So a person that none of you will ever meet (I hope) gave me a hard time this week about being a knitter. The gist of her argument was this: women who knit (and I presume crochet) are participating in their own subjugation by continuing the culture of women performing domestic tasks. This person wanted me to understand that as an intelligent, independent woman I have an obligation to spend my free time doing something more challenging and less menial.
Menial? Knitting is menial? And anti-feminist?
Let’s consider all the far, far more mature responses that I could have given her… but didn’t:
- “You’re just jealous because you’re a spastic twit who couldn’t finish knitting a shawl if you had ten lifetimes.”
- “You know I don’t use my breasts, uterus, or second x-chromosome to knit. And if I had a penis I don’t think it would get in the way of my stitching. So how on earth is knitting a womanly activity?”
- “You are so right! But I can’t stop knitting because my overbearing, cruel, and obviously misogynist husband bought me an annual subscription to this yarn-in-a-box service. Every month they send me gorgeous silk/angora/baby alpaca/bamboo yarns. Its a terrible burden but I simply must use it up or live with the guilt of all that wasted money. Isn’t he a bastard?”
- “Que? No habla Ingles.”
- “Shhhh! You are blowing my cover! I only took up knitting so that I can make contact with those pitiful, subjugated, knitter women. Then, once they see me as an ally, I will convince them that knitting is part of the male-privilege-ideology that promotes Freud’s outdated psycho-sexual repression through the use of phallic knitting needles. Now go away.”
- “Well I don’t identify as a woman. I identify as lysigender.” (FYI that is a gender that seems to dissolve and disappear as soon as you attempt to grasp it or figure it out.)
Instead of any of those witty remarks I explained that knitting was not menial, or demeaning, and to disrespected the work and skills done by generations of past (mostly) women was to disrespect their achievements. Or I tried to. After the third time I was interrupted I not-very-politely suggested that she have intercourse with herself. Repeatedly. In a sideways fashion.
Yeah I was mighty pissed off. There is a long standing tradition of so-called feminists that look down on any activity that was traditionally done by (mostly) women. This attitude is nothing new and I shouldn’t let it get to me. But I did. What can I say? It turns out that wanna-be social justice warriors that try to separate me from my knitting are not my favorite people.
Know this: I have these pointy, psycho-sexual, phallic knitting needles and I will defend my work-in-progress if I have to. So back off.
"There is no failure. Only feedback." - Robert Allen
129 Comments on "Back off my knitting"
Way to go Jen!!!!! I to hate when people put us down for this. My ex-husband use to tell me all the time it was a grandma hobby and I looked like a grandma sitting doing it. Funny how it is these people that put us down, are the first to love that afghan, hat, scarf, etc that we make for them…. I will never let anyone put me down again for this craft we so love!!!!
Your comment reminded me of when I first took up knitting. I hid the activity from my husband who poured scorn all over a hobby of his mother.
Poor bastard. He died 2 years after I divorced him because he wasn’t smart enough to take care of himself. I still knit.
Living longer is the best revenge.
And I kind of feel sorry for his mother. But that its another hobby horse of mine: people who don’t respect their own mothers don’t believe in equality for women, not really. I don’t care what they say out loud. The way they treat their mothers shows how they really feel.
I loved my grandmothers, and was fascinated by their skill with all kinds of knitting and sewing. I aspire to be as accomplished. I would take that as a compliment Brenda.
Exactly. Grandmas are often the toughest and most practical people I know.
Good for you! It just stuns me every time that other people would judge a perfectly harmless SOLITARY activity that affects them in no way whatsoever. But the some people can’t help but be judgmental I guess.
Well, as a male knitter you should hear the comments I get! Since this is a family-friendly site I won’t even begin to burden you with those. But, who does that leave that should knit???
You hand in there Rick. I don’t know if you followed Roving C rafters back when our Jenn had a post about Rosie O’Donald but she has always supported Men who craft.
In fact, now that I think about it, it was only after Jenn’s post about Rosie and his crafting that Google acknowledged that this was a real site. Something about football. Some things never change.
Nice one Rick. You are obviously a fine example of a superior sub-division of the male kind, because most men I know could in no way do something as clever as knitting – too clumsy, too impatient, no imagination, only know four colours exist….need i go on??
Rosie is a wonderful guy and his needlework just adds to his awesomeness.
Rosie Grier. Big, tough football player. Remember him doing needlework on Johnny Carson one night when I was a kid. Totally shaped my views on crafting and gender. If Rosie could knit then I, a woman, could use power tools…..and quilt, knit , play basketball, bake and lift weights if I wanted to. And I ended up marring a man who appreciated a woman who could use a chop saw or a sewing machine with equal ease. 🙂
That’s a great story! If people would just chill, out, stop judging, and send time playing with the yarn we’d all be happier I think.
Good point. If women shouldn’t knit because its repressive and men shouldn’t knit because its womanly, who does the knitting?
Franklin Habit (one of my favorite authors) wrote that is gets tired of being asked “what’s it like to be a man who knits?” He responds with “what’s it like to be a woman who drives?” If I were you, I’d steal that line!
Remember one of his early blogs when Franklin was asked on a bus trip if he learned to knit in prison?
Way to go, Jen!!! I truly love what you told her! Do you think she understood what you said?
lol I couldn’t say….
I must have a certain “look” ‘cuz no one has ever said a word to me. ( God help them if they do) 😤
LOL!
Sigh. Whereas I look like Alice in Wonderland, all grown up… and still lost. Yeah I seem to get a lot of wanted advice.
I help my husband on the farm, which means I am sometimes in a huge tractor helping with hay making, or preparing soil for the next crop. Nobody gives me a hard time about knitting. I guess they figure I’ll run over them with my tractor.
gigglesnort. I wonder why they would think that?