One of my favourite possessions is my leather jacket. It’s warm, it’s got lots of pockets, and every time I put it on, my husband gets this look and tells me that leather jackets “suit me”.
I was never really quite sure what he meant, as I don’t think of myself as a biker-y, leather-jacket-y sort of person, really. It feels a little bit like I’m playing dress-up as a Hell’s Angel, pretending to be tough and hard and fierce.
Then I read that story that does the rounds on social media from time to time about the bikers that escort kids to court when they have to testify against their abusers, and something struck a bit of a chord. Because THAT kind of tough and hard and fierce is *exactly* who I am. If it’s the right thing, if it means protecting someone who needs it, if it means stopping harm being caused, then yes. I will be as tough and hard and fierce as that situation demands.
That got me thinking a bit. I’ve never really been one to buy into stereotypes, but I do think that people’s clothing can tell us a lot about them. Personal style is used to signal all sorts of things, both intentionally and unintentionally. Class, education level, socioeconomic status, gender, sexuality, political stances…
And that’s where this idea came from. I wanted a pair of mitts that seemed perfectly at home with a leather jacket, that weren’t afraid to be a little different, that broke a rule or two.
Rebel do exactly that. Mitts are for keeping your hands warm, right? Nah. They’re for making your hands look cool when you stick two fingers up at whatever it is we’re rebelling against today.
(If you do need your hands to stay warm, you could wear them over a plain mitt in a contrasting colour for the best of both worlds.)
Rebel
Knitting • 4-ply • £5
Who says mitts have to keep your hands warm? Sometimes style takes priority over function. Sometimes the rules are supposed to be broken. (And if your hands get too cold, why not pop a pair of plain mitts underneath?)
