By Hook or By Crook

Perhaps Goodwill stores are still bulging with granny square blankets knotted in shades of avocado green and acid orange, but once-retro fiber arts are back with a clout of cool not seen since the Me Decade. Indeed, crafts like needlepoint and crochet are being re-appropriated for statement pieces that have nothing to do with throw pillows or ponchos.

Needlepoint Activism: Stitch ‘n Bitch members have been gathering to gossip and knit since WWII, but members of the more purposeful Craftivist Collective convene for more than just kvetching. The UK-based organization, which also has offshoots in Melbourne, Copenhagen, LA and Berlin, was founded “to expose the scandal of global poverty and human rights injustices though the power of craft and public art.” At last month’s London Fashion Week, the group executed its unconventional guerilla activism in the form of cross-stitch graffiti. Samplers exposing the ugly truth of Vietnamese garment workers’ wages were fastened to railings, lamp posts and buildings in densely populated fashion-oriented destinations. The stunt was silent protest at its most powerful.

Crochet Art: Polish-born, NYC-based artist Olek thinks “knitting is for pus****.” While those who spend their nights during cold weather months clicking needles by the fire may take issue with her bold opinion—which was also the title of her recent show at Christopher Henry Gallery in Nolita—Olek has nabbed a niche in the art world with her street crochet art installations. (Past works have included yarn cars and bikes.) Meanwhile, French-born, Portugal-based artist Joana Vasconcelos fashions elaborate, large-scale crochet pieces, like a piano that was shown at the Haunch of Venison in London this past summer. True, they’re reminiscent of the doilies one would find at a stuffy tea salon…but, unlike their inspiration, you’d never want to spoil them with scone crumbs and jam stains.

Heavy Metal Crochet: Though crochet is typically formed using fibrous yarn or thread, the technique is now also being applied to metalwork. After learning the craft from following the instructions included with a Susan Bates crochet hook package, Canadian designer Arielle de Pinto started crocheting gold vermeil and sterling silver into jewelry a couple of years ago. The results now comprise one of the most coveted jewelry lines among fashion hounds, with ultrahip boutiques such as Bona Drag, No6, Ooga Booga, and Stand Up Comedy stocking avant pieces like a fingerless glove and a two-sided pouch necklace that’s so pretty it actually makes us want to wear an iPod.