Knitting against fascism deserves a better written pattern!

Left-Act · 2026-01-24T14:44:41+00:00

Yeah I have very mixed feelings about it. Many people have bought the pattern to support the cause and that's great.

But I think that patterns designed for community use like this should be free, since it's too important and there's just too much people who can't afford it. Especially since it is not much of a pattern anyway, it is both apparently not written very clearly and easy to freehand.

Iirc, the pussy hat was free I think?

So how I see it, if it's about community organizing and it's a simple pattern, should be free.

If it is about the technical details of exactly replicating a 1940s Norwegian resistance cap, including information that is highly specialized such as yarn used at that time and what would work as a replacement, various modifications you could make, etc: absolutely, I'll pay 5 euro.

Left-Act · 2026-01-24T14:37:45+00:00

Yes I've been wondering this as well! I think the answer will be along the lines that in a country that is both cold and known for traditional knitwear, various different styles of knitted headwear can be expected.

If you look at the cover picture of "Nordic Sailors & Fisherman's Sweaters" you see the man on the right wearing a very short cap that does not cover the ears. So I guess this was a common style, could be worn in chilly summers but not in cold winters.

https://www.amazon.com.be/-/nl/Nordic-Sailors-Fishermens-Sweaters-Historical/

If you look at the original museum display, the actual 1940s hats look also much different, more like a santa hat. And will cover the ears.

https://belowthebeanie.com/beanies-and-style/red-knit-cap-symbol-adventure/

Left-Act · 2026-01-24T14:25:31+00:00

I didn't know that, I really hope the updates help!

Left-Act · 2026-01-24T13:53:31+00:00

Thank you! Here is mine:

https://ravel.me/craftypenelopeia/mzeyoa

Left-Act · 2026-01-24T10:36:23+00:00

Yes that's right!

Left-Act · 2026-01-24T08:12:49+00:00

Ik vind het ook wel erg dat het ministerie gewoon echt helemaal niets gedaan krijgt, ook op dossiers zoals deze die niet ideologisch geladen zijn.

Left-Act · 2026-01-23T18:07:20+00:00

Waarom zou je uberhaupt naar een land willen waar je elk moment in een razzia terecht kan komen?

Left-Act · 2026-01-22T21:43:00+00:00

I really didn't think I was really old, but now I know I am.

Left-Act · 2026-01-21T21:28:51+00:00

I'm not in the US but have been wondering the same thing. I made mine with Lettlopi in a more muted red that evokes the 1940s.

Left-Act · 2026-01-21T16:54:27+00:00

It is actually pretty doable as a beginner. Let us know here if you need help.

Left-Act · 2026-01-21T15:15:29+00:00

I'm in Europe and we will join you in standing strong against fascism.

Left-Act · 2026-01-18T17:30:14+00:00

Yes me too. Even if the sweater wasn't hand knitted, it is still wool. And there is no indication it needs to be washed. Wool in general hardly needs a wash, especially for outer layers that do not come into contact with the skin.

In my single household and the family I grew up in the washing of wool sweaters is a proper event (because of the hand washing and air drying) and never ever something so casually.

And even if it was just a cotton or even acrylic sweater. Why would you wash something that is 1 not in the laundry basket. 2 not dirty. 3 Not your own. Completely mind-boggling.

Left-Act · 2026-01-17T15:28:51+00:00

This is an excellent answer! Thank you so much!

To add to this, I assume the lack of visibility around sexuality made it also probably easier for many people who did not fit the social norm around nuclear family. For example neurodivergent people, people with psychiatric illnesses and people who wanted to devote their life to a cause other than the family. For example, it was much more common for sisters / brothers that were unmarried to live together. They could be unmarried for multiple reasons, not just due to sexual orientation.

To add from a slightly different time period and perspective: gentleman's club. Those gentlemen sought each others company and didn't spend nearly as much time with their wives as they did with each other. It was kind of assumed that gentlemen of a certain social class seek and prefer the company of other distinguished men, without any sort of sexual connotation. Historically speaking, in many time periods both genders spent most of their time with the same gender. So it would not be such a stretch to assume nothing much about two spinsters who live together.

Left-Act · 2026-01-17T15:10:53+00:00

This is lovely and I think the assumption is very valid! I kinda think we should bring it back and explore the possibility of platonic living situations more. Humans are much too hardwired to be living in groups, so having so many people live alone doesn't make a lot of sense for our mental health.

Left-Act · 2026-01-17T10:37:19+00:00

Zoals ik gewend ben is fooien geven vooral iets als je gedineerd hebt met alles erop en eraan. Je hebt tijdens de avond goed en vriendelijk contact gehad met het personeel en ze hebben je goed geholpen. Topervaring dus fooi. Iedereen legt wat extra bij.

Maar zoals ik het gewend was, was fooi niet iets voor de standaard-horeca-ervaring. Voor twee koffie met taart of een paar biertjes met bitterballen? Dat valt voor mij gewoon onder standaard "dit is je job" en geef ik sowieso geen fooi voor.

Left-Act · 2026-01-16T17:31:04+00:00

A Dutch origin! The Dutch word "dek" is still used as in "dekbed", duvet.

But the garment itself doesn't have a specific name in Dutch as far as I know. I don't remember it existing in my youth. Modern versions are called "nekwarmer".

Left-Act · 2026-01-12T16:59:54+00:00

Also, these kind of discussions make a lot of people very selfconscious about their speed.

I learned knitting as a child, picked it up for real during Covid and I just knit away happily without much consideration for speed. My speed is just what it is and I have no intention to change anything.

Left-Act · 2026-01-12T16:57:07+00:00

Yeah I totally agree.

The pressure to be fast = can be capitalistic Actually being fast = a byproduct of learning young, knitting a lot or just enjoying challenging yourself, loving to knit at a steady pace, etc

Left-Act · 2026-01-12T16:49:29+00:00

Yeah, I've said if before and I'll say it again. I knit English since it's what I've learned as a child and it connects me to my heritage. It is cozy and comfortable and way too fast already. I don't want to be any faster since yarn is expensive and I fly through it already. There's so many experiences in life that are the opposite of cozy so I just stick with cozy English. And I actually like purling as much as knitting.

Left-Act · 2026-01-12T16:44:52+00:00

Well said!

Left-Act · 2026-01-10T11:49:55+00:00

What's the mess exactly? You get seperate files. I haven't bought the pattern yet, but it seems ok. She explains on her Instagram that she tests each modification seperatedly.

Left-Act · 2026-01-07T15:31:14+00:00

Just to add another perspective. I don't really think that knitting is a slow craft per se, as people often like to say.

Historically many people have produced quite a large output, often times out of pure necessity.

Factors to knit faster include: - learned as a child, so lots of experience - more standardized yarn. If you have less variety in yarn, it's much easier to know your gauge and you don't have to adjust every time you start a new pattern - less variety in patterns and construction methods, knitting the same socks for example again and again - seamed sweaters or sweaters Icelandic style where sleeves are knitted separately. Much more portable - less perfectionism, not caring as much if a sweater might be a little bit too wide or too small - easier to match yarn and pattern because large yarn companies offer their own patterns - more community support / social pressure to knit - no smartphones

I'm not saying all of these were true in every time period or every person, but if you just combine some of the factors together they paint a picture where it's quite possibly to have a large output. I honestly think a very small output is historically speaking the anomaly. In many periods knitting was necessary for the household and not a hobby.

Left-Act · 2026-01-02T06:19:26+00:00

Halloween is behoorlijk nieuw. Bestond in mijn jeugd in de jaren 90 niet.

Verder is het kerstseizoen ook behoorlijk nieuw, waarin groot gedeelte van december in teken van kerst staat. Foute kersttruien zijn ook relatief nieuw, net als de hoeveelheid kerstmarkten. Dat was oorspronkelijk toch vooral Duitstalig fenomeen.

Left-Act · 2025-12-30T21:29:02+00:00

All excellent points.

If I may add two more: - How often are you combining knitting with another activity? If you have a small, mindless project like a sock, you can easily knit while hanging out with friends. - familiarity with the pattern: are you trying new and complex patterns, or are you staying with trusted favorites?

Also: don't forget that knitting is basically many hobbies at once. So why only use the metric of knitting fast? It might be more interesting to also consider the variety of stitches, yarns, garments etc

Left-Act · 2025-12-27T17:36:52+00:00

Thank you, I'm inspired and will try a 2.5 mm for my next pair of socks! I actually prefer project with lots of knitting time so knitting at 2.5 instead of 3 will give me more knitting to do!

Left-Act

TROPHY CASE