The minute I saw Kate Young’s “Resist” sweater on Instagram, I knew I wanted to know more about it! Thankfully she agreed to answer some questions about it, the answers to which you can find below.

To see more of Kate’s work, follow her on Instagram, @sewkate!

 

1. What does craftivism mean to you?

I see craftivism as an opportunity to express myself politically in public, and to identify myself as a maker.

2. Why did you decide to make a political sweater and not say a scarf or something smaller?

I knit 27 pussyhats leading up to the Women’s March on Washington. The simple pattern in chunky yarn was quick to knit and gave me a feeling of helping while I was watching the news and making calls to my congressmen. Shortly before the March I started hearing that pink pussyhats were offensive to some people; that the color pink didn’t represent all women, and that many women of color and trans women felt excluded by the hat as a symbol of feminist resistance. I took that criticism seriously. I believe that as creators, we don’t have control of how others perceive our art. Pussyhats made with good intentions were perceived as exclusive, so I wanted my next project to carry a message that was more personal to me and hopefully also resonated with a broader audience. I considered knitting a hat from fingering weight yarn I had on hand, but the fine gauge made for very slow going. I went to my local craft store and chose Wool-Ease for a sweater, because there were large quantities in stock and I liked the color selection.

I was influenced by @sweaterspotter (Anna Maltz) who has been teaching a #wingittopdown yoked sweater class – I liked the idea of choosing color and pattern as I knit. I was also influenced by @knitsonik (Felicity Ford) who translates favorite scenes and landscapes into knitted color-schemes, and has knit a fabulous sweater with a personal message. Like this Missy Elliott sweater.

3. Why one word repeated? And why that word?

The word “resist” had begun a drumbeat in my head. The election introduced a lot of uncertainty into all of our lives. My husband lost his job unexpectedly the day after Thanksgiving, which compounded the uncertainty. We live in Pennsylvania, a swing state that narrowly elected Trump, and I participated in a county recount of Presidential ballots to check whether the paper ballots matched the electronic tally (it did – Hillary won my county fair and square). Our local election for the State House of Representatives also had to be recounted, and the winner had only 25 votes over the opposing candidate.
Seeking a plan for action, I started attending local political meetings. “Resist” was the new battle cry of many fledgling grass-roots organizations. It also has a personal meaning for me in my creativity. I am mostly self-taught, I like to follow patterns, and when I encounter a construction challenge I sometimes get paralyzed by uncertainty. Knitting the word “resist” gave me a sense of purpose in the new political era, and it freed me from perfectionism. I improvised the designs and color changes as I knit, and resisted second guessing myself. The result is a sweater that fits and that I am very proud of. I don’t even notice any mistakes although I remember that I had to knit past some.

 

4. What has the response been?

I have worn the sweater more days than not since I finished it in mid-February. It won’t be long before the weather turns and I’ll have to put it away. Most of the public places I’ve worn it have been political rallies and meetings. It often takes a little time before someone notices the words, and the response has been very positive. I’ve had several offers from folks wanting to buy a resist sweater, but I’m more interested in working for local change. I am organizing a county chapter of the non-partisan group, Fair Districts PA, to end political gerrymandering in my state.

 

5. What is your next craft project? Is it a politically-based one?

If I lived in a place that was cold for most of the year, I might knit a series of sweaters with different words. But since it’s warming up, I am knitting a baby sweater for a friend instead. It’s a cotton sweater with no messages, but it’s small and gives me a sense of accomplishment in an uncertain world.