Since I was last here there has been a lot going on in the knitting community; a lot of discussion, a lot of confusion and a huge amount of emotion – all of it centered around racism. There have been a growing number of voices who have had the courage to speak and share personal experiences and who have really fuelled discussions with their raw honesty. They must now be exhausted by the amount of focus that this has brought them – both in dealing with negative comments/abuse and with the volume of people wanting to talk further, ask for advice or to just show support.

If you’re a regular ravelry user or use instagram to follow other knitters or designers then you will no doubt have already come across this on-going exploration of racism in the knitting world. I have nothing insightful to add to the discussion, I am still grappling with my own uncomfortable feelings that a community that I receive warmth, friendship and support from, and am an active part of, can make others feel unwelcome, excluded or persecuted merely on the basis of their skin colour.

I’m not writing here in order to instruct you on your own choices or actions, I have absolutely no credentials on that front, and I’m not writing about this to invite debate or discussion – there are other forums for that, if that is what you wish to take part in. Instead I simply wanted to share some of the resources that I’ve been reading and have been finding helpful with my own thoughts. If the thought that the knitting world is not as cosy and safe and loving to some as it is to others troubles you too, you might want to explore what steps you can personally take to be a part of change. Taking the first step could begin very simply with searching out more information and reading some of the personal accounts with empathy.

When each of us takes an individual step towards making the spaces that we share (whether they be on-line or physical spaces), as welcoming and friendly and representative to everyone who would like to enter them, collectively we will form a more diverse, dynamic and creative community.

So, a few links that I’ve found helpful (and I know these are very limited but lots of you who visit here have previously said that you don’t use instagram, and if you follow the links you’ll find more links…):

Reading Assignments – some background to why this is being talked about now, by Hunter Hammersen

Racism and inclusion in the yarn community, Ravelry

5 initial ways you can be a better ally to people of colour, by Savonne Anderson

Black people do knit article by Jeanette Sloan

POC designers and crafters list by Jeanette Sloan

Resource list by Louiselynda (this is quite comprehensive)

Thanks so much for reading x

(The picture above is an old one, but it seemed apt)

Thanks so much for all of your kind wishes for the New year. I hope that 2019 has been good to you so far and that you’re doing better with any resolutions or plans for the year ahead than I am!

We did have a lovely Christmas with Amy back here. Every time I opened the bathroom cabinet I smiled at the sight of 4 toothbrushes inside rather than 3 and it was nice to have her company curled up on the sofa in the evening and to see her so animated as she talked of her adventures so far. Toby was definitely pleased to see her too, he got very excited and playful when she arrived back and they had lots of lovely tickles and cuddles over the two weeks. She’d lost a bit of weight and arrived here with a stinking cold so I made sure to feed her up in the hope that it will help her immune system function a bit better throughout the next term. And she was so pleased with the new bedroom. It’s not easy to know how someone will react to having their old, familiar comfy space obliterated and I wish I’d taken a picture of her face because it was an image of utterly delighted surprise, which is just what we were hoping for. After 2 weeks she was itching to get back to uni though, which I’m pleased about because it shows how well she has settled in and is enjoying being there, so I dropped her back last Monday and we spent the afternoon looking at some properties so that she can start planning where she’s going to live for her second year. It’s a much more complicated process these days and the contracts are 20 or more pages of legalese, so it has taken most of last week to read through and make a list of questions, which the Uni housing team have been really helpful in answering.

Anyway, after a delayed start I’m hoping to get back to knitting activities this week. I did treat myself to a long lie in yesterday – tea and toast and sock knitting in bed on a Sunday morning is, in my opinion, as good as a holiday and so I’m feeling refreshed and ready to get to work on pattern writing again. I have lots of ideas rattling around my head, so it will be good to get some of them down on paper and free up a bit of brain space. I’m very much looking forward to being able to share them with you.

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The socks pictured are being knitted from Helen Stewart’s Fragment pattern, published in issue 4 of Laine magazine, with Madeline Tosh Twist light yarn in ‘well water’.