him get away with that!
Just. So. Much. Fun. Thank you, Patty!