Knit and make a statement
SUR in English
No longer symbolic of lonely drudgery and female subordination, the domestic arts of knitting and sewing have sprung into fashion as celebrities embrace them and 'Stitch 'n Bitch' - or S 'n B - clubs spring up across the globe.In Hollywood, the likes of Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz knit on the set. In Britain, former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and supermodel Kate Moss are among the high-profile champions of the virtues of knitting.
And groups of 'guerrilla knitters' take every opportunity to perform their craft in public places, ranging from Brighton Beach to the London Underground. No longer a necessity, sewing and knitting are now celebrated as feminist and political statements, a reaction to consumerist culture and an affirmation of individuality over mass production and conformity.
"All of the above (reasons)," says Kate Buchanan, 31, organiser of a Stitch 'n Bitch group in Ealing, West London, when asked about the new fashion for knitting. "People like to be creative, they're rediscovering something they loved to do as children...They don't want to wear what everyone else is wearing...I could go on." [more]
Comments