Knittivism: Making a difference through knitting, stitch by stitch

What on earth is knittivism?

“Knittivism” is a compound of “knit” and “activism”. The idea behind it is that, through a hobby like knitting (or crochet), you can help bring about political, social, environmental or cultural change. How does that work? There are many different ways. You don’t need to take your knitting to a demo (although, of course, you can). Sometimes, it’s one small decision that can make a difference. Read about how that might work in this post.

1. Know your options!

Check the brand’s or designer’s website or social media before you shop: do they say anything about their values or how their products are made? If so, do their values align with yours?

Watch out for greenwashing: “sustainability” is a powerful marketing buzzword, but if a brand doesn’t explain what that means in practice or provide evidence to back up its claims, it’s worth taking a closer look.

2. Choose wisely!

Find out who is behind a brand or designer name. Choose to support the people and communities that matter to you – people or groups you feel are deserving of support and/or particularly need it. To help keep the crafting world diverse, you could also make a point of supporting small businesses.

3. Knitting is art!

Make the most of its forms of expression! Stitches can form words and pictures – let your creativity flow! For example, you can use a basic tee or sweater pattern as a starting point and add your message using stranded colourwork or duplicate stitch – my Knit Purl Repeat Sweater or Knit Purl Repeat Tee patterns are particularly well suited to this. There are also a few patterns that already include a message.

My two cents: Personally, I’m not a big fan of knitting patterns that use swear words or insults to make a point about what they’re against – for example, “FCK […]” – especially when the thing being criticised becomes the main message of the finished piece. What if we used our knitting to celebrate the values we stand for instead?

4. Show off!

Once you’ve finished your knitted statement piece, wear it in public! Whether you’re at a demo or doing the grocery shopping, people will see the values you stand for – and your handmade garment might even encourage them to start a conversation.

Advanced level: If you like going to demos, why not knit a placard or banner with your slogan? Or how about some guerrilla knitting?

5. Connect!

Go to knitting meet-ups or start one yourself! Keep them open to everyone, across age groups and communities – even if that means meeting knitters whose values or political views differ from yours. A shared hobby is a wonderful way to connect, and being part of a diverse, tolerant knitting group can encourage people to embrace values such as kindness, respect, mutual appreciation, tolerance and open-mindedness – and carry them into other areas of their lives.

6. Craft for a cause!

Knit or crochet for a charity or community project – for example, by selling handmade items to raise money for a good cause, or by taking part in larger community projects. To find out what’s happening near you, connect with other makers on social media or in real life. Or simply come up with your own project idea and find some allies.

7. Shift the focus!

When we talk about our crafting – on social media, or with friends and family – we tend to focus on things like the colour of the yarn, how soft it is, or the style of the finished garment. But it can be just as interesting to ask: where does my yarn – or the fibres it’s made from – come from? How was it made? Where did I get it? Who was involved in making it? Is there a story behind it?

8. Supporting is free!

Use free ways to support creatives and companies whose values align with yours: like, share and save their social media posts, follow them, leave a comment, give their patterns a heart on Ravelry, subscribe to their channel, visit their website or read their blog. It might seem like a small gesture, but in the highly competitive and unpredictable world of social media, a like can go a long way.

And now?

This list is by no means exhaustive – it’s simply meant to inspire. And if you’d rather just knit in peace without thinking about politics, that’s completely fine and understandable – crafting can be a wonderful escape from all the problems in the world. 

That said, many of the decisions we make through our crafting – starting with the materials we work with – have a political dimension and an impact.