I think the answer to that question is actually whether the knitter is being creative while knitting. What does being creative entail? The dictionary defines creative as an adjective. Being creative is to be inventive, originating something. The act of making a knitted garment would not be creative by itself, but rather would be technically producing that garment. There is a fine line here. It's no wonder the debate about craft vs. art is such an energetic one.
"If you work with your hands, you are a laborer. If you work with your hands and head, you are a craftsman. If you work with your hands, head and heart, you are an artist." That's a saying I have found attributed to St. Francis.
One reader, Robin Koutchak, explained it this way. " It's a craft to those who do it just to have a scarf or something trendy. ... It becomes an art to those who learn and invent stitches ... teach techniques and become philosophically absorbed in the process of knitting, learning, finishing, designing."
When one practices a craft, such as knitting or crochet, and does so at a high level of mastery, a beautiful garment or item is produced. If, however, one pushes this mastery to include manipulation of stitches in a new way, she has created something original. She has broken through a barrier of guidelines and rules to add something new and different. Suppose that this master continues to push that barrier further and further each time and does so with purpose and intent to create something new and original with each project. This is passion. Now we have art.
Knitter Dez Crawford states, "Art is craft with passion." She further explained, "The exact same technical skills are involved in art as in craft, but the expression of those skills is vastly different."
Passion cannot be taught, either. That's why someone might play the cello well, but Yo-Yo Ma plays it so well that the sound sends chills down my spine. He has passion, or heart, for his music.
Knitting is just another art medium, in my book. I strive, like many others, to master my craft and elevate it to the level of fine-art expression. The ideas for lovely sweaters and other garments flow through my brain and take over my dreams. It's with passion that I sketch and swatch and practice the ideas by knitting doll clothes.
The good stuff, the new skeins of gorgeous yarn, never gets opened until I am sure of where I am going with the pattern. I'll rip out my mistakes, sometimes over and over, until I achieve the perfection I feel represents my best work. Then I begin to write the directions for others to create their version of this artwork I have created. Whether a garment is a far-out, one-of-a-kind museum piece, or the model for many more to be produced, the original is always art, in my opinion.
You can elevate your work to new heights, too. Next time you pick out a pattern, think a bit about the colors. Maybe you can create, just a little, by adding one or two more colors to the project. Make the cuff or the ribbing out of a contrasting color. Perhaps you can change the stitches to include a more complicated one, such as a twisted rib, rather than the good old K1, P1 standard. Play a little! Explore new yarns. Sketch with children's crayons and be bold. Practice a new stitch and try it out. You have the freedom to be your own artist: a designer of something original and new. You CAN create knitted and crocheted art.
Catherine Hollingsworth, interior designer, artist and professional knitter, has lived in Alaska for 17 years. A past president of Knitters of the North, she currently designs knitwear patterns for publication. To reach her, e-mail twosticks@adnmail.com.
ALASKAN FASHION FANTASIA SHOW AND WEARABLE ART AWARDS DINNER is at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Millennium Hotel, 4800 Spenard Road. Cost is $50 per person. For more info, see www.alaskafiberfestival.org
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