What Is This Project?
I am teaching anyone who’s never finished a knitting project how to knit in
exchange for his or her first scarf. I believe each first scarf is a lucky object
(beginner’s luck?) because it the only first scarf the knitter can make. This may
seem a bit simple, but my project puts the emphasis not only on acquiring skill,
but also on the unusual beauty and power of creating an object from scratch
for the very first time. Subsequently giving away that precious object allows
the maker to consider the emotional and intellectual work s/he put into the piece.
I am interested in exploring these questions:
What makes an object lucky?
What makes a garment attractive?
What is appealing about handmade items?
How do I value what something is actually worth?

How Did It Start?
The project began as a response to an idea developed in my Textiles MA.
I learned to knit while I was struggling with a project about luck. I made all sorts
of printed pieces with images of items considered lucky: pickles, frogs, black-eyed
peas, the number 7, eggs, and so on. But none of the finished pieces felt truly
lucky to me. I realized that the luckiest thing I was making at the time was my
first scarf, since it was such a labor of love to learn how to knit, and I could only
ever make one first scarf.

Why Would Anyone Want a Beginner’s Scarf?
The aesthetic appeal of the scarves in the Virgin Knitters project stems from
the ideas embodied in Wabi-Sabi, a Japanese concept of beauty. From Wikipedia:

Richard R. Powell summarizes by saying “It (wabi-sabi) nurtures all that is
authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing
is finished, and nothing is perfect.”...Wabi now connotes rustic simplicity, freshness
or quietness, and can be applied to both natural and human-made objects,
or understated elegance. It can also refer to quirks and anomalies arising from
the process of construction, which add uniqueness and elegance to the object.
Sabi is beauty or serenity that comes with age, when the life of the object
and its impermanence are evidenced in its patina and wear, or in any visible repairs.

This embodies much of the spirit of this project. The idea that there is beauty
and power in an object that is not precision made or the result of years of experience
seems to me an important one today.

You can see more knitters in action on Flickr.

A note from a Texas knitter:
Hi Kim,
This is Alicia, (red scarf). I wanted to thank you again for teaching me how to
knit at the Maker Faire. I really enjoyed learning and hearing your concept. It is
also interesting that you have a physical representation of the learning process.
You can physically see where I made mistakes, where I experimented, and the
progress made.....Another interesting aspect is that while knitting I felt free from
pressure to knit "the perfect scarf." This perfectionistic ideal is always what has
kept me from finishing a knitting project in the past. I approached it with an experimental
attitude and with the main goal of just finishing it.

PS. I have knitted 5 scarfs, 1 hat, 1/2 a sock, 1/2 beret (was supposed to be a hat).
I'm giving these away for Christmas this year. I would think that anyone viewing
the Virgin scarfs would be able to share in the good luck aspect. It gave me the luck
and confidence to follow through on something I had given up on several times.

Are you interested in learning how to knit? Email me at brella at nottene dot net !!