I’ve seen quite a bit of content about how knitting has been used in resistance, to send secret messages, etc., but what stands out to me in this time is just how vital community is, and how knitting creates instant community.
Two of my very best friends are people that I met because of knitting. They remain vital parts of my life, and one of them is the reason why I have kiddo.
Knitting has made meeting new people easier through finding a crew to craft with. I’m currently a member of an anticapitalist group of crafting folks. We share resources and information beyond patterns and yarn; one member has offered legal advice to my partner, I’ve received donations for the knitting class that I’ll be teaching, and we have a mutual aid channel on the discord. We are there for each other and there for the community in ways that I have not seen in other circles, including an early life full of church-going. It’s far better than church.
One of my goals this year is to grow community through craft, making, mending, growing, and building – anolog, physical, in-person – I want to know who is around me, I want to say “hi” as I bike, walk, or drive through the neighborhood. I want to know the skills and resources of trusted folks in my community so that we can all help each other as needed.
The knitting community I have here is part of that. Teaching knitting, I hope, will help me to expand that to more folks.
While I’ve been moving away from social media, I’ve kept my knitting account active. And there, I follow local mutual aid and community groups. It keeps me connected to what is here and now, what I can be part of in the physical.
It is through community that we stay grounded. It’s where we see humanity in action. It’s where we can vision something other than what we were born into, where we grow our understanding of what is needed and what is superfulous. It’s where we understant abundance beyond our personal bank accounts, pantries, and closets.
So, crafters can be radical and send secret messages and all that, but what is more radical than sharing resources? What is resistance if not chosing togetherness over devision and creating the world we want in real time and space? Not to mention, chosing something tactile over the digital landscape?
Here’s to you, chosing to touch grass and/or yarn. I hope you find in-person community that feeds your soul if you haven’t already.
Stephanie
Leave a Reply