i jinxed myself. yesterday i remember thinking, "wow! i'm in such a fantastic mood and it's been such a great week and everything is just swell!" (yes, the voice in my head likes to use the 'swell'.) naturally, for no good reason, i woke up in a cross mood this morning. i've done all the things i'd normally do to shake it off like taking my dog on a long walk around the lake while listening to an inspirational talk on my ipod. knitting and watching movies, eating my favorite ben & jerry's (chocolate fudge brownie), all to no avail. i even had a post (with pictures!) planned and then the rechargeable batteries that i use in my digital camera decided that they could be charged no more and, alas, i have no pictures and that post had to be postponed. in the midst of all of this, i was phone interviewed by someone writing an article on how knitting shops can attract more knitters of color. i have a near paranoid fear of being misquoted and while i won't repeat word for word my thoughts on this (mostly because my brain is like a sieve and i couldn't recall exactly what i've said), i do feel a need to go on the record before this article comes out and i'd like to explore my thoughts a bit further than i did in the interview. the question was 'how can yarn shops market to knitters of color?' people that have things to sell are always on the lookout for ways to expand their market. it's a fair question for a person on that side of the fence to ask. however, as a consumer who happens to be a member of the market in question, i find it a bit awkward and, perhaps, regressive. i did tell the interviewer that i felt it to be an awkard question. i didn't mention that i also felt it to be regressive. in that moment, i felt that i needed to give it a bit more thought before i went there and i wasn't really in the mood to get all militant about knitting. it was a well-intentioned question from someone representing the yarn industry. however, my immediate thought was 'why would my needs as a knitter/shopper be any different from anyone else's?' i'm all about erasing boundaries and categories and boxes, not creating more. are yarn shops wondering how they can attract more gay shoppers or asian shoppers? maybe they are. it just gets weird for me when an industry tries to capitalize upon my blackness. what's needed is for more black people to open yarn shops in black communities. that will make a lot of black knitters really happy! i've never felt uncomfortable in any yarn shop because i'm black. am i often the only black person in a yarn shop? yes. however, i'm often the only black person in the local Saks Fifth Avenue, but it has yet to dissuade me from buying a pair of shoes. thus, the issue of rarely seeing another black face present in a yarn shop is a non-issue for me. like my trips to Saks, i'm there to feed an expensive habit and then leave before i have a chance to change my mind. if we're talking about an issue of community, i'd be more likely to hang out with a group of knitters that included knitters of color provided that i felt that i had something in common with them beyond a little melanin. i thrive on diversity. my ideal knitting community would include people of all colors, sexual orientations, religions, ethnic backgrounds, etc. too much of any one thing is boring for me. however, i digress... i certainly cannot speak for all knitters of color in regard to the question posed. i'd love to hear what you all have to say about this. do you as a knitter of color feel that you have special, other, or different needs from your white sister/brother knitters? do you feel left out or excluded from the greater knitting community? i'm really, curious to find out what your experiences are and what you think.

i'm off to unwind with a glass of wine before the oscars. happy knitting!