Collective Knitters and lacemakers gives a voice to women who venture into textile territories, each in their own way. In a society driven by productivity, they choose instead to revalorize long-term practices, often shunned by museums.
“I have no knitting skills,” says editor Mélanie Vincelette in an interview. Her project, however, was born from the observation that many artists and authors she admires possess this invisible feminine knowledge. Mme Vincelette has therefore brought together these voices in a collection which contains as much the history of Quebec lacemakers as activist speeches and personal stories of knitters.
The women in this collective are all adventurers, says Agathe Dessaux, who is one of them. “There is a connection with the thread that involves experimentation. You get into something, but you don’t really know where it’s going. And then, there is a path that forms gradually,” says the textile designer, interviewed by The Duty.
Resilience also unites those who appear in the collection, believes Mme Dessaux. “Knitting is a job that requires patience and attention to detail. You must constantly continue and not let yourself be defeated. But it is very devalued. We’re not going to see exhibitions of that in museums,” laments the Montrealer of French origin.
However, knitters are real “ badass », Says the 37-year-old woman. “In my family, my grandmother [faisait à chacun des enfants] one sweater per season. In a capitalist society, I find that there is something profoundly transgressive in the act of creating an object that will survive. »
Mme Dessaux has also named one of his brands of knitted clothing La gang d’Henriette, in honor of his grandmother. “I really want to perpetuate this knowledge that belonged to him. »
Do it yourself
For the author Marie Darsigny, who notably published the stories Again (2023) and Thirty (2018), the act of knitting is part of, among other things, a desire to abandon fast fashion. “In my 20s, I bought laundry every week, and really often from places like H&M and Zara. I try to do that less now,” says the 37-year-old Montrealer, who recently started using needles again, after first learning the technique as a teenager.
When she sees clothes she likes on the Internet, Mme Darsigny is now trying to make them herself rather than supporting the Chinese giant Shein, for example. “But we agree that it is not cheaper than buying pieces. Truly not. Wool is expensive. And you also have to want to do it,” she explains.
For the author, pleasure must absolutely be there when she knits. “People often say to me: “Wouldn’t you like to sell your creations?” But I tell them no, because it is certain that if I start to commercialize it, it will kill the fun. »
Marie Darsigny also appreciates the fact that unlike her writing practice, she does not strive for perfection when she uses needles. “When you make a mistake in knitting, you either undo it and start again, or you leave it there and accept it. I like that, precisely, leaving it and showing how far we have come. »
Activists right down to the stitches
Aside from the desire to have fun, activism is another point that several women in the collection have in common. Knitters and lacemakers.
Textile designer Agathe Dessaux, who lived in Spain for around 13 years, says she was very affected by the feminist movement which boomed there from 2016. That year, five men sexually assaulted a woman aged 18 during festivities in Pamplona, in the north of the country.
Mme Dessaux also makes colorful hoods that hide the face in response to the violence that city dwellers suffer in the streets. “It’s a bit to say that we too can be scary, but with our glitter,” she illustrates. Just wear one of the pieces from La gang d’Henriette to be part of the gang, she adds.
The knitters who show off the fruit of their work are making a “political” gesture, argues Agathe Dessaux. “It’s the idea of bringing out into the public space all these things hidden in the house which only belong to women and which are not valued, precisely because they are domestic. »