Failure™ Magazine

Author of crochet article a nitwit?

Compiled by Jason Zasky  as part of Letters to the Editor

I found the article about teaching Ugandans how to crochet (The Knit Wits of Krochet Kids) very interesting, but I almost didn’t read it due to the reckless claims in the first paragraph. I completely disagree; crochet (and knitting) are alive and well in the United States. Just look on any magazine stand and you’ll see that crocheting is not only “cool” but very popular. My group of twenty-something friends—women and men—get together monthly to crochet/knit and talk about our projects. There are also vigilante artists who create works of art in the medium, covering street poles, railings, and other functional items with “cozies” that speak about home and society. Handcrafted items are “hot” right now and very mainstream.

I realize that the article isn’t about contemporary art and pop culture movements in the United States, but comments like: “Crocheting is an activity most commonly associated with grandmothers of a long-ago era, a hobby so far removed from the public consciousness that one would be hard-pressed to find an American woman—even an elderly woman—who still picks up a crochet hook now and again” are completely off-base and make the author seem uninformed (which he is). When you start an uplifting article with an uneducated and negative comment like that, it sets up the article in an unflattering light.

Sincerely,
Courtney Foxsparrow