Stitch'nBitch Cyberfeminism, a Third Place and the New Materiality

• Published in: Journal of material culture Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 5 - 21
• Main Authors: Minahan, Stella, Cox, Julie Wolfram
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore SAGE Publications 01-03-2007; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Cafes; Conservation; Craft; Cultural change; Females; Feminism; Globalization; Handicrafts; Hotels & motels; Information society; Internet; Leisure; Material culture; Needlework; Resistance; Sewing; Social movements; Social networks; Social response; Terrorism; Virtual communities; Women; nostalgia; craft; information society; gender; leisure
• ISSN: 1359-1835; 1460-3586
• DOI: 10.1177/1359183507074559

We discuss the emergence of a new craft movement known as Stitch'nBitch. Prevalent around the globe, particularly among women, this movement is based locally in places such as hotels and cafes, and virtually using the internet. The women meet to knit, stitch and talk. The groups use new technologies as an enabler and resource exchange. At the same time, their presence can be seen, in part, as a negative response to major political, social and technological changes including globalization, terrorism, damage to the environment and the dislocation of the Information Society. We introduce five themes to assist in the development of a research agenda into this new form of material culture, discussing (1) remedial, (2) progressive, (3) resistance, (4) nostalgic and (5) ironic possibilities. Each is considered in terms of their respective foci on community, cyberfeminism, craft, conservation and comment.