Knitted Breasts Prove This Craft Trend is Worth Latching On To
If you’re struggling to come up with your next crafting project, might we suggest a knitted breast or two? That’s exactly what the Knit and Knatter group, a knitting club on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, is doing.
The women of Knit and Knatter and their knitted creations. Photo: Murdo MacLeod
Why, you ask? Well, for good reason. It’s in support of a government-funded campaign established to promote and support breastfeeding - something seemingly natural that does not come naturally to everyone.
The group has knitted 150 breasts thus far, and is continuing on its mission to reach a goal of 250 by the end of February.
The idea is to use the colorful, wooly mammaries as breastfeeding demonstration aids for health workers across the country. Distributed to midwives, teachers, students and the like, they serve as light-hearted tools for discussing a serious matter.
Knitted breasts ready to be sent out. Photo: Amanda Firth, via Twitter
They come at a time when breastfeeding advocates are pushing to nix the social taboo. The initiative aims to promote it as something very natural, and to aid those for whom it does not come easily.
The efforts by the Knit and Knatter group are not the first of their kind. In fact, knitted breasts come in many forms. For example, Knitted Knockers is a charitable organization that “began a unique charity knit program (…) to provide soft, comfortable, and free knitted prosthetic breasts to breast cancer survivors.”
Knitted prosthetics from charity Knitted Knockers. Photo: The Knitting Experience Cafe
With silicone prosthetics costing between $300 and $500 a piece, the donated efforts of Knitted Knockers have become a hit among mastectomy patients.
And in case you hadn’t noticed, there is very high demand on Etsy for what can best be termed “knitted-boob-beanies" — flesh toned hats for baby, that have a ‘knitted-nipple’ on top. It is yet another attempt to use humor to boost support for public breastfeeding.
The ‘knitted-boob-beanie’ available all over Etsy. Photograph: PR
Though these initiatives are sure to raise some eyebrows here and there, it is clear that a call for change and heightened awareness has gone out - and crafters everywhere are answering it.
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