Purling politics: crafting resistance with the Knitting Nannas Against Gas

In recent years, growing dissatisfaction with predominant forms of political resistance has underpinned pursuits of 'alternative' forms of activism. One example of this is the way in which growing interest in creative and craft-based acts of resistance has led to the coining of the term 'craftivism' (or craft activism). Often posited as a gentler, more inclusive form of political engagement by its advocates, practices framed as 'craftivist' are gaining increasing popularity and visibility. However, emergent work conceptualising craftivism has thus far tended to focus on (and to critique) a somewhat limited representation of the bodies and practices that use craft in/as resistance. In response, this paper aims to deepen current conceptions of the use of craft in/as resistance, using insights from feminist geography to foreground the already existing multiplicity of actors and practices that craft resistance in varied ways. Drawing on research with the Knitting Nannas Against Gas, this paper deepens and expands current considerations of who crafts resistance, and what is (and can yet be) crafted as resistance.