Why We Can’t “Just Stick to Knitting”
I freakin’ love knitting, and if you’re reading this blog post, I’m guessing that you do too. Knitting is a huge part of my life. On top of it being a craft that I practice pretty much every day, it is also something that I continually learn about and connect with others about. Knitting is pretty much all I look at on social media. It even impacts my values. But it is important to remember that no one is JUST a knitter. In this blog post, let’s chat about the phrase “just stick to knitting” and why we simply can’t.
Wearing the Anytime Tank design by Camel Knits while looking out over the Montreal skyline. This picture was taken while spending the day showing a friend around the city. A very simple experience to serve as an example that knitting is not ALL I do! :)
What does “just stick to knitting” mean?
“Just stick to knitting” is a response someone might say when they don’t agree with someone else who is sharing an opinion about an issue impacting their lives. Interestingly, it is not usually said when someone shares a non-knitting related thought about, say, the breakfast they had or a fun event they went to. Basically, saying “just stick to knitting” dismisses that people are complex and have other issues, values, and things happening in their lives other than knitting. It also implies that a person’s whole true self is not important.
Being on the receiving end of this response honestly sucks. I’ve received comments like this when talking about queer knitters in the fibers community. I was told that this topic didn’t matter, that it wasn’t relevant and that I shouldn’t be drawing attention to it. Ultimately, I was told by a number of people to just stick to knitting. This phrase also often gets stated when talking about issues like Black Lives Matter and the recent overturn of Roe v. Wade.
Why we can’t “just stick to knitting”
The knitting community is full of artists who are from different backgrounds, who have different experiences, and who appreciate different values. All of those variables shape who we are as people and impact the work we make. These variables also make our community rich, vibrant, and fun. While we can all connect over our shared love of knitting, we are drawn to different people within the community because of their personalities, values, and other interests. Our community would be very dull if the ONLY things we talked about were knitting techniques.
Knitting and fiber arts for social justice
Another important point is that knitting, as well as other fiber arts, has historically served as a way for people, primarily women, to demonstrate activism. Whether in knitting circles talking about issues, making statement pieces to send a message, or hiding secret codes within blankets, people have been using fiber arts to talk about and act on serious issues that don’t have to do with the crafts themselves for hundreds of years.
If you ever feel tempted to tell someone to “just stick to knitting,” don’t.
If you ever feel tempted to tell someone to “just stick to knitting” when they are sharing an opinion you don’t agree with, please don’t. Instead, take a step back. Understand that this person has a different point of view than you, and stating “just stick to knitting” isn’t productive and won’t change their mind. If the difference in your two opinions crosses a boundary for you, you always have the option to unfollow them. If you feel like the person should be held accountable in some way for what they shared, check out this blog post on how to handle delicate situations like that. But no matter what, please don’t say “just stick to knitting.”
Our community is filled with complex people who have whole lives outside of knitting. Let’s respect that and keep this a positive and welcoming space for all. Have you ever heard the phrase “just stick to knitting”? Share your thoughts on this topic in the comments below.