Softness: A Meditation on Knitting

Softness: A Meditation on Knitting

Unravelling the semantics of the ugly jumper, the ratty cardigan and the squishy mittens, Softness is a poetic reflection on hand-knitting and the neglected objects that give us nourishment. A straggly jumper, shrunken in a hot wash. A frayed sleeve, mended with different wool. A garish sweater, coffee-stained but decidedly unwashed, sent by a loved one to withstand the cold winters.

Punctuated by short key texts from textile studies and feminist theory, Softness tugs at the loose threads of this corner of craft history. This is an ode to the disrepaired, a plea to stem the tide of unloved, mass-produced clothing by rethinking the power of soft things.

Written by Jean Oberlander, with illustrations by Rosie Wainwright

Thread-sewn zine with spot colour illustrations
32 pages
190 x 110mm
ISBN: 9781068625046
Published by Common Threads Press

Founded in 2019 by Laura Moseley, Common Threads Press is a small, independent publisher of books and zines that uplift histories of creative work. Common Threads Press is inspired by and indebted to the rich history of independent, grassroots publishing that centres voices from the margins — spotlighting the political and cultural relevance of crafts that has long been overlooked or dismissed in mainstream publishing.