Preview the Issue: Interweave Knits Spring 2017
In a complex and often conflicted world, knitters are lucky—we have a craft that binds us together, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, politics, and gender. We have a common interest that brings out the better angels of our nature [1]. As knitters, we have an opportunity to reach across social barriers and discover the extraordinary similarities in our ordinary human experiences. Whether it involves participating in a Sit and Knit group or simply being open when someone approaches you in a coffee shop with interest in your knitting, you have endless opportunities to reach out to someone on neutral ground and to find beauty in unexpected places.
And in expected places as well. In this issue of Interweave Knits, we share beauty and adventure with you. In Ship to Shore, we have gone to sea to feature nautical knits, classic ganseys, and updated interpretations of traditional cables and textured motifs. We continue the explorers theme with The Last Safari, which evokes the colors of eastern Africa and nods to the prose of Ernest Hemingway and Karen Blixen.
In this new issue, Sarah Solomon takes us on a journey to South America and inside the co-ops of Manos Del Uruguay, whose fair trade practices and enfranchisement of rural women began long before they were cool things to do. And Louisa Demmitt takes us into the pages of Taproot magazine, where, along with articles, stories, and recipes to fortify your head, hands, and heart, she has found The Journal Cowl by Beatrice Perron Dahlen.
With this issue, I invite you to explore your own imagination as well as the community of knitters around you. We are a diverse family. In partnership with The National Needle Arts Association (TNNA), Hart Business Research studied the crafting habits of the general American populace in 2016, and the results are fascinating:
13 percent of Hispanic Americans, 10 percent of African Americans, and 8 percent of white Americans knitted in the last year. In addition, 14 percent of millennials, compared to 7 percent of baby boomers, knitted during the past year, as well as 5 percent of American men. These statistics show the richness of our knitting family, and we’re thrilled to see the younger generations take to the craft in such numbers. Will you hold out your hand and find fellowship with each other? Can we grow our vibrant family and explore the richness of our craft together in this new year?
Peace & unity,
[1] This quote is the closing remark to Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural speech, held March 4, 1861.
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