The AntiCraft is both a book by Renée Rigdon and Zabet Stewart and an edgy website. Both are self-heralded as providing “knitting, beading, and stitching for the slightly sinister.” They certainly live up to that description.
The Book
Patterns are available for body parts, a duct-tape corset, snake-dance thigh-highs, a squid-shaped menstrual cup holder, baby skull sweaters, scary Easter eggs with headless bunnies, bondage handcuffs and whip, and a two-headed rat.
The book itself is beautiful and fun to look at. It’s full of stories, writings, recipes, snide snippets, and even comic strips. The writing is witty. The lush photography is gorgeous. Its entertainment value does not disappoint.
The Website
A great way to get a taste of AntiCraft is to take a look at the website that was its inspiration. There is a lot there to get started; the book is merely homage to the website. It’s been described as quirky and misunderstood, but actually, its creators have made themselves perfectly clear.
“Take a stab” at knitting an axe, more body parts, and monsters. There are a few interesting pieces of clothing and even recipes (for food, not fiber.) And, of course, there are plenty of pentagrams for all.
The Authors
The Close-Knit Circle by Kerry Willis (Greenwood Publishing, 2007) tells readers that although Rigdon and Stewart are self-described “bitter people,” they are not and have never been “Goths.” It is a superb marketing strategy, nonetheless.
The authors try hard not to care whether the book is successful or not, but it’s obvious that they do. Rather, the authors come off as very accessible, intelligent and human (probably much to their dismay) even if they do show a tiny bit of mean-spiritedness.
The Review
Traditional crafters, as well as conservative ones, will most likely not like this book. And, that’s okay with the authors; they know their target market, and “cute” isn’t in the description. When the authors state, “If you would describe your favorite crafts as ‘supercute,’…if the idea of handcrafting the most nauseatingly adorable plush bunny you’ve ever seen sets your heart atwitter…gently set this book back on the shelf and slowly walk away,” they mean it. They’ll understand. Really.
It is good to see a book that breaks out of the same-old, same-old mold, and tries to attract younger people to crafts. That being said, potential buyers—young or old—will want to see this book before buying it.
A somewhat important bit of misleading information is on the back cover, which states that the title belongs in the knitting section of the store. The book is not a knitting book; it includes knitting techniques, but also crochet, sewing, duct tape, metalwork (earrings and necklace), metal embossing, beading, and needlepoint projects. The back cover therefore contains a misnomer—it should be in “crafts.”
For the majority of fiber artists, this book will be, at most, a coffee-table conversation starter. The projects are somewhat juvenile, and it’s debatable as to whether or not a crafter will grow out of a project before it’s finished. While the book is cute to look at, it tries a little too hard to be believable, and in this way, it’s a bit self-destructive.
But to some “Goths” and a small percentage of brave souls, it would make a fine companion to Aleister Crowley’s work. Some of these projects hurt—really they do—and they’re meant to. The authors wouldn’t have it any other way.
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