I love to knit!. It has been a constant in my life since the age of 10. As some of you may know, I have been reinventing myself over the past two years and my love of knitting has been instrumental in that reinvention. I have been fortunate to use my love of all things knitting to create an online boutique.
I have been asked, by several well meaning people, why are you focusing on that, don't you think that it's time you get a "real job". "Don't you need to be getting into some sort of training program where you can learn some new technology skills, why are you wasting your time with all that knitting stuff?"
I have been looking for a job and I'm sure you can understand that I was a bit insulted and perplexed at the sheer "nerve" of this line of questioning, but each time I took about 50 deep breaths and responded as follows:
"Because I love to knit and wanted to develop new skill sets and explore my entrepreneurial curiosity, in setting up my E-boutiques, I have self-taught myself, about blogging, social networking, posts, taking pictures to post on the web and a new vocabulary relating to technology." I also added, "With our economy in the process of reinvention, I need to make sure that I have a way to be as independent, as possible and my boutiques are helping to make that possible."
One of the questioners mulled over my answer and came up with the following...."Well that may be all well and good, but you still need a real job! You went to school, why are you wasting your degree with all this crafty stuff? You need to be out there learning about real technology, setting an example for our youth about the importance of learning about math and science. You know your degree is in Home Economics, and that is already a strike against you, in this day and time, considering your age?"
Once again, several deep breaths ensued and this was my response:
"Home Economics majors took Organic Chemistry to learn about the basis of carbon chains, so we could differentiate between natural fibers and synthetic fibers, how they are best used in fiber arts. Why do you think all those polyester leisure suits were so hot or why you never dropped a cigarette on them.... Polyester forms a molten ball, it doesn't catch fire, it just melts, and you would get a severe burn. We also used our organic chemistry knowledge to determine the chemical reactions of various recipe ingredients and how they react with each other. There's a reason you use baking soda, eggs and baking powder in a cake. As for math, what happens when you put in the wrong amount of an ingredient in a recipe? So, my degree gave me a great foundation in math and science. But I digress....
How does my knitting fit into my working future, and how does all of this "knitting stuff" contribute to my "duty" to set a good example for our youth, in the areas of science, technology or mathematics? To answer that question, I offer some "Food for Thought"....
1.) Did you know that to properly decrease the top of a hat, you need to be able to calculate the "foot number" of your total number of stitches? Did you know that when you knit, you secretly use your algebra and geometry skills, as they relate to spacial measurements ? When you knit, you use your math skills, and you don't realize you are doing math, you are just "manufacturing" a great product and doing something you enjoy.
2. Did you know that the fiber content of a particular yarn will determine the outcome of your product. You are using your scientific knowledge as to the properties of wool, acrylic, alpaca or silk and how those fibers will react when exposed to heat or what type of chemical reaction will take place when you dye those fibers.
3. Did you know that knitters, such as myself, have access to computer software that will help us design and market new knitting patterns, but we use that software as a tool to build upon our current knowledge of spacial design and placing, aka geometry.
With that being said, I am contributing to the technological, scientific and mathematical future of our youth, because I use all of these disciplines in an art form that I enjoy and share with some of our youth and guess what, I'm practicing those principles, even though to some, it may seem that I'm not.
Which leads me to think, perhaps if we packaged technology, science and mathematics into activities we, and our youth, enjoy doing, these principles would cease to be "great mysteries" and would become "the norm as opposed to the exception"...
