Letter to Cast On's Brenda Dayne

Below is the letter I left for Brenda on the Cast On website after listening to her latest podcast. It brought up some serious issues for me and I thought it was a great episode. Check it out if you haven't already, knitter or not!

Brenda,

I admire you for shedding light on the behind the scene sometimes "Dirt" of the textile industry. I am a designer of textiles working in the carpet industry at the moment and I fully agree whith what both you and Anne M. said. Too often the majority of creative people ARE taken advantage of because they love what they do and are passionate about it. I have found it to be mainly a man's industry but the creative driving force is usually women. I believe these issues must be brought to the forefront with the up and coming generation of crafters to be aware of. I also found your reference to "Norma Rae" brilliant, the textile industry in the US may be historically known for not paying a living wage but what does it say about us that we have gone from that to shutting down our own mills just to outsource textile goods (and others) from other countries who pay even less!

So, I support your decision to follow your morals and not go with the sponsors that you just don't feel right about! Of course we can all make up our minds what to buy or not buy from advertisers but that's really not your point is it? And one last thank you for bringing up the issue of marketing "Green and Sustainable" as "Luxury" just to charge more and just because it's the buzz word of the moment. It's so much more than a buzz word and I'm glad you shed some light on it. Best to you in your future endavors towards making, hopefully, more than a living wage! I'll be listening to whatever you post, whenever...

Cheers~