Radical craft in Get Creative
Do you read Get Creative? It’s the craft mag from Spotlight and it’s got some pretty cool stuff in it. While the magazine is very much targetted around promoting Spotlight products it does have a fantastic local focus and it’s a great way to learn about some of the incredible designers and artists working in Australia and elsewhere.
Each month Get Creative has a special theme and last month the theme was Yarn. And in a moment of awesomeness, they decided to do an article on political craft! You can download a copy of the article here, which includes Lisa Anne Auerbach, me!, Betsy Greer, Cat Mazza and Magda Sayeg.
I also contributed a review of Betsy’s book, ‘Knitting for Good’. The final copy they printed was a bit cut down, but here’s the original review:
Knitting for Good!
By Betsy Greer
Reviewed by Rayna FaheyOne of the wonderful consequences of the resurgence of craft, particularly amongst young people is the rapidly expanding craft sections in our local bookshops. What’s particularly refreshing is the wide range of contemporary pattern books; utilising interesting new materials and genuinely innovative spins on traditional techniques. But while there is plenty of discussion in our craft groups about the benefits of craft, there hasn’t been too many books written on the subject.
Until now.
Knitting for Good is a beautifully written tale of the personal, local an global benefits of craft. While this book still contains patterns, the focus is definitely on the story. And as a non-knitter I can definitely say this book is for anyone who crafts, not just the fans of the clicking needles..
Divided into three sections: “Knitting for Yourself” “Knitting for Your Community” and “Knitting for The World”, Greer takes the reader on a personal journey as a knitter and as an activist. Starting from her own background in the Riot Grrl DiY scene we read how a staunch young feminist embraces a traditional domestic craft in a way that doesn’t betray her political beliefs but rather, enhances it.
A major highlight of the book is the sidebar sections written by various people who have inspired Betsy’s book. The sidebars compliment the text beautifully and truly demonstrate the importance of community within the craft movement. As a last minute addition to the book, the sidebars definitely complete the story.
Next time someone scoffs your crafting, you can proudly raise your chin and declare “I’m saving the world”.
Finally one of the best aspects of the book is the production. With a gorgeous handmade cover the book is filled with lovely illustrations and a nice cottage feel. This book is a perfect read for an overcast Sunday afternoon, with a lovely cup of tea and your latest craft project within arms reach.
G’arn, go buy a copy!
Outdoor Love
One of the blogs I’ve been following for ages is the super groovy Outdoor Knit blog fresh out of Wellington, Aotearoa. So when I knew I was heading that way for a talk I flicked Knitsch an email saying ‘come along!’
It was awesome to make contact and I’m still flicking through the wonderful wee zine I got from her about knitting outdoors. I’m not sure if you can buy it online anywhere, Knitsch?
In our initial chats we were hoping to get out and do some radical craft together. But as it turned out I didn’t have the time or the energy to commit to something that fun 
BUT the Outdoor Knit crew went out regardless and created some nice positive joy for the Bypass Communters of Wellington.
I just adore the idea of spreading some positive messages via fence stitching. In this time of global financial stress it really is all too easy to get depressed and despondent about it all. And some would suggest that the powers that be are all too happy for us to do so..
I hope the people of Wellington do perk up a bit when they see this. And maybe they’ll even be inspired to get out and do something positive in their own community.
As for me, I’m super fired up to do some more work around Melbourne. Anyone keen to join me on a big project, get in touch!
And then! I was strolling down Cuba Street Mall with the whanau and stumbled across the massive knit love tree cozy the Outdoor Knit crew built during the Cuba Street Carnival. And it looks awesome!
I Wish I Could Knit
So I could make these
And they’re super practical as well as being super awesome looking. If you need to knit something for a baby, I totally recommend making these.
The pattern is free and can be found at Chopped Tomatoes.
Friends of the Earth Knitting Circle
(although I’m sure they wouldn’t object to cross stitch)
Stitch For Senate
I thought I’d already written about this but turns out I only thought about writing about it. Confused?
The Stitch For Senate Project is an antiwar craft collaboration underway to coincide with the upcoming US election. Participants will be drawing on the long history of war knitting projects to knit a helmet liner for every US Senator.
Building on the tradition of wartime knitting, a practice as old as the American Revolution, Stitch for Senate revives this cultural trend by engaging with public officials about the war in Iraq. The Stitch for Senate website will compile testimonies from contributing knitters, that express everything from charity, allegiance, patriotism, resistance, and radicalism; using the tradition of political organizing within knitting circles as a space for storytelling, discussion, exchange and protest. Hobbyists knit in solidarity to persuade elected officials to support the troops by bringing them home. All the senators will receive their own helmet liner before the 2008 Senate election, after being displayed in the seating chart of the US Senate at gallery venue. Once they are received, senators can opt to send helmets to a soldier.
And they’re still looking for contributors so if you can knit and you aren’t too fond of the whole war thing, get on board.
The Stitch For Senate project is the brainchild of Cat Mazza who is one of my absolute favourite craftivists. You can check out more of her work and her blog here.
Feminist Craft
Woah so I just did a post about crafty actions and then immediately found two more projects. These ones are more DiY so have a go. They both came from the innaugural Down Under Feminist Carnival at Hoyden About Town – which has some great stuff on it, check it out.
These projects are both from this absolutely fascinating project called Fifty Two Acts. I urge you to have a really good look around this site because not only are there some really clever projects on there. But the awesome Sajbrfem who has put it together has done a fantastic job or articulating her rational behind her processes. It’s something I try hard to do because I also come at my art and craft from an open source/hacktivist basis.
Firstly this gorgeous open source pattern for a boob hat which is a follow on from this discussion
And the best bit is that I recently learned to crochet and I reckon I could actually make one of these. I’m gonna have to start looking out for the right wool on my opshop missions.
The other project that she’s started which I reckon is great is the feminist knitalong project called Knit Club. She’s designed a scarf pattern and is feeding 10 rows of the pattern at a time as blog posts. She used the knitpro app and when you finish the scarf it has a special message for all those who participate.
So she’s up to 18 out of 52 projects. I can not wait to see what else comes out of this. I dare say you’ll see more of it here.
Craft Actions!
It’s weird there was a bit of a lull in craft actions going on around the world and now I’ve heard about three at once. Although only two of them just happened.
We got a nice mention from microrevolt (hi back!) and in the post was the wonderful knitwit crew, who do such ace stuff as
That is pretty chur eh?
And they’re looking for people to contribute to the project, check out their website.
Also I spoke in the 1st episode (I think) of the podcast, about the Wild Earth quilt project. Well, it’s finished!
Here’s some great pictures of all the gorgeous craftiness involved.
The Wild Earth Quilt Project was inspired by our deep feelings for the wild spirit of the Weld Valley in Southern Tasmania, a stunning wilderness valley being rapidly destroyed by industrial clearfelling and woodchipping. In mid-2007 flyers were distributed calling-out for individuals to make quilt patches inspired by their feelings for wild places, wherever that may be.
Patches started trickling in from all around Australia, and then from places all over the world. It has been fascinating being privy to other people’s feelings and ideas about wild places. Cultural and environmental differences greatly influence our perception of what is “wild”; from the swirling depths of the wild Franklin River in Tasmania, to the farm animals of Ireland.
The Wild Earth Quilt was recently exhibited at the annual collaborative exhibition Weld Echo, held in Hobart as a fundraiser for the campaign to protect the Weld Valley.
(The Black Sassy Collective is the artistic arm of the Huon Valley Environment Centre in Southern Tasmania. The HVEC is a grassroots volunteer-run organisation that campaigns for the protection of Tasmania’s threatened native forests, and promotes sustainable living. www.huon.org www.blacksassy.org)
And kind of along the same theme and with some of the same crafters is this action, which went down on World Environment Day.
Giant Environment Minister Peter Garrett visited six ALP offices across Australia on 5th June as community members held a National Day of Action to highlight their critical concerns with the destruction of Tasmania’s old growth forests and the ALP’s continued support for Gunns Ltd.’s proposed pulp mill. Giant Garrett was kept extremely busy on World Environment Day, appearing in Hobart, Melbourne, Canberra, Newcastle, Brisbane and Darwin.
“Today’s National Day of Action has sent a very clear message to Minister Garrett that the ALP’s continued support for the woodchipping and burning of Tasmania’s ancient forests as well as Gunns Ltd.’s forest munching pulp mill is simply unacceptable to the Australian people. The federal government must take immediate action and put a stop to these environmentally criminal acts” said Still Wild Still Threatened spokesperson Ula Majewski.
Yay crafty people!
Big poo, small poo
I loved Kakariki’s post about the knitted poo a while ago, and immediately knew that it would be perfect for one of my friends. She has this amazing bizarre sense of humor and is one of very, very few I know who would use the phrase “my prettiest vomit” as if it’s a perfectly everyday thing to say. (The vomit was blueberry pie in snow, imagine the colour combinations…)
So she got these for her birthday this weekend:
She got one big poo, and one small. The big poo is filled with wheat grains, so if it gets a few minutes in the microwave it’ll be all nice and warm. The small one is stuffed with lavender, perfect for the linen cupboard!
And they’re both so easy to make, basically made of cylinders, with just a little shaping in the ends to get that special poo-feeling.
Iraq I Knit
Well I don’t but Lisa does.
Lisa is also the only person in the world who has ever convinced me I should take up knitting. I’ll get there one day….
These amazing pieces have been made for the 5th Anniversary and they are so so gorgeous.
I would just love to own a jersey aka sweater like that!
While I’m on the topic of Lisa’s stuff I was gonna post about this one the other day but never got to it. This was the tribute knit dress for the Obama campaign
Now THAT makes politics sexy eh?
I reckon it’s time I had a little rant about the primaries ’cause I’ve had a number of people ask me recently what I reckon. I don’t really care who wins the Democrat race (don’t care about the elephants). And I think the whole conversation about what’s more important the first black guy or first white chick is absolute trash. As far as I’m concerned, they may as well be white men ’cause they’re not acting ANY DIFFERENT.
I have never been a fan of equality. I am a fan of liberation. As a feminist I have no desire to be free to be like a man, I want to be free to be a woman. And I assume if I was African American I would have a similar sentiment. Hilary and Obama don’t offer any reform to the fundamental system which oppresses women and people of colour. Quite the opposite if you ask me.
I thoroughly recommend you read this piece from the Indigenest Intelligence Review on the Obama ‘promise’. It is well written and gives brilliant historical context. And it makes me ask the questions about what either candidate is offering to the indigenous people of North America? Do either of them acknowledge that the ‘great’ nation of the United States of America is built on stolen land and fuelled by genocide?
Obama, whom one would expect to have some level of sympathy at least has a campaign tshirt that looks like this
these were part of a series that featured other such moments of genius as “Ghettobama” “Frobama”, “Showbama” and “Unabama”.
This tshirt has demonstrated such a high level of ignorance and disrespect. The Navajo people do not wear headdresses and those people who do only do so in ceremony. So this is insanely offensive. And compounding this is of course is Obama’s complete lack of policy in relation to indigenous people.
If I was American I wouldn’t be very inclined to participate in a presidential election. Despite attempting to be the global voice of freedom, the US has one of the least democratic electoral systems in the world. Electoral reform is a far more worthy campaign to invest energy in, if you’re into voting that is. But if I was gonna vote, it would definitely go to Cynthia. The only true pro peace candidate.
Respec’
Knit, Poo
People who know me know I get really amused by poo. Don’t ask me why. I don’t find farts anywhere near as funny. I’ve even been known to cross stitch a poo or two.
So check how cool this is
But wait there’s more. It’s full of pot pourri! How good is that?
It’s by knitter knitphomaniac. Sorry I can’t find the link to the original post. (props: Whip up).
So speaking of nice smelling things…
I have a wee product I’d like to share with you. I made these a little while ago and I’ve nearly sold them all. I might make some more, not sure yet…
So presenting, the Ninja Wardrobe Scenter!
Lavender-filled
Keep your clothes smelling nice
And protect them from pirates.
I really, like these. They’re heaps of fun to make, although my craft room stinks of lavender. Should I keep making these?
Unfortunately since these are full of lavender I can’t post them overseas so they’re exclusive to the Craft Cartel Market. If you really, really want one, you should be at Section 8 Bar on Monday night!
I have another similar item in the development stage at the mo, stay tuned.
xox