Saturday 11 February 2012

Dear Media People

As someone who knits, crochets and spins, it is always pleasing when crafts are featured on your television and radio programmes or in your newspapers and magazine; however, do these features always have to be 'quirky'?  Take this morning's offering on BBC Breakfast.  I didn't manage to catch the whole thing as I was supervising DD2 in her bath at the time, but I've seen the seven minute video that's been put up on YouTube.

I'm sure I'm not alone in sighing at the content.  I'm also certain that the majority of knitters are of the more traditional variety (you know - socks, gloves, hats, scarves that don't look like clown-vomit and sweaters - items you'd actually wear).

Yes, it's lovely to see our craft noted in the media, but would you mind awfully doing a bit more research and interview some of the wonderful designers who offer for sale (and for free) their designs which have been carefully and technically thought out and show off not only their flair for design, but also their technical know-how because designing a garment that people will actually want to make and wear isn't something you can finish in an hour or two.  I'll start you off: Ysolda Teague, Jared Flood, Stephen West, Kate Davies (just four names whose items I've either made or admired and queued on Ravelry - there are many, many more).  How about a feature about independent yarn dyers?

So, come on media people - up your game a bit and give us a bit more than knitted animals and yarn-bombing/guerilla knitting when you decide to do a feature on crafting please.  Such quirkiness only frustrates me and makes people think of knitters as even more weird than they thought we were.

Or am I asking too much?

Regards

Me

3 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness! I so agree with you!! I, by sheer fluke, happened to see that this morning. At least neither of the presenters turned into gimmepigs and demanded free knitwear, although I think she had her eye on that scarf!

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  2. ah so I wasn't the only one who saw it this morning then. Seriously ugly scarf she'd been knitting on air as well, if that's what you're supposed to be aiming for why would people want to learn!

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