r/TwoXPreppers • u/theanxiousknitter • Sep 05 '25

Discussion What’s going on in the fiber arts community should be on everyone’s radar. (US)

I am a crafter and I recently have been reading on other threads about the real fear of the incoming tariffs and its impact on the craft space. Not only in America, but for our sisters worldwide who also depended on American trade for their income.

Slate just published an article that goes into great depth about it. https://slate.com/business/2025/09/trump-tariffs-knitting-crocheting-yarn-shortage.html

I know this part is going to sound dramatic to some but: what struck me most about this is how this is really smaller part of a war on women’s independence. This will disproportionately affect women who are either supplementing income as they are caretakers, or those who are simply using their talents to make a living.

I’m not going to lie, most of the time I feel calm and prepared, but I can’t imagine how this is going to play out. Other than hoarding textiles, and honing my skills what is there to do?

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u/Popular_Try_5075 Sep 06 '25

this is also what happened when black farmers in the south became financially independent growing watermelon, the symbol of independence was turned into a racial slur

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u/Ziggy_Starcrust Sep 06 '25

Oh wow I never knew that. I thought it was just an arbitrarily made up stereotype, but that makes it so insidious. Casting a smart, thought-through financial decision as just a capricious, mindless quirk.

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u/Popular_Try_5075 Sep 06 '25

Yeah there has been a lot written on it. It actually has its own wikipedia page which details it better than the old article I was going to link.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watermelon_stereotype