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Homework for Academic Writing

Vg Anett

Oct. 14.2013

Proposal

Over the past twent ears!the "nternet f#ndamenta$$ changed ever

aspect of o#r $ives!from high science to the wor$d of crafts. "t made possi%$e

for peop$e aro#nd the wor$d who are interested in the same thing! doing the

same craft! %eing part of the same fandom a$$ aro#nd the wor$d to

comm#nicate! and therefore!to deve$opawho$e s#%c#$t#reswith its their

own s#%&gro#ps! mths! and ce$e%rities.

"n m thesis!" wi$$ start with a %rief histor of knitting! from its

#ncertain %eginningsin ancient 'gpt thro#gh the midd$e ages! the ind#stria$

revo$#tion and wars. " wi$$ fo$$ow with a short $ook foc#sing on what ro$e

crafts! and in partic#$ar!knitting p$aed in on constr#cting and %#i$ding

comm#nities. However!the main part of m thesis wi$$ foc#s on the

perception of the craft and its practitioners in the $ast two decades of the 20 th

cent#r!as we$$ asits radica$ change and shift of eva$#ation in the new

mi$$ennia.

(eing a knitter mse$f! " have )rst&hand e*perience in! and keep %eing

ama+ed %! how the "nternet changed this craft. How it %ecame so eas! on$

taking a few c$icks! to ac,#ire new ski$$s! too$s and materia$s. How eas it is

to read a%o#t advent#res of others!in mai$ing $ists in %$ogs. How -ave$r.com

with its two mi$$ion! and sti$$ growing n#m%er of mem%ers aro#nd the wor$d

%ecame the/ internet phenomenon. How eas it is to get in contact with a

designer! a writer or a fe$$ow knitter.

" p$an to e*p$ore how a wor$d&wide comm#nit formed aro#nd the craft!

how this comm#nit deve$oped into a s#%c#$t#re! and how this s#%c#$t#re

raised its own ce$e%rities! and fandoms. " wi$$ ana$+e its simi$arities and


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dierences with other s#%c#$t#res! thro#gh e*amp$es of we$$&known %$oggers

and podcasters who grew into ce$e%rities.


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"ntrod#ction

wo or three decades ago! if " wanted to $earn a ski$$! " sho#$d have had

to )nd someone! ma%e even far awa!who had the ski$$ ! and trave$ there to

$earn it. "f " wanted to #se a materia$ that was not avai$a%$e $oca$$!"mighthavehad to get a passport! trave$$edwhere it was so$d! and %# %o#ght it

there. "f " wanted to ta$k to peop$e who were interested in the same thing as "

was! $ets sa!a partic#$ar craft!"might havehad to )nd a gro#p in the p$ace

where " $ived. And what i"f " happened to %e stationed in an area!where

no%od cared a%o#t that thing (ad $#ck. " co#$dhavegiven#p! or keptep

doing it a$one. ow!" can do a$$ that from m $iving room. What changed he

"nternet %ecame wide$ avai$a%$e and a signi)cant part of o#r everda $ife.

However! it is not on$ the avai$a%i$it of too$s! materia$s and

information!that which the "nternethaschanged in the $ast few decades.

hro#gh its vario#s ven#es!it made it possi%$e for peop$e to connectand !

deve$op friendships! gro#ps! which over time grew into a who$e s#%c#$t#re.

As knitting is a$read an active vent#re! %eing a part of a s#%c#$t#re is simi$ar

to other s#%c#$t#res in man respect! %#t however! it is a$so dierent

somehow. "n m essa!" am going to $ook into$ook intoknitting as a

s#%c#$t#re5. Wwh knitters $ove their craft! wh the $et it take over their $ife.

W6 wh wo#$d knitters spend so m#ch mone on arn and dedicate so m#ch

time to knit a sweater! when the stores are f#$$ of readmaderead&to&wear

ones. W6 wh it is that more than an craft comm#nit knitters $ove! show o

their achievement! and to ta$k a%o#t their craft. his need to show o and

ta$k $ed to mai$ing $ists! %$ogs and $ater -ave$r! and thro#gh these ven#es!

knitting grew into a s#%c#$t#re itse$f. And"n addition!from a$$ this!ce$e%rities

spr#ng #p. 7ome of them deve$oped a fo$$owingmit5 gro#p! comm#nit

%eca#seoftheir ta$ent in designing6!others are wide$ $istened %eca#seas

the prod#ced professiona$ so#nding podcasts6!and)na$$!others%ecame

we$$&known!%eca#se the write a%o#t knitting with a witt sense of h#mor!


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that makes knitters $ook into themse$ves and %e a%$e to $a#gh at their own

fa#$ts.

at#ra$$! other crafts a$so have their own comm#nit on$ine. he

"nternet made possi%$e for peop$e with a$$ kinds of interest to )nd each otherand e*change ideas. However! $ooking at sites where the disc#ss %eading!

woodworking! or even vegetarian cooking for that matter! what " o%served is

that the connection %etween knitters is stronger than an of those others.

And this connection! this need to fee$ to %e a part of the comm#nit! and the

forces %ehind it! $ike -ave$r.com! made possi%$e for something that started

o#t as a trend to %ecome m#ch more and o#t$ive a$$ e*pectations.


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"n m thesis! among other materia$s! " am going to #se three %ooks to

%ase m disco#rse.

he )rst one wi$$ %e he 8$ose&9nit 8irc$e % 9err Wi$$is! with the

s#%tit$e American 9nitters oda/. he %ook is part of the series on American

7#%c#$t#res! and as s#ch!it takes a $ook$ooksat knitters as a s#%c#$t#re

itse$f. 7tarting with its histor! the #ps and downs of knitting! )na$$ it foc#ses

on how this new reviva$ of knitting came a%o#t. Wh is that in o#r r#shing

wor$d! where everthing is a%o#t cons#merism! fast&food! fast&se*! and fast&

everthing!modern da knitters spend mone and time! sometimes man

do+ens of ho#rs! to create something."n the $ast few chapters!Wi$$isintrod#ces some of the we$$&known knitters! who are we$$ known!so m#ch

the can %e ca$$ed ce$e%rities. At the end! the a#thor predicts a dec$ine in

knittings pop#$arit. However! the %ook was written in 200:! ;#st %efore the

%irth of -ave$r.com! the haven of knitters! which gave ;#st an other

moment#m to the craft to move forward with an even %igger speed.

he second materia$!" am going to take a $ook$ookat!is Henr an 8#$t#res/. "n m

opinion a %ig part of s#%c#$t#res are their ce$e%rities. his is no dierent in

knitting. We$$&known designers! %$oggers! and the fo#nders of -ave$r are

ce$e%rities in their own right. "n his %ook! Hi$$s investigates dierent aspects


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of fan c#$t#res. He writes a%o#t fans am%iva$ent re$ation to cons#merisms!

their icons! their msteries. How fans #se their %od or even geograph to

e*press their $ove for one partic#$ar show. " wi$$ e*p$ore and compare the

same am%iva$ent fee$ings of knitters a%o#t their stance against cons#merism!

whi$e the ac,#ire stash at an a$arming rate. " wi$$ re@ectthathow from

re$ative o%sc#rit!some knitting ce$e%rities to managed to achieve to get an

a$most re$igio#s fo$$owersing! and how these fans e*press their $ove for the

s#%;ect of their $ove.


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What is knitting A series of $oops on a stick!thro#gh which another

series of $oops are can %e p#$$ed thro#gh with the he$p of another stick!

th#sas a res#$tmaking a kind of @e*i%$e fa%ric. How and when knitting

started o one e*act$ knows! its origins shro#ded in mister! %#t most

researchers agree that it is o$der than written histor.1here are two ma;or

reasons wh do we know so $itt$e a%o#t the %eginnings. >irst!

his dearth of information res#$ts in part from the tendenc of

traditiona$ historian to concentrate on doc#menting the acts of peop$e

in power. o one ever knitted his wa to the throne! knitted a $etha$

weapon! or knitted a constit#tion/2

he other reason is that knitted fa%rics were made from nat#ra$ materia$s!$ike $inen! cotton and woo$! and the tend to disintegrate over time.

(#teverthe$ess!historians estimate that % 00 AB thisetechni,#e was an

advanced and accomp$ished art. ?ost te*ti$e historians agree that it pro%a%$

originates from 'gpt.

However! wherever it comes from! we know that knitting was

widespread in '#rope and 'ng$and d#ring the ?idd$e Ages %eca#se the

8atho$ic 8h#rch inventoried $it#rgica$ g$oves/3. "n o#r das! we tend to think

a%o#t knitting as someones ho%%! %#t in fact for h#ndreds of ears peop$e

knitted %eca#se the had to! either to provide c$othing for their fami$! or to

get some kind of income.4hro#gho#t histor! knitting staed with #s!

gaining and $oosing pop#$arit in waves! %#t what is that! even when other

crafts fe$$ o#t of favor! it was capa%$e of making a come%ack! gaining never

1 http5CCwww2.ca.#k.ed#ChesCfcsC>A87H7C8&??(&:30.pdf! accessed 1:ovem%er 2013.

2 Willis, Kerry. The Close Knit Circle.Connecticut: Praeger, 2007, page 5.

3 Wi$$is! page D.

4 Wi$$is! page E.
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/hes/fcs/FACTSHTS/CT-MMB-730.pdfhttp://www2.ca.uky.edu/hes/fcs/FACTSHTS/CT-MMB-730.pdf


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seen pop#$arit! so m#ch that it managed to deve$op its own s#%c#$t#re As

9err Wi$$is sas in her %ook The Closed Knit Circle:

9nitting is more pop#$ar than ever5 he 8raft Farn 8o#nci$ of America

G8F8A! the arn ind#strs trade association estimated in a 2004cons#mer s#rve that one in ever three American women! that is 3

mi$$ion women! know how to knit or crochet. he res#$ts were so

s#rprising to the association! that the %roke their %iennia$ s#rve

tradition and commissioned a narrower s#rve in 200! foc#sing more

on cons#mer trends./

>#rthermore! other statistics show!that there are more knitters than go$fers

in the I7J

! and the ever& growing n#m%er of r-ave$r.com shows! that it is nota cra+e that is going awa antime soon.

here are!of co#rse!practica$ reasons. 9nitting is re$a*ing Gmost of the

time! whi$e keeps the %rain fresh! it he$ps to $earn decode! make sense of a

pattern! #nderstanding math! et it is creative and prod#ctive. (#t ?oreover!

not a$$ this wo#$d not %e eno#gh. 9nitting was a$$ the a%ove and then some!

%ack in the ear$ nineties as we$$! et the craft was wa into its dec$ine. What

changed! so m#ch that t#rning the tide in the $ate nineties the pop#$arit of

knitting did not on$ t#rn #pward! %#t a$most e*p$oded he "nternet. "t

wo#$d %e diKc#$t to overstate the in@#ence the internet had on knitting. A

Loog$e search on the word knitting/in A#g#st 200J! generated a%o#t 3D.4

mi$$ion hits/:

With the arriva$ of the "nternet!a who$e new generation M&teenagers! and

o#ng peop$e in their twenties and thirties&Mthat is % defa#$t interested in

new techno$og fo#nd itse$f faced with an ancient craft. "nformation!

Wi$$is! page 2E.

J =ear$&?c=hee. 7tephanie! The Free Range Knitter: The yarn Harlot Writes Again.9ansas! 7idne! NondonAndrews ?c?ee$ =#%$ishing! 200D. page 122.

: Willis, page 85.


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techni,#es! too$s and materia$ %ecame wide$ and readi$ avai$a%$e! ;#st a

c$ick awa. "t started with mai$ing $ists! where information @owed free$! and

peop$e started connecting to each other! then contin#ed with %$ogs!and $ater

podcasts where individ#a$ knitters ta$ked a%o#t their p#rs#its! and showed

the res#$ts. With these!new techni,#es started to spread5!knitting in the

ro#nd! from the top down! sweaters witho#t the need of sewing seams! or

gives the possi%i$it of tring them on whi$e the were worked on. ?ateria$s

$ike soft non&scratch woo$s! cashmere! hand&ded! even handsp#n arns

co#$d %e had thro#gh 'ts! or '%a! and patterns co#$d %e down$oaded from

vario#s we%&sites. 9nitt.com Gthe )rst on$ine maga+ine! oering free

patterns %ecame pop#$ar! and in $ate 200:!-ave$r.com was fo#nded! and

%ecame the center of the knittingCspinning wor$d a$most overnight.

A$$ this a$$owed to knitters to do more than ;#st sit home and knit. he

co#$d step o#t of the stereotpe6!destro the image of the o$d $ad sitting in

a rocking chair! c$icking awa need$es. Fo#ng peop$e! who % nat#re

fascinated with anthing new! dived in! and #sed the "nternet to its f#$$

advantages. he participated in mai$ing $ists! wrote their %$og!and %ecaome

mem%ers of r-ave$r.com! postingedawa not on$ on its persona$ pages! %#t

a$soin its for#ms. As Henr ace%ook gro#ps not ever mem%er

m#st contri%#te! %#t a$$ m#st %e$ieve the are free to contri%#te! and what

the contri%#te wi$$ %e appropriate$ va$#ed. "n s#ch a wor$d man wi$$ on$

da%%$e! some wi$$ dig deeper! and sti$$ others wi$$ master the ski$$s that are

D


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most va$#ed within the comm#nit/10. his is a%so$#te$ not dierent for

knitters. 7ome wi$$ knit nothing e$se %#t dishc$oths! others vent#re into the

wor$d of hats! and socks! some other tr making sweaters! and et others wi$$

perfect the most comp$icated >air "s$e Gco$orf#$ stranded patterns or $ace

pro;ect. Others wi$$ even design and write #p patterns! and there wi$$ %e

those!who write the most pop#$ar %$ogs and %ooks a%o#t knitting.

Bibliography

Wi$$is! 9err. The Close Knit Circle!8onnectic#t5 =raeger! 200:.

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