Knitting as a feminist project?

SynopsisAs a site of feminist politics, knitting potentially represents a redefinition of a devalued and traditionally domestic feminine craft as empowering and creative. Further, it potentially contributes to the construction of alternative masculinities and femininities and promotes the creation of new feminist communities. However, questions remain about the specific contexts in which knitting represents an intentional political activity. In this article, I examine the possibilities of knitting as a feminist project, drawing on ethnographic research in stitch 'n bitch knitting groups and online knitting communities as well as interviews with knitters. I conclude that the meaning of knitting is context-specific and that the engagement with feminist politics by individual knitters and knitting communities in everyday life is limited.