I have been thinking about the use of technology by craftspersons. We have all noticed that the technological world is full of contrasts like seeing people handspin yarn on an antique spinning wheel and knit it up using a pattern found on the Internet, but I think craftspersons and possibly all people with hobbies are different.
Usually when people at a party, for example, ask to see a picture of my grandson or my dog, and I pull out my PDA to show them there is an amazed flurry of comments like, "George look at that thing she has for her pictures!" or ," How did you get pictures on there? Is that your dog?" as if I might carry around a device preloaded with someone else’s pictures. If however I am at a knitting conference or other craft event and pull out my PDA, I am immediately confronted with a similar collection of devices displaying the family pets of all present.
It seems to me that the crafts people I encounter have embraced new technology with an enthusiasm that exceeds that of the rest of the population. Is it the craving for new information that all hobbyists have that drives them to use all the technologies available? Is it the need to share that inspires them to learn to share information and pictures with the world. I sometimes think that fiber artists have blogs because there is a limit to how many times one can share with one’s spouse that one has knit ten more rows on one’s knitting project, or the nifty color one got dyeing with cherry KoolAid. Presumably the anonymous people who read one’s blog are interested.
It may be true of all hobbies, but the fiber people have a whole language of abbreviations beyond the usual ROTFL… type, including things like "NTINAMY", (Not That I Need Anymore Yarn) and "SEX", (Stash Enhancing eXpedition). Women seem to call their husbands "DH" which I take to mean that the H is "Dear" or "Darling", but it could just a well mean the poor fellow is dreadful, desperate or dead. I suppose to fly in the face of tradition and just refer to him a one’s "H" would make him sound unloved. People selling fleece like to say it is free of "VM" which, for a while, tickled my imagination… Vicious mercenaries? Virtuous maidens? Or as a friend suggested voice mail? Then I realized as you, no doubt, already have, they meant only vegetable matter and that the sheep, llama, alpaca lived in the kitchen or wore a coat or something.
Are craftspersons different or is it all hobbists or is the rest of my acquaintance just exceptionally untechnological?
3 comments:
Ah but remember that looms were computer precursors! Craftspeople are at the nexus of art and technology!
Darn, Linda beat me to this comment. We make artificial distinctions about what is and isn't technology. Anything we use to extend our skill and make us more productive is a technology, even a bucket for carrying water. If spinning wheels and sock machines and even knitting needles aren't technology, then I don't know what is. Whenever I hear someone lament that reading is dying out, I think about how the printing press caused oral tradition to die out. I imagine that the invention of spoken language made hand signals die out as well. So, I said what Linda said but characteristically used many, many more words.
H as an unloved husband. I like it. What a thoughtful observation.
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