Cult Media, Fandom and Textiles Handicrafting as Fan Art

This book is the first to explore handicrafting practiced by media fans, their online fan communities and the multiple meanings they create. Based on in-depth ethnographic research into fans on the online social network for knitters, crocheters and crafters, Ravelry, Brigid Cherry explores textile craft by fans as both an artistic practice and transformative fan work. Including case studies of projects inspired by Doctor Who, True Blood, Firefly, Harry Potter, Sherlock and steampunk, the book engages with many forms of fan production, including fan art, fan fiction and cosplay.

Fans of popular films and TV shows are increasingly engaging with textile crafts as a way of reworking, reimagining and engaging with cult media texts. Proving a global phenomenon amongst fan cultures in the digital media sphere, traditional film and TV audiences are forging their fan identities and participating in wider fan communities in innovative ways through online craft forums and blogs that showcase their knitting, crochet, spinning and dyeing projects. Exploring key debates from textile and media theory, surrounding gender, domesticity, the culture industries, audiences and fan culture, this book is essential reading for students of textiles, media studies, fashion, cultural and gender studies.

Introduction: Cult Media and Handicrafting

1. Fandom, Textiles, Gender
2. The Fan Handicrafting Experience
3. Narratives of the Self and Fan Identity
4. Handicrafting as Fan Art
5. Text and Textiles
6. Cultural Capital and the Micro-Economy of Fan Handicrafting

Conclusion: Casting Off

Notes
Bibliography
Index

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