press

Me, in 3-D, and the “New Domesticity”

| Betsy

Recently I had the opportunity to become an official “talking head” sociologist for a story on Voice of America about why “young” people are returning to domesticity.
Also, interviewed in the story is Emily Matchar of New Domesticity. As @thejaymo mentioned on Twitter the other day, this is, indeed, proof that I am a real 3-D human and not a typing robot.

Also, of note, there appears to be a university class on Craftivism at George Washington University, which oddly is a university in the same city in which I live. Welcome, students! I kind of want to meet you all for coffee and talk craftivism now.



P.S. The skirt I’m wearing in this piece was made by Zoe’s Lollipop.

P.P.S. I just enabled Disqus comments/reactions here, and it tells me that old comments made before today will show up on older posts. I hope so, otherwise, I’ll be looking mighty unpopular! :)

Faça Você Mesmo en no Brazil* (DIY in Brazil!)

| Betsy

So happily I came across this post earlier today, which is an article I was interviewed for last year. This article is written by the incredibly lovely Brazilian journalist, Priscilla Santos, who interviewed me (along with Faythe Levine) for an article a few years ago for Vida Simples magazine. (Original article here and here.)

Translation for this article seems to come out pretty fair in Google Translate, which is great as it includes tutorials for:
Wallpapering with Xerox!
Building a fix-wheeled bike!
Making a mini guitar amplifier!
Making an invisible bookcase!

In case you haven’t checked out the DIY scene down in Brazil lately, there are some pretty amazing things going on down there! I especially recommend the work being done by Rede Nami and Anarkia (Panmela Castro), but know that there’s much more amazing work being done by others, too!

Plus, there’s a lovely article about the work of Rede Nami here. And more about the work of Anarkia here over at Culture is Your Weapon and here at Senses Lost.

[And somewhat unrelated to this, yet still related, while looking for links I also discovered the further awesome Brazilian projects Grupo Opni and Coletivo Briza!]



I first noted this over on Tumblr. Got a blog over there? Lemme know, so I can see what awesomeness you’re up to!

*”en Brazil” may not be the correct Portuguese. Feel free to correct me! THANKS, Luiza for correcting me! Awesome!

The Invisible Sisters!

| Betsy

As happens often, I have a new crafty crush, Ann Wizer.

How can you not be enamored of someone who writes that:

“instead of making more waste, we REUSE waste. Instead of employing highly skilled experts, we TRAIN the unskilled. The aim is not to make more stuff quickly and cheaply, but to address problems through CREATIVE experimentation.

Where there is garbage, there is always poverty. A large part of the world – primarily in developing countries – continue to live in extreme poverty within huge global economies of waste.

I design products from waste and the production methods that include the poor. In waste reduction and social business, the more challenging aspect is to instill a sense of possibility and creative experimentation in this mix of artistry.”

Invisible Sisters is a project set up to help women in Manila who can’t work outside of the house earn an income. They crochet items from city refuse, bags, wires, computer parts. Seeing this creative reuse of trash is not only uplifting, it is also inspiring and providing us with another example of what we can do with this mountain of trash we’ve collected over time.

Even though we may not be able to see the heaps and heaps near our houses because they’re tucked far away in a landfill (out of sight out of mind), they’re there. And one day we will not just have the option, but will most likely be forced to deal with them. Why not start now?

You can read Ann’s inspiring vision for the project here.

Also inspiring and crafty:
*Schoolchildren reuse fabric for charity weaving project
*Harris Tweed weavers start course to help bring back dying industry
*Women in England knitting real-life size house to raise money for church
*European Relief Society members knit 4,400 hats for newsborns in Guatemala

Bonus! If you can read Greek, you might want to read about their introduction to craftivism over here. Thank you, Greece!

Home Again.

| Betsy

Back home from Guatemala. Can still feel tiny hands clutching mine. The giant smiles on tiny faces looking up at me and the rapid Spanish? Miss those, too.

As for craftivism, have you seen the article about it in The Observer? It’s about the awesomeness of Carrie Reichardt and her house. Will put up the whole article later as the pics don’t show online… either does the sidebar about the work of Garth Johnson, Sarah Corbett and me! Yay!

P.S. This is also the only photo I will ever upload online of me from the back. I have better ones of the children, but given the rate of child kidnapping in Guatemala (for adoption, sex trade and organs), am not going to put them online. Those mothers have enough to worry about, I’m not going to broadcast their children’s faces on the internet.

This Post Brought to You By the Word “Lovely.”**

| Betsy

This has already made the internet rounds, so this is an “in case you missed it” scenario. Ah, The Colbert Report + radical knitting = awesome. Oh, and I’ve been extra lucky to have lots of lovely crafty links come my way lately, so some of the bestest are below the video.

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Nailed ‘Em – Radical Knitting
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Keyboard Cat

My favorite link snippet was this poem written by young knitter Emily Powell, who formed a friendship with her teacher over knitting. It is hands down the best knitting poem I have ever read. Ever. Way to go, Emily! Link below quote.

Knitting is like reading a book. The yarn flowing through your hands are the thoughts flowing through your mind. The speed you are knitting is the speed you are reading. The amount you knitted is the amount you read. The color of your yarn is the excitement of your book. The curiosity of your knitting is the mystery of your book. The clinking of your needles is the voice in your book. After that, it is like your friend’s new house. She goes in through the front door and around the back. See peeks through the window and off jumps her brother Jack. Then it goes back. The end of your knitting is the end of your book.

— Emily Powell


*Raptivism!
*Hospital valet knits for good
*Graffiti written by Tower of London prisoners
*Facebook allows Egyptian women to become political activists
*Lovely review of Donna Druchunas’ new book, Ethnic Knitting Exploration: Lithuania, Iceland, Ireland
*Woman trying to collect 10,000 handmade cards to send to overseas troops
*Interesting article on church flipping its flag to bring awareness to gun violence
*Wonderful tale of how knitting formed a friendship between student and teacher
*And, check out this sweet Knitting for Good! review on the CanadianLiving.com crafts blog! Awesome!
*Lovely story from WWII about a woman who received a blanket that kept her safe



**Along with using the non-word “bestest” on purpose, there is also a ridiculous overuse of the word “lovely” in this post. If Sesame Street can have a Letter Of The Day, why can’t I have a word?