Author: Betsy

Trash. Garbage. Waste.

| Betsy

Now that I’m back from Guatemala, all I can think about is trash. Garbage. Waste. Sewage. Landfill. Bins. Dumps. After thinking about prettier things for ages, it’s been weird to think instead about trash. It’s not pretty, cute, lovely, soft, cuddly or cozy. It’s gross. Today over on one of my other projects, Make and Meaning, I wrote a fairly lengthy post about it, which you can read here.

What are the crafty DIY possibilities of trash? We love coming up with ideas to make our own lives happier, brighter and cuter with trash as a way to reduce our footprint on the earth, but what can we create and teach other people to make that will make their lives better? Having embraced DIY and craft since sometime around 2001, isn’t it time we challenge ourselves to see what we can do on a larger scale?

I don’t think it is. I think it’s a direction that can fuel our designs and ponderings and tests in new directions, ultimately allowing us to become better, stronger makers. After all, even thousands of years ago craft was the original DIY worldwide, why can’t it be embraced by all now in modernity?

I also realize that maybe this is somewhere that DIY doesn’t need to go now. And that maybe I need to follow that divergent path to see where it might lead.

While there are many, many photos documenting the waste we produce, these photos of children in Ghana are absolutely amazing.

Home Again.

| Betsy

Back home from Guatemala. Can still feel tiny hands clutching mine. The giant smiles on tiny faces looking up at me and the rapid Spanish? Miss those, too.

As for craftivism, have you seen the article about it in The Observer? It’s about the awesomeness of Carrie Reichardt and her house. Will put up the whole article later as the pics don’t show online… either does the sidebar about the work of Garth Johnson, Sarah Corbett and me! Yay!

P.S. This is also the only photo I will ever upload online of me from the back. I have better ones of the children, but given the rate of child kidnapping in Guatemala (for adoption, sex trade and organs), am not going to put them online. Those mothers have enough to worry about, I’m not going to broadcast their children’s faces on the internet.

More… About the Dream Rocket!

| Betsy

Back in September, I wrote about the Dream Rocket, an amazing project headed up by the equally amazing Jennifer Marsh! The idea behind the Dream Rocket is to cover a (real!) rocket with quilted panels made from around the world… facilitating our global wish for peace. The panels themselves, were a bit spendy for me right now, but now you can buy your own mini panel for the Dream Rocket for $25! That’s probably less than you spend on fancy coffee each month, or maybe even week!

How many times do you get to participate in making a 30,467 square foot cozy? How many times to you get to participate in quilting a rocket cover? Now, at long last, you can do both at the same time, therein checking 2 things off your to-do list simultaneously! Such devilishly smart multi-tasking would leave you the freedom to go on to your next task like build your own totem pole or something.

The Dream Rocket will be accepting payment for panels (full-size or mini) until March 15, 2010.

The photo up top is from 5″x7″ postcards they sell over here at the Dream Rocket store. They are lovely. [Hint: I’m sure it’s been a long time since you’ve written your gran, and they are pretty enough to go up on her fridge. Win win!]

Knitters Without Borders

| Betsy

In response to my post last week about Haiti, lovely crafter and blogger Kristin from SpinHandspun.com reminded me about Knitters Without Borders.

Knitters Without Borders was started by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (aka The Yarn Harlot) in response to the 2004 tsunami. For the Knitters Without Borders Challenge, she asked knitters to take note of how they were spending their money for one week. During this week, they were asked to put aside money that they would have spent on a “want,” instead of a “need.”

Small change, right? Well, think about how much money you spend on coffee, the newspaper, gum, a new sweater, all the little bits and bobs you purchase during the week that you really don’t need, but just happen to want… just because it’s there. Since 2004, Knitters Without Borders has collected over one million dollars of that supposed “small change,” with the money donated to Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders!!

Definitely something to think about when you’re too lazy to search for your favorite lip balm/pen/shampoo and just want to go to the corner store and buy a new one. I’d imagine that if you, too, took the Knitters Without Borders Challenge, you’d find yourself with more than just pocket change.

Thanks so much for reminding me of this, Kristin! (You can read her lovely post about KWB over here!)

Introducing… Craft Club!

| Betsy

After all the sad news lately, here’s a little bit of cheer to brighten your day. With a bit of help from the Crafts Council and the UK Hand Knitting Association there’s a new UK initiative to teach craft skills to schoolkids.

From their website:

Knit 1 Pass it On is the start-up pilot project promoted by the Crafts Council in partnership with the UK Hand Knitting Association as the first wave of Craft Club.

This is an exciting new initiative to introduce knitting and related yarn crafts into schools and clubs across the UK. Children are encouraged to be resourceful and learn traditional skills, empowering them while also highlighting creative opportunities in the sector, and routes for career progression.

Now puts a smile on your face, doesn’t it? It’s about time, no?

Go Craft Club!