Thanks for joining me here. I’ve called this post “Starting Again” as I’ve had a blog for many years as a Textile Artist and dyer. Back then, I owned a dye business and I was heavily into quilting and fabric. I taught dyeing and surface design several times at the National Quilt Symposiums before fibromyalgia made this too difficult. You’re welcome to view this blog at shirleygoodwin.blogspot.com if you’re interested.
Now my interest is in yarn, so I felt a new blog was called for. Yarn in all its forms - dyeing, spinning, weaving, knitting, and crochet. I’ve moved to Naseby in central Otago, where I’m about to build a Tiny House and studio for my yarn work.
There has been a lot of discussion online in the knitting world about groups and forums needing to be safe and inclusive for all. This discussion has ranged from people selling ”golliwogs” to the mosque shootings to Ravelry’s recent move banning any support of Donald Trump and his administration on their platform. It was in the aftermath of the mosque attack that I started to question myself and my attitudes.
I am a white cis woman in my 60s, and while I have been discriminated against as a woman (mostly when I was younger), I am part of the majority and do not face any obstacles as far as my colour, gender identity, and religion are concerned. I have become more aware that many do, and now I’m attempting to be more sensitive and understanding of the issues that others face on a daily basis. It’s very easy to be casually racist, for example, without even recognising that we’re doing so.
I fully support Ravelry’s stance. As my yarn is mostly sold online, I do not know the colour, creed or sexual orientation of my customers, and even if I did, it makes no difference to me in the way that I treat them. I want the Black Forest Yarns community to be one of inclusion and support, where the members are united in their love of yarn and I want to see any discussions reflect this philosophy.
