england.

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

Totally Crushed Out.

| Betsy

So, I totally have a new craftivism crush. Following your heart. Biking. Documenting the lives of crafters. Donating money to charity. All done by one man. It makes you wonder, what is your heart telling you to do, now, doesn’t it?

Clicking on the map above will take you directly to the interactive map of Nick Hand’s bike trip around England. The clockwise trek he’s taking is mapped out in one of his photos, posted above. Ok. So he’s biking. A lot. I’m sure this means he has really nice calves by now… But how is this related to craft? Well, on this trip he’s taking the time to stop and talk with crafters.

His soundslides, short documentary films, provide more inspiration and ideas than you ever thought possible, and you haven’t even gotten off the couch.

What do I love most about this project? He had an idea, ran (biked?) with it, recognized its dual value (to him and to us) and set off to find where people’s hearts really lie, outside of the telly or radio or newspapers. But that’s not all he’s doing… the money he raises on his ride will be donated to the Parkinson’s Disease Society.

And he’s sharing the stories and wisdom of the people he meets along the way with us. So when you have a minute, take some time out, watch, listen, and learn.

Many thanks to the lovely and wonderful Sally Fort for passing along the link! She also passed on this article about whether or not the UK needs another contemporary art museum. Wow. Am gobsmacked.

Let Me Ease Your Day.

| Betsy

The lovely fiber artists Rockpool Candy and My Tarpit have launched a lovely new textile intervention project called Let Me Ease Your Day.

The kickoff for the project was earlier this month, but that doesn’t mean that they’re going to stop there. They’ll be spreading goodness through the UK and Ireland for a bit, and then bringing their magic to the United States in the fall! Below is a bit of text taken from a Rockpool Candy blog post regarding the project’s Belfast kickoff, and above are a few photos taken from their website. Want more? Then have a look over here.

In times of financial worry, charities suffer. The public pull in their purse strings and stop giving. When the living is easy, our money is often given to charity to ease our consciences, to allow us to carry on our day to day lives without having to interact with needy causes and to feel like we’re doing something.

But I want society to be different.

As crafters we have skills that we can put to use and make a difference that is not dependent on the free change we have in our pockets.

6th July sees my LET ME EASE YOUR DAY project launch in Belfast. A movement that takes what can often been seen as a middle-class pass time, yarn bombing, and purposes it for the good by providing knitted, crocheted and sewn textiles to the people in our society who might just need a random act of kindness to ease their day.

It could be you.
You may be having a bad day.
You could be sleeping rough.
Your job may be in jeopardy.
You could be worried about your mortgage.
You could have lost your cat/your friend/your child.

All these things leave us feeling vunerable.

What if, during your day, you found a small item left for you by a stranger specifically to nurture you. It won’t solve all your problems, but it may just put a glimmer of warmth in your chest.

Now, you may argue that LET ME EASE YOUR DAY is still a middle class reaction to human loneliness, but surely, as makers, it’s a way that we can make a difference with textiles.

Big big love.

Example, Chernobyl, and All Things Nuclear.

| Betsy

A lesson from this evening on nuclear things and why creativity paired with activism is powerful:

Today I was listening to a song by Example, and was curious about the rapper himself, so as one does, I Googled him. I was fascinated to learn that while filming the video for his song “What We Made” in Chernobyl, he made a short documentary on what Chernobyl is like today.

After watching both of the videos (posted below), I was glad to see an artist take something real, like Chernobyl, learn about it, and then educate others. He wasn’t making up a fake feud or talking about making tons of money, he just wrote a song about the damage we can do to our planet and documented his visit to one of the most toxic places on earth. Taking something you care about and using your creativity to get your feelings across is where craftivism lies. Voicing your opinions and frustrations and anger, in a non-traditional way is what gets people thinking and processing and then, hopefully, understanding and learning.




How does talking about something that happened 23 years ago help us now? What is the relationship between nuclear power and nuclear weapons? What does this have to do with craftivism?

From the BeyondNuclear.org website: “The continued insistence on supplying the technology, materials and know-how for civilian nuclear programs perpetuates the danger that nuclear weapons may also be developed – with speculation over Iran a case in point.” … “It makes no sense to demand, on the one hand, that nuclear weapons states eliminate their arsenals while, on the other hand, offering nuclear energy as a reward to countries that promise not to develop nuclear weapons.”

Craftivism exists and evolves in the space between what happened and what is happening. It’s about keeping on eye on the media and conversations and your thoughts and then weaving them into your creative output. It’s about how our past has shaped our present and how our present can shape our future. Keep questioning, keep learning, keep making.


Random things I learned today about nuclear-related things:
*The countries that have nuclear weapons are “sometimes called the nuclear club.”
*Nuclear winter is not as cool as it sounds.
*A nuclear winter is different from a volcanic winter, also not a lot of fun.
*The battle of the correct pronunciation of nuclear still wages on.
*The list of states that have nuclear weapons is here.
*There is an amazing documentary from 2003 called Chernobyl Heart, by Maryann De Leo. In 4 parts online, the documentary shows what’s happening to children born now and recently in the areas surrounding Chernobyl. You can watch the documentary here. Interestingly enough, after filming the documentary, De Leo herself tested positive for radiation poisoning.

Raising Awareness Stitch By Stitch.

| Betsy

Many moons ago, I volunteered for The Prince’s Trust in Watford, Hertfordshire. As for the town of Watford, let’s just say my English friends mocked me as much as I would get here in the US if I moved to New Jersey. Some places just get a bad rap. Although living in a YMCA on a hall of girls training to be cruise liner beauticians was not the best experience, I did learn how bright those spotlighty things on helicopters are when one arrived late one night near the YMCA. It was there to help break up a riot in town. Good times, indeed. Moving on…

So, memory lane and all, I was especially touched to learn today that a bunch of elderly Watford knitters (and a few from Elstree) got together and broke the Guinness Book of Records for largest knitted tea cosy. The squares for the cosy were knitted by local knitters along with submissions from knitters around the world. Way to go Watford (and Elstree) knitters! I was even more touched when I read that they were knitting the cosy “to help raise awareness of loneliness concerning elderly people!” This effort was part of BUPA’s delightfully named ‘communi-tea week.’ How delightfully English sounding, no?

I think every nation should band together, pick a week and make an effort to hang out and drink tea, especially as there are so many people out there who could use a little company! “More than a third of older people in the UK, including half of all women aged over 65, now live alone. It is a frightening statistic but Communi-tea Week aims to bring together those who may be struggling on their own by reaching out over a friendly cup of tea.”

What I like the most about this tea cosy is that it shows how with a little creativity, you can use your crafts for good in all sorts of ways. While the tea cosy wasn’t protesting for a ban on pesticides or to stop child labor, it was a project formed to raise an awareness about a different sort of problem. Sometimes problems such as elderly individuals and loneliness get ignored in light of giant disasters, so it’s nice to see a week arranged to raise awareness for them. Hmm…maybe it’s about time to invite some friends ’round for a cuppa and conversation. Just as long as someone brings the HobNobs, I’ve got enough tea to caffeinate, well… New Jersey, perhaps.

Do you know how long the fastest game of Operation is? Or the fastest time someone can pluck a turkey? People are awesome.

Creativity Wins Again.

| Betsy

Some girls may have had Auntie Mame to look up to if they found themselves worried about being single later in life, I had Miss Eglantine Price from 1971’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Played by everyone’s favorite amateur sleuth from Maine, the always wonderful Angela Lansbury.

She lived in an old house in the countryside in England, were she was taking lessons to become a witch via correspondence school. Thanks to WWII and the bombing of London, she ends up with 3 children taken away from the city for safety’s sake. This clip is the beginning, which is just the start of the loveliness.

Perhaps one of the most endearing things about Eglantine Price’s character is the way she so earnestly wanted to become a witch to help the war effort. How did she wish to exactly? Well, you’ll just have to watch the movie. But, I will say it’s a quite sweet example of how with a little extra thought you can use your creativity to help further any cause or effort you wish.

And in case you missed it, there was a lovely bit about craftivism and Knitting for Good! in the Times Online the other week, which you can read here. Also, online is the Craft Cartel Podcast I did with Rayna, which you can listen to here! Thanks so much!