From time to time, Rachel John’s projects resurface in the handknitting community. The responses are usually elation or abject confusion, both of which were exhibited in a Ravelry thread this morning. What’s important for crafters who “knit for pleasure” to remember is that for John, supersized installations are knitting for pleasure. She defines them as handcraft and is actively marketing “Extreme Knitting” as a crafting solution, offering tools and fiber for super fast, instant gratification home and personal furnishings.

In 2006, John knit with 1000 strands of unused fashion yarns and waste yarn that was slated to be destroyed by manufactuers. Using 5 or 6 garter stitches, John created a process piece with the dimensions of a twin mattress. Her feedback to comments included in the video information is particularly illuminating:

The comments on this video have been an insight into how people view things when taken out of context. For instance - should I be knitting blankets for charity? I do much charitable work - I cannot increase the hours on this as I wouldn’t have time to earn the basics for living. I am happy if this stimulates others to find waste and turn it into blankets for needy. Especially as - using my tools - you can make blankets in a twentieth of the time it takes to make one in squares. If you feel there should be more knitting for charity, join your local group, set one up if there isn’t one, and see what you can achieve. You may find a whole new community that brings you joy and a feeling of worthiness. I am one person with the same number of hours in my day as you and they are pretty full already!

This is one of the most diplomatic statements of “this is not for you, and it is OK for you not to understand what I do” that I have ever seen. John’s graceful response illuminates one of the many rifts between craft and art that seems to open in a chasm when spun fibers are “wasted” through use for purposes other than traditional execution of garments and sundries. Evidently, in this case, industrial waste should have been used for charity blankets and baby hats that would take years and thousands of hours to produce, rather than put to immediate use. Yeah.

In other news, the Yarneteria move is complete, however about 98% of the studio items are still in boxes. Arthur Russell (our dress form) is free, as is the umbrella swift, but in general the official Salon de Yarneteria is a trainwreck of half-opened and abandoned boxes that will be resolved this weekend. I knit for the first time in almost three weeks last night and consequently have a sore arm. What am I working on, you ask? The cuff for a pair of dropped crotch trousers!