REALLY, U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE?

One of my favorite crochet bloggers is Aberrant Crochet.  I don't normally just reproduce someone else's blog post, but if you've been following the controversy between Ravelry and the USOC, then this post might interest you.  It's beautifully written - heroic, even.  If you're a crocheter or knitter; in fact, if you do any hand-crafting at all, I encourage you to read Julia's Aberrant Crochet post in its entirety:

Disparaging Handcrafts In The Name Of Law – How Far Does It Push Us Back?

http://aberrantcrochet.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/disparaging-handcrafts-in-the-name-of-law-how-far-does-it-push-us-back/


Another favorite crochet blogger is the woman many of us refer to as our "Fearless Leader."  Laurie Wheeler is a force of nature, not to mention being the founder of the CLF (Crochet Liberation Front), and Hookey.org.  Here is  a link to Laurie's:

Open Letter to the US Olympic Committee.

http://www.crochetliberationfront.com/2012/06/open-letter-to-the-us-olympic-committee/

As these ladies have said what I would say on the topic, I won't bore you to extinction with my own commentary.  I'll only reiterate that crochet is one of the very last, if not the very last of the needle arts that cannot be reproduced by machine.  There are only two ways for a clothing manufacturer to add crochet trim to a garment.  The first is to pay a fair wage to skilled workers, raising the price of the garment considerably.  The second is to use sweatshop labor.  Naturally, the same can be said for the production of entirely crocheted garments, home fashions, snowflake ornaments, and the like. 

So whether or not you plan to participate in Ravelry's salute to the Olympic Games, ladies and gents, hold your hooks high, and take pride in the art produced by your hands.