New York state of mind

New York Dishcloth

Yarn: Lily The Original Sugar'n Cream (100% cotton; worsted weight)
Color: Delft blue
Needles: US 7s
Stitches: 37

Since this item has made it to its destination, I can now unveil it here without hiding it behind a link. One part of what I owe for the Pay It Forward exchange down...

Did you hear the Marketplace piece about knitting and yarn shops? Knitting is so passé now, if you didn't know.

In my view the report is built on two faulty premises. For instance, here's part of the anchor's intro: "But now it looks like the fad has passed, because those still in the market for needles and yarn are buying most of their wares online." Wait a minute, if people are still buying, how does a shift to online purchases suggest that knitting is no longer trendy? In mathematical terms, both sides of this equation are not equal.

There's also a coastal bias in the piece. Well, this California town had both of its yarn shops close! And this shop that does most of its business online attracts clients from New York City who are just too busy to go to a physical location!

Now I'll grant that the reporter likely isn't saying that two Davis, California yarn shops are a bellwether for the industry and hobby's health. Who's to say if the business plans were feasible at these stores? I'd be more convinced of the reporter's thesis if she included some hard numbers revealing the growth and closure rates of local yarn shops. As it is, this seems very anecdotal. If you quoted Ravelry's explosive growth, you could probably file a story saying that knitting is as popular as ever.

I suppose I'm also suspicious of stories that need to declare something's time has passed. Sure, it's reasonable to believe that some who picked up knitting when it was the hot hobby have moved on to something else, but should the focus be on the trendoids who do what's fashionable for a brief time or those who do something because they enjoy it and aren't trying to make statements?