I knit. I bake. I sew. I've embroidered a few times. I think I'm a feminist. Why can't I be a feminist, and still do the activities I want to? Isn't it just as bad having a man say to me "You have to knit" as some woman saying to me "You're not allowed to knit, you're a feminist now, go fix that car."

I was taught all these things by my mum when I was really young, it was fun bonding time for us. I don't know why they'd just be "passing fads" as you put it, women have been having fun with this activities forever.

Plus, why would I want to eat crappy cakes and pies made in some factory when I can make them myself, have fun, make them nutritious, and make my house smell like bread!

I cook -- I love cooking for my boyfriend, especially because he never makes me feel like it's something I have to do since we both know that he's a grown-up and can at the very least feed himself.

I clean because I like things to be clean -- but we also have a maid service who do the majority of the cleaning tasks.

I sew -- sometimes I have to, sometimes I do it for fun. My boyfriend and his brother have asked me to repair ripped clothing before, but have since learned how to do it themselves, and I even taught my bf's brother how to use my sewing machine. Sometimes I just take up my own projects like making skirts, and a lot of the time I have to alter my clothing because I have such a Barbie-like rack-to-waist ratio.

I sell Mary Kay and love it -- It's kind of a hobby at this point, but I really enjoy the woman-centric attitude of the company, the fact that I'm my own boss, and that I can sell as much or as little as I want at any given time. This will be my income when I'm in law school, but for right now I just have fun with the make up and I love that I can talk to just about any woman about skin care and never have her feel like I'm judging her.

I do these activities because I enjoy them. I'm a fantastic cook -- runs in my family, my grandad was a chef -- and I love to eat. I think love of food is a gender-neutral thing, so there's nothing feminist or un-feminist about cooking (unless you feel forced to do so by patriarchal standards, but I'm privileged in that I have a feminist boyfriend).

I think that as feminism continues to gain ground, more people will do more activities that they enjoy without fear of the social stigmas that once surrounded them. Knitting used to be for grandmas, but when I was in college there was a knitting circle, that even included a few guys (who were gay, but that's not the point). In my view, feminism is seeking to even out the playing field and allow people, but especially women, to do things that they enjoy, be they traditionally male things like football, or traditionally female things like cooking; without having the social stigmas and stereotypes attached to them.

I'm no more or less a woman because I cook, sew, and wear make up. I'm a woman for sure, but that's based on my identity as a woman, and not what I do with my free time.

I don't know that Friedan et al were arguing against women participating in domestic activities - just against women being forced to confine their activities to "women's work." I knit, sew and cook. They are creative and challenging hobbies, and offer a great deal of relaxation (knitting in particular keeps my brain engaged figuring out new patterns and doing the necessary math). Society has long admired girls who take up stereotypically male hobbies such as football or working with tools. Why should we denigrate the tasks performed by our mothers and grandmothers as unworthy of us? By participating in domestic arts out of a desire for creative expression - rather than because we are forced to be kitchen drudges - we honor the women who came before us, who found expression in textile and household art because they were forbidden to enter the male-dominated world of "fine" arts. Today we have the luxury of being able to choose to engage in domestic arts or not. As much as I enjoy knitting, I'm sure it would lose its charm quickly if I were forced to, say, outfit a family of ten with socks every winter. It's the element of choice that allows us to treat these arts as the dignified occupations they are.

Socially, participating in crafts has led me to meet a great number of like-minded women - many of whom also identify as feminists. It gives me a chance to sit around and talk while working, and trade ideas in a supportive environment.

I don't think this is a passing fad. Certainly, women have been sewing, knitting and cooking for thousands of years. My personal belief is that these activities have been stigmatized by their association with the oppression of women - but that as we sit on the cusp of the third wave, we are secure enough to appreciate these arts as positive additions to our lives.

(I would like to add that as I write this, sitting at my desk at work, the beginnings of a sock for my boyfriend are perched on top of my text books. Yep, that's right. I'm at a professional job, working on a Ph.D., and knitting socks for my boyfriend in my spare time. It's the best of all worlds to me.)

I knit, crochet, bake, and make jewelry. I love that I can do all these things that relax and interest me and still be a feminist. I love that more men are beginning to enjoy these traditionally 'female' hobbies with less stigma. I love that more women who don't do these things aren't criminalized for it as much.
I believe people should be able to feel comfortable in the world being their authentic selves, unhindered by society's predjudices. I am as proud to enjoy my 'womanly' hobbies as I am to support women who don't want to do them, or men who want to despite cultural obstacles.

First of all everyone should know basic cooking a sewing. If you can't sew on a button on or feed yourself without takeout, you're in a sad state in my opinion.

I learned how to cook as a result of my mother being absolutely horrible at it. By 12 I did all the cooking for the household. The irony being that she was a member of the future homemaker club in high school, and spent most of her first marriage at as a home maker and stay at home mom. I on the other hand have always wanted a career, but am definately the better cook. I've always though cooking was a good hobby because it creates something useful. Who doesn't love a home cooked meal?

I don't think feminism is nessarily giving up traditional women's work and hobbies, but rather not being limited to them, and opening them to both men and women.

I knit- I've knitted since I was a little girl because it was one of three things my mother knew how to do well enough to teach! I do it because it's fun to create something for someone I love. I also bake, but my grandpa taught me how to do that, and while I can't cook worth a shit, my family loves my pesto bread, so it's totally worth the mess.I also embroider and have a sewing room. And I guess I don't feel like a "woman" when I do these things, just like I don't feel like a "man" when I change the oil in my car or fix the chain on my son's bike. I feel like providing for my family and knowing how to do all sorts of things is what I'm supposed to do as a human being. I can't imagine why any of these sorts of activity would be antithetical to feminism in this day and age, when feminism is working so hard at intersectionality and equality for everyone. I see how sewing and cooking was (and still is for an older generation of feminists) a symbol of oppression and gender coding at one time, and I'm sure there are people out there (in America- I can't begin to speculate on the rest of the world) who continue to see these activities as traditional gender roles, but now, with so many men and women redefining their roles and identities and the resurgence in popularity of traditional craft activities, it's just not realistic to feel oppressed by a teenage girl with some knitting at the bus stop.

P.S. Good luck with the piece- it sounds like it'll be great!

Just a balancing voice - I don't knit or crochet and can't sew to save my life, although I have sort of tried half-heartedly. But I am the one who can change the oil and replace your starter or alternator. I built a pantry and extended the deck on my house when I was younger and had the time. Mainly it's because this is the kind of thing I like. So that's what I see as the value of feminism. Women can choose the skills and hobbies that they enjoy and are good at, regardless of what gender they're supposed to be assigned to. I think that the best goal for feminism is to detach these things from any gender and just leave all the skills and hobbies open to anyone who enjoys them and is good at them.

I really enjoy cooking. I can sew and have, but its not a main passion (though i did work at Jo Ann Fabrics over the summer). I get interesting reactions from people who know me as the "radical" feminist from their english or history class talking about misogyny and find out I adore cooking.
I think that what feminism does for women is allow them choice in every avenue of their lives. That means reproductive choice, sexual choice, the choice of whether to work and where to work. the choice of certain hobbies. I choose to cook, but I feel comforted that I also can choose not to.
I think that it is unfortunate that women sometimes have to be reactionary inorder to be taken seriously. What I mean, is that in order for society to beleive women deserve to work outside of the home we ALL have to work outside of the home, no matter what our preference or situation; in order to eradicate the "iron my shirt" "make me a sandwich" philosophy, none of us can choose to iron or cook. These hobbies are sometimes twisted to try and hurt the feminist movement, but they arn't truly harmful and should not be looked down on.
Sometimes I joke that I'm "a bad feminist" and my girlfriend often calls me a housewife when I make dinner for us (jokingly of course), but I think the fact that I am choosing something for myself, simply because I enjoy it, and despite what is expected of me, makes me a very good feminist. In case it matters (I write for my school's paper so I know background can be important!) I'm Barbara, a feminist highschool student.

I have been knitting for quite a while, though my mother never has nor does anyone else in my house! For me, I think a lot of it had to do with just seeing a lot of clothes that I particularly liked, so I started making some of my own.

I have gotten a lot more opinions about sewing and knitting that seem shocked that I enjoy it because I am young (well, 22). It seems like a lot of the tasks you list above are not only viewed as "women's work" but as "older women's work" too! And yeah, the sterotypical cooker, cleaner, and sewer is usually portrayed as an older woman, so I think that plays a part in some people's surprise that young women are getting into these activities more.

In my personal view, I see nothing anti-feminist or traditional about these things. Like was mentioned above, cooking is something that ALL people should probably know how to do, at least minimally. And sewing and knitting, at least for me, give me a great feeling of independence, because like I said before, I make a lot of my own clothese, and I no longer feel especially beholden to the whims and desires of the fashion industry. So for me, I kind of feel like knitting and sewing my own stuff is subversive in a lot of ways - and that to me is really feminist!

I bake and cook. I can sew, but don't enjoy it, so rarely do so. I have knitted and crocheted and quilted (which I separate from sewing because I enjoy it more).

I love to bake. I cook and bake with happy aggression rather than "love" and find my mood is generally lifted by the smells, flavors, and physicality of baking. I am the one that my friends come to for baking advice and lessons. I enjoy being the authority on baking.

I learned to bake as a child, and eventually my parents handed the yearly Christmas baking over to me and my sister. I loved it.

I don't really correlate my love for baking and my feminism. Baking is something I enjoy doing, choose to do, and is not something EXPECTED of me, like it was expected in generations past. I prefer to control the ingredients and cleanliness. I like to experiment with new combinations and techniques. And I really like sharing with my friends and family.

I can't sew at all, and I *can* cook to the point of being able to feed myself (though I do not enjoy it at all). But I did just take up knitting 2 weeks ago (I'm 24 years old). I'm a substitute teacher and I had a few really slow weeks and was bored. I learned how to do a basic knit stitch when I was young, and just looked the rest up on the internet. When I tell people I took up knitting they are really surprised and kind of laugh at me. My boyfriend thinks the fact a ball of yarn can turn into a scarf is magic (haha). I don't think anyone I know thinks it's really 'women's work' but more something women used to do (like our grandmas). It never occurred to me that it wasn't feminist because it seems so strange to everyone I know, that it's actually just a quirky thing to do.

I love to cook and bake. I don't like to clean, but I enjoy the place being clean.

I don't know how to sew, but I would like to. It feels good to DIY.

The way I see it, a lot of activities that are traditionally seen as "woman's work" are skills that every individual should know. There are some who don't know anything at all about preparing food, and as a result they won't know what to do if they are in situations where they have to do it themselves. Or they make themselves sick because they didn't prepare it properly. That's sad.

I don't look at it as reclaiming women's roles. I never saw them as women's roles to begin with, regardless of whether or not they were assigned to women. They are skills, and they are useful.

I don't know why these activities have had a sudden boost in popularity - but I do know that the reason I was initially interested in ...well... all the aforementioned activities, was because at the time it seemed like they were all sort of dying skill set. Knitting and sewing were something I started doing because I have always loved learning how to make things from scratch - same reason I actually love carpentry activities too! Baking and cooking I learned out of necessity - I had a single mom who worked late a lot. So I'd make supper for myself and my brother. Ironically, the more I got into cooking and baking, suddenly the more my brother wanted to do it too. So it's never really been a gendered deal in my family.

I don't know enough about Friedan's argument (haven't read it) to answer this.

Cooking and baking should totally be taught to everyone, irregardless of gender. It's a really useful skill - you know, learning how to make yourself a real meal that didn't come out of a box or a bag? University roommates' inabilities to make themselves the simplest of meals has surprised me to no end.
Sewing and knitting are something that remain highly gendered, but I don't think they hinder feminism in any way. They're really useful skills, but maybe not for everyone.

I honestly don't know if they'll stay popular. I doubt it. It seems to be a part of the hipster fad.

Like I said above, I've been engaged in these activities since I was still a kid (Started all of it somewhere between ages 8-11). But in my family, it was pretty equal opportunity - my brother, for example, learned how to bake and crochet (although he doesn't crochet regularly).

For me, baking and cooking are highly valuable skills, and not exactly something I consider a "hobby". It's more that it allows me to control what goes into my own body (I'm really not down with pre-made or boxed meals). There's a certain power in that. But I don't think baking and cooking should be gendered (although it totally is). It's something more young adults should know how to do, period.
Knitting and sewing were something I took up in earnest during my teens because it gave me the ability to be anti-fashion - I didn't like wearing the same stuff as anything else. I liked to consider it my independence from going shopping - I always hated shopping.

I personally see these skills as being about making stuff with my hands - it has absolutely nothing to do with me being a woman. I think about carpentry and metal working in the same way - both things that I see in a similar light. Making things by hand, and from scratch has always fascinated me.

Another historically "feminine" task I've been thinking about taking up is quilting...

Of course, I have to add - it really freakin' pissed me off (and still does) how gendered home economics and woodworking classes were (and still are) in highschool.

I knit and am a recent convert - about 3 years ago. While I learned sewing and cooking from my mother when I was young, I rejected it for most of late teens, 20's (and to some degree still) for the reasons of not wanting to be connected to anything "too" feminine until I finally realized that this was me buying into the typecasting and I should do it if I want to but not out of feeling obligated. We as feminists need to reclaim and reconceptualize creative outlets and expressions such as knitting.

So I recently (during my dissertation year) learned to knit from another woman because I needed a distraction from writing. Since then I joined a group of older and wiser women (a knitting/lace/art group) who teach me how to expand my knitting skills while providing a safe and friendly group to talk about life with. It has helped me expand my appreciation for having true, supportive female friends and also is a huge stress reliever. As a professor I see little visible reward sometimes from my efforts but with knitting it's more instant and that feels good. I believe it supports feminism because it embraces women's historical art forms and appreciates them in creative ways rather than dismissing them as non-artistic. We as a society so often have looked down upon what we categorize as domestic activities. We as feminist do not have to accept that.

Please post your final project on the website - I am sure many of us would love to read your work. Good luck - it's a great topic - thanks for investigating it!

I think that a main goal of feminism is to provide women with options. Historically, that has meant (and still means) working to enable women to do what previously had been thought of as "men's work". I think that's why it's difficult for some feminists to wrap their heads around knitting and baking as the hobbies of a feminist.
That said, I crochet, and sometimes I cook or bake for fun. I think it's important that we continue to recognize the value of what traditionally has been considered "women's work". just because we were stuck doing it with no other options for generation after generation doesn't mean we should consider it worthless now that we're (relatively) liberated. Crochet and cooking and knitting ad sewing are important skills that enable women and men to do things for themselves that they would otherwise pay someone else to do, and often times poorly (sweatshop-produced scarf or one I make myself? what's the feminist choice here?). I'm so grateful to my feminist foremothers that I have been able to go to college and pursue the careers I choose. But "Women's Work" as a pastime allows me to live in a more sustainable, less consumerist way, and that fits right in with my feminism.

I'm a guy who knits, and a feminist. I took up knitting in college because all the women in my dorm were learning, and really, it couldn't be that hard, could it? (It's not.)

I like to knit because when I'm done, I have something I want, like a sweater or socks. I enjoy the process (very relaxing after a stressful day in the lab, but also creative and engaging), the materials (alpaca and merino are my friends), and the finished product (Oh, that's a great scarf!/Thanks, I made it!).

As for more traditional "craft" hobbies for men like car repair, woodworking, model trains etc., well, I don't own a car (nor do I want to), and knitting is so much more portable than woodworking—awfully difficult to put a woodshop or a model train setup in a 3br apt with two roommates! I love both hobbies, but they aren't feasible for me right now.

I also think there's a distinction between stuff you have to do to live and stuff that's a hobby. I can maintain my bike, do most household repairs, cook, clean, etc, but I don't do any of that for fun.

However, some stuff's both. I bake very well, and make a lot of everyday foods: muffins, cookies, pancakes, etc. That isn't a hobby either; it's feeding myself the foods I like to eat. But cake baking and holiday baking? No holds barred! I go all out, and it's fun!

I knit and crochet - I first learned to knit from my grandmother when I was 6, and then took it up again in adulthood. I do it because:
1) It's meditative - when I'm stressed out I can sit down and work on a baby blanket or hat and not have to think about anything. This is probably why I picked it up in college and became extra avid during grad school - brain break!
2) It's creative - I like making things, altering things, combining funky yarns and having something functional when I'm done. I've designed funky purses with recycled silk yearn, which have garnerd compliments more than once.
3) It's portable, and it fits in my apartment - I used to paint furniture as well, but in my current quasi-transient lifestyle, smaller projects work better.
4) I like making heirlooms - I've knitted baby blankets for nieces and friends' babies.
5) It connects me to the women in my family - my grandmother taught me to knit, and right now I'm working on completing a blanket my stepmother started crocheting for my goddaughter before she (my stepmother) passed on.

In a way, I can understand where Friedan was coming from, but I also see my crafting through the lens of my feminism. Traditional "women's work" was devalued throughout history. But the fact is that generations of women kept their families and communities ALIVE by keeping them fed and warm with these skills. We've been taught that traditionally feminine pursuits are silly and frivolous, but I say, who says it has to be that way? My knitting is no more frivolous than my passion for biking, to training for a triathlon (which I'm also doing). I believe all creative pursuits have value.

I've also used knitting as a form of protest - I've participated in "Knit-Ins" against certain Supreme Court nominees who opposed Roe v Wade, invoking the lengths women have gone to in the past to end a pregnancy when they had no legal options. I like the idea of using traditional symbols of femininity as a means of protest and social critique. :)

Honestly, I think they are populat because most of them are enjoyable and fun. We were told we shouldn't do them because they are "women's work" but I think people are beginning to understand that traditionally female things a) need to be done, and b) can be enjoyable. I think people-- including some feminists-- have just started to realize that "traditionally female" does not mean "bad."

There is no valid argument against women doing these things, because cooking, sewing, baking, knitting, whatever are all perfectly acceptable activities for anyone. Any "feminist" against it is doing just as much to gender the activity as anyone else. We don't tell women to stop cleaning their home and let it fall to shambles because cleaning is "women's work" (though we do encourage men to help, if the woman is sharing her home with a man).

They are just a fun or practical activities. They don't hurt feminism, they don't help feminism. Not everything has an impact on feminism. They'll be around forever. They are enjoyable and a good thing to teach children. And cooking/sewing are just plain practical skills to have.

I bake, cook and sew. My mother taught me and my siblings (yes, my brother too) as a child how to cook and bake, as it was a practical life skill. She also taught us all to crochet to have something to do on long car rides (we didn't have the patience for knitting). I sew because I am antsy and need something to do when watching TV, and because it saves me money to repair old clothes. Baking is relaxing, the products are enjoyable, the skills are practical, and I have the satisfaction of knowing I can take care of myself without a grocery store and a TJ Maxx around the corner. The only effects on my life are positive, usually no one cares if I'm better at cooking or fixing a tire (both of which I am pretty good at, actually-- it's not like I can't mow the lawn/do home repair too).

I think it's just important to be well-rounded, personally. I learned to sew when I was younger because I wanted to make my own clothes -- didn't really like the styles available. I worked at an alterations place for years in highschool, and learned a lot from it... now when I find a cute vintage tee thats a couple sizes too big I can still buy it and alter it, so it's a very useful skill... I'm also teaching myself a variety of different needlework crafts... these crafts have been undervalued as 'women's work' but are very creative, relaxing, and require dexterity and skill.

On the other hand my main interest is in printmaking, which historically has been male-dominated (especially the actually printing process)... but I love nothing more than grinding down 50-pound limestones and barreling them through huge hand operated presses, or hand engraving wood blocks and hand-setting type... not to mention learning about maintenance and repair of said presses.

I also grew up with a mom who was a very talented woodworker-- I watched her build all of our kitchen cabinets and remodel our house when I was a kid and she also taught me basic tool skills, which I've increased in university courses in plastics and so on. So Yea, I sew and crochet and embroider, but I also make prints and I can use a table saw a bandsaw a milling machine a lathe and any hand tool you can think of with a reasonable amount of talent. Thanks feminism for making this possible!

My mum taught and encouraged my sewing as a child but I started to take it up really passionately when I started at art school and discovered textiles art. I loved the way of working (including loom and hand weaving, spinning, knitting, crochet, embroidery, quilting techniques and felting) and decided to major in it. I think I was drawn to it mostly because of the way of working it encouraged (very slow and labour intensive). Over the past couple of years my feminism has become a bigger part of who I am and how I understand the world and I've also started exploring feminist themes in my art. Personally I find it hard to avoid that I am using women's work as my medium, though most of the girls in my (all female) major class don't draw on feminist themes or theorists in their practice.
To be honest I've never read Betty Friedan's criticism's of women's work and my lecturer is very openly feminist and I think she works with textiles because of that to an extent.
In any case your article sound really interesting, are you able to post it up after it's done? Good luck!

You guys are amazing! Thanks everyone!