Gatekeeping and Fiber Arts

I recently came across a link to a TikTok video where a gal had captioned it along the lines of, “I learned to knit by watching someone play with ramen.” She had dueted a video where someone was illustrating a cast-on with chopsticks and their ramen. To imitate it, she grabbed some pencils and yarn she had and followed it step by step and was successful in casting on from watching someone do it with ramen! However, the comments were seriously disheartening.

“That’s not how you knit 😭”

“Omg I wrapped yarn around a pencil 🤭🤭🤭”

“'I learned how to knit' *actually only cast on*”

For those who may not be familiar with knitting, casting on is literally the first step in starting a project. In crochet, common ways to start are with a “foundation chain” or “magic circle.” I have known more than one person who has told me, “I learned to crochet, but I couldn’t figure out how to go to the next row, so I just made a really long chain.” If you don’t have someone there to show you or a tutorial video, the next row can be really not only daunting, but impossible!

In a 2010 research paper, it was noted that there was a “resurgence of knitting” in urban areas. With the use of the term “resurgence,” it leads one to believe that there may have been a decline of the practices or even loss of knowledge in the subject.

The negative comments aimed at the young girl in the video could be classified as a form of gatekeeping. The individuals making those comments appear to have a higher level of knowledge of the subject matter, but are being insulting, rather than supporting. According to the Oxford Language Dictionary, “gatekeeping” is the “the activity of controlling, and usually limiting, general access to something.” Knitting, along with needlepoint, used to be staples in young women’s upbringings in the United States. Until recently, fiber arts participants had been relegated to “granny” status. With the advent of social media, these crafts are being seen by many and being applied to pop culture and seeing a renewal in interest as well as spreading the user base. However, the type of shaming as seen above and making fun of someone learning something new has another layer to it that can lead to the disappearance of a discipline and that is seen in the form of detachment. I can’t be the only one who has created distance between myself and something I enjoy because someone made fun of me for it. I see this public shaming of learning something new as a pathway to a dying craft, or, as I’ll get into below, a lack of ownership. While some people are strong enough or interested enough to persevere, not everyone feels the need to defend a hobby and dropping it before it really turns into something that person is proficient at is quite likely.

This attitude has been noticed by industry designers and a former instructor for a major yarn company has recently brought up a point about “ownership” related to gatekeeping:

"As a knitting teacher one of the things that has saddened me over the years is seeing a shift away from knitters who want to take ownership of their craft."

The discussion that commences in the comments also touches my same point here: hostility when someone new is asking about something. This is a form of gatekeeping. I have personally experienced this when I first went to an LYS (Local Yarn Store) and purchased a 3 session card for crocheting. I had a pattern for an amigurumi penguin and I didn’t know how to start. It was my first attempt as a 3D object worked in the round and I was pretty lost. However, when I showed up to the store and asked the few people there about it, one lady did start to help me, but practically grabbed my hook and yarn out of my hands, did the technique for me and rolled her eyes as she handed it back. I was recently out of grad school, living with my parents and definitely did not have money to waste, but I did not go back and redeem the other 2 sessions I had purchased from my card. Had the item not been a specific request from my sister for her first child, I would not have continued.

While the discussion in the post is about asking about yarn substitutions because the recommended yarn isn’t available, the person calls a designer a gatekeeper because they don’t list out all possible substitutions. What the designer does instead is say, “I prepared an FAQ with yarn sub tips, so why don't you pick out 2 or 3 options and come back and let me know what you've narrowed it down to and I'll give you my feedback” This is not gatekeeping, this is providing the information so one can learn on their own. A commenter mentions “feigned helplessness” and that is what the designer is referring to as “ownership.” As a crafter, there are things you might want to create that do not already have patterns written for them or you are completely set on using a specific yarn that certainly is not a proper substitute for the pattern you are working with--what do you do then? You need to do your own research, however, if there are people you meet along the way, trying to be helpful rather than hostile will take you much farther. Knitting and crochet are not competitions. At least, not for the beginner. Even if you are in the hobby to make and sell patterns or make and sell finished objects, snubbing someone is bad for business.

This creates a self-perpetuating cycle of frustration to all involved; a new-to-the-craft member is snubbed when asking for assistance. They become bitter towards people in the” in-groups” of the craft. They begin demanding more information and become hostile individuals themselves. They get bitter and annoyed when someone new to the craft asks a “simple” question. The cycle continues.

You do not have to be everyone’s teacher. But disparaging someone for trying something quirky and new to them is how we lose talent and have dying trades. With technology being so ingrained with our daily lives, many of the handmade arts are falling out of the common knowledge pool and I’d like to bring awareness to some of the contributing factors to that in order to make sure we don’t lose our ability to be partially self-sufficient. I really don’t find garments from low-priced overseas mass-market vendors to be high quality or, many times, even comfortable. I am personally improving myself to curate my own wardrobe and would like to learn from others--but if everyone else has been turned off to the practice, then I’m not going to have people to learn from and I’d hate to leave that as a legacy after my time.