We remember how our grandma loved to knit. She had boxes of socks. That’s all she did—socks. We didn’t ask why socks, but we do remember asking her why she knit every single day. Her answer was that it relaxes her. We didn’t get it then, but now we do see the appeal. So, we were kinda excited to try this little stuff pack that’s supposedly all about knitting. Believe it or not, we got to vote about this one. Back in 2019, EA let the community pick the theme, the art style, and even the icon for The Sims 4: Nifty Knitting Stuff. Should you spend the day making your Sims sit around in rocking chairs knitting beanies? Yes, but, just like real knitting, it’s a very slow, very specific way to play.
What is a Sunday Sims Spotlight?
A weekly article designed to inform The Sims community through a detailed look at expansions and numerous add-ons for the cult simulation game. We inform you about what works best in terms of mechanics and all the things you might encounter for decorating your home.
Beanies, Plopsy, and the Sweater Curse
The whole process starts, as expected, with a yarn basket. After we put it in a Sim’s inventory, we simply clicked a chair and watched them knit. It sounds kind of boring, and it is. And yet, we spent a lot of time just watching our Sim sit there. Nifty Knitting Stuff is more than staring, though. There’s also the progression system. The cool beanies, socks, and sweaters that you make can be worn. They didn’t just give us the sweaters; we knit them in the game and, once the process is done, our Sim family can wear them in their everyday outfits. We loved the whole concept and how the clothing menu got turned into a literal checklist. It’s a fun way and a genuine reason to grind the skill, especially if there’s a baby on the way (those outfits are to die for).
Working on the skill will further unlock the ability to make hanging planters, rugs, and even toys for the adorable rascals.
But, just like our grandma with her socks, we too ended up with way too many beanies. Thankfully, the in-game app Plopsy is exactly like Etsy. It allowed us, for a small fee of course, to list a sweater and then wait a bit. Sometimes it sat in the inventory for days until a random townie made an offer. If we accepted it, we then had to ship it by clicking on the mailbox. Plopsy will not make you a ton of money, but for a slow and realistic side hustle, it felt pretty neat.
Oh, and we simply have to tell you about the Sweater Curse. Say a Sim knits a sweater for their romantic partner and gives it to them as a gift. Yes yes, as cute as it is, it can trigger a curse that rapidly drains their romantic relationship. Some might see it as a cruel little mechanic. We found it funny! If you want to break the curse, you have to grind through the new “Lord/Lady of the Knits” aspiration. Doing so grants the Sacred Knitting Knowledge trait, making the Sim immune to the curse. In addition, it allows you to knit secret items, like a little yarn companion toy and the “Forbidden Sweater.” Of course, we’re not going to explain them—we leave that to you to discover. We just wanted to show you that this pack does have a lot of cool things.
What will you find in The Sims 4: Nifty Knitting Stuff?
Knit away!
Nifty Knitting Stuff has zero crazy drama, but it lays great groundwork for a cozy legacy family where the grandma makes clothes for the kids and sells toys on the internet. In that regard, it works really well. Unlocking the clothes piece by piece was also surprisingly addictive. It’s a nice, small addition to the game that we really recommend. Now, if you’ll excuse us, those beanies are not going to knit and sell themselves.
ID Card
- Developer: Maxis
- Publisher: Electronic Arts
- Platforms: PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox
- Release Date: July 28, 2020
- Genre: Life Simulation
Thank you for reading, see you next Sunday!
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