I used to knit a lot! Knitting was my may past-time. In evening whilst watching television, on the tube and even in the pub (during our knitting group). I would attend knitting shows with the same planning and determination you might have for attending a con. I even started this blog originally to write about my knitting projects.

Knitting Natter

Whilst I never stopped knitting, I certainly cut down, until recently. I don’t know what changed but once again I have been knitting in the evenings. Not only has this help me relax more, it has also it also stops me from using a second screen whilst watching TV.

For a while now, I have been wanting to write more about my knitting on the blog. Recently, most of my posts have more a geeky feel, so writing knitting would technically, be a step away from my normal content. However seeing as the two major knitting projects I have been working on this year, but have a geeky theme, It would make sense to write to about them.

More than that, I love being part of the knitting community. I have made a lot of friends via knitting. We were brought together because of our shared interest in knitting but since then we have discovered we have the same love of food, books and movies. I want to once again write about these experiences.

Whilst I don’t regularly go to attend a knitting group anymore. I do still meet up with friends I made from the knitting community. When we get together we might not all bring our knitting along, but we will find a new interesting place to have lunch. Talk about the latest Marvel or Star Wars movie, our collective love of Hamilton.  And our conversation will always return to what is hot in the knitting world.

Diversity in the Knitting Community

Lack of diversity in the media has been a hot topic since the #SoWhiteOscars. I never really thought about it in the lack of diversity in the knitting community. It wasn’t until I recently read an interesting post by Lady Dye Yarns on Instagram on the topic. It got me thinking about my experiences as an Asian knitter.

Maybe it is because I am based in London a multi-cultural city, but my group of knitting friends has always been pretty diverse. In fact, I remember a conversation at one knitting night, where we discussed we were all immigrants. Being born in the U.K. I was the only second-generation immigrant. Yet if you look online or in knitting publications, it is predominantly white designers or models, not at all a reflection of the knitting community I know.

#diversknitty

The conversation about diversity in the knitting community was started on Instagram. Prompted by the lack of non-white faces that you see when scrolling thru the #knitting hashtag. It lead to the new #diversknitty hashtag to help promote not only knitters of colour but also, knitting designers, indie yarn dyers and companies run by non-white knitters.

Scrolling through the #diversknitty hashtag, I have read some amazing stories and experiences from fellow knitters. Plus I have discovered new patterns like the amazing ZigZag Stole and the beautiful knitted jewellery kits sold by Mahliqa. I have also noticed two major yarn magazines feature women of colour on the cover this month. I Like Crochet and Pom Pom Magazine. It seems the knitting community is finally catching up with the entertainment industry, by not only having the conversation about diversity but also highlighting crafters of colour. I cannot wait to see what more is to come.

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