Knitting for me is revolutionary. It makes me feel like I’m shaking social norms and doing something not everyone does. It also has the added benefit of providing hours where I can’t look at my phone. For a few precious moments I’m not doomscrolling and reading the terrible news that surrounds me. I can focus on a small task to keep me busy; then I look up and I’ve made something before I go back to being vigilant. It’s the perfect sorbet for the 24 hour information grind.

In the not so distant past Ravelry banned Pro-Trump patterns stating, ““We cannot provide a space that is inclusive of all and also allow support for open white supremacy,. Support of the Trump administration is undeniably support for white supremacy.”

Ravelry is where I found the pattern for my most recent sweater, a summer knit along by Poison Grrls the “Joanie” named after my favorite Mad Men character.

This would be my first “reglan” sweater known for its front chest seams and being done all in one piece. This was a source of real anxiety for me as I’m notoriously lazy when it comes to counting the gauge of my work (making a tiny swatch to make sure your tension is the same as the pattern writer) To be honest I was a few stitches off when I tested it but threw caution to the wind and went down to a size medium and hoped for the best.

Knitting has found itself in a renaissance during the Etsy age we live in. A benchmark of the Women’s March in 2017 were homespun “pussy hats.” The birth of our nation relied on knitting as a screw you to the British. In defiance of British taxes, colonists created sewing circles and craft competitions to create tariff free fabric. Suffragists relied highly on sewing circles to disseminate information for their cause.

I nervously fretted away on my little sweater. I was proud of myself for actually counting for once. No small feat let me tell you. I swore off doing such a large pattern after a cocktail: that’s dedication. I then didn’t listen to myself and had to take several rows out. Then there was the unfortunate time I tried to switch to double pointed needles I swore would fit my burgeoning garment. They did not. Tears were shed.

In the end I had a great success and a sweater that fit me perfectly. True it probably cost about the same as going to H&M but I was proud all the same.

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