{"id":132,"date":"2010-02-24T17:58:07","date_gmt":"2010-02-24T16:58:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.maya-b.com\/?p=132"},"modified":"2010-02-24T18:53:07","modified_gmt":"2010-02-24T17:53:07","slug":"trendy-knitting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maya-b.com\/?p=132","title":{"rendered":"Trendy knitting?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was in the local laundry the other day needing to use one of their huge tumble dryers. As I was waiting for my wash to dry I picked up my knitting thinking I could knit a few rows as I was waiting. This little old man was looking at me and started to giggle to him self. I lifted my head and looked at him. He smiled at me and said, \u201dDo they really still do this?\u201d I was actually a bit surprised and said \u201dUhm…huh…knitting?\u201d He said, \u201dYes, I remember that my Mom used to do this, you must be one of the very few left!\u201d He was still giggling, probably thinking that I was extremely old fashioned. \u201dWhat a strange little old man!\u201d I thought to my self, and didn\u2019t reflect more on our conversation. But the last few days our meeting has come back to me, and it made me think about knitting and it\u2019s new popularity.<\/p>\n

Growing up in the 80\u2019ies my Grandma taught me how to knit. I do remember the concern she had about how knitting knowledge was about to disappear. The 80\u2019ies were definitely the era of consumption, massive consumption. Once I asked a neighbour if she had a darning needle I could borrow cause I\u2019d lost mine. She looked at me with a strange look telling me off with \u201dNo, I don\u2019t have those things, I buy all the clothing we need\u201d. With this consumption, which was considered a natural part of being modern, knowledge about knitting was on its way to disappear completely (together with lots of other constructive women\u2019s art and crafts culture, but that is the topic of another discussion). You were almost depended on some family member, like a mom, aunt or a grandmom to get the opportunity to learn how to knit.
\nIt is definitely a different situation today.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe interest in knitting is about to fade\u201d says Dr Jo Turney in the latest issue of Crafts Magazine<\/a>. The conclusion of the article is that knitting\u2019s mainstream success is \u201dcreating a culture of boredom and indifference. Been there, done that.\u201d Like any other fashion trend it is now on it\u2019s way out into nowhere again. I could not agree less, and let me explain why. Fashion and trends are about the new and getting it. It is about consumption. Knitting is absolutely part of a new \u201dwave\u201d of thinking that has risen and grown tremendously over the last years, but is it trendy? Consumerism as we saw it in the 80\u2019ies has definitely turned to a more moderate way of living, because of the simple fact that it has become clear that our world can\u2019t bear it, it is not sustainable. I don\u2019t see this as a trend but as an act of necessity. Still, luxury to a certain degree is important, being able to treat your self and others is one of the flavours of our existence. There is nothing wrong with wanting something new and beautiful. It is the amount of our ownings and to what extent we let our things define our lives and ourselves that are questionable. Therefore a new consciousness toward ethical and environmental friendly consumption has raised, again I don\u2019t think that this is a trend but an act of necessity. I believe that knowledge about knitting and other constructive \u201ddown-to-earth\u201d crafts has grown as a result of this general change of attitude in our society. Being able to make something useful, like clothing, from scratch, is thought of as useful skills to inhibit not as a rarity anymore. Old crafts and techniques are definitely valued more these days (completely justified and about time if you ask me). Should they still be considered old fashioned in our fast paced world? Absolutely not! One keyword here is availability. As I mentioned, earlier, to be able to learn the skill of knitting you were almost depended on someone to teach you how to do it. This has changed because of the digital revolution we have witnessed and are right in the middle of. Everything is accessible, also knowledge about knitting. The Web is filled with resources on everything: old and new techniques, historically and today\u2019s use of colour, new and old types of fibre, the pond of knowledge is bottomless. Not only can we access all this information, we also have access to each other. I believe that through being able to communicate across geographic boundaries, being able to share different cultural heritage with each other, knitting has renewed itself and is under constantly development. A kind of fibre, a garment or a fancy colour might be trendy, but knitting in it self isn\u2019t, it is part of our society\u2019s evolution.<\/p>\n

So, as you can see I\u2019m having a philosophical moment today, and having bore with me through this long string of thoughts, I do think you deserve a treat. Therefore a contest! (That also is a teaser) Can you figure out what I\u2019ve been knitting on lately? I\u2019m about to sew it up, and I\u2019m almost done writing the pattern, which will be published here on the blog in the very near future. I\u2019ll make a drawing from those of you who can figure it out, and the prize will be one lovely ball of pure MILK fiber<\/a>, which is the yarn used in this project.<\/p>\n

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Her om dagen dro jeg til vaskeriet i nabolaget fordi jeg trengte \u00e5 bruke den store t\u00f8rketrommelen de har der. Mens jeg ventet p\u00e5 at vasken min skulle t\u00f8rke fisket jeg opp strikket\u00f8yet fra veska og tenkte at jeg kunne f\u00e5 unna en runde eller ti n\u00e5r jeg f\u00f8rst satt der. Jeg la merke til at en liten gammel mann kikket p\u00e5 meg og begynte \u00e5 fnise for seg selv. Jeg kikket sp\u00f8rrende tilbake p\u00e5 han, og han sa \u201dGj\u00f8r de fremdeles dette?\u201d Jeg ble litt usikker p\u00e5 hva han mente og svarte \u201dUhm…huh…strikking?\u201d Han sa \u201dJa, jeg husker at mora mi pleide \u00e5 gj\u00f8re det der, du m\u00e5 v\u00e6re en av de aller siste som er igjen!\u201d Han fniste fremdeles og tenkte antakeligvis at jeg var fryktelig gammeldags. \u201dFor en merkelig liten mann!\u201d tenkte jeg for meg selv og ofret ikke samtalen v\u00e5r noe mer oppmerksomhet. De siste dagene har jeg stadig kommet p\u00e5 v\u00e5rt lille m\u00f8te igjen, og det har f\u00e5tt meg til \u00e5 fundere litt over strikkingens nye popularitet. <\/p>\n

Jeg vokste opp p\u00e5 80-tallet og det var min bestemor som l\u00e6rte meg \u00e5 strikke. Jeg husker at hun var bekymret over at det \u00e5 kunne strikke var p\u00e5 vei ut, og hvordan kunnskapen om dette var i ferd med \u00e5 forsvinne. 80-tallet var definitivt storforbrukets tidsalder, og hvilket massivt forbruk. En gang spurte jeg nabodama om hun kunne l\u00e5ne meg en stoppen\u00e5l for jeg hadde mistet min. Hun s\u00e5 p\u00e5 meg med et blikk som om jeg skulle v\u00e6re fra Mars og sa \u201dNei, jeg har ikke s\u00e5nne ting, jeg kj\u00f8per alle kl\u00e6rne v\u00e5re jeg skj\u00f8nner du.\u201d Som et resultat av dette forbruket, som p\u00e5 denne tiden ble sett p\u00e5 som en naturlig del av det \u00e5 v\u00e6re moderne, var kunnskapen om det \u00e5 strikke p\u00e5 vei til \u00e5 forsvinne fullstendig (sammen med en rekke andre kvinnehistoriske kulturelle og kunstneriske uttrykk, men det er et tema for en annen diskusjon). Du var s\u00e5 og si avhengig av \u00e5 kjenne noen som fremdeles strikket, en mor, tante eller bestemor for \u00e5 kunne f\u00e5 muligheten til \u00e5 l\u00e6re deg \u00e5 strikke. Dette har definitivt endret seg.<\/p>\n

\u201dInteressen for strikking er i ferd med \u00e5 avta\u201d sier Dr. Jo Turney i den siste utgaven av Crafts Magazine<\/a>. Artikkelen konkluderer med at strikkingens folkelige (mainstream) suksess \u201dskaper en kjedelig og ensartet kultur. Har allerede sett det, har allerede gjort det.\u201d Som en hvilken som helst moteb\u00f8lge er strikkingen n\u00e5 p\u00e5 vei ut i det store intet igjen. Jeg kunne ikke ha v\u00e6rt mer uenig, og la meg forklare hvorfor. Moter og trender handler om \u201ddet nye\u201d og om erverve seg dette, det dreier seg om forbruk. Strikkingens \u00f8kende popularitet er definitivt en del av en ny \u201db\u00f8lge\u201d som har oppst\u00e5tt og vokst noe enormt i l\u00f8pet av de siste \u00e5rene, men er strikking trendy? Forbruk som vi s\u00e5 det p\u00e5 80-tallet har endret seg i en mer moderat retning, fordi verden er ikke i stand til \u00e5 b\u00e6re belastningen ved massivt storforbruk, det er ikke b\u00e6rekraftig. Jeg ser ikke p\u00e5 denne endringen som en trend, men som en endring av n\u00f8dvendighet. Allikevel, luksus til en viss grad er viktig, \u00e5 v\u00e6re i stand til \u00e5 skjemme bort seg selv og andre er noe av det som gir ekstra smak p\u00e5 tilv\u00e6relsen. Det er ikke noe galt i \u00e5 \u00f8nske seg noe nytt og vakkert. Det er mengden av det vi eier og hvordan vi lar tingene v\u00e5re definere hvem vi er som er d\u00e9t som det b\u00f8r stilles sp\u00f8rsm\u00e5l ved. Derfor ser vi oppblomstringen av en ny bevissthet rettet mot etisk og milj\u00f8vennlig forbruk, igjen, jeg tror ikke dette handler om trend, men en n\u00f8dvendig utvikling. Jeg tror at interessen for strikking og andre konstruktive \u201djordn\u00e6re\u201d h\u00e5ndverk har vokst som et resultat av denne holdningsendringen i samfunnet. Det \u00e5 v\u00e6re i stand til \u00e5 lage noe nyttig, som kl\u00e6r, helt fra grunnen av, blir n\u00e5 sett p\u00e5 som verdifull kunnskap, ikke som en raritet. Gamle h\u00e5ndverksteknikker er mer verdsatt i dag (absolutt p\u00e5 tide sp\u00f8r du meg). Er de allikevel \u00e5 regne som gammeldagse i v\u00e5r moderne verden? Nei det er de ikke! Et n\u00f8kkelord her er tilgjengelighet. Som jeg nevnte tidligere, \u00e5 skulle kunne l\u00e6re seg \u00e5 strikke var tidligere avhengig av at du kjente noen som kunne bringe kunnskapen videre til deg. Dette er ikke lengre tilfellet p\u00e5 grunn av den digitale revolusjonen vi n\u00e5 st\u00e5r midt oppi. Alt er tilgjengelig, ogs\u00e5 kunnskap om strikking. Internettet er fylt med ressurser om alt: gamle og nye teknikker, historisk og samtidig bruk av farger, nye og gamle fibre, kunnskapens hav er ut\u00f8mmelig. Ikke bare har vi tilgang til all informasjon, vi har ogs\u00e5 tilgang p\u00e5 hverandre. Jeg tror at ved \u00e5 v\u00e6re i stand til \u00e5 kommunisere p\u00e5 tvers av geografiske grenser og ved \u00e5 kunne dele hverandres kulturhistoriske bakgrunn s\u00e5 har strikkingen fornyet seg selv og den er under konstant utvikling. En type fiber, en fancy farge, eller et plagg kan v\u00e6re trendy, men ikke strikking i seg selv. Strikking er med p\u00e5 samfunnets utvikling.<\/em> <\/p>\n

S\u00e5, som du skj\u00f8nner s\u00e5 er jeg i det filosofiske hj\u00f8rnet i dag, og siden du har holdt ut den lange tankerekka mi, synes jeg at du fortjener en godbit. Derfor: en konkurranse! Kan du se hva det er jeg strikker p\u00e5 for tiden? Jeg skal akkurat til \u00e5 montere, og jeg er nesten ferdig med \u00e5 skrive ned m\u00f8nsteret som jeg snart skal publisere her p\u00e5 bloggen. Jeg kommer til \u00e5 trekke en vinner blant de av dere som har rett, og vinneren f\u00e5r et n\u00f8ste med deilig pure MILK fiber<\/a>, som er det garnet jeg har brukt i prosjektet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was in the local laundry the other day needing to use one of their huge tumble dryers. As I was waiting for my wash to dry I picked up my knitting thinking I could knit a few rows as I was waiting. This little old man was looking at me and started to giggle […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,141,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-contest","category-design","category-ideology-and-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maya-b.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maya-b.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maya-b.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maya-b.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maya-b.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=132"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.maya-b.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136,"href":"https:\/\/www.maya-b.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132\/revisions\/136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maya-b.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maya-b.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maya-b.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}