iota values – about community
iota was established as a social business made of different communities, which are the center generating its work and impact.
Our manufacturing communities consist of women from different backgrounds who support themselves by knitting. These communities may be geographically distant from us here in Yafo, but the shared experience of crafting allows them and us to feel meaningful and part of something greater. Alongside these communities, are our client communities, which consist of people who are excited about craft, who come to learn to knit, and through and with them we strive to spread the craft of knitting to the masses.
One of the pillars of iota is to provide jobs for women. Women who knit together, become a community, with its own signs and habits and a sense of partnership. Our main knitting community is in Istanbul. A group of women knitting together and separately, at home or in a workshop. Along with fair pay and social conditions, we support communities in providing training and guidance in issues of health, welfare, and family. In addition, the joint workshop is always open to them and serves as a safe space for them and their children, where they can meet, work together, and feel at home. It is common to have a group of women sit together knitting while on the other floor their children are running around together, playing hide and seek.
“A mother produces aesthetic products next to her child. Knit it loop by loop. The kid doesn’t understand what’s going on, but they see it when it’s over. The child gains many things and learns this when the pieces come together. They’re (kids) learning patience. ” (Zeynep Gumus, Director of the Istanbul Community).
A knitting circle creates a special intimacy. More than once we got together for training with women who do not speak our language, but we felt an immediate connection, and the hands and eyes lead the communication. Crochet is the only craft that has signs and characters, and as in music, anyone who knows the language can create almost anything with it. The joint creation, the creativity in discovering handmade shapes and textures, creates ties – those that the crochet hook makes in thread, and those that are bound between the women in the circle.
We recently started the iota knitting club, a diverse community of women and men, of adults and youngsters, of experienced knitters alongside first timers, all have been captivated by the magic of knitting and the mindset it produces. On Sundays we open the studio and invite anyone who is interested to come and knit our kits with us. We found that at the beginning of the session everyone was focused on learning the technique and more self-contained. Later, the body is released from the tension of the new beginning and the discovery of the group around is made possible, the shared experience and the connections are bound by themselves. The manual, slow work allows for a relaxed mindset, and the ability to produce something yourself is rewarding and produces a sense of belonging and meaning.
Our different communities in Israel and around the world challenge us to continue to articulate in crochet, to design yarns, to create a knitting experience and a unique user experience. We are thankful for the connection and see you as our partners for the road. We are happy to reveal our processes, to hear your thoughts and mindsets.
