According to Grazia, this is the year when grannies get cool. Apparently all the bright young things will be dusting off their jam pans or signing up for pottery classes. Of course, knitting and crochet get a mention – despite the elegant, modern and stylish designs which regularly appear in print – the media insist on perpetuating the myth that crochet is all about 70’s waistcoats, blankets in migraine inducing colour combos and cute toys.
For some of us, crochet (and knitting) have always been cool, enjoyed by young and old, men and women. It really doesn’t matter what the media think, most of us will carry on making and being inspired by the new generation of designers. Our crafts continue to push boundaries, old techniques are re-imagined in modern yarns and colour palettes.
So why is the term “granny craft” often used as a pejorative term? A way to generate humour or to poke fun? The “old ways”, dressmaking, home preserving and growing our own food never went out of fashion, they were never forgotten. It just seemed, that for a little while at least the media preferred to sell us the myth of the new – the ready made, instant gratification lifestyle – and some of them maybe believed that was reality. To fill column inches by writing about the rise “granny crafts” is to miss the point, it’s lazy journalism. I for one am grateful to Franklin Habit, who hit the nail squarely on the head this week in his piece: “A Friendly Three Point Message to Journalists Who Seek to Write About Knitting and Crochet” This absolutely the best thing I’ve read in ages.Sorry Grazia, Grannies have always been cool, the backbone of society. Providing support to their families, inspiring new generations, passing on their wisdom while holding down jobs, running homes, making and mending in all manner of ways. Grannies, like the ubiquitous granny square, have style, the ability to adapt and remain relevant in a changing society – that why we all love our grannies – in every shape and form.
That is a wonderful article, thanks, Tracey, will look for more by him. Happy New Year!
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I love this post. It is weird how the media jump on a bandwagon. Anyone in the know has appreciated the resurgence in crafting that has been going on for years now. TV does a programme on pottery and suddenly it’s cool, when I know lots of ceramicists who have been producing fantastic stuff for years. They always portray gardening as something for ‘old’ people which has always knarked me. Do you think it’s just a British thing because we seem so obsessed with age? 😉
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Oh yes – The British are obsessed with age – but I think it’s also to something to do with this idea that making anything from scratch is unusual. Funny how binge watching box sets (which I’m also guilty of) is considered normal, but spending the same number of hours in the greenhouse or sewing a dress is worthy of a whole article! We are just trend setters @wellywoman! @Sue carrier – thank you, and @gillie, you should definitely seek out Franklin habit’s blog and writing, he is one of my favourites.
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Great article and so true!
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Thank you for the points you make. These ‘past times’ clothed families and kept them warm. I love to see so many young people continuing to work with yarn and thread.
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