How is everyone? I hope well. We are still cold and snowy here in Ohio. Midwestern winters, they do drag on. This week I'm curious to know:
Have you participated in knitalongs? Charity knitting? Art knitting? Gift knitting?
This is my second knitalong - first time hostessing. I love to charity knit. I make afghans for the YWCA family center where my sister works as a youth coordinator. Each one is given to a family who is setting up a new home after a period of homelessness. This is also my first art knitting adventure. I have added knitting elements to artworks but never made an artwork of knitting. As for gift knitting? LOVE IT! When I am working on a gift for someone I sort of meditate and think about our relationship and friendship. I try to imbue warm, happy feelings into each gift and I hope they can sense it when they put on the scarf, mittens, socks, hats, or sweaters. I am trying to do a similar thing with this knitalong - concentrating on my research, on the knitting stories I have read and heard, and what the final project could look like. It's exciting...and a little scary. What is your experience with knitalongs, charity knitting, art knitting, and gift knitting? Which is your favorite? Why?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Sorry I haven't been around to comment much. These flowers are a fun knit! I am looking forward to getting more than my first two done to send!
ReplyDeleteI just recently started to participate in knitalongs. . .I am a bit "anal" about finishing what I start, so having more than one or two projects on teh needles at a time makes me CRAZY! But, I recently joined a sock-a-month (or pair of socks a month) KAL, adn this one, adn so far I am having fun. I like in person KALs better, because you get to see everyone's everything in person!
I have done charity knitting, but will not knit items "for sale" for a charity again. At least not big items. The non-knitting public does not appreciate the worth of hand-knits, generally speaking, so I'd rather knit for those I love. Alternately, for the giveaways (for soldiers in Iraq or babies in need) I'm all for those. It's just that there are never enough hours in the day to do all I would like to do, and that makes me under-volunteer more than overcommit.
I think I like gift knitting best, when I know the knitting will be appreciated. I knit hats and baby sweaters for a couple families I know, and they are very appreciative of the time adn the finished product. But there are people I absolutely refuse to knit for, too.
And art knitting is fun too. But, I like to look at most of my knitting as art. . .start with a pattern, change it a little here and there, end with a one-of-a-kind, no, I probably could never make another one just the same, item!
Wow! That was a lot of words for my first participation. I guess I have lots of words. I guess I have lots of stitches, too. It's neat to stitch together stories in yarn, sharing them with those we love most, and embracing others with our creations. That, in a nutshell, is why I love to knit.
I'm glad I found your project! Stay warm!
Pam
Probably the only thing that I have not participated in is art knitting, although i do design. I started with charity knitting, and still try to contribute my share every month, I did my first KNIT A LONG in 2005 for the Kerry Blue Shawl on About.com, and have taken part in many since. Gift knitting, I do all of the time---Christmas, birthdays, bridal showers, swaps, babies, illness, every occasion and I enjoy it very much I knit an average of 6 hours a day, minimum. I am hopelessly addicted.
ReplyDeleteI've tried a few knit a longs. If it's not a small project, I end up getting distracted & it ends up in the basket. (There's a shawl in there that was a KAL project from about a year ago!)
ReplyDeleteI've not tried any art knitting.
I don't do as much gift knitting. I've made several baby blankets for friends. And a lot of burp cloths & bibs for my nephew. (My sister said she might turn the former into a quilt for him at some point.) But baby items are about as far as I go with that.
I do a lot of charity knitting, and it's my favorite of the three. If you look at my Rav projects, most of those are charity projects. I love the oddball blankets--each knitter adds 3-4 inches & passes it along to the next knitter. I love seeing what yarn/stitch pattern is chosen and how the blankets develop. I've also made some really good friends from working together on projects. Last year, four of us got together to deliver the afghans that the group made for Victory Junction Gang Camp and had a total blast! The friendships are an added bonus. :)
Ellie had technical difficulties. Here is her response via email:
ReplyDelete"Knitting is for fun, not for other people. Sometimes I give knitted goods away. Sometimes I even make them for other people on purpose, as long as I don't have to tell them first. But I won't (can't?) commit to knitting on a schedule (knitalongs), or for a specific purpose (charity), or even commission. It's just not flexible enough, and then some of the fun leaks out.
Also, and here's my feminist ranty bit coming out: I hate charity knitting. I hate the premise of it, I hate the practice of it, I hate the sexism and the classism of it."
I am also going to comment (which I have not done yet) but I have to mention that I am also doing sock a month like Pam and it is crazy satisfying! Unfortunately all the other projects suffer a little.
ReplyDeleteI am also going to ask Ellie to elaborate a little on why she hates charity knitting. I am also asking her via email. I am very interested in her position.
I have not done much of any of these although would love to try. I knit some stuff for a shelter my parents volunteer at so I guess that would be charity knitting but I haven't been involved with any knit alongs or art knitting.
ReplyDeleteSo I have mixed feelings about knitalongs (KAL). I have participated in a few now and this is the only successful one so far. I think the key for my successful KAL participation is to stay away from mystery KAL’s because I haven’t been a fan of the final product of the mystery KAL’s. I have found once I see the final product I am no longer motivated to finish knitting the item. My knitting is very selfishly motivated because it is my escape. When I feel unmotivated to finish knitting something it can become stressful defeating my reason for knitting.
ReplyDeleteThe same can be said for my gift knitting. I have found when I knit an item it becomes clear to me whom to gift the item. I have a very hard time picking yarn and pattern with the specific purpose of gifting. There is a very fine line for me and if in my head I start to feel like I am chained to a project I find I start avoiding the project or start to feel like it is a job rather than a relaxing investment of my time. If you look at my Ravelry project page you will find there are a good number of frogged projects and many of them are because I just didn’t find them relaxing and enjoyable.
I haven’t knitted for charity yet. I plan to knit for charity. I actually started a blanket last fall with the intention of donating it but learned of a friend who is having a very hard time medically and I am going to give it to her and her family instead. I fully intend to knit for charity this year and the years to come.
On behalf of Stefanie:
ReplyDelete"I haven't really done any alongs (unless you count the finish-along we instituted at work at the end of last year). The only thing I've done in the realm of charity knitting is design a sock for a canadian breast cancer charity. i spend about half of my knitting time doing gift knitting, however. i really hate shopping, so i'd much rather find the perfect project for the person i have in mind and knit them up some socks or a warm hat or something i got really ambitious this past xmas and made my parents sweaters....probably wont ever do that again though! gift knitting is definitely my favorite out of all these choices. this is my first participation in the knitting-for-art category."
I have participated in all the groups mentioned in your question.
ReplyDeleteI don't do art projects any more....takes too much time. KALs are okay on occasion but prefer to choose my own project and at my own speed.
I am constantly knitting for gifts or charity. I've recently knit a cap for a friend's bald hubby who gets a very cold head (while sleeping) during the winter. A friend in North Carolina is in the middle of some emotional times so along with my last letter to her, I included a knitted pouch purse for her to put small items in, while carrying around her art tote. I am now knitting spa sets for my two step-daughters. Maybe everyone is just being polite, but they appear to like the kind surprises.
I am so enjoying doing the spa sets, that I plan on including a set with each of my friends' birthday letter/package.
My reason for doing charity knitting.....I want to help while I can. My turn will come when I will need something from someone, so I am doing my best before I can't.
Art knitting? no not really.
ReplyDeleteKAL's - I've done a couple - mystery ones really don't work for me- it's kind of upsetting to spend so much time on something you end up not liking. Also my knitting time often spurts so keeping to the schedule is really tough.
Gift knitting- did a lot for Christmas 07. Ended up being really stressful, and for a lot of people I never really know if they like/use it. And the whole deadline thing was killing me. Since I don't actually wear many knits - I do need recipients. This past holiday I did knit a bunch of things - but decided on a recipient after they were done, and everyone else got store bought.
Charity knitting- I have done chemo caps, premie caps, lapghans for seniors - my current charity knit is Victory Junction Gang Camp afghans. There is a group for them on Ravelry where I have made many great friends. And there is a fun competition based on the driver you root for. Squares are easily portable and as I am more of a process than product knitter it gives me something easy to work on and a good cause to gift it too. I don't really understand how charity knitting is sexist, anti-feminist or classist??
This is my first KAL. I finished my first flower the other night. I have never done "art" knitting before. I like to knit socks and hats for gifts. Especially socks. I usually will knit things for charity donations for silent auctions, but as someone said earlier, non-knitters don't understand how much time and money go in to a project but it is nice to do something I like that will help someone else. And even if it doesn't sell for what it should at least the charity makes something.
ReplyDeleteCharity knitting - no - haven't done that. Artsy knitting - this is my first attempt. Knit-along? I don't really know what that is, but if this counts as that, then it's my first time doing that, too.
ReplyDeleteNo - I knit for myself. It's for my own enjoyment. Knitting *usually* calms me down. It allows me to fidget while being creative. My schedule is always ridiculously busy and were I to start knitting for charity, it would become a chore. Knitting is for relaxing, or making a gift for a loved one or good friend. Everyone on my list received handknit Christmas presents this year. I got to try new yarns, try new patterns, do some fun stuff like checkerboards and stuffed bottles...it was fun. To start working to make x-# of items to donate or quickly do before a craft show...I think that would take the enjoyment out of knitting. Besides - don't you enjoy being able to wear something beautiful that you, yourself have created?
Hmmph. Maybe I'm just selfish that way, but knitting covers me-time. I'd rather volunteer my time on a specific project for those who need it, rather than use up all my relaxing, knitting, me time.
Thanks, Molly, for posting my earlier thoughts. Here's hoping the internet is behaving right now.
ReplyDeleteI hate charity knitting for a whole bunch of reasons, and they're kind of intertwined, so bear with me here...
I hate that I'm expected to donate my time to charity because I am a woman. The expectation is very gendered, and I notice it a lot because I have other, male-dominated or male-normed social activities where the expectation is completely absent. It's not just that I'm expected to donate, it's that I'm expected to a) want to donate and b) have nothing better than my time and/or handicrafts. As a non-knitting example, consider the bake sale as fundraiser. If I want to give $20 instead of making brownies for sale, I'm insufficiently involved / selfish / not woman enough. From a purely monetary standpoint, donating money is a lot easier and more profitable than donating time and goods.
A formal social group of women -- like a stitch-n-bitch, or a sorority, or a Women in Science and Engineering group -- turns to charity, to bettering others, to "giving back" in an eyeblink. We can't just hang out. We have to serve to justify our existence and organization. Male-normed groups don't have that expectation, even for comparable interests and comparable levels of social committment.
If, on a personal level, I don't want to do charity knitting, I am shamed (overtly or covertly), and I probably have to apologize too. This shaming is much worse than for comparable groups of primarily men.
So, I have to *want* to knit for charity because I am a woman, or feel bad about myself if I don't. That's bad enough, but there are classist assumptions in charity knitting that piss me off too. I'll save them for another time.
I haven't had much experience in either knit a longs or art knitting. Both intrigue me, but I think I'd personally do better with ventures into art knitting. I'm not good on time lines and I can be sort of antisocial. I love the current knitting graffiti movement and may have to find a way to participate this year. ;)
ReplyDeleteI've knitted a ton of gifts and, while they can be fun, I'm losing my desire. I've never had gifts ill received, but I'm starting to become more selfish with my knitting. With all the holidays and birthdays I could knit for, I never get to knit for myself. I've decided 2009 is more knitting for me and less gifts. I'll turn to other artisans (etsy!) for unique handmade items.
Charity knitting is something I've done sporadically. It has to be a charity I feel for and agree morally with. I knit squares which were made into blankets during the 2007 San Diego wild fires. Blankets were assembled and hand delivered to each family which lost a home. I also contributed to a blanket which was auctioned off to benefit the local women's shelter. I like working more with very specific individual run charity endeavors. That said, I have a love/hate relationship with charity knitting.
I agree with Ellie's observation on the sexism involved in charity work. However, my very biggest issue with charity knitting is the overall thought that you can cheap out because it's for someone in need. I can't even count the amount of threads I've read on Ravelry where people will act "embarrassed" about owning acrylic/novelty/old/ugly yarns and inevitably someone will tell them "oh just donate it/make items for charity." They may as well just say "well, beggars can't be choosers." I find these comments beyond offensive. Why should we be donating items we wouldn't wear ourselves?? While I understand everyone has different tastes and the items specifically donated to charity typically need to be easy to care for, the whole attitude just reeks of classism to me.
Charity knitting is admirable if done for the right reasons and the few I've helped with made me feel as though maybe I was helping make this world just a teenie bit better.
This is my first knitalong, I have contemplated others on occasion, but would rather do my own work with the time I have. :) I have made art knitting, hats mainly, I am working on making larger pieces. I have knitted cowls for the winter hat drive at the local library, they are quick and satisfying and it is nice to know that I am helping keep someone warm. I try to use the nicest machine washable yarn possible for those projects; just because it's for charity doesn't mean it should be cheap. (I guess I am with the poster above me on that one; I also donate good canned goods when there are food drives as opposed to generic stuff).
ReplyDeleteThis is my first knitalong. I have done some gifting. I made a hat for my boyfriend's mother and I am in the process of about 4 other gifts that I really want to finish, but have trouble finding the time for.
ReplyDeleteI struggle with finding the time to do everything and I hate to disappoint others, so I normally would avoid knit a longs.
I don't believe I actually have joined a knitalong until now and I haven't actually produced my first piece for it. However, I have full intentions to do so. I would love to knit for charity. That is something I am planning on doing in the very near future. Maybe even start my own group. Art knitting I have not done either. My art is in chosing the colors or the different types of yarn for things I already make. It is not something I have delve into yet. Gift knitting is something that I have done and love to do. It is an awesome feeling to share your gift of knitting with someone else. The pride and the love that goes into each piece is worth the expression of excitement that I get when someone opens the present.
ReplyDeleteI have not participated in a knitalong before. I am independent by nature, and group activities are generally not my cup of tea. I prefer to do individual projects, though I do appreciate others’ desire to make knitting a more social activity. I would like to have a community of people to talk to about knitting, but I don’t want to feel that I have to follow along, even if that is not really the way it works.
ReplyDeleteI have not done charity knitting. It seems kind of strange to do that when it takes so long and costs more to produce something handmade. If the recipient doesn’t value the time and effort you put in, then why not donate something else that doesn’t consume your time or cost as much? But then again, I knit slowly and have a long list of things I would like to knit for myself and my friends and family. If I were really fast and having a hard time thinking of things to make, then it might make more sense.
I have knit some gifts, but I am finding that I may want to be more selfish. I started a scarf for my sister, but I like it so much I think I will keep it. Maybe I will make her another later. I have enough yarn for two. Part of me feels guilty for spending the money on yarn for clothing I don’t need, and I feel less guilty if I plan on giving it away. But rationally, I think this is kind of stupid. I like knitting, I’m going to do it, so why not make whatever I want and not worry about who it is for? I definitely don’t want to waste my time making things for people who won’t use them or appreciate them. I know how much work went into a piece, and I will think of it every time I wear it.
I have some ideas for art knitting, something along the lines of toys for grown ups, or alter-ego dolls that represent our fantasies of who we could be. I’ve been making dolls based on Jan Messent’s books, and I think there is a real possibility for taking it into the realm of art.
On behalf of Ingrid:
ReplyDelete"I recently participated in an entrelac knitalong on ravelry because I wanted to try out the technique. I made a headband and it was pretty good fun seeing how everyone else was getting on and swapping tips.
The stitch n bitch group I go to does a once-a-month night knitting cardigans, booties and hats for premature babies. We donate them to the local maternity hospital.
As for art knitting, I did a degree in textile art, and although I didn't do much knitting at the time, I am making up for that now. Quite often I will just diverge from the pattern as it is written and what I make will become a much more fluid item, changed in some way. Often, if it is a garment, it will become ultimately unwearable. But generally I don't mind as it is all about the process for me."
I have done charity knitting. I make afghans for the war veterans for my mom's group. I just participated in my first KAL on Ravelry -making a clapotis scarf. I am working on my second KAL, a pair of wrist warmers.
ReplyDelete