Creativity Wins Again.

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!

Keeping it Local.

While I’ve lived all over the place, and sometimes can’t even remember my own address, since the beginning of 2006 I’ve lived in Carrboro, North Carolina. It’s a teeny tiny mill town adjacent to Chapel Hill, home of the University of North Carolina.

While I tend to have a love/hate relationship with the tinyness, the dial tends to point to “love” most of the time. What other tiny town do you know that has a free bus system, two free newspapers and its own song? It’s the kind of town that my co-worker used to say “where everyone rides bicycles with smiles on their faces and eats granola.” And, well, he’s not too far off.

The photo above is when I was waiting for my segment to come up on “The State of Things” at the WUNC studios in nearby Durham. The other day I had the opportunity to be on Carrboro Bookbeat, which is broadcast on WCOM, the local community radio station! I had loads of fun, and the interview can be downloaded and listened to here. Thanks so much to Audrey and Paul for inviting me on the show, I had a great time!

Another upcoming local event is “Make a Blanket Day” with the local Project Linus chapter on Sunday, February 22! Project Linus is an organization that collects blankets for children in need, so they can have something comforting and familiar when times get rough. It will be held at the IMAX theater on Hargett Street in Raleigh from 12-5pm.

And if you still want even more localness, check out IndieNC.com’s blog, started by Michelle Smith!

It’s the Thrill Of the Fight.

Growing up in the 80s, there was a lot talk about Rocky Balboa. My dad still breaks into song sometimes and sings Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.” (No, really. Still.) One year we went to Philadelphia to visit my aunt, and we ran up the Rocky Steps and did this:

I know you weren’t there to see this historic Greer family moment, but let me tell you, we were one excited family once we got to the top. It was the mid-80s and “Rocky” was the coolest dude ever, so it was awesome. Actually, if I was in Philadelphia right now, I’d probably run up the stairs and jump around with my hands in the air, too.

Anyway, a friend of mine once noted that she had this quote (from the original “Rocky” film) on her refrigerator:

Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done. Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit.

It’s been on my mind this evening, well, the “moving forward” part, not the “hit” part. Sometimes the easiest of things, like moving forward, seems like the most difficult to keep in mind. And now, as luck would have it, I’m singing “Eye of the Tiger,” too. Maybe I should take a victory run up my townhouse stairs before I go to sleep?


Thanks to all the super wonderful people that came out last night to the Barnes & Noble in Cary to hear me talk! Wow! You ladies were so awesome! I was so happy that there was someone on hand to talk about Project Linus, too! I already have Make-a-Blanket Day on my calendar for February 22 at Marbles Kids Museum!

And thanks, too, to the people who listened to my interview on The State of Things yesterday! (If you missed it, you can listen to me here. Right before I was interviewed, Laila El-Haddad was on talking about Gaza, which is definitely worth a listen.

Activism Is Not A 4-Letter Word. (Reminder)

Today’s post is a re-post of something I wrote in November 2005. If you’ve read Handmade Nation, you’ll see that I have an essay in the book with the same name. This original post was what led to the essay a few years later. I’m reposting it here because sometimes it’s good to be reminded of just where your heart lies.

Two things for today, this afternoon I’ll be on The State of Things from about 12.40 until 1EST, and tonight I’ll be talking about craftivism and the book at Barnes & Noble in Cary at 7pm.


Dictionary.com defines activism as “The use of direct, often confrontational action, such as a demonstration or strike, in opposition to or support of a cause.” This is the definition I have often been presented with the minute I mention either craftivism or activism. At the mention of these terms, some people rear up and want nothing more to do with the discussion. When such a negative definition is so commonly applied, it isn’t hard to see why feathers are ruffled by even a whisper of activism.

But my own definition of activism lies closer to this, “Activism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change” from Wikipedia. It continues with “The word ‘activism’ is often used synonymously with protest or dissent, but activism can stem from any number of political orientations and take a wide range of forms, from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, simply shopping ethically, rallies and street marches, direct action, or even guerilla tactics. In the more confrontational cases, an activist may be called a freedom fighter by some, and a terrorist by others, depending on which side of the political fence is making the observation.”

Activism (or craftivism) is less about a call to arms and more about a call to act for change. Although there are negative ways one can bring about change, the majority of activists I know are working for the common good, attempting to bring about illumination instead of darkness. By negating a construct and stripping it of its positive intent, the more commonly used definition only breeds fear and unwillingness when in fact every time you make a conscious choice, you are being an activist. In choosing to buy one brand of yarn instead of another due to the way it was produced or by choosing to ride your bike instead of drive, you are being an activist.

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The past two weeks I have been living in rural England on a small-scale farm. I can’t think of a time when I have been more inspired or been taught more lessons or been shown so much hope in such a short span. I have been connecting and meeting individuals who continue to farm despite all the obstacles in their paths. After all the governmental and financial restraints have been agreed to, there seems to be little reason to continue an agrarian lifestyle.

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As we send all of our textile needs to further shores where people are paid less to work more, resources that the small-scale producers have relied on since the Industrial Revolution have vanished, leaving them trying to fill in the gaps. And as it becomes more and more difficult for small-scale farmers to survive, traditions and methods are lost in the name of technology and progress.

But there is a sense of activism in the air here as people strive to continue to produce wool and fleece as they once did when all the factories where up and running and could take in small quantities of fibre to be prepared. Out of love and determination, activism is alive in its most positive sense- as individuals try and band together to keep traditional methods afloat despite myriad setbacks. In watching their strength and learning from their dedication, I am reminded again and again of why I am not ashamed to call myself an activist.

Weekend, We Hardly Knew Ye.

I grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina and spent a good half hour every Christmas holiday with the bears above, watching them sing their songs at the mall. As this was in the early 80s, these bears were super cool because they were better than the band at Chuck E. Cheese.

I had the pleasure of finding them while with a friend’s 5 year old not too long ago and it was indeed a very happy reunion as they still sang all the same songs. In the same order.

The run-up to the holidays this year will be spent wrapping packages and trying to sell people pretty handmade things in a little local shop as opposed to mass-produced things. I’m trying to remind myself of the excitement like the bears above bring, not the freakout, what-the-heck-do-I-get-for-this-person excitement which is not as fun.

Am off to work again perfecting my package wrapping and bow placement, but wanted to quickly say thank you to Etsy for the wonderful Q & A they did with me!

Also, if you’re still trying to find a pretty calendar for 2009, check out this one that you can receive from Mibo when you sign up for the newsletter over here.