Thesis Question

So here it is.

After a lot of research and pondering of the many different directions I could take my love of knitting combined with design, I finally came to a topic that makes me feel excited and hopeful when I think about it. For many years I have told myself that one day I would help others less fortunate than myself. Apart from dropping pocket change in the red buckets outside the grocery store every holiday season, I never really made good on my promise. Now is the time for me to do this. So without further ado, here is my Thesis Question:

For my BFA thesis critical question, I am choosing to research the social history of handcrafts, especially knitting, and how it has been used to help communities in the past and how I can use it to help my community today. How can I use design to continue and enhance the tradition of knitting for the community?

I think this topic should be pursued because there are a great number of people in need in the city of Denver, especially during the winter season, that I think can be helped by knitting.

Through the pursuit of this topic, I will learn more about how knitting has been used in the past to help a wide range of people, from premature infants to soldiers fighting in wars overseas. I also hope to gain insight into Denver’s homeless community and what I can do to help people stay warm when they have no choice but to be outside during the night.

I will use design to make printed instructions on basic knitting techniques to be included with a skein of yarn and knitting needles that will be provided to homeless citizens of Denver. Along with this basic starter kit, I will also use my design skills to make an instructional DVD that can be played at homeless shelters or any other community resource that is available to people in need.

I will use video footage, motion graphics, and typography to make the instructional video, as well as my typography and page layout skills to make the printed instructions. My goal is to teach a useful skill to people who can use it to help themselves, and maybe even others in need.