Crafting the Resistance
One of the most recognizable images from this year’s resistance is the bright pink pussy hat. As a long-time knitter, it was frankly thrilling to see so many people grab a pair of needles and yarn and start knitting. Sure, the hats were unifying (albeit with questionable inclusivity), but what struck a chord with me was the photos of friends before January’s Women’s March gathering together to make their hats. Needlecraft has long been considered women’s work, fluff, unimportant and undervalued, and yet it continues to exist as people rediscover it and create new techniques. If you’ll indulge me, nevertheless, it persists.
For generations, women have gathered to create, from petite personal embroidery to massive quilts sewn by hand and shawls knit by group, each person adding a few rows. And because of this, crafting is inextricably connected to resistance, from women’s suffrage to communicating intel during World War I.
Today, we craft less for survival and more for self-care. Earlier this year, I knit so much for self-care that I ended up with tennis elbow, which in retrospect, was probably not the best choice (but I did get some pretty sweet shawls out of it). And we’re still gathering to craft too. From knitting groups at coffee shops to meetups at Maker labs, we come together to share ideas and create.
So here’s the action item: make something. Invite your friends over to make something too. Get together regularly to keep making things. Don’t get discouraged if the first thing you make isn’t recognizable. Keep going. Keep gathering. Need some inspiration for what to make? Here are a few to get you started.
