The meaning of funky
3 August 2006It’s not every day you get a comment on your blog from the creator of a pattern. I feel, though, that yesterday’s post was nothing to be ashamed of, and Tiphanie and I stand by our comments.
But it did bring to mind what funky is. What does it mean? What is the goal of being funky? Creating something funky? Is funkiness an end unto itself?
What is funky?
What do you do with funky?
I decided to talk to my resident expert in all things funky, Simona.
Frarochvia: We know you like loud stuff right?
Simona: Yeah, I like bright stuff.
Frarochvia: Not just bright but also funky and weird stuff.
Simona: Oooh, yeah, I do!
Frarochvia: And for lots of things, the weirder the better? Simonaized?
Simona: Hehe, indeed!
Frarochvia: Okay. Your first thought upon seeing this picture on the front page of the current MagKnits?
Simona: Funky but useless.
Frarochvia: It’s a pair of fingerless gloves. Does that change your opinon any?
Simona: Oh, couldn’t have told that, heh. Eh, no. Those cute flaps would make the gloves be useless completely. I mean, how the heck can you even do anything useful with them on?
Frarochvia: Those aren’t flaps there, as far as I know, blips of yarn hanging out.
Simona: Whatever they are, they’d get in the way of anything you were trying to do.
Frarochvia: Yeah. The reason I showed you that picture is because I got a comment on the blog from the designer of that thing herself.
Simona: I mean, try to eat? Hello stains! Hello wisps of yarn in foodies!
Frarochvia: Would you go to the blog and read the comments?
Simona: Sure!
Frarochvia: Of all the crafty people I know you are the one with the funkiest and wildest taste, and I wanted your honest opinon.
Frarochvia: Especially in light of her comments, which, personally, I thought were missing the point.
Simona: Muppet guts, hehe.
Frarochvia: Hahahahaha
Simona: Funny way to describe it.
Simona: Personally, they’d be perfect as leg warmers!
Frarochvia: I will attempt to contain my revulsion at that notion, and go yes, they’d be more useful that way.
Simona: But I’d go nay on them as arm warmers, fingerless gloves - those little flaps or blips or whatever you want to call those cool things on the sleeve - they would just get in the way of the person doing things.
Frarochvia: That was my primary reason for hating the design.
Frarochvia: I don’t think they’re funky. I think they’re useless. More to the point, I don’t think I’m anti-funky.
Simona: Hence my first thought: Funky but useless, on the arms, anyway. You aren’t anti-funky, not based on the scarves that I’ve seen you make.
Frarochvia: Hehehehehe yeah. Very funky scarves. I guess I just don’t have a problem with funk. I have serious problems with a yarn or design that isn’t useful.
Simona: yeah
Frarochvia: Yes you can alter the design by using different yarn. But the thing that made this “unique” wasn’t how it was made, it was, well, the muppet guts.
Simona: Exactly, so changing the yarn wasn’t the point.
Frarochvia: Right.
Simona: Unless there was a magic yarn that could retract magically whenever you were doing something… now that would be truly useful. Not to mention very funky.
Hopefully that conversation didn’t put anyone to sleep…
That’s the reason I’m thinking about what funkiness means and what its place in our lives is. Because? Anyone who can wear permanent pink dye in her hair is funky. Or at least thinks about being funky. But to what end? Where does the line between wanting to be different and just being weird go? Does having had pink hair change anything? No. But was it fun? Yes. Would I do things just for fun? Sure! But would I want to wear things or make things that have little purpose, like the knitted condom? Um, no.
What’re your thoughts? Share!
Where the heck did you find the knitted condom?!? That’s totally out of the world and scary to see that somebody could have come up with something like that!?!? Grin.
Good rant regarding “what is funkiness” - You’ve made the concept of “what is funky” much more clear to the world. Hehe.
Your meaning of funly is spot on. Practical is totally different. While those paw-things may look funky in all their fiber-funkiness, they wouldn’t be practical fo, say, digging change out of your pocket for the bus. BUT, they WOULD be practical for washing your car. If you want hands-on cleaning, nothing could be better. They’d make FUNKY car washers. Or even fun-in-the-tub marital aid. (To each their own, I say!)
So, keep speaking your mind! You’re funk-o-licious, and we love ya for it!
I think that if the creator of the pattern has a problem with people thinking her ‘design’ is anything but useless, then she aught not to put her designs out there for people to hate upon. If you’re that sensitive to criticism, you have no business whatsoever trying to design a product for the masses, even if it’s just for the knitting masses.
Hee hee - pink hair=funky by pretty much anyone’s definition.
Also, indicates extreme love of pink maybe. Anyway, perhaps the designer should be flattered at the amount of discussion and comtemplation triggered by this pattern, which is totally not par for the course?
In some contexts, “funky”, means, “Whew, ick, nasty!” But in the context of fashion (and knitting falls under that category), it generally means “fun, with an attitude”. Which is a compliment, in my never-humble opinion.
When I started doing web design one of the best pieces of advice I ever received was to “never fall in love with your design…it will break your heart in the end”. Once you toss your design out there, you are open to criticism.
How the heck did she find your blog? I love the conversation blog…Doesn’t that happen when knitters get together?
My point isn’t (and wasn’t) that I’m the slightest bit upset that people think my design is useless - particularly since I don’t believe that knitting (or anything fibre related) always has to be sensible and serve a purpose. Your mileage might vary. If you choose never to spend your time and money on making something crazy, then that’s entirely your choice and more power to ya.
For me, I was given a skein of utterly bonkers yarn, and asked to make a pair of wristwarmers out of it, which I did. I chose to make them extremely simple, because the yarn would have overwhelmed anything more complicated. I then wrote the pattern in such a way that (given that skein of yarn was handspun and a one-off) the wristwarmers could be made from any yarn at all, putting the creativity into the hands of the knitter.
That pair aren’t practical, I’ll give you that, but just because the yarn chosen for that specific pair isn’t practical (or to everyone’s taste) doesn’t make it a bad design.
I have no problem at all with people hating the design if that’s what they really hate, but I do find it a bit frustrating when people rubbish a design (any design - not just mine) because the yarn used isn’t to their taste.
I’m well aware that by the design being made public I’m open to criticism, and I have no problem with that, but nowhere does it say I have to just sit quietly and take it without getting involved in the discussion, which is what I’m doing.
Ain’t the internet just grand?
(oh, and I found this post by searching technorati for the word magknits, and I’d probably have found it if I had bothered to check google too.)
Indeed, I saw the Yarn for Chance when PixelDiva first got it…
With all the Slubs and Sequins spun into the yarn, it just cried out to be a “Funky Flame Boi” toy, as we passed it around the table.
But no, Kerrie Commisioned (boring?) Wristwarmers. So, a pattern for (Funky!) Wristwarmers Kerrie got.
The pattern is a good one though, very simple, and fits to the wrist well. I tried them on Last night at AngelKnits, and they have very good fit and enough stretch for comfort.
IMHO, I think that trashing a design because you don’t like the picture it comes with is just plain silly…
And “Muppet Guts” are funky, you know?