On Learning the Ropes…and Being Knitwear-Adjacent
Pattern: Seolta Pullover
{in Höner och Eir Nutiden}
I had never given much thought to the expression ‘learning the ropes,’ until our recent move to what is essentially an active fishing village.
My husband now wants to learn how to sail. And as we look through the literature on the subject, ropes play a prominent role. You need to literally learn how to tie ropes before you can have anything to do with operating a boat. It was the kind of Aha! moment that made me feel a bit silly. Because clearly, despite living near the sea for most of my life and being inspired by maritime themes, I have managed to learn very little about the logistics of maritime pursuits. I’ve been nautically-adjacent, but not nautically-informed.
It might not be a straightforward analogy, but from this my mind jumped to our relationship with clothing.
Recently I met a self-described Stylist who was browsing through a rack of dresses in a charity shop. We got chatting, and in the process she lifted up a flowing jersey dress, inspecting it with a frown. She mused how certain types of dresses can look unflattering on the body, highlighting ‘bulges’ even if the dress is oversized. I said this is usually due to a number of factors, including fibre content and the gauge the fabric was knitted at. I also added that opting for woven rather than knitted fabrics would eliminate the phenomenon she was referring to.
By the look on the woman’s face, I could tell she did not know what I meant by woven vs knitted fabric. When I then explained the difference, it was clearly an epiphonic moment, much like ‘learning the ropes’ was for me.
Even professionals who work with clothing can be ‘knitwear adjacent’ yet surprisingly uninformed about not just knitwear production, but fabric production in general. Which, on closer analysis I suppose is not actually surprising, considering how little value as a society we place on clothing production despite being obsessed with its consumption.
It’s a strange dichotomy. And it also raises the question: How and where can we learn these basics, short of doing a degree in textile design and production?
Recently, I have noticed grassroots initiatives to offer courses in handknits design, due to a downright lack of professional resources in this field. Perhaps something similar is coming with regard to fibre and textile on a more general scale. A useful pre-quel for anyone in the industry? I certainly think so, and would support any such efforts.
