Fiber Arts for Raging Against the Machine.
Oh look, an audiobook friendly hobby 😏
Lately, engaging in a little craft time feels like a really worthy escape from online life. Knitting is my drug of choice these days, and projects travel with me easily. I can knit in the car at school pick up, or on a park bench with the sun warming my face, or while having coffee. And every moment I spend toiling with my needles feels like a win against the war I constantly wage against my phone. Its siren song is quieted during that time, and I feel rooted in the physical world.
There is a deep satisfaction that comes from seeing a handmade good come into being. Knitting is slow work, and I am a slow knitter. I offered to knit a sweater for my neighbor’s dog and promised to deliver it within “3 to 9 business months.”
A Mayo Clinic study found that knitting lowers a person’s risk of mild cognitive impairment, a precuser to dementia.
It isn’t something we do for instant gratification. But I would encourage crafters to luxuriate in the feeling of Not Scrolling. Every row knit is several minutes not spent enriching tech bros. Every dog sweater given to a friend is a cozy ‘fuck you’ to fast fashion.
“It isn’t something we do for instant gratification. But I would encourage crafters to luxuriate in the feeling of Not Scrolling. Every row knit is several minutes not spent enriching tech bros.”
Quilting
Knitting may not be your jam, but a fiber art of any kind can be great outlet for creative energy. Lately, Kelsey and I are buddy-listening to a podcast called Art Against Empire that examines the intersection between art and activism. An early episode about quilting absolutely lit a fire within me to learn more about this particularly fascinating art form. I was so moved by the work of the Social Justice Sewing Academy, which invites kids to design quilts, which are then finished by volunteers within the organization who may be far away. It’s a very “many hands make a quilt” approach that feels as warm as…well, being under a quilt, probably.
A quilt from the gallery at SJSAcademy.org
Ologies also recently had a great episode about quilting (plus a bonus episode with listener-submitted tips for learning and perfecting the craft!). This episode left me feeling like I should investigate quilting as a hobby.
Affirmation Quilts are a collaborative project between artist spouses. If you see one in the wild, it’ll feature a tag that says you can take it home and treasure it.
Click through for Inspo ↴
There’s a Romance for That
I’m usually listening to an audiobook while crafting, and most of my book recommendations below made their way into my brain via my ears. Whether you do the same, or perhaps prefer the heft of a physical book in your hands, I hope you enjoy these stories. These all feature talented hands putting beauty into the world, and I hope you’ll be inspired to do the same.
Whatever is next for you idle hands, I hope you make something. I hope you make a mess. I hope your phone is in another room, and a record is spinning, or your neighborhood birds are chattering. Mostly, I hope you get to hold something soft, and something sharp, and use them to change the shape of your home, or the world.
