Friday, March 14, 2008

OLDER POSTS FROM WORD PRESS





I am transfering my blog entries from wordpress. These are older posts from that site.




Purlyeverlasting’s Weblog
LIVE TO KNIT ANOTHER DAY
Home
About
SIGNS OF SPRING
March 6, 2008 - No Responses
The first snowdrop of the season bloomed on my birthday, three days ago. Indoors, paperwhite narcissi given to me for Christmas, demurred until today. A pale peach rose, my favorite, graces my dinner table, courtesy of my beloved. Valentine flowers keep it company. Although the weather turned cold after last night’s downpour, winter is pretty much over. To celebrate spring, I crochet a possible bag in yellow cotton and embroidered it with red ribbons. What kind of delights will it hold in days to come–a handful of sunshine, a perfectly preserved paperwhite blossom, a rose, pages from my finished novel? Remember, everything is possible when one has a place to keep the unexpected.
Categorised in Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,
Yarn and the global economy
March 5, 2008 - No Responses
Presumably, to become an artisan is to take a step towards self-reliance. One imagines that those who can make their own clothing, their own their own linens, their own shoes are immune to the shop-till-you-drop virus. As the dollar plunges, as the price of gas edges close to $4 per gallon, as consumer goods become more and more expensive–for example, the cost of a 20 lb. bag of dog food at the local Wal Mart went up by two dollars in a month–one assumes that artisans will think hard before they go on shopping sprees. One assumes incorrectly. Ill paid as they are, most artisans are essentially shopaholics. As jewelry maker, I remember rushing to stock up on malachite in response to rumors that political turmoil in Africa would make it scarce. Long before the price of metal went up, silversmiths I know quickly called their suppliers, just in case it was true that the American government would indeed start buying sterling them in the open market. As a polymer clay artist, I look at rising oil prices and reflect I had better go shopping before fossil fuel byproducts become luxury items. I know knitters who follow the dollar’s downward spiral and think, as I do,
a) European yarn is out.
b) Japanese yarn will cost too much.
c) Chilean, Peruvian and Uruguyan yarns are probably affordable unless the Chilean, Peruvian and Uruguyan currencies become as strong as the Euro.
Does that stop is from adding to our stash? Not. bThe reasoning is,
d) Might as well buy whatever is on sale. It’s only going to get more expensive. Thus, I have recently become the owner of,
a) Four skeins of Kid Silk Haze–on sale at Little Knits, for half the usual price.
b) Five skeins of Noro Kureyon– on sale at Little Knits for $ 5.95
c)Four skeins each of Dale of Norway’ Daletta and Sisik for less than four dollars each.
d) 8 skeins of Kiddie Prints also on sale
e) Two skeins of Brown Sheep worsted.
That should be enough, what with two batches of Kauni EQ and one of Habu Stainless Steel and Silk already on their way. But, oh, what of the wonderful deals at Handpainted Silk? What of the bags of ten skeins af Ella Rae’s silk Shibu at a mere $26? What about the yummy Tilli Thomas Mogul at only $19 per? What about cashmere, baby yak, silk and camel blends ? Will they ever cost the same again? Only one thing is certain, as long as there are artisans, all will be well with capitalism.
Categorised in knitting Tags: , , , , ,
Hello world!
March 2, 2008 - One Response
It seems inconsequential to write about prosaic pursuits such knitting while the Israeli Defence Forces fight Islamic jihaddists in Gaza. Yet this has ever been the quintessential quality of Jews–the refusal to give in to despair. Hamas had it coming, no question. It pished Israel to the limit with the shelling of Sderot and more recently with the attacks on Askelon. What is dreadful is that the average Palestinian trapped in Gaza is now caught between the hammer of the IDF and the anvil of the Hamas thugs who use religion to justify their disregard for human life. What is dreadful is that coverage of the conflict in western and in the Arab media portrays Israel as the aggressor and portrays all Palestinians as victi ms. Indeed there are Palestinian victims, as there are Israeli victims. The question is why the media fails to hold Hamas accountable for the suffering of both Palestinians and Israelis.
Knitting changes the situation in the Middle East not a single iota. It has no standing with the United nations. It does not keep oil producing countries from jacking up the price of crude nor does it prevent inflation. All it can do is help the knitter get through the tense wait for news that can be very, very bad.
Knitting helps because it is calming and comforting. It creates order out of the chaos of jumbled threads–in this case, red mercerized cotton. The chaos began as a freform crochet project. It should have formed a square but it insisted in turning the corner and curving upon itself. Switching to knitting needles from a size seven crochet hook is an attempt to retain the curve without adding extra stitches. Eventually, the finished bag should look like sliced fig. In terms of design, it is somewhat unpredictable. In uncertain times such as ours, what with the Iranian Amahdinejad rattling his nuclear saber, Venezuela Hugo Chavez making veiled threars to his country’s Jewish community, what with large numbers of the First World’s intelligentsia spouting anti-zionist cliches that seem to echo Hitler’s Mein Kampf, there is little little comfort in much of the the predictable. Knitting is hopeful, as in, “come summer I will wear a nice red handbag.” Come summer there might be a miracle. Come summer there might be peace.
Categorised in knitting Tags: , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment