Nancy White’s posting on mindful convergence set me thinking. Many of us recognise the tyranny of email and try to find our own ways to create relaxing space in our lives.
In the last couple years, I have rediscovered knitting. It is so relaxing and has much to recommend as an alternative to sitting at a keyboard. I find it combines very well - a non-digital convergence- with listening to music and/or looking out of the window at the garden (especially in the sort of weather when gardening is not appealing). It’s also a great accompaniment to chatting with friends, especially ones who also knit.
A friend and colleague Alison Adam has always stressed women’s use of textile technologies as an example of how women do use technologies, e.g. her inaugural lecture” Desires and Devices: Exploring the Gender-Technology Relation”.
I was aware that quite a few knitters blog, see purlsbefore swine part of the 
ring,
and swap patterns but I was quite surprised today to find how creative knitters (usually but not always women) in their use of web technologies.? I was blown away by the idea of knitting a Mobius strip , knitted trees, and knitting life montage.- this one has gone now.
My idea that knitting was an alternative to surfing has also been challenged - not only do knitters blog about knitting, they also knit whilst reading blogs. and spot their own knitting blogs on others’ photos. Last, but by no means least, they also design and knit their own iPod cases.
So we really can knit a different sort of convergence - just as we always have done.
5 responses so far ↓
1 Therese // Apr 7, 2008 at 11:35 am
Hi Frances
I visited a friend in a nursing home a few weeks ago. Her brother was there and he was knitting. It was a very imaginative and creative knit with lots of different colours. As a former knitter, I think seeing his work allowed us to ‘click’ straight away. He found knitting a good way to be with his sister. Her memory and concentration are very poor but they can sit together and enjoy the companionship while he knits….
Just thought I would share this. Thank you for the links on knitting, maybe I will get back to it one day. Have you heard about these ‘Stitch and Bitch’ groups, one of them was proposing to meet in Macclesfield Costa Coffee (I am not joking). How about ‘Knit and Wit’ instead!
Therese
2 Frances // Apr 8, 2008 at 9:49 am
Hi Therese,
Thanks for your comment. What an interesting idea - they could focus on something apart from each other. I could see how that could help them talk, and enjoy silence.
I’m up for Knit and Wit.
3 Ed Webb // Oct 14, 2008 at 6:35 pm
As the spouse of a very witty knitter, I am happy that CCK08 has connected me to another one!
4 Frances // Oct 14, 2008 at 7:09 pm
I could retag this one for Week 6 - as a solution to information overload.
5 Two women role models // Mar 24, 2009 at 12:04 am
[...] The first woman that I’d like to blog is Alison Adam, who is currently a Professor in English, Sociology, Politics and Contemporary History at the University of Salford, and was formerly with the Information Systems group in Salford Business School (their gain was our loss). Alison has combined her interest in Information Technology and the Philosophy of Science to generate a wealth of work around gender, ethics and information technology. In her inaugural professorial address at Salford in 2005 “Desires and Devices: Exploring the Gender-Technology Relation” , Alison drew links between the stereotype of women’s supposed lack of knowledge of ‘modern’ technologies and their proficiency with textile technologies such as knitting and sewing to make a powerful argument for the role that women can play in effective design and use of information technology, see http://francesbell.com/2007/01/09/67/. [...]
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