Playing With Needles: Technology, Gender and Playful Participation in Online Knitting Communities

Adult women are often considered to be technologically challenged and not playful, traits that make them less interesting for game designers and scholars. They are commonly expected to have quiet and productive hobbies, engage in gender-stereotypically feminine pursuits such as knitting and not participate in competitions or fan culture play. This article discusses and explores how knitters engage in play and competition, within environments that demand a high level of technical ability and expertise. Comparing play on Ravelry.com and r/knitting on Reddit.com with play discussed in game studies, this article highlights the appearance of recognizable play genres and activities through yarn-based crafting. This has implications for how we think about women and games, while it serves as a reminder of the technical abilities and skills women develop when they feel it is useful, and of how the leisure of women is still prescribed and limited by societal expectations.