Rockin Girl Blogger
Yesterday I learned that Maia of Maia Spins has tagged me as a Rockin’ Girl Blogger.
I’m really flattered, because I love Maia’s blog. She spins and knits and knits to spin and we get to see it all – plus lovelies and goodies from the garden and maybe a furry friend and a bit of real life tossed in for good measure. Her sock design tutorials make me wish I had a design process even remotely as well thought out and put-together. I always want to just sit down with Maia over a cuppa java and pick her brain.
And I know that I’m now supposed to pick five other rockin’ girl bloggers. And I’m going to totally wimp out on that. Because how can I possibly pick only 5 (or 7 or 10 or 50) out of all of the wonderful blogs that I read every day? I’m terrible at making that kind of decision. I often can’t even choose between yarns (thus my stash size)!
So… my head is bloody, but unbowed. Since Maia’s reward to me came at the end of such a sucky week (my previous post only scratched the surface), I think I will reserve my 5 picks and bestow them at times when a rockin’ girl is having a not-very-fun time of it and maybe needs a bit of a boost. So stay tuned.
Not much knitting this week, due to previously mentioned suck-ness. I finished one repeat on the dragon skin, snake scale, whatever-they-want-to-be-named socks. And I’m ready to start knitting away on the fish part of the Great Green Glob. Progress is being made in tiny increments.
There’s an interesting discussion on Ravelry (get in line for an invitation if you haven’t already!) right now about use of the term Muggles to refer to non-knitters. There are those who don’t see any harm in it, and others who find it offensive and demeaning.
I’ve use the term a time or two, in what I hope came across as a rather fond way. There are people to understand the love of fiber and there are people who just don’t. I don’t think that makes me better or them less, it’s just a different point of view. There are many people who think whacking away at tiny little balls with big sticks while strolling around on a very big lawn is just the best thing since sliced bread. I, however, do not see the attraction. Before I get a lot of nasty emails from golfers, I say if that’s your passion, go for it. Just don’t ask me to whack along with you. Would I be offended if a group of golfers referred to non-golfers as muggles. I don’t think so. I’m pretty secure in my non-golf-ness. I’m also pretty certain that if I picked up golf equipment and asked for a little help (not going to really happen, OK?), my former non-golfing status would be quickly forgotten and I’d be right in with the golfing crowd (except maybe the exclusive clubs, but I digress).
As humans, we have a tendency to split the world up into me and not-me, like-me and not-like-me. So… knitter and… what? Non-knitter? Person-who-doesn’t-get-knitting? Person-who-doesn’t-like-fiber? Non-fiber-enthusiast? Non-pointy-stick-wielder? Muggle? We will always find some term refer to other. That’s not to say that knitters as a whole are not an inclusive group. If a person-who-doesn’t-knit picked up pointy sticks and some string, most knitters would be happy to help them learn. I see this happen all the time in the LYS.
Some people also object to the label muggle simply because it originated in the Harry Potter books as a term for people who don’t do magic and don’t even realize magic exists.
What do you think, gentle reader? How do you refer to not-like-me?
feed for comments on this post.
I dunno. There are so many things that I enjoy hobby-wise that most folks don’t necessarily “get” – knitting is one, but so is sewing, making soap, crafting in general, gardening, cooking (I am a pretty serious foodie), reading good gothic horror, heck most of my more alternative leanings aren’t the norm at all. I’ve grown to expect that the vast majority of people aren’t going to be into what I’m interested in, and that sits just fine with me. There are knitters and non knitters, people who love to cook and those who avoid it like the plague, crafters and those who think the former are mildly insane, etc – and none are better or worse in any way. Just different. And I love that there are so many different sorts out there: it makes the world much more interesting.
Besides, if everyone knit, we’d run out of wool.
1Remark from Kathy — Saturday, 8/11/2007 @ 5:04 PM
I object to the muggle thing because it reeks of feeling of superiority. live and let live!
2Remark from hpny knits — Saturday, 8/11/2007 @ 5:56 PM
I see absolutely nothing wrong with the term ‘muggles’ for non-knitterly folks. In fact I think it’s rather charming, considering the source. The Harry Potter crew didn’t find Muggles inferior; excluding those who ran with Lord V., of course. Also, I have heard the muggle name applied genericly to anyone who’s outside the immediate interest group. (A friend’s hubby and his football fanatic friends refer to their wives as muggles and my bird-watching best friend refers to me and any other non-birder as a muggle). I think the term has entered the language. What on earth would make anyone think it was a put-down? A little generousity of spirit is called for, I think. Lighten up people!
3Remark from Theresa — Saturday, 8/11/2007 @ 6:48 PM
IMHO, “muggle” is one of the gentler not-like-me terms that one could possibly choose.
IMHO.
Hope things are looking up,
4Lynn
Remark from Lynn in Tucson — Saturday, 8/11/2007 @ 8:36 PM
I can’t see anything pejorative in it. Heck, SCA, RenFaire, and SF fandom participants all tend to refer to outsiders as “mundanes”. Hyphenated terms get to be a real pain, and we humans inevitably use nicknames anyway. I think muggles is just fine. Like you, if a golfer or lacemaker or bowler wants to call me a muggle, that’s fine too!
Frankly, if we get to the point, for instance, where society starts to refer to my gender as, “a placental viviparous, XX-chromosome-bearer” — I’m gonna hit someone over the head!
It’ll just be too Victorian for words. Literally. [g]
5Remark from MonicaPDX — Saturday, 8/11/2007 @ 11:01 PM
I have to totally agree with what Theresa said! My use and interpretation of the use of “muggle” is an endearing term for anyone who does not share the same passion as the speaker. It is not a put-down or a slam in any way.
6Remark from Kate/Massachusetts — Sunday, 8/12/2007 @ 4:35 AM
Hmmm, how do I refer to those not-like-me….
I find those “not-like-me” fall in to one of two categories – either very interesting, there is something about them that draws me in, makes me want to learn about the differences between us. Or, two, extremely UNinteresting – these people don’t have anything that draws one in, their “not-like-me-ness” is so obnoxious that interest is not piqued – rather interest is extinguished!
Thanks for this interesting discussion and Congratulations you Rockin’ Blogger you!
7Remark from Kat — Sunday, 8/12/2007 @ 7:31 AM
I tend to use “muggles” a lot; but sometimes I use “didn’t get the craft gene”. Although I have at times tried to superimpose my craft gene on a muggle who didn’t vociferously object, it ususally doesn’t “take”. Oh, they finish the project, whatever it was, because they just don’t want to hear me continuously and enthusiastically go on about how great this is now that we share a common interest; but after that initial thing is done, they are usually “outta’ here” when it comes to knitting.
8Remark from bobbie — Sunday, 8/12/2007 @ 10:00 AM
Ok, here’s my thing. Everyone calls everyone names, it all depends on the context. I call my son The Evan-ater and my daughter SweetPea. I call my sister-in-law crazy lady. I love all three dearly. Now, if I was calling someone something with the intent to wound them – someone I would walk over if they were dying in a ditch simply because they were “other” than me – then that’s a problem.
I am, as you are, a Golfing Muggle (much to my husband’s dismay). He is a Knitting Muggle (much to my dismay!). I would not leave him in a ditch and I’m pretty sure he would bend down to lend me a hand as well! I think in this country’s great drive to be “PC” we’re going completely the other way and reading way too much into every little thing.
Look, I think everyone that knits is crazy in their own way, just as I think everyone who doesn’t knit is equally crazy in their own way! LOL It makes the world go ’round!
9Remark from Shannon — Sunday, 8/12/2007 @ 6:37 PM
I think you said it right and in a very elegant way. I don’t mean anything demeaning when I call people Muggles. Its sort of a “ah, isn’t that just cute that they just don’t get it.” Some are always going to take offense.
10Remark from Tanya — Monday, 8/20/2007 @ 3:49 AM