Outsiders

I just heard from a very old friend who doesn't knit. I heard from her just days ago, out of the blue. I don't know how she found this blog or the steps she took to find it, but like I said, she doesn't knit, but we know each other really well. We've known each other for many years although we haven't spoken in about 17 of them.

We went to Beauty College together and I fried her hair one day while attempting to perm it. (She had to slick on pomade for about four months until it relaxed). On Tuesday and Thursday mornings after we graduated, before we went to work in the salon, we worked out with a guy named "Val" at the local gym while wearing Jane Fonda disco work-out clothes.

(Long time readers: She's the one I got snowed in with that one night and we clipped  letters out of the local newspapers so we could write a stealth suggestion for the suggestion box at our five-person salon. It said: "Santa says 'Shop Early for Christmas and Avoid the Holiday Rush.'")

Anyway. Off topic, I know, but I wanted to write about it because she is someone I'd call a long-lost friend. If I could gain anything from this blog, it would be to say that I have made new friends and found old ones again and even though the online knitting community can be so welcoming yet alienating at the same time, there are good times and I want to hang on to them.

About the Muggles. I mentioned it briefly on a post a week ago, and then again on the Ravelry site--on the forum--that it was a little disconcerting how I noted that some in the knitting community were beginning to refer to those "not in the know" or "those who don't knit/aren't interested in it" as "Muggles."

Although I don't really know if I'm concerned about people referring to those on the "outside" as "Muggles," what gives me pause is the insinuation that we are in some sort of club and "they" aren't.

It reminds me of the days when I walked into the LYS and everyone stopped talking.

It reminds me of the day when the LYS owner asked me to do a swatch and I did the backward loop cast on, and she scoffed (while the rest of the gals sitting around the table chuckled).

It reminds me of all the reasons that I nearly did not want to learn to knit.

It reminds me of how scared I was to finally get the gumption and sit down at the table at the LYS, along with the rest of the insiders.

It reminds me of being a "Muggle."

(Just so you know, the consensus is that the folks generally think it is okay to call people who "don't knit," "Muggles." So, I think that I'm in the minority, here.)

Beyond that, I finally began a new pattern. It's out of the Black Pearl Yarns Cashmere in Black Onyx. It's gorgeous and wonderful to work with, but friends, if you are going to knit at night with black yarn, do yourself a favor and get one of those Ott-Lites from Joann.com (but don't go into the actual store during the hours between about 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; you'll want to kill yourself.)

BTW: What you see is a Brioche Stitch strip. I plan on making it long enough to loop loosely around my neck. Then, I'll pick up stitches around one of the sides and start a top-down sweater from there. (And another thing: I had no idea that Yarn Harlot coined the "Muggle" phrase for non-knitters, so I'm not commenting on her post(s). I don't get out much.)

Comments

[Tammy]

I'm always much more put off by the times I walk into an LYS and they don't stop talking. Sometimes I just really don't want to know.

Speaking of LYS, I missed seeing you this morning. Hope you had a good day.

[Aura]

I get what you're sayin'. Aren't we all muggles to someone, in some way or another, anyway?

[MJ]

Ditto Aura's comment.

Just read your Malibu post, which made me laugh here in Germany, because it's very Southern California. Ah, I do miss the weirdness.

[Carson]

"Muggles"?
No, you're not in the minority there Wendy. I hadn't heard of it until now reading your post -don't get out much either;)
Gotta say: how ridiculously exclusionist. Although Aura has a good point there. There's always the 'ins' and the 'outs' ... human nature.
I'm glad you found a long long friend.

[KarenJoSeattle]

Yeah, that sense of 'we're in - you're out' bugs me, too. It's one of the reasons I'm not a big Harry Potter fan, either.

We won't get the world in general to accept knitting as a normal activity if we make it an exclusionary club. It merely lowers us to the level of those who mock knitters.

[marycatharine]

I'm with you on the whole "Muggle" thing. I've been watching that stream on the forum but to be quite honest some of the people on ravelry scare me. One day I'd like to be able to knit as well as you and many other people do but I hope that won't ever alienate me from the rest of the world. Thanks again for the lace pattern I'm just starting my scarf.

[KSee]

it's what we do here in the USA, label people. I work with over 150 people (in the home office of a salon business, BTW) and there are only 5 of use who knit. We are the odd person out. But much admired.

[becky]

Yes- I'm not on Ravelry (yet) so don't know the stream of comments- but in Harry Potter those"muggles" are those who can't and will never know the magic. In my world, anyone who doesn't knit is just someone who doesn't know the magic yet. And if they don't want to, that's o.k. too. They might have a cool new thing or two to teach me.

[Mariah]

I'm with you on the muggles thing. What's to be gained by creating another Us and Them scenario?

And this is the first I've heard of it too. Guess I don't get out much either.

And what really is amazing is that you're going to knit this strip, pick up stitches, and make it a sweater. I do wish I could see knitting the way you do.

Mariah

[Heather G.]

I am not obsessed with Harry Potter, but I just finished the last book, so the original use of 'Muggle' is fresh in my head.

Muggles just refer to those who are innocent of the world of magic. Some muggles end up being witches and wizards, so it is not strictly exclusive.

Just as in the knitting world, however, some wizards tend to view Muggles as a lesser species.

Didn't mean to write an essay, but the gist of my meaning is: it may not have been intended as exclusionary, but no matter what you do, some people will use it that way.

(no coffee yet, hope that made sense)

[Betty]

I wholeheartedly agree with your interpretation of "muggles." And I can relate to the LYS becoming completely silent when I walked in.

I don't think you are in the minority. If you are, then we are in the minority together.

[KnittyOtter]

You are not alone. It is offensive the way SOME knitters act all high and mighty. Feeling it is okay to put others down. But then again those very same smirky self satified knitters are also known for looking down on people they see as lesser than within the knitting community as well.

Ya know, Wendy, some people just can't be arsed to feel good about themselves unless they have others they can look down upon. It is disgusting and self serving and I for one am sick of it.

Love and agree with Aura's comment.

Glad you found a long lost friend. :D

*HUGS*

[Amy]

I've seen that word floating around on blogs lately. I totally agree with your sentiment. As an LYS owner, I would never want to alienate any potential customer. That's just not good business.

Amy

[gay]

i'm with you on all counts. the black yarn and i have gotten a
d i v o r c e. i never heard of muggles til now and never read harry potter so i'm really in the dark although i have seen a few of the movies but the muggle...i don't recall. things always start innocently and turn ugly when it comes to name calling and lableing though don't they?

[wenders]

I concur with Heather - it's not exlusionary originally either in Harry Potter or in terms of referring to the non-knitters, but of course some make it so.

It also seems to me that the use of Muggle referring to non-knitters really took hold not in referring to ALL non-knitters, but to refer to those non-knitters who don't believe that knitting is valuable, that anyone would do it, and that lastly, that knitters can turn out in force to support a cause, etc. You know, the non-believers. :) But that has a whole other connotation that I would be loathe to see the 'knitting community' take up. :)

PS. Looking forward to seeing the brioche collar sweater. :)

[candy]

Muggles? Me, I guess I don't get out much either. But I agree with you. Sounds very clique-ish. Sure to make someone feel "lesser". Sounds very "mean girls" to me.

[Melissa A.]

I've never been called a Muggle but if anyone called me one I'd get death stares. I hate this trend with knitting that you're either one of us (ie: seemingly super obsessed knitter with no life*) or you're not a real knitter or something. Beh. I don't really consider myself a part of a community. I just happen to knit but it doesn't define me. End rant. :)

* Not saying everyone obsessed has no life, but sometimes I truly wonder about some people.

[Melissa A.]

I mean, they'd get death stares, though since I knit I wouldn't be called a Muggle, unless you need a certain level of obsessiveness to be a non-Muggle?

[Angela]

I agree with you on the Muggles--in fact I think you're being rather charitable. But then I have a rabid Harry Potter fan in the family (she drove from Boston to Toronto for a Harry Potter convention, in the process ending up in Montreal by accident), and I find the whole thing a little off-putting. As for Joann, I was there two days ago and got out as fast as I could!

[Wendy]

Just another knitter weighing in on "Muggles." I cringe everytime I hear that term being used to describe a non-knitter. It just sounds so very high school to me.

[Bobbi]

In the geocaching world they also use the term Muggle to describer non-geocachers. If a cache was inadvertantly taken/destroyed by curious non-geocachers, it is said to have been "muggled". www.geocaching.com

[Schrodinger]

It's not a term I really use, but some of my knitting buddies do. I have never thought of it that way, I had always assumed it was more a defence mechanism from the negativity sometimes given off by people who don't knit. If your interpretation is really the impact and feeling behind calling non-knitters 'muggles' then that makes me sad.

[Telmah]

Hmm, I don't love the term Muggles for non-knitters... I prefer non-knitter or even better, a not-yet-knitter! Using the term Muggles blindly assumes that every knitter or not-yet-knitter is also a Harry Potter fan, and this is certainly not true.

To every not-yet-knitter: you are welcome here, too! That is the message we need to give.

[Netter]

Being a Potter fan, I know Muggle is not derogatory. Now, if we were running around calling non-knitters or not-knitting-yet people mudbloods (a very deragatory term in the books), then it would be offensive. Some people are always going to be all about their cliques or down right mean, that's why there are some blogs I simply don't read.

[Katie]

I love The Yarn Harlot (hers and yours are the only knitting blogs I read) but using the word Muggles for non-knitters rubs me the wrong way. Maybe because I am a Harry Potter fan and a wanna-be writer, I don't like terms being "stolen" for unintended uses.

In my opinion, blogs are so much better than forums. I gave up most of my forum reading years ago, too much snark and high school cliques.