Friday, July 11, 2008
Yarn-to-be
After the last couple of heavy-duty posts, I thought I'd lighten things up a bit around here. Look at the yummy yarn I bought today at Goodwill!
What? You don't see yarn? I do! These sweaters have been officially dubbed yarn-to-be. I have read and re-read several tutorials on reclaiming yarn, and I want to give it a go. I spent about twenty minutes this morning combing the racks at Goodwill and actually found four or five sweaters that would have worked. My budget's limited, however, even at $4 per sweater, so I narrowed it down to these two. The green is a beautiful 100% Italian Merino Wool, and the salmon is an intriguing blend. Here, I'll let the label speak for itself.
I'm not a huge fan of the salmon color, but I figure this is a great opportunity to practice my yet-to-be-developed dyeing skills. Since it's 65% animal fiber, it should hold some Kool Aid dye. If nothing else, an over-dye may have an interesting mottled effect. I plan to do a little color calculating first, though...I don't want to end up with mud.
If I learn the yarn-reclaiming process well and think it's something I can do well, I may consider selling it in my new etsy shop. I'm not set up yet...I need to get some purses and bags made before I jump in. (What's a shop without inventory, after all?) I do, however, have a name for it now: R3 bags. (The 3 should be superscript - anyone know how I can do that on blogger?) The three R's are [tentatively] Reuse, Reclaim, Repurpose. While I predict that most of what's up there will be bags, I'm not closing my mind to the idea of offering reclaimed yarns, and maybe even plarn. I've found that a lot of people do one plarn bag, then never touch the stuff again, simply because of the labor involved in cutting the plarn. Obviously, this is still all in the very beginning stages, but in a week or two I'll be able to devote more time to it. I also need to get Photoshop Elements installed on my new computer, because not having a logo finalized is driving me nuts.
Anyway, I did manage to find a little already-in-the-yarn-stage yarn today, too. It was $2.22 a skein. I'm not familiar with Plymouth Encore, so I hope that was a good price. Maybe I don't want to know...
What? You don't see yarn? I do! These sweaters have been officially dubbed yarn-to-be. I have read and re-read several tutorials on reclaiming yarn, and I want to give it a go. I spent about twenty minutes this morning combing the racks at Goodwill and actually found four or five sweaters that would have worked. My budget's limited, however, even at $4 per sweater, so I narrowed it down to these two. The green is a beautiful 100% Italian Merino Wool, and the salmon is an intriguing blend. Here, I'll let the label speak for itself.
I'm not a huge fan of the salmon color, but I figure this is a great opportunity to practice my yet-to-be-developed dyeing skills. Since it's 65% animal fiber, it should hold some Kool Aid dye. If nothing else, an over-dye may have an interesting mottled effect. I plan to do a little color calculating first, though...I don't want to end up with mud.If I learn the yarn-reclaiming process well and think it's something I can do well, I may consider selling it in my new etsy shop. I'm not set up yet...I need to get some purses and bags made before I jump in. (What's a shop without inventory, after all?) I do, however, have a name for it now: R3 bags. (The 3 should be superscript - anyone know how I can do that on blogger?) The three R's are [tentatively] Reuse, Reclaim, Repurpose. While I predict that most of what's up there will be bags, I'm not closing my mind to the idea of offering reclaimed yarns, and maybe even plarn. I've found that a lot of people do one plarn bag, then never touch the stuff again, simply because of the labor involved in cutting the plarn. Obviously, this is still all in the very beginning stages, but in a week or two I'll be able to devote more time to it. I also need to get Photoshop Elements installed on my new computer, because not having a logo finalized is driving me nuts.
Anyway, I did manage to find a little already-in-the-yarn-stage yarn today, too. It was $2.22 a skein. I'm not familiar with Plymouth Encore, so I hope that was a good price. Maybe I don't want to know...
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Clearing up misconceptions
I've been kicking this post around in my mind for a couple of weeks now, and the time has come to bite the bullet and just write the darn thing with the knowledge that I have an edit button and the ability to write further posts on the subject should I ever feel the need.
There is a common misconception out there that left-wingers, liberals, progressives (pick your label) are not patriotic. That our protest of the war is automatically an abandonment of our fighting men and women. I find this attitude and accusation to be uninformed, egocentric, and downright insulting.
First, let's address the issue of patriotism vs. nationalism. A patriot is someone who believes in their country, who supports it and is loyal to it. Patriot is defined by dictionary.com as a person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion. Nationalism has a slight - but very important - distinction. The same source has these as two of nationalism's definitions:
What has swept over our country in recent years is not, as many would claim, a glorious wave of patriotism. Rather, it is a smothering flood of nationalism.
A patriot will defend his country, whether on the battlefield or the sea or in the air, in the blogosphere, by working hard to keep drunk drivers off the roads and protect our loved ones, by running for office, or simply by being a representative citizen of his country in the best way he knows how. A patriot, in my mind, understands that no government is infallible and recognizes that it is our duty as citizens to question our government's decisions and actions in order to keep the country moving in a positive direction.
A nationalist, on the other hand, believes, "My country is right, right or wrong."
This kind of nationalism is dangerous. Just as believing your child could never do wrong and so turning a blind eye to his harmful actions is dangerous. Just as letting your child run about unfettered with no regard for the feelings of others is dangerous. Turning a blind eye to the poor decisions - and in many cases supporting those decisions - based solely on the fact that our government made them is so dangerous it's staggering. This is very much a "my way or the highway" attitude that can have few positive effects in the world.
Our country was founded on the principle that the people should decide its way. The people are supposed to be the guiding force behind the government. It's a simple concept with a complex application (and that application could admittedly use a bit of work...but that's a different post). So what does it say of our patriotism and our adherence to those original principles when we give up our own opinions to mutely follow in our government's footsteps? It should be the other way around.
I put it out there that ignoring these principles is decidedly unpatriotic. That giving free rein to our elected officials to decide our fate without question is a 180-degree turnaround from the base on which our country was founded. That we need to step back from the nationalistic crowing and think hard about what is really best for our country, our people, and the world around us.
And if you are of the opinion that my protest of this war is somehow unpatriotic, or that somehow I don't care about our troops, I put it to you that I see it as my duty as a patriot, and as a caring human being, to question any action that puts my beloved countrymen in harm's way. There are times when war - as horrible as it is - is necessary. This was not one of them.
This brings me to my current charity project. During the primary season, Knitters for Obama knit and crocheted somewhere around 1,000 hats and bibs for preemies in hospitals around the U.S. For the general election, we've changed our focus to taking care of people our government has abandoned. We are currently knitting and crocheting warm hats, scarves, fingerless gloves, lap blankets, and washcloths for homeless veterans in at least 4 states. How sad it is that there are so many veterans without family, without homes. These men (because they are all men in these particular shelters) sacrificed greatly for their country - our country - and receive next to nothing in the way of thanks or even basic needs from the government for whom they fought. One shelter has relayed to our group that the federal assistance they receive in a year wouldn't pay for the needs of one veteran.
I am one person with little energy. I cannot change the world. But I can give a few men who have served our country a warm head, a clean face, and a big thank you. And I can work to support a candidate who will fight for their rights. It is one small way I, a patriot, can do my part to contribute to our wonderful, full-of-potential country.
There is a common misconception out there that left-wingers, liberals, progressives (pick your label) are not patriotic. That our protest of the war is automatically an abandonment of our fighting men and women. I find this attitude and accusation to be uninformed, egocentric, and downright insulting.
First, let's address the issue of patriotism vs. nationalism. A patriot is someone who believes in their country, who supports it and is loyal to it. Patriot is defined by dictionary.com as a person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion. Nationalism has a slight - but very important - distinction. The same source has these as two of nationalism's definitions:
- excessive patriotism
- the policy or doctrine of asserting the interests of one's own nation, viewed as separate from the interests of other nations or the common interests of all nations
What has swept over our country in recent years is not, as many would claim, a glorious wave of patriotism. Rather, it is a smothering flood of nationalism.
A patriot will defend his country, whether on the battlefield or the sea or in the air, in the blogosphere, by working hard to keep drunk drivers off the roads and protect our loved ones, by running for office, or simply by being a representative citizen of his country in the best way he knows how. A patriot, in my mind, understands that no government is infallible and recognizes that it is our duty as citizens to question our government's decisions and actions in order to keep the country moving in a positive direction.
A nationalist, on the other hand, believes, "My country is right, right or wrong."
This kind of nationalism is dangerous. Just as believing your child could never do wrong and so turning a blind eye to his harmful actions is dangerous. Just as letting your child run about unfettered with no regard for the feelings of others is dangerous. Turning a blind eye to the poor decisions - and in many cases supporting those decisions - based solely on the fact that our government made them is so dangerous it's staggering. This is very much a "my way or the highway" attitude that can have few positive effects in the world.
Our country was founded on the principle that the people should decide its way. The people are supposed to be the guiding force behind the government. It's a simple concept with a complex application (and that application could admittedly use a bit of work...but that's a different post). So what does it say of our patriotism and our adherence to those original principles when we give up our own opinions to mutely follow in our government's footsteps? It should be the other way around.
I put it out there that ignoring these principles is decidedly unpatriotic. That giving free rein to our elected officials to decide our fate without question is a 180-degree turnaround from the base on which our country was founded. That we need to step back from the nationalistic crowing and think hard about what is really best for our country, our people, and the world around us.
And if you are of the opinion that my protest of this war is somehow unpatriotic, or that somehow I don't care about our troops, I put it to you that I see it as my duty as a patriot, and as a caring human being, to question any action that puts my beloved countrymen in harm's way. There are times when war - as horrible as it is - is necessary. This was not one of them.
This brings me to my current charity project. During the primary season, Knitters for Obama knit and crocheted somewhere around 1,000 hats and bibs for preemies in hospitals around the U.S. For the general election, we've changed our focus to taking care of people our government has abandoned. We are currently knitting and crocheting warm hats, scarves, fingerless gloves, lap blankets, and washcloths for homeless veterans in at least 4 states. How sad it is that there are so many veterans without family, without homes. These men (because they are all men in these particular shelters) sacrificed greatly for their country - our country - and receive next to nothing in the way of thanks or even basic needs from the government for whom they fought. One shelter has relayed to our group that the federal assistance they receive in a year wouldn't pay for the needs of one veteran.
I am one person with little energy. I cannot change the world. But I can give a few men who have served our country a warm head, a clean face, and a big thank you. And I can work to support a candidate who will fight for their rights. It is one small way I, a patriot, can do my part to contribute to our wonderful, full-of-potential country.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Peace Out
Each year, my boys, along with a couple of their friends, attend Culture Camp at our church. Culture Camp can easily be described as a concept in a few short sentences, but it's hard to relate how much the kids actually learn in that same short way.
First, I suppose I should answer the obvious question. Think of Culture Camp as sort of the UUs' answer to vacation Bible school. Culture Camp, and the related Peace Out camp for younger kids, is a study of peace and the people of the world. Each year, they "visit" three different countries, and the children learn about customs, language, food and art. This year, I believe the kids visited Costa Rica, Tibet (wonderfully appropriate choice this year!), and South Africa. The prevailing theme throughout, however, is peace.
I love this. I can't convey how much I love it. Not only are the kids excited to learn about cultures different from our own, they're learning at an early age how peace can influence us all. The best part is that the counselors don't talk down to them. I don't believe children need to be treated in the Victorian fashion...they are not miniature adults. However, neither are they stupid, and the difficulties of the world do not need to be completely hidden from them. By exposing them to what's going on in the greater world at such a young age, I hope we're raising young men who will be aware of the global culture and who will fight (peacefully) for what is Good and Right.
That's not to say this camp is about what's wrong with the world. On the contrary, it's all about what's right. It has opened up some great opportunities for discussion, though. It becomes easier to explain the political undercurrents surrounding the upcoming Olympic Games when they've already had a simple exposure to Tibet and China. When we see Nelson Mandela flash across the television screen, his complex life becomes something relatable when they've read stories of his homeland, listened to the music of his people, and chowed down on mealie pap they made themselves.
We are citizens of the world, a fact which too many people forget, and which others take for granted. I hope my boys will do neither.
First, I suppose I should answer the obvious question. Think of Culture Camp as sort of the UUs' answer to vacation Bible school. Culture Camp, and the related Peace Out camp for younger kids, is a study of peace and the people of the world. Each year, they "visit" three different countries, and the children learn about customs, language, food and art. This year, I believe the kids visited Costa Rica, Tibet (wonderfully appropriate choice this year!), and South Africa. The prevailing theme throughout, however, is peace.
I love this. I can't convey how much I love it. Not only are the kids excited to learn about cultures different from our own, they're learning at an early age how peace can influence us all. The best part is that the counselors don't talk down to them. I don't believe children need to be treated in the Victorian fashion...they are not miniature adults. However, neither are they stupid, and the difficulties of the world do not need to be completely hidden from them. By exposing them to what's going on in the greater world at such a young age, I hope we're raising young men who will be aware of the global culture and who will fight (peacefully) for what is Good and Right.
That's not to say this camp is about what's wrong with the world. On the contrary, it's all about what's right. It has opened up some great opportunities for discussion, though. It becomes easier to explain the political undercurrents surrounding the upcoming Olympic Games when they've already had a simple exposure to Tibet and China. When we see Nelson Mandela flash across the television screen, his complex life becomes something relatable when they've read stories of his homeland, listened to the music of his people, and chowed down on mealie pap they made themselves.
We are citizens of the world, a fact which too many people forget, and which others take for granted. I hope my boys will do neither.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Crocheters for Obama
Depending on your point of view, it was a moment of brilliance or insanity that prompted me to post, "And you know what…I’ll seam it!" to the other crocheters in the Knitters for Obama group. I'm leaning towards brilliance, because take a gander at the gorgeousness that is arriving in my mailbox on a daily basis!
These are the nine squares I've received so far, from across the U.S. There will eventually be thirty squares, which Mom and I will seam into a large afghan, #2 on the prize list for the Knitters for Obama drawing. This is going to be a big, warm blankie...perfect as a throw for your bed, or for snuggling under with your honey to watch election returns in November. Or maybe even to take with you to Obama's Inauguration in January? It's always cold in D.C. in January...
These are the nine squares I've received so far, from across the U.S. There will eventually be thirty squares, which Mom and I will seam into a large afghan, #2 on the prize list for the Knitters for Obama drawing. This is going to be a big, warm blankie...perfect as a throw for your bed, or for snuggling under with your honey to watch election returns in November. Or maybe even to take with you to Obama's Inauguration in January? It's always cold in D.C. in January...
Hey, Moms!
Through BzzAgent, I've found a website that may bear further investigation.
Kids-in-Mind is a movie-reviews website with detailed descriptions of many films, with (ready for it?) kids in mind. It has ratings and detailed descriptions of Sex & Nudity, Violence, and Profanity. Here's the review I posted at BzzAgent:
So there you are - take a look and decide for yourself.
Visit Kids-in-Mind
Kids-in-Mind is a movie-reviews website with detailed descriptions of many films, with (ready for it?) kids in mind. It has ratings and detailed descriptions of Sex & Nudity, Violence, and Profanity. Here's the review I posted at BzzAgent:
- I really like this idea - it may help with my decisions about what movies my kids see in the theater. It's a little much - I mean they call to attention a gentlemen kissing the back of a woman's hand in greeting in a period movie and a dance instructor wearing shorts and doing high kicks under the "Sex & Nudity" heading, which is more than a bit over the line of "You're kidding, right?" On the other hand, they give very detailed descriptions of possibly offensive scary scenes, violence, name-calling, and profanity, so you can be well aware of what your kids might be exposed to. Or, if you're like a lot of the moms I know, what great conversations you can have with your kids after they view the movie. ("So, why do you think it was wrong to blame the hobos?")
| |
So there you are - take a look and decide for yourself.
Visit Kids-in-Mind
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Another bag for the bag lady
Over the past couple of days, I made myself this:
I love, love, love my new Chic on the Halfshell! It's a pattern by Drew Emborsky, aka The Crochet Dude, and you might recognize the yarns from that great box of goodies Pam RAK'd me last month.
I want to take a minute to plug Pam's yarns, which you can see and buy here at Thistleknit Handspun Yarn. Not only are they the ultimate in gorgeousness, they work up so nicely and are yummy to the touch. I used two of her yarns in this purse, along with some of the commercial sage and violet she gifted me. The whitish yarn you see is a greyish white with silver plied into it. It's amazing in person, and I think it's her Johnny Reb colorway. The multi-color yarn in the center is Twelve Oaks. I think its beauty speaks for itself.
Okay, now that I've waxed rhapsodic about Pam and her yarns, I can wax on and off about the purse itself. It's a love-it-or-hate it pattern, I think. People are either intrigued by and enamored of its unique shape, or they just don't like it. I am both intrigued and enamored. Jason is not. I'm okay with that; he's not the one who'll be carrying it. One crocheter on Ravelry described it as looking like a TIE fighter from Star Wars. I kind of have to agree, and the geek in me likes it even more for this revelation.
I tackled lining the purse this afternoon, which was pretty simple. I just laid the purse out on the fabric and traced half of it. When I cut it out, I folded the fabric in half, so it would be symmetrical. Sewed it right sides together, no problem. The issue came in hemming the top edge. I didn't take my time and ended up puckering it. Phooey. I think to do a truly professional job, it would have to be cut a bit bigger along the top opening and gathered. I don't have the patience to figure that out, so I'm going to be happy with the job I did.
And now I will returned to my Crocheting for Obama frenzy...
I love, love, love my new Chic on the Halfshell! It's a pattern by Drew Emborsky, aka The Crochet Dude, and you might recognize the yarns from that great box of goodies Pam RAK'd me last month. I want to take a minute to plug Pam's yarns, which you can see and buy here at Thistleknit Handspun Yarn. Not only are they the ultimate in gorgeousness, they work up so nicely and are yummy to the touch. I used two of her yarns in this purse, along with some of the commercial sage and violet she gifted me. The whitish yarn you see is a greyish white with silver plied into it. It's amazing in person, and I think it's her Johnny Reb colorway. The multi-color yarn in the center is Twelve Oaks. I think its beauty speaks for itself.
Okay, now that I've waxed rhapsodic about Pam and her yarns, I can wax on and off about the purse itself. It's a love-it-or-hate it pattern, I think. People are either intrigued by and enamored of its unique shape, or they just don't like it. I am both intrigued and enamored. Jason is not. I'm okay with that; he's not the one who'll be carrying it. One crocheter on Ravelry described it as looking like a TIE fighter from Star Wars. I kind of have to agree, and the geek in me likes it even more for this revelation.
I tackled lining the purse this afternoon, which was pretty simple. I just laid the purse out on the fabric and traced half of it. When I cut it out, I folded the fabric in half, so it would be symmetrical. Sewed it right sides together, no problem. The issue came in hemming the top edge. I didn't take my time and ended up puckering it. Phooey. I think to do a truly professional job, it would have to be cut a bit bigger along the top opening and gathered. I don't have the patience to figure that out, so I'm going to be happy with the job I did.
And now I will returned to my Crocheting for Obama frenzy...
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