Knitting for Good!: A Guide to Creating Personal, Social, and Political Change Stitch by Stitch

by Betsy Greer

Every time we knit, we have the opportunity to create positive change in ourselves, our community, and in the world. That's Betsy Greer's fervent belief, and in this book she shows us how. Betsy explores the ways we can use knitting to slow down in a fast-paced culture, while using the craft to benefit charities in our communities, to advocate for worthwhile causes, and to support individuals and communities across the globe. Filled with insights from knitters and crafters on how they use craft to benefit others, Knitting for Good! will get you thinking about knitting in a whole new way.

To learn more about the author, visit her craftivism.com.

Genres: Knitting, Nonfiction, Crafts, Activism, Politics, Social Justice

228 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 2008

About the author

I'm a craft nerd who wrote Knitting for Good in 2008 and will be coming out with a craftivism anthology, Craftivism The Art of Craft and Activism in the spring of 2014. I've also written essays for books like Extra Ordinary Craft and Contemporary Art and Handmade Nation. I like Lionel Richie's smooth jams, teatime, and the seaside.

Reviews

[Manny]

Not draws my attention to the following socially conscious knitting/crochet patterns, both available from ravelry.com:


Fuck Trump Scarf


Donald Trump Voodoo Pincushion

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I initially borrowed this book from the library, I was under the impression that it was all about knitting charities and how to get involved via knitting. However, I was pleasantly surprised that this was more of a narrative of one woman's journey in life that knitting helped guide.

It does highlight many things I've read about knitting i.e. the meditative state, therapeutic, and a feeling of self-reliance. It was nice reading combined in one personalized narrative. She also highlights knitting and crafting organizations and individuals and how knitting affected their lives.

It also delves in to identity issues that post modern feminists seem to struggle with. In efforts to break free from the domestic chains, we inadvertently shunned every aspect of it despite whether it was good or bad for us. So at points I did think that she does either over-explain or make stretches to attribute things to knitting. Whereas I don't doubt it played an important role in her life, I also felt a bit a skepticism at times when the tone felt more like knitting is THE way in a manner a new convert would enthusiastically with single minded resolve try to convert others.

Aside from that, this is an enjoyable quick read about a woman's journey to find significance in her life or her place in this world. There are some quick references and links to various organizations but by no means comprehensive.

If you are looking for comprehensive guide to avenues of merging knitting and charitable works, you will be disappointed.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend gave me this book over the holidays and it helped me see my crafting impulse in a couple of new ways, which was great. One new perspective is that of crafting as a way to subvert consumerism. If I make my own bag or socks or sweater instead of buying, the result is a totally unique item that I get to take complete ownership of. This helped me understand why so many of the items in the stores are just not quite what I'm looking for.

Betsy Greer also talks about the meditative side of knitting. This part truly spoke to me. I've been known to spend hours on the couch knitting and watching TV in order to clear my mind. Sewing projects begun on a rainy afternoon could last through meals and breaks without me noticing the time at all! Now that there's a baby in my life, the TV is off but the knitting and sewing continue and it helps me find a little bit of peace in all the new madness.

I may never achieve the activism that Greer aims for and describes in her book, but I have started to realize that my crafting might be a worthy undertaking on its own, and not just a silly past time!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting... but not sure whether I would recommend it. she is a feminist and it's interesting how she found a way to say knitting is ok for feminists. Lol I was hoping for something other than what it was more or less about. she is really into activism and using knitting for activism. Where I just want to knit to help people. not make any statements. to each their own though

[Nicole (bookwyrm)]

This seems good for its intentions. It has suggestions on ways to knit for charity, and does a good job of showing many, many ways that crafting can benefit more than the crafter. (And also ways that it *does* benefit the crafter.) However, the yarns suggested for use in items to be donated seem a bit on the pricey side, and since this was a review copy there were lots of typos. I hope the typos will be corrected in the published version, but it did hinder my reading a bit.

[Frankie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As it says in the title, Knitting for Good discusses knitting as a personal, social, and political tool for change. As I told you above, knitting as always been deeply personal to me, so when I picked up the book, I was more interested in the social and the political aspects. For social, this book discussed ideas like knitting for charities or using your knitted goods to sell to fundraise. For political, it discussed how the very act of knitting can be a statement--you're actively going against consumerism by making something with your very hands.

This is a great guide for people who are looking into how they can change their knitting into just crafting into something more. I think for people like me, who already have a deeper connection with crafting, it was just a good reminder for the potential that knitting can have. Not only it is just fun, but you can use your time and crafting skills to change the world stitch by stitch. Whether it's donating hats to shelters, or simply knitting in public talking to others about a shared passion. It doesn't have to be a big change.

I will say from a rating perspective, I think this book could be a little longer and with more details.

[Cathy Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book ranges from Knitting for Yourself to Knitting for Your Community to Knitting for the World. The first section looks at how craft can allow you to express yourself and your creativity and can be used for therapy, as a sort of meditation. The second section looks at knitting both for and with your community, for example, knitting to donate to a local homeless shelter, or going to a nursing home and knitting with residents there. The third section gets more into activism - how consumerism can be combated with making, how craft can be used politically. Each chapter ends with two "Knitting for Good Actions", examples of how the things brought up in that chapter can be enacted, and a pattern.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes me want to be a better person and a better knitter, not necessarily in that order.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

more of a discussion about how to use knitting for activism rather than a book of patterns for activism which I had hoped for but still interesting.

[Sayraphim Lothian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love LOVE this book, when i read it about 10 years ago, it made me want to use my craft for change and set me on my craftivism course... Thanks so much Betsy!

[Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

It adds another dimension to knitting and what is often referred to as "knitting for charity". Something to think about as we ply our needles.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on crafting - specifically, knitting for good causes as well as personal mental health & social and political change

[Wendy Nickel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the knitting patterns that were included. Interesting but political.

[Pen Winton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Older book but great ideas

[Marlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this ARC through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. The subtitle says it all, really.
The book begins with an introduction to knitting (and by inference, other needle and fibre crafts) and it's re-emergence as a popular craft. The concept of knitting (etc.) as a link to one's ancestors is an important concept here.
Personally, I believe that knitting as an activity is inherently good: one is making warm garments or even toys to provide love and warmth to oneself or someone else. And then there is the psychological benefit to the knitter. Knitting is a proven stress reliever (my screams and curses when attempting to follow a difficult pattern notwithstanding).
Greer deals with this to some extent in the first section of the book, also citing the satisfaction of creating a tangible item, and the possibilities of earning a living through this creation.
In subsequent chapters, the focus is on knitting as a communal activity, which is evidenced by the number of recently formed knitting groups all over the world. The idea of knitting as a feminist craft rather than as old-fashioned "women's work" is dominant here.
The last section of the book focusses on knitting as an instrument of good on a global basis: knitting for charities outside one's immediate circle, such as those that send knitted toys to children in third-world countries.
Knitting is, without exaggeration, a respite from grief, war, and cold, as Greer makes clear in this book.
There are patterns included that are suitable for giving or sending to charities, as well as a list of knitting groups and knitting charities.

As this is an Advanced Reader's Copy, I'm hoping that the publisher chose not to print the personal narratives that appear throughout the book in white letters on gray background. It's just too difficult to read!

I didn't sit down with this book and become absorbed in it to the exclusion of everything around me, but that doesn't mean it's not valuable. It's chock-full of ideas and inspirations; perfect for dipping into when you're feeling purposeless or unmotivated.

[Apryl Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice read; I don't have anything to say against it, yet I don't see it changing my world. Greer gives excellent suggestions and enthusiastic support for how we might use our handwork for positive change. Maybe it's just the extreme difference between American volunteerism versus the French complaint that you're taking work away from someone who's paid for it. So please! Pay me to knit all day!! I suppose that 'knitting for the good' in my world would be a happy marriage of social capitalism? I can do far better work than pink pussy caps. Can I please knit for the good by getting my amazing work out there for my own financial support? Just thinking out loud...

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the concept, and I agree with pretty much everything the author says, I'm just not sure it needed a whole book. Or maybe just that the execution wasn't the greatest. Plus, this was really about Crafting for good not Knitting: most of the examples varied greatly in the different types of craft they were talking about. I think they were latching onto the knitting fad with the title.

The basic premise of the book is that you can engender social change in just about everything you do. Just buy buying locally and not supporting businesses that employ slave labor. Buying and selling crafts is more environmental and socially conscious. You can also spread goodwill just by communicating through knitting by someone seeing you knit and being interested even if you don't speak the same language. But that's true of just about anything you could be doing that's remotely creative. If you were sitting on a bus making a sculpture I bet you'd get a couple interested eyes.

I liked the fact that these things were being discussed about a mainstream hobby but I suspect that her identification with Riot Grrrl when she was younger probably would turn a few people off. Plus the book is text text text text text. The patterns are tiny line drawings so it's hard to even discern what they're supposed to be. But don't bother, they're almost all exceedingly boring and/or terrible. (There's this scary lion that looks like it's mouth exploded!) I wish they'd included the pattern for the cool knitted globe on the cover but alas, no.

There are other books out there which talk about knitting for charity (although the very slim chapter in here has some good ideas for knitting *with* people like prisoners, children, and the elderly) but if you're looking for specific how tos as a knitter, this won't be much help.

I laud the author for her efforts and her research but I think this could have been handled much better.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read Betsy Greer's work in the anthology she complied called Craftivism. This earlier work show the origins of her later one. This book is her personal story of coming to knitting and discovering the connections which can be made with it, connections to many people, including a previously difficult to speak with relative, connections to strangers who see her knitting in public, and connections to activism, or craftivism. This personal story shapes the narrative, but does not overwhelm it. The authro has been very proactive in using her knitting to connect to others, and made me think that I should make a few changes around how publicly I knit.

Interspersed within this work are the stories of others, told in their own words about how crafting has connected them more deeply to their community either nearby or to be able to help strangers who they may not meet. There are also knitting patterns which can be used for different works of craftivism/charity knitting. When reading this, I kept thinking about the many knitting groups in public libraries across Australia who knit for Wrap with love and other charities, and the powerful act of craftivism these many people are continuing to do. It was great that this was brought to mind by reading this work.

[Tom M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greer starts her book by describing her own path to knitting and how it helped her see herself as part of a continuing series of women in her family line. Knitting was once a necessary skill, practiced by generations of women to help clothe their families, and reclaiming that craft by choice made a great difference in her life.

She then goes on to describe and suggest ways in which knitting can create community. The act of crafting can bring like-minded people together and offer ways to give of your time and talents to those in need. Greer offers suggestions for volunteering, either individually or as part of a crafting circle, and is very encouraging in her writing.

Greer is also the author of a book titled "Craftivism" and heads the website of the same name. The word is a combination of Craft and Activism. While she slightly distances herself from someone she quotes as stating that 'all actions are political acts' the gist of her writing at least suggests that she believes all crafting is a activism, especially knitting.


The last 1/3 of the book, being somewhat more militant it its approach, was less engaging.

[penny shima glanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This line spoke the most to me, though I wish that it didn't need to be written:
"Textiles gave these women a voice; when they weren't allowed to speak, they could communicate their emotions through color, expressing their hopes and fears and anger stitch by stitch." (p 118 note: this refers to a Advanced Reader's Copy so you page number may vary).

Greer has done a very nice job in intermingling her experiences, the experiences and personal words of others, and how we ourselves can embrace craftivism. She doesn't preach but offers a view and leaves the reader to learn more and make their own choices.

The included knitting patterns are varied in topic and geared toward the beginner. I didn't take note of the recommended yarns, but as I logged in to write this review, I noticed a few others said they are on the pricey side. I'll try to append this review with some substitutions in the near future. If you need assistance /now/ look at the recommended gauge, fibre type, and how the yarn is constructed (2ply, etc) and go from there.

It's a nice easy and quick read.

[Elise Cohen]

"This is a lovely little book for any knitter's library. It jumps around a bit but provides a very pleasant read and a good deal of support and community building.[return]Greer writes of her thoughts on knitting as a personal journey as well as an opportunity for both creativity and activism. Knitters can influence their own personal growth through knitting and particularly though not exclusively through knitting for others. She also profiles a number of other knitters (including bloggers, writers, designers, teachers, activists, and others), with their thoughts on knitting, fiber arts' place in the world, and what knitting means for them personally.[return]The book includes simple patterns for a variety of projects which can be knit for oneself or for donation purposes, including basic survival items like scarves, hats, and blankets; toys and pet beds; and baby clothing.[return]I would recommend this to the thoughtful knitter wanting a supportive volume on knitting's potential for positive personal and community change."

[karenbee · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Knitting for Good!" is a great idea. I've loved the idea of "craftivism" since I first heard it, through Betsy Greer, as a matter of fact. Maybe it's because this isn't a new concept for me, but I found this book to be sort of dry, even though there were personal stories sprinkled throughout the text. It just didn't work for me. Maybe I am not enough of a hardcore knitter.

There are also a few patterns in "Knitting for Good!" but nothing groundbreaking, and nothing I felt like adding to my queue.

All in all: FANTASTIC idea, okay execution, and probably more interesting to people who love reading about knitting or are new to the idea of craftivism.

(My copy was an ARC, and I would give it two-and-a-half stars if goodreads allowed that.)

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Adult nonfiction; knitting/social activism. If you are a knitting fanatic and will eagerly devour anything related to knitting, this is for you. Otherwise, you can skip this book, as it doesn't actually contain much information that you don't already know/can't figure out for yourself. There are a few ideas for making a positive impact with your knitting (knit scarves and hats for the homeless; blankets for animals at the shelter; knit tree and car-antenna cozies to brighten up certain corners of your neighborhood; knitting in public makes other knitters feel good!) There are also a very few knitting patterns included.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book feels important, one I'd like to own, and not for the patterns. It really captures the way I feel about both the act of knitting and the reclaiming of crafting - making our own clothes and other objects in our own ways - as related to feminism, activism, consumerism and personal growth. I grew up in a household of women who never gave up on creating clothing and handwork with pride, but that pride in craft went into the background some with my generation. I like getting it back, and seeing it in my daughter Ruth.

[Jayme · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an 'activist knitters' inspirational companion! I found that just reading this book made me want to pick up my knitting.

The projects sprinkled throughout the pages looked easy and fun. The book provides many ideas for how knitting can benefit others. In other words, if you already have one too many scarves and your family is sick of receiving hats for gifts, there are plenty of ways to channel that creative energy for the greater good.

[Cupcakencorset · Rating 3 out of 5]

What?! I’m allowed to read non-fiction occasionally! Yes, even two in a month’s time. Really. I have it in writing. (Get it?) Besides, this is technically a new year, so my having read the Yarn Harlot’s latest a couple of weeks ago totally doesn’t count. Anyway, it was good to read a book about using knitting to make our world better, up close and afar. I already agree with the principle, so it was self-affirming to see my own beliefs in print and in circulation.

[Polly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn't bring myself to finish this book. The first part is a self-discovery memoir with jumbled quotes randomly inserted. I got tired of reading the same "I'm a feminisist, AND I'm crafty" like the two could not coexist. Her insistence at adding "or whatever craft you do" after talking about knitting really distracted me. I kept this book by my side for weeks, but I could not will myself to finish it.

[Desiree' · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knitting and advocacy radiate cohesion when both are matched together; knitting and advocacy are acknowledged as polar opposites in general conversation. However, when they're combined to take a stand for a cause you believe in, then both knitting and advocacy are a duo worthy of actionable notice. The next time you plan to take a stand, then knit and make a stand for a cause you believe. Ecology is a yarn away.

[C.B. Wentworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're a crafter looking for a greater purpose, this is a great inspirational read to help you find your niche in the craftisvism movement. Betsy Greer tells her own story of how she started knitting, while also sharing stories of other crafters. Her journey as knitting for herself to knitting for charity is moving in that it is an emotional and empowering process. Greer's enthusiasm is infectious and I can't wait to get started in my own journey to become a craftivist.

[Courtney]

I am only 20 pages in but baffled by the continuous references to feminism, Riot Grrl, and related topics. I thought I was reading a book about service and charitable giving... I never thought those things were gender specific. The author's excessive focus on gender changes the entire tone of the book. I hope it improves.