england.

After living in Norwich, Watford, London and Sussex and visiting often since 1995, it deserved its own category.

they tell me i think too much.

| Betsy

have you ever just wanted to take a break? earlier this week i went ‘on holiday.’ ok, so it was actually only 15 minutes from my house, but i was housesitting for a friend who was away for a few days. now i’m really thinking that i need a longer break, somewhere further away than just down the block.

over coffee yesterday morning, a friend of mine reminded me about WWOOF, or World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. it’s weird how you can completely forget about something so amazing.

i’m at a crossroads (not a la britney, mind you), and unsure of whether or not to stay in london or return home to north carolina. i’d like to start some sort of grassroots place where lessons in various crafty skills could be taught, sort of like MAKE workshop in NYC.

for awhile now it’s been my dream to start some sort of space where i can work and teach, my friends can play shows on the weekends at backyard veggie BBQs, people can come and share new skills and i can sell not only stuff that i make, but stuff that friends of mine make, too. there are so many amazing people making so many amazing things, that i want to help them do what they love. as opposed to having a place where only things are sold, i want to run a place where things are handmade as well.

i just want to be able to create my own life rather than just re-enter the rat race. i wouldn’t mind writing more or learning how to make real raspberry jam, i just need to focus more on the former and corral my friends with culinary skills for the latter. working a 40 hour work week in a cubicle doesn’t figure into the future that i have drafted in my head.

for awhile it’s been a dream, but lately i’ve been wondering about the possibilities of making this draft a reality. some of the WWOOF farms have their own sheep and teach spinning and dyeing workshops. some of my friends are making so many amazing things. why can’t i create a place where all of these things are celebrated?

currently the main hurdle is that i don’t want to start something on my own. ideally it would be a place fun with other like-minded individuals, because that enables things to be more diverse and not have the tendency to stagnate.

i’m also just not sure where i want to be. if you have an opinion, cast your vote now. or alternatively, get off the computer and go make something useful.

x

a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but no popemobile…

| Betsy

There have been things on the news lately about Dubya’s state visit to London. Apparently, his people want to be able to shut down the whole of London so he will be safe and driven around in what I can only guess is the Presidential version of the Popemobile. I was actively looking for a photograph of the Popemobile, when I went to a CNN link, and saw this: U.S. operation under way in Baghdad, Pentagon sources say. Dozens of explosions heard. Details soon..

Which destroyed my jovial mood entirely.

All this talk of activism lately is a good thing. But it’s easy to see how activism gets a bad rap when Spiderman stops London traffic in the name of protest. I was one of the very annoyed people who had to be diverted because he was running around on a scaffold.

In my heart, I think that activism should be a positive thing, not a headache induced by a man in a Spiderman costume with a banner. I believe that while it may take a bit longer, I can do my part to change the world by continuing to make things for the less fortunate, cut down on my own personal materialism and try each day to make a difference in this world rather than hiding under the covers.

But having said that, there is a time and a place for banner waving and making your voice heard- to me, it’s all about knowing when to pick your battles. And if you’re interested in making that choice, please go see these links.

i <3 fridays...

| Betsy

It’s Friday afternoon here in London, and currently my attention is divided between dancing to the new Peaches album, how delicious tea is with soy milk and the political importance of activism in society. Weird.

As some of you may have already noted, I’m in graduate school at the moment. This means that my life is all about sociology and making connections between things. I found this in my notebook after one lecture where I was supposed to be writing about multiculturalism and its relationship to both cultural and economic development:

unhappiness -> activism -> ideas, creativity -> craft

I don’t know if that has any relevance to you, but it sure made sense to me.

Regardless, for those who are craftily inclined, check out this from the amazing people at getcrafty. And while you’re staying in on those cold cold nights, be productive in front of the television, ok?

To borrow from the vernacular, people, get yer craft on!

e-zines are good for you…

| Betsy

Am happy to report that I shall have a computer of my own soon, and thus will no longer be writing tiny little entries from internet cafes around London. That also means more links soon, as I need to organize them into different categories. Thankfully, I know too many badass people who are doing too many badass things.

Keep checking here as I have some longer pieces ready for your perusal, including bits on how to make Manly Crafts, Environmental Crafting and Disabled Crafting. But first things first, I need my computer!

For now, please check out this article from the excellent e-zine knitty, which was brought to my attention by the zine mistress herself, Kelly.

Also worth reading is my friend Niku’s article about crafting in another e-zine, indiciti, which can be found by going to the site and clicking the link titled Craftastic! It features my very first photography credit as well!

If you’re done with reading and just want to act, check out the Resources for Organizing from the good folks at United for Peace & Justice.