I recently picked up a copy of Barbara Walker's Treasury of Knitting Patterns (the third in the series) from the library, and was really blown away by the number of patterns, many of which I couldn't wait to try.
Except for this one.
In the 'Mosaic Patterns' section, tucked casually in among the 'Shamrock' and 'Butterflies' on page 211 is a charming little pattern called 'Swastikas and Vines.'
Swastikas. And vines, no less.
Yes, I know the swastika is a 3000 year-old symbol, part of the early iconography in Asian, European and Native American cultures. It can still be found adorning Buddhist temples, and is frequently incorporated into images of the Buddha and Hindu gods and goddesses. It was even used as a purely decorative good-luck symbol in the early 1900s. Yet finding it in this context really made my stomach drop. Seriously, if I saw someone wearing a sweater emblazoned with swastikas, I wouldn't think, "Follower of the Buddha," I'd think, "Aryan Nation." Unfortunately, this symbol has come to stand for something much different and much uglier than its original intended purpose, and this collection of patterns, originally published in 1972, should have been just a LITTLE more sensitive to that.
What makes it even more disturbing is Meg Swansen's pre-contents note, which states that nearly all of the patterns contained in the book were designed by the author.
Can't say I'll be adding this volume to my permanent collection anytime soon. Ugh, I'm still queasy.
It's clear from Walker's other writings that she was pretty disgusted at how a symbol she saw as having links to prehistory had been debased by the Nazi party. She hoped that someday the world would have healed enough to reclaim that spirtual heritage of the design, rather than focusing on its mid-20th century perversion. That being said, too many of my familiy died in Europe for me to ever see the symbol in any other context, in spite of her reasoning. Perhaps three or four generations of knitters hence will be able to disassociate the layers of meaning. But not me.
Posted by: kbsalazar | June 07, 2004 at 10:23 AM
Oh Mindy, you know, all I can say is "WORD," girl. Wordy McWorderson from Wordville.
I'm not sure I even want the healing or disassociation, you know? It worries me that disassociation would lead to forgetfulness. The number of people who deny the Holocaust is growing steadily. There's not a chance in the universe that I would ever see the swastika for what it originally symbolized.
I own that book and I must not have read through it thoroughly enough to catch it. Maybe I'll rip that page out or something. I don't really want it in my collection, either.
Posted by: Em | June 07, 2004 at 03:27 PM
turn the page, man. skip the swastika patterns. the rest of the book is great. imho, it would be foolish to discard the whole because you don't like a few of what's there...
Posted by: ember | June 07, 2004 at 04:27 PM
After more than two years here, I still haven't gotten used to seeing swastikas all over the place, although I recognize they are Buddhist. Still give me the shivers.
Posted by: alison | June 08, 2004 at 05:59 AM
It's amazing how oblivious some people can be. I still occasionally see a modern quilt with a patchwork design that clearly forms a swastika, but somehow no one has noticed. Although, if Walker is calling it by *name*, I guess you can't call her oblivious.
I don't know what to say except it creeps me out, too.
Posted by: Alexandra | June 08, 2004 at 03:42 PM
I would give it back to the library and stay far away. Simply on principle. Thats like when highly intelligent individual wants to argue about how a word really means this or that. IT MEANS what po-culture and the current generation interperates it as. No one definition for a word or thing or symbol is 100% correct, even if it apears ina dictionary, in a documentary or on TV. How people perseve things makes it what it is.
Other inelligent individuals might say, well then those people need to stop percieving it that way and then it wouldnt mean that anymore. While very true, it's a very ignorant way to think.
I wouldnt open it again. Sorry, nope! To me the author was ignorant.
Posted by: brandy | June 08, 2004 at 04:11 PM
Unfortunate as it may be, no matter what the swastika meant at one time, on a large scale recognition base, you're right, it only means one thing now and forevermore: It means RUN AWAY! You were right to put the book down. I'd have no problem with the other patterns in the book, but they're hanging out at the wrong club. So, nope. good on you.
Posted by: Rachael | June 08, 2004 at 05:00 PM