Knitting store: no yarn for women’s movement protesters

You might think the pussyhat phenom would be the best thing to happen to a yarn store since the poncho craze of the early 1970s. But the owner of a Tennessee knitting store doesn’t want anyone buying its yarn for arts and crafts for the women’s movement, following weekend protests by marchers in knitted, pointy-eared hats.

The Tennessean newspaper reported that the comments this week on the Facebook page of The Joy of Knitting store in Franklin drew thousands of responses — both support and vows of a boycott.

The social media post by Elizabeth Poe said that as a business owner and a Christian, she promotes values of “mutual respect, love, compassion, understanding and integrity.” She called the women’s movement “counterproductive” to unity.

“With the recent women’s march on Washington, I ask that you if you want yarn for any project for the women’s movement that you please shop for yarn elsewhere,” the social media post says. “The vulgarity, vile and evilness of this movement is absolutely despicable.”

The post came after thousands of movement marchers Jan. 21 wore the pink, pointy-eared hats they called “pussyhats” — partly responding to Trump’s past caught-on-camera remarks about grabbing women’s genitalia.

It’s unclear whether the store sold any yarn to people who attended the massive march in Washington, D.C, or the protest in nearby Nashville that was one of many held around the world Jan. 21.

Poe told The Tennessean that her phone has been ringing nonstop since she made the post.

Many commenters on social media called the post bigoted and hypocritical and they vowed to take their yarn business elsewhere. Others applauded Poe for expressing her beliefs.