Author: Betsy

Smitten with the Knittn’ Kitten

| Betsy

When I was in Portland this spring, not only did I see some of my favorite crafty friends, but I also had the opportunity to visit a PDX crafty institution, The Knittn Kitten, an amazing vintage fabric and craft store! Not only are the supplies also, but so are the mother and daughter team that own it! If you have the chance to stop by, don’t forget to check out Rome’s awesome haberdashery skills displayed around the store.

Now some of those same people have gotten together in support of the Kittn’ and created a free e-book of patterns based on items bought in the store! Wanna check it out? Click on the photo above and then click “download” on the top right of the page! Easy as pie.

Inside are projects from Heather Mann, Lee Meredith, Teresa Sullivan, Diane Gilleland, Joey Groendes, Christine Blystone, Bridget Benton and Susan Beal!

The cover photo was taken by the always talented Lee Meredith.

And yes, this is where Kim and I first donned our “Smocks of Creativity!”

“The Big Knit” video. Grandmothers! Thrifting! Knitting! Hooray!

| Betsy

If I had to vote for my favorite video of this year, it would have to be the one below because it contains most of my favorite things in the world: grandmothers, thrifting, knitting, charity and awesomeness. There are also motorcycles, which I don’t like, but a lot of people do. They are also “cool.”





BUT WAIT! What are they knitting? Hats for penguins? Spoon covers? Nope. They’re knitting hats for bottles! The Big Knit, an Innocent Drinks project now in its 6th year, to raise money for the UK charities for the elderly, Age Concern and Help the Aged. The funds raised go to help older people during the winter months, supporting them to adopt healthier lifestyles and eating habits.

As if the video itself wasn’t amazing, The Big Knit has a Hatometer!






Wondering why the elderly might need a little extra help in the winter months, as your grandmothers are all nice and snuggly this winter? Well, not everyone’s grandmother. Given their age (and apparently lower body fat on average), the elderly are more prone to get illnesses like hypothermia and pneumonia there are a few links below to articles that show just exactly why they need a little assistance. Interestingly, there is a lot of information from the UK press about this, but not in the US press… although it happens both places.

*“67% increase in elderly deaths in Wales due to cold weather”
*“Elderly are at a high risk for hypothermia, frostbite, and influenza”
*“Extra 36,700 deaths in England and Wales from December 2008 to March 2009, compared with the average for non-winter periods”
*“This summer was deadly, but winter could be even worse.’


Apparently the women singing the song above first sang it in 1980 when they were kids. You can see the original video of their smashing Top of the Pops performance here. Sadly, there is no knitting or thrifting. There are, however, lots of adorable kids wearing adorable pink dresses that I want.

Additionally, there is also a really great Pulp song called Help the Aged.

Introducing MakeAndMeaning.com, Origami Documentary “Between the Folds”

| Betsy

Today is the OFFICIAL LAUNCH of Make + Meaning, a new blog collaborative project I’m flattered to be involved in with Diane Gilleland, Pip Lincolne, Alice Merlino, Paul Overton and Kim Werker!

Our mission (taken from the website):
Acts of making are important – whether they involve yarn and knitting needles, wood and tools, pots and pans, brushes and canvas or anything else.

When we make things, time and worry fall away. We’re more aware, engaged, and excited – and we find it easier to connect with others. In truth, making connects us to our best selves.

We believe in making, and we love the fact that the internet allows makers to meet and geek out together, regardless of geography. There are many, many websites that celebrate making in all its forms. We created Make & Meaning to celebrate all the ways making enhances our lives, and all the things it causes us think about.




Also today, the new documentary “Between the Folds” is beginning to be broadcast around the United States on the PBS weekly series Independent Lens! The screening schedule can be found here.

I’ve embedded a 10-minute clip from this new documentary about origami by first time director Vanessa Gould above so you, too, can start seeing paper in a whole new way.

For more about this documentary, there’s more over here in my first post at Make + Meaning!

U-g-l-y You Ain’t Got No Alibi (uglyobjects.com)

| Betsy

What do you deem pretty? What do you deem ugly? Why do some things pass the mark and others fail to make the grade?

An exhibit opening in Amsterdam next week will be exploring just those questions: Ugly Objects 17 December 2009 – 17 January 2010

From their website:

Natalya Pinchuk and Dana Sperry relocated to de Wallen, the largest Red Light District in Amsterdam, for one month December, 2008—January, 2009 to initiate the Ugly Objects: Amsterdam. Sixteen artists volunteered their time and talents to join the project. Through advertisement and personal interactions, people living or working in de Wallen were invited to give an ugly object to the artists for alterations. The artists had conversations with the owners of ugly things about what they find beautiful and ugly, and how much these decisions are affected by personal histories and beliefs. These conversations act as a jumpstart for the creative process, so that the altered objects can return to the original owners within one year.

The project coincided with changes in de Wallen, in which artists, designers and jewelers replace the working prostitutes. These changes are part of the larger city plan to facelift the neighborhood. Natalya and Dana were interested in collecting stories about why people arrive at what they believe in, in this case, an object being ugly. Perhaps, the activity of looking back and deciphering the history of one’s judgments about an ugly thing can give insight into larger forces that command our aesthetic and social values. This kind of questioning seems meaningful especially in a location undergoing change, when artists are asked to take on the role of “beautifiers.”

Anyone who’s lucky enough to be in Amsterdam and see this exhibition, please take photos for me! If you’re stuck somewhere far away or otherwise more interested in this project, try clicking on the individual artists names on the website to learn more about their work.

Hello, December. (Plus The Weepies and Love.)

| Betsy

It’s 12:05am EST. My friends in the UK are still sleeping. My friends to the west are still awake. Here I am welcoming in December 2009. Hello, December!

I love you for your coldness, your crispness, your stark trees that somehow remain beautiful, how you make me wrap up in a scarf, or a coat, or a blanket or a hug. Or maybe, on an especially lovely day, all of the above.

I love being able to see my breath, watch the steam rise off my morning coffee, craving fires to warm my icy feet, the hope of snow, the extra warmth of a kiss, snuggling with my furry pets, layering clothes of all different colors, pulling on big boots in the morning and the extra sweetness of the holidays.

I love for you making life more cozy and beautiful in the quiet you always bring. I love you for making me smile while (all warm and snuggly) watching lovely crafty videos like this one made for The Weepies “World Spins Madly On.” The lovely little monsters and everything else in this video is brought to you by Joseph Gaffney.



Hello, December, how I’ve missed you. Welcome back.

Please bring snow.