Author: Betsy

pink rocks!

| Betsy

Still in the process of moving. Currently at the parents where if I stay too long online, they are convinced I’m sending out liberal missives using this crackin’ new thing called technology.

I feel like squirrels are helping me move, I’m going at such a slow rate. Picture it, hordes of tiny little furry gray rodents carrying your things (a tampon, a couple of pens, a cassette tape) into the horizon…Me carefully guiding the herd along, making sure they’re paid well with different exotic forms of nuts, kept away from main highways and have plenty of time to chase each other around the trail.

Anyway, someone was nice enough to pass this link along for Lion Brand‘s Crochet for a Cause kit that is currently on sale.

A pink crochet hook and for a good cause? Sign me up!

If you don’t feel like crocheting, at least go here and click to help fund mammograms for the less fortunate.

Back to the moving…

manifestos are like mantras

| Betsy

As I’m moving I will be without a computer for a few days. So, I’ll be wielding old-fashioned pen and paper coming up with a more formidable design for this site. Rock!

However, in the meantime, you might want check out The Revolutionary Knitting Circle Proclamation of Constructive Revolution.

My hope is get some interviews with people who started various projects listed in the Links section, and/or some essays. We’ll see.

If you think of anything email me, with any suggestions. As I always do when I move, I will most likely be listening to lots of ridiculously sad music, feel free to cheer me up.

accumulation

| Betsy

As I wade through all the things I’ve collected over the past year, I’m reminded of how easy it is just to accumulate stuff. And how I probably have more things in this one tiny room than several families combined in some parts of Africa and India. It’s amazing.

The majority of it is either stuff I’ve thrifted or made or stuff that I hope to one day make grand things out of, like fake fur wristbands or sock monkeys.

I’m separating piles to return to the thrift store (mostly polyester), piles to go to friends (mostly extra craft supplies), piles to throw away/recycle (mostly stuff from work) and piles for storage (mostly pictures).

And thinking about how every time someone makes something or buys something secondhand they are fighting against excess materialism, and therefore participating in a form of activism.

Activism, much like feminism, has been given a bad reputation over the years; but I firmly believe that it goes far beyond picket lines and reaches into your everyday life.

Recently I pointed out to my parents that they were activists because they are members of various committees and boards that work for change. They recoiled for a moment, as I tried to stress that “activism” (to me, at least) is apparent everywhere you put passion into making this world even a little bit better.

I like that. Who knows, maybe you do, too.

public space is waiting for you…

| Betsy

All this talk of moving has addled my brain. Stupidly, I posted a link to somewhere that was taking submissions until April 30, 2003. Of course, April 2003 has come and gone.

This info was what I was thinking I was posting.

Oops.

But anyway, as I’m about to move to London, I’ve been doing a little research. And came across the Space Hijackers site, and began reading about the London Mobile Disco.

I think I can totally get into the idea of dancing in the street in the name of reclaiming public space. Ok, I could get behind any act of dancing anywhere. Your kitchen, even.

I remember awhile ago, there was a nice article in Adbusters about this, too.

Think about what can be done about public space each time you’re in some city like the one you probably live in where the downtown becomes a dead zone at night. All that space just waiting to be used creatively.

In the United States, we are inundated with too much space. Why don’t we begin to actually use it?

knitting is obsessive.

| Betsy

As I’m moving in two weeks, I’m doing some reorganizing. I have loads of hat and scarves that I have made that I want to donate to charity. So after a little searching, I found even more sites to add to the “Links” section.

The more I knit, the more I think about the process of knitting. Why do I do it? The folks over at knitlit.com are taking submissions for a book about knitting, for more information see here.