Image Source: Rebecca Tauber
Key Takeaways:
- The intersection of fiber arts and women’s sports has created a unique community of fans who combine their love of crafting with their passion for sports.
- Rysa Ruth, a fashion textile design graduate, has sold hundreds of sports jersey knitting patterns online and has become a pioneer in this niche community.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the growth of interest in crafts, including knitting and crocheting, which has coincided with the increasing popularity of women’s sports.
- The community of fiber artists and sports fans has created a space for women and members of the LGBTQ community to connect and express themselves through their crafts.
- Events like Stitch ‘n Pitch and knitting clubs at sports bars have become popular, providing a platform for fans to showcase their handmade apparel and connect with like-minded individuals.
Introduction to the Community
On a chilly Sunday in December, a group of about two dozen people gathered at Wilka’s, a women’s sports bar in lower Manhattan, to knit and watch women’s college basketball and PWHL games. Among them was Rysa Ruth, a 30-year-old fashion textile design graduate who has become a pioneer in the niche community of fiber artists and sports fans. Ruth was working on a UConn Azzi Fudd jersey, a project that would take her 76 hours to complete. As she worked, she wore a handmade sweater and brought a project in progress, a fingerless glove, to the table. Ruth’s passion for knitting and women’s sports has led her to create a business selling sports jersey knitting patterns online, which has resonated with fans and athletes alike.
The Rise of Fiber Arts and Women’s Sports
The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the growth of interest in crafts, including knitting and crocheting. As people spent more time at home, they turned to hobbies like fiber arts to pass the time. At the same time, the market for women’s sports has grown rapidly, with more fans and athletes emerging. Rysa Ruth, who taught herself to knit in 2019, has found a way to combine her love of crafts with her passion for women’s sports. As she said, "I was really disappointed with all the merch options, and I was like, well, there’s 22 home games. I cannot wear the same two shirts over and over again." Ruth’s solution was to create her own jerseys, which has led to a business selling patterns online. "A lot of women’s sports fans are very queer, and that is a different demographic with a different sense of style. … We wanna wear what we think looks good, and it’s just important that that’s recognized in the designing," Ruth explained.
The Community Comes Together
The intersection of fiber arts and women’s sports has created a unique community of fans who combine their love of crafting with their passion for sports. On Instagram, TikTok, Etsy, and Ravelry, a knitting community website, dozens of jerseys, hats, scarves, and other creations inspired by sports can be found. Kailyn Clark, a 23-year-old clinical research assistant, has taught herself to crochet and has designed and crocheted baseball jerseys to wear to games. Clark has sold hundreds of patterns to crocheters who have adapted the style to football, college, and F1. Andrianna Wilkinson, a 19-year-old from Massachusetts, has crocheted an Ellie the Elephant keychain and a mini Washington Mystics jersey for a stuffed animal, in addition to her full-size crocheted jerseys and a massive WNBA blanket. As Wilkinson said, "Keychains are such a big trend, and I wanted to do something for the mascots, and I think it was something like a unique twist to it."
A History of Stitch ‘n Pitch
The combination of fiber arts and sports has some history. In 2005, art stores in Seattle partnered with the Mariners for what would become Stitch ‘n Pitch, an annual event inviting hundreds of fans to bring their projects to the game. The event spread over the years to more than a dozen MLB teams, including the New York Mets, where Kim Kantor runs a New York iteration with two friends from her knitting group. Kantor, 42, learned to knit when spending the summer with her grandparents at their bungalow colony in the Catskills and sharpened her skills in the stands at her brother’s little league games. As Kantor said, "I’m watching the game better because my hands are occupied, so my mind can focus on the game." The event has become a popular platform for fans to showcase their handmade apparel and connect with like-minded individuals.
The Future of Fiber Arts and Women’s Sports
The community of fiber artists and sports fans continues to grow, with events like Stitch ‘n Pitch and knitting clubs at sports bars becoming increasingly popular. Rysa Ruth’s knit club at Wilka’s has become a monthly event, with a mix of newcomers and regulars who recognize each other from past events. As Ruth said, "I just didn’t realize people were gonna get so excited about this. I thought I was someone at this intersection in a bit of a silo, like I was a weird person who had this crossover interest… I cried the first time because I just didn’t realize that this was a need and a want." The community has created a space for women and members of the LGBTQ community to connect and express themselves through their crafts. For fans like Hava Weiss, combining knitting with sports has made it easier to connect with other fans. As Weiss said, "To me, as someone who’s not super social, it means being able to be social with other people. I don’t really do these things. I don’t go and talk to people out of nowhere at a sporting event, I sit alone, so I’m really excited to be able to talk to people, and it’s so much easier for me, personally, to talk to other knitters."
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6949482/2026/01/09/sports-fandom-knitting-crocheting-apparel/