Do we need a national Handknitters' Guild?

This is a serious question and, if you live in Downunder, I would greatly appreciate it if you could comment below. 

I try not to put names in here but my good friend Prudence Mapstone has put up a post on Facebook saying yet another craft magazine had gone. It is one of many that have disappeared since the advent of the internet and on-line groups. In response someone said that it might mean more people join the national Crochet Guild. 

Mmm...maybe they will. It might be a very good thing if they did. We need organisations like that more than ever before.

Why? Because there is a limit to what on-line can do. Oh there are all sorts of "crafting communities" on-line. Some of them don't amount to much at all but others are caring and supportive and will give advice and encouragement. That's a very good thing and probably saved the sanity of more than one of us during the pandemic.

But those things can only go so far. The internet itself can only go so far. Yes, there are all those appalling to absolutely amazing videos on line too. They can be really good if you have a problem and you need to get something done.  They can show you all sorts of tips and tricks. You often don't have to pay to access the information - apart from your computer and internet connection of course.

You might even be able to head off to a meeting of your local guild or craft group. Someone might be able to help you there. You might be able to find out where to buy yarn and needles from a group like that. You might meet someone with similar crafting interests and problems. 

But there is something missing from all this. The magazines have gone. There are almost none left. It is no longer possible for them to compete with the internet. They are no longer left lying around for people to pick up and peruse. Their content has changed too. Now they are a vehicle for fancy yarns and "fashionable" patterns with a limited life span. They are there for the thick, quick knits...or they were. It is one reason why Knitters' magazine failed. Now XRX has gone altogether - and I never did get to go to a Stitches event. It might have been instructive. 

Events like that require huge amounts of planning and organisation. They are costly to run.

In Downunder we have a very small population spread over a wide area. There are craft shows. I have been fortunate enough to work at more than one in my capital city. It has taught me an enormous amount and I was very grateful for the opportunity. There was never a lot of yarn at those events though and knitters didn't get much of a look in. 

Perhaps it is because knitting is not a fast craft? I think it is more popular than the organisers of those events realise. I think more could be done to promote the craft at such events. Yes, the guild here will often be present but is that enough?

Do we need a national voice? Do we need an organisation which can actually support the craft and lobby for more resources and more events? Could we develop a national certificate course? Could we bring people together more often? We might never run to an annual conference but what about one every few years? 

That sort of thing could only be done with a national body? Is it worth thinking about? It would be a lot of work? Is the craft worth it?