I am rarely seen without my knitting in my hand. Even as I type this out, I’m taking breaks to knit this scarf/stole/shawl, and I can even say I have knit with everything from cotton to wool and even audio film from broken audio tapes… and that’s why I have a love affair with subversive knitting. I know what you are thinking: subversive knitting?! Yes, just that.
I have long thought that all DIY crafts were subversive, but now I’ve seen Lead Teddy Bears, a knit "Craft Kills" body suit and my favorite, Skull Doilies. These artists have really turned the craft of knitting on its ear.
I have made a few crazy things in my day, but nothing like this. I love the idea of taking a thousand year old craft and making it new and exciting and, might I even say, political again.
I might be sitting here knitting this shawl, but in my heart, I’m thinking of all the ways my knitting can start a revolution.
So don’t just sit there people, grab your pointy sticks, it’s time to cast on!
Badass Knits
Madame Defarge's Art Aint Exactly Your Grandmother's Yarn Work
Trend Themes
1. Subversive Knitting - Opportunities to create disruptive knitting products that challenge conventional knitting norms and values and inspire DIY enthusiasts.
2. Craftivism - Opportunities to create a new market for activism-related knitting products and services that promote social and political change while leveraging traditional knitting techniques.
3. Artisanal Textile Crafts - Opportunities to create niche textile crafting products and services that add value and a unique aesthetic to the textile industry, using a variety of unconventional materials.
Industry Implications
1. Textile Industry - Knitting innovations and new product designs that cater to the shifting tastes and preferences of customers and drive demand for more artisanal-like textile products and services.
2. Craft Industry - Product innovations and DIY crafting workshops for subversive knitting and textiles that appeal to younger, edgier audiences seeking counter-cultural creative outlets.
3. Activism Industry - Activism-focused knitting and textile products for craft-centered political and social movements and advocacy groups, potentially leading to a new category of activism-oriented commodities.