Comments on: Knit that Shit!

By: Dear Tulsa Knit Graffiti-er… « progress on the prairie

Dear Tulsa Knit Graffiti-er… « progress on the prairie — Sun, 23 May 2010 23:57:45 +0000

[...] love for knit graffiti knows no bounds, and you totally made my day feel less like a giant hungover [...]

By: jafabrit

jafabrit — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:43:30 +0000

in reference to latent class messages, I would argue that much of the reality tv showcase excess at its worst. Who is buying all the christmas yard decorations and stuff at wal mart? Who is wasting money on lottery tickets, on slot machines? who buys all the fast food?
If a person has to worry about coats, well then they are poverty level, yes!
From a cultural standpoint and an economic one.
Have any of you lived in a state of poverty? knitting on a pole would have been the least of my concerns on the government housing estate I lived in in the 70′s. If anything yarnbombing would have added a bit cheer. Asparagus was a sign of luxury to me, we couldn’t afford to spend money on poncy food like that. I was reminded of my class by things like that, and how some could afford a telephone, kitchen gadgets,a colour tv, a car, nice clothes, department store make up, skin care products,a pair of tights, new shoes.
My only comforts in life was being able to see art for free in the local museum, finding scraps to knit or sew with, and free reading material at the local library.
I can’t remember ever spending time begrudging others who could afford the things we couldn’t or time they spent on art or crafts.

By: jafagirls

jafagirls — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:57:09 +0000

OOOOOh, I have to share I secret lol! I liked the orange gates, that huge unexpected splash of orange. I like that for the same reason I like knit graffiti, it is the unexpected in public and puts the environment and the material into a new context.
There is a lovely article here
http://www.thisisdiversity.com/articles/all/3736/discovering-timeless-turkish-treasures/
about knitting in turkey in which the author states “Turkish women – whether old or young, homemaker or banker – craft a lot”.

when I first came to America I was astonished at the availability of craft kits (never had those in England) and how much people spent on them. I suspect that many in the USA are not exposed to textile arts and don’t generally have a good understanding of the history and cultural relevance. When you grow up knowing about the Bayeux Tapestry, and see ottoman work going back centuries you can see a skill that goes way beyond anything bought in a kit.

By: spring

spring — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 02:14:59 +0000

jafabrit- I actually never thought about this discussion being particularly American, but I suspect you are on to something… I’m going to have to think about this more. In the meantime, do you know about the group from the UK inspired by Knittaplease? I think they’re called Stitches and Hos?

For now, I’ll just say that I think most fabric or yarn-centered arts and crafts are totally snobbed by most Americans, ESPECIALLY SERIOUS CRITICS LIKE MANY OF MY SMART FEMALE FRIENDS WHO HAVE COMMENTED ON THIS POST. Knitting and embroidery and quilting, to me, are all part of an important, subcultural art history that are only beginning to be discussed and studied and experimented with. I think it is one of the most exciting mediums of contemporary art (fuck performance art and video installations and painting with feces!) and by no means “over”. And by no means messy or trashy or wasteful- have you seen the giant orange “gates” that were strung through Central PArk by high-brow artists Christo and Jean-Claude? UGH!:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gates
Or have you looked into how much is wasted and trashed on a typical film shoot? UGH AGAIN!:
http://musings-cafe.blogspot.com/2009/11/greening-up-film-set.html

By: jafabrit

jafabrit — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:21:08 +0000

I have to profess I am totally confused about Courtney’s comment regarding “racial overtone” AND the social class thing? Is this just an AMerican view of crafts? Knitting has always been and still is around the world an easily accessible skill and one that all strata of society do.
Most of the working class women I knew on the housing estate I grew up in England knitted or embroidered at night OR they knitted on their lunch breaks, or while waiting in the doctors office, or while waiting for the dinner to cook?

By: beamish

beamish — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:23:27 +0000

i’m with kbee on the potential trashiness/ litteriness/ clutteriness of old yarnbombs. hopefully it’s a general rule to clean up later what looks cool now… or maybe it transitions to a different artistic message as it ages… or maybe it gets gathered up and removed by custodians… but who are those people?

as for kate’s economic critique, i agree that yarnbombing is cute and fun but carries with it latent class messages–like you must have some kind of leisure time to knit and/or crochet extensively and you must have the funds or the resources to acquire the needed yarn AND you and your loved ones must not be in immediate need of winter clothing (otherwise you’d be more likely to knit/crochet for yourself or others).

not that i don’t totally want to crochet little sweaters for the trees outside my windows (because i think anthropomorphizing is adorable), but … can i also say that maybe i am over yarnbombing? i saw pics from brooklyn a few years ago that included a tree with a little sweater on, and i thought it was super entertaining then… now, perhaps not so much? or maybe i mean that that is why i am inclined now to not be the hugest fan ever and to see the downsides (wasteful) moreso or at least in addition to the upsides (graffiti is generally awesome).

By: Courtney

Courtney — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:25:47 +0000

I love this post, the discussion, and the art here. I’ve been sitting on this for days–I kinda have a problem with the racial overtone of the name of the group “Knitta Please.” Personally, I don’t really have a problem with the class tensions. I just wasn’t sure who was doing the naming (white women? I thought about white women just because those are most of the knitters I know. Because those are most of the people I know. Because I am a white woman?) and who had the “right” (so to speak, but wrong word) to exchange a racial slur for a non-racial term.

It unsettled me, and it still does. Even while at the same time I can see the humor and a fascination with the slippery-ness of identity politics. Fascinating!

By: spring

spring — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:02:00 +0000

thanks, melody. xoxo!

By: jafabrit

jafabrit — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:14:33 +0000

KBee, perhaps this article can explain:
http://www.thisisdiversity.com/articles/all/3621/sour-grapes-about-yarnbombing/

Many of our pieces of yarnbombing are removed and parts saved and recylced for other projects like the traveling storybox or for charity.

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:07:44 +0000

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