On My Soapbox

Slightly frustrating week. Working on a database for my sister, cut into my knitting time. I’m usually not bothered by the weather, but the rain from Wednesday finally got on my nerves by Friday night. It was like living with a nature sounds tape in continuous loop. I found myself wishing for the silence of snow. I stayed in yesterday. My umbrellas thanked me. 

Vote for the Loopy Ewe
This is cool: Intuit is running a contest to give a small business a chance to place for a Super Bowl advert. The Loopy Ewe has entered. How wonderful it would be to see a yarn store advert amongst the beer, car, computer, and chip adverts.  Vote for the Loopy Ewe here

 

The Helen Skirt Update

Yesterday I finally joined The Helen Skirt in the round. This is really a very nice, well-written pattern.

 

Love Yarn Day
October 11 was International Love Yarn day. I celebrated by taking advantage of Vogue Knitting’s pattern sale. I bought Shirley Paden’s Fitted Jacket, which is the first garment, featured on her website. Speaking of Shirley Paden, she returned to Looped Yarn Works last weekend. I attended the Friday evening workshop where we worked on the rib and smocking stitches using the pattern on the cuff of the Duster pattern on the front of her book, Knitwear Design Workshop. On Saturday, I attended the Lace Knitting class. Just like the takeaways from the Cast-On class in February, I am now confident that my lace knitting will improve as I apply the skills and knowledge gained.

Knit Pro Karbonz

A couple of weeks ago I purchased a Knit Pro Karbonz needle. I have finally found a knitting needle worthy of buying as a set. The needles are light in the hand, the yarn moves easily, and the cable is great.

Knit Edge Magazine—the only knit magazine I buy and read the articles before getting lost in the patterns—had a fascinating article on the origins of From the Mountain yarn company and how the yarn is sourced and providing livelihoods in Afghanistan. As well as an article on the mad vilification of former Australian Prime Minster Julia Guillard for being “a knitter”.

 
Some Thoughts About Knitting
Yes, in most of the West, knitting is seen as “women’s work” and historically, especially in the 19^th century seen as a way for women to “respectably” earn money. Those who are not involved in the craft see it as part of the post 9/11 nesting phenomena or some post-hippie, redefined feminist, anti-commercial, anti-cookie cutter fashion movement. While these arguments may have some validity, I think there is another impetus at work: The Internet.

As I have said in posts before, I have seen my knitting skills improve by leaps and bounds with the advent of blogs, Ravelry, You Tube, and most recently Craftsy. The Internet has removed the barriers to the transmission of skills, creativity, and materials. The resources in a knitter’s community have easily expanded from the knowledge and skills available in the guild, the class, and the local yarn store. Even language is no longer the barrier it once was. Individuals, sometimes without monetary compensation, translate patterns. There are groups and individuals on and off Ravelry supporting those knitting patterns in Japanese. The list of regional knitting techniques and traditions now available on the Internet is legion—Estonian, Peruvian, Turkish, just to name a few.

Why has knitting spread beyond the knitting nana or those with a family history or a chance encounter sparking an enthusiasm with the craft knitting? I argue that it is fun to create. The fun includes the work, meeting the challenge of commitment to completion, learning new skills, being a member of community where skills, achievements, and like in any community, life experience is shared. Knitting is not like building a miniature railroad or cabinetry, it’s an easily portable craft. You can knit on public transport, in the grocery queue, the doctor’s office and even in a darkened movie theatre.

Knitting is not mindless. You need to be able count, add, subtract, divide and multiply your stitches to create patterns and shape a garment. Unlike sewing where you are imposing a form on a fabric, in knitting you are creating and shaping a fabric. Could be why so many knitwear designers in the last 20 years have backgrounds and often graduate degrees in math-dependent sciences.

Lastly, there is the product. Yes, you can invite your family and friends over to view your model railroad, your sideboard etc. But knitting allows you to give: to family, to friends, to complete strangers. Thousands of hats, gaiters, and socks have been knitted for soldiers deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq; hats, prayer shawls and other items for hospital nurseries, cancer patients; hats, scarves, and blankets for the homeless. Fiber craft has been employed at N Street Village to help homeless and abused women earn income, gain self-esteem and entrepreneurial skills and is helping prisoners.

Just think how different the ongoing acrimony over the US government shutdown would be if Boehner needed Obama’s help with the intricacies of entrelac?