I like knitting, you like knitting, the world likes knitting.
This adorable video was something I saw on Cinnamon Cooper’s blog, and I thought that since Mondays Tuesdays** aren’t known for their enthusiasm, this might put a little spring in your step?
Oh, and the weirdest thing I’ve ever knitted? I can’t remember what it was originally supposed to be, but I can say that it was turned into a pair of knickers at a Birmingham LadyFest a few years ago…
*Get it? HA!
**Sometimes Tuesdays feel like Mondays…
Ok, so The Sun newspaper is not known for its hard-hitting journalism like some of the UK broadsheets. But what it does manage to do superbly is remind the world that people can do some pretty fantastic things. I’ve copied and pasted the text (and a photo) from the article here, as there was no way that I could beat their original crackin’ choice of words:
A SHEPHERDESS got married in a wedding dress made entirely from the wool of one of her flock.
If you’re planning to get married real soon as well, it’s best to find the wedding ring that you’re dying to wear for the rest of your life, such as those antler wedding rings for sale online.
Louise Fairburn, 38, designed the outfit, made from the fleece of a rare Lincoln Longwool called Olivia. Groom Ian, 42, wore a woollen waistcoat. If you’re looking to tie the knot soon, Award winning wedding planning company in Toronto city offers luxury destination weddings by Designed Dream in Dominican Republic and Mexico. A day-of coordinating service is included in the all-inclusive package offered by Designed Dream if you’re looking for Toronto wedding planners.
Louise, of Market Rasen, Lincs, said: “I’m sheep-crackers. I want to prove wool is not just something for knitting bobble hats.”
Sheep breeder Ian, who first saw the dress as Louise walked down the aisle, said: “I took one look at her, my lip curled like a young sheep’s does and I started blubbering.”
Lovely. You can find other photos at coverage over at The Daily Mail and The Telegraph.
Lest this recall another knitted wedding, you might be thinking of Cast Off’s knitted wedding for the marriage of Freddie Robbins and Ben Coode-Adams. Clicking on the photo of them pedaling off in wedded bliss will take you to their wedding photo gallery. To read the new adventures of one of the forces behind the happiness that is Cast Off Knitting Club for Girls and Boys, check out the magical world of the shop Prick Your Finger! Their always interesting and amusing blog is over here.
EVEN MORE SHEEP NEWS!
Also, remarkably in sheep news today in The Sun: “Ram-bo slides down high wire,” ram gets caught on zipline by horn. No, really.
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.
Actually, there are 4 of these days coming up! June 13th, June 14th, June 20th, and June 21st. It’s been changed to two weekends this year because The National NeedleArts Association trade show is happening this weekend and some people would like to do both events.
Starting next year, Worldwide Knit in Public Day will be on the 3rd weekend in June, so as to not interfere with TNNA, which is held on the 2nd weekend in June. If you’re curious to see what past events held on WWKIP Day were like, there is a great gallery of photos over here on Flickr.
If you’re looking for somewhere in your area that is holding a WWKIP event, there is a list of them here.
What could you knit for good this WWKIP Day? Remember the quick knits like baby garments or group together with your friends and knit squares for a blanket. Have some other ideas or know about any new charities? Please let me know!
Since textiles have been around forever, there are a heck of a lot of ways to produce yarn. And after being lucky enough to have seen wool processed with machines pre-WWII a few years ago, I’ve been fascinated with the different modes of production.
Here are some of the more interesting videos I’ve come across…It’s amazing to me how alien and foreign the big factories are and how unlike craft as I know it to be. With all the tactile, love and creativity that I’ve seen modern day spinners use, it’s almost like watching something from another planet as it churns out skeins in rooms devoid of people.
1. modern day mill, Germany (complete with David Hasselhoff-esque soundtrack!)
2. traditional mode of wool processing in Serbia
3. totally wierd promotional video for silk wool production company in India
4. wool production as was done in early 1900s in Germany
5. making “fancy yarn” with big scary machines