Past Master mistress…?
I remember a few years ago during a class in Judaism a woman Rabbi who I greatly respect (one of the first in the American Conservative movement) used the term, only have jokingly, “Ovular” in lieu of the word, “Seminal”
I used to think that folks who were so hung up on verbage should just get over it – “What’s the big deal!?” I used to think. I was a feminist, but I felt that by harping on words it made us all seem ridiculous.
But I’ve decided that there are words to change, and words to let go. I get tired of the word MASTER for many reasons. Mistress isn’t much better, but I like to call myself a Mistress Knitter. I can’t be a master knitter because A) I haven’t paid the fee (whatever it is now) to TKGA and passed the level of classes (besides, I think my heretical style might stand in my way…) and B) I’m not a man.
So I’ll happily be Knitting Mistress.
I remember when Star Trek the Next Generation came on TV and I heard Captain Picard say, “Where no ONE has gone before” – and I got chills. It suddenly all made sense to me – even though the women on the show still dressed in minimally toned down adolescent boy fantasy clothes (my husband used to call the Empath “Officer Boobie”) there were at least included in the directive. But I’m veering wildly toward warp geek speed.
And all this started because I wanted to write about the Past – and got hung up in my headline!
The point of this post was supposed to be – THANKS for the words of encouragement on the historic knitting idea, and I’d better get on the stick!
Yes, I indend to pay – but I can’t pay a lot. If anyone truly is interested in knitting up a sample and then writing about their experience, please email me privately and send me a link where I can see some of your best knitting work (or just send me the image!) If I don’t get back to you right away please don’t despair – I’m in the hunting / gathering phase of several different projects, but soon I’ll be in the sorting out and responding phase.
As of this moment it looks like I’ll be financing this myself (I haven’t yet found a publisher who wants to do it and will give me the control I crave). I will be finding a color printer, though, and I will be upping the quality standards over Confessions. This will be a glossier book – but hopefully not one of those which just stays on the shelf!
Right now I’m immersed in Egyptian and Minoan images – lovely stuff! If anyone has a historic image (not necessarily knitting!) but just a great costume item they’ve seen in a painting, sculpture or jug-handle, please email me so I can check it out!