Things are Looking Up

Snow. My thesis. Laundry. Art. It's a good life.
I want to blog more, but I am tired.
However, last night was the first night of our Knit Night club. We don't have much of a name yet, and three of our members (who do knit) were not knitting last night.
So, in honor of all that, here is a link to our two favorite Knitting Web Sites Ravelry and Knitty. Sorry that Knitty doesn't have a logo I could re-post here.


Also, a new fantastic poem I discovered by Emily Dickinson, about snow, and filled with laundry images. What is not to love about "It ruffles wrists of posts"?

It sifts from leaden sieves,
It powders all the wood,
It fills with alabaster wool
The wrinkles of the road.

It makes an even face
Of mountain and of plain,—
Unbroken forehead from the east
Unto the east again.

It reaches to the fence,
It wraps it, rail by rail,
Till it is lost in fleeces;
It flings a crystal veil

On stump and stack and stem,—
The summer’s empty room,
Acres of seams where harvests were,
Recordless, but for them.

It ruffles wrists of posts,
As ankles of a queen,—
Then stills its artisans like ghosts,
Denying they have been.

(Thanks to Bartleby Great Books Online.)

Who Could Resist Super Yarn?

I noticed this company and these beautiful colored skeins in the Facebook adverts this morning. I guess those ads are good for something, then, even something beautiful.

Cascade Superwash Paint. A great name, too, for a lovely thing.

Thank you Apple Yarns of Bellingham WA.

I plan to blog every day, now, about the progress on my thesis. Not about knitting, but sort of about beauty and the work of women's hands.

Wish me luck.

Amazing Finds of the Week

A beautiful site. Just lying in wait. Something I've been waiting for. A beautiful sight.

The Domestic Soundscape is out of Oxford, and I haven't even begun to discover the depths of this woman's ideas and images. But who can argue with a hand knit Sonic Death Monkey?

And who knew there was a Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture?? I shouldn't be surprised that it's in the UK. Thanks for being out there for me to find.

Now back to my thesis (talk about a major distraction!).

Project Linus and Blankets of Gratitude

A friend reminded me of Project Linus, a great organization (Thanks, Ka Yun!) which I've not thought about in a long time. When I'm done with Graham's blanket (my new nephew), I'll make one for them. Time to check out my local chapter, too.

This memory also puts me in mind of a program that VA hospitals have, called "Soldiers' Angels" -- very similar, where lap robes are made for hospitalized vets, to bring something home made to those sterile hospital beds and wheelchairs. Read more below. Both of these are good projects for folks who want to knit small items -- I, for one, knit in the car to keep my anxiety down. Perfect to knit and focus on caring for others -- both anxiety relief practices.

The Project Linus Mission

Project Linus is comprised of hundreds of local chapters and thousands of volunteers across the United States. Each volunteer and local chapter all work together to help us achieve our mission statement, which states:

First, it is our mission to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.”

Second, it is our mission to provide a rewarding and fun service opportunity for interested

individuals and groups in local communities, for the benefit of children.

Together we have distributed over three million blankets to children in need since our inception in 1995.

Blankets of Gratitude

This winter, thousands of veterans will spend time in a VA hospital or facility, away from the warmth of home, family and friends.

We want them to know that they are remembered, that we are thinking of them, and that we are grateful for their past service. Since we can't visit them all in person, our goal is to wrap 25,000 of these Veterans in lap robes, representative of our support and appreciation, called "Blankets of Gratitude." The lap robes will be a physical reminder that they are not alone. When a veteran receives a Blanket of Gratitude, he or she will know that somebody remembered them, that somebody labored over a handmade robe with thoughts of them and hopes or prayers for their health and comfort.

A Radical Homemaker

What a great label for the kind of feminist I am -- although I'm not sure I'm up for chicken coops, they're lovely and all, but I don't think our yard is big enough for the smell, and I'm sure our cats would love the chickens way too much. But what a wonderful sounding book. Here's an article all about the concept, 'The Femivore’s Dilemma.'

The book, Radical Homemakers, by Shannon Hayes, describes the new woman, a femivore. "Femivorism is grounded in the very principles of self-sufficiency, autonomy and personal fulfillment that drove women into the work force in the first place. Given how conscious (not to say obsessive) everyone has become about the source of their food — who these days can’t wax poetic about compost? — it also confers instant legitimacy. Rather than embodying the limits of one movement, femivores expand those of another: feeding their families clean, flavorful food; reducing their carbon footprints; producing sustainably instead of consuming rampantly. What could be more vital, more gratifying, more morally defensible?"

Perhaps that goes too far for me, but I do currently have a knitting project, a crocheting project, I made by hand the gift I took to a baby shower yesterday, the nasturtium seeds are sprouting, and my son refused to toss a banana peel into a trash bin in SF this afternoon, lamenting that I wouldn't let him bring it home in the car to put in our compost. Who knows where we all will land, but I like that it's somehow correct to be domestic again.

Hard is Soft and Life is Both

This is the first blog entry I've had the energy for since mid October -- we are moved back into our new/old house now, so I hope I'll have more time soon. I don't have much of my own right now, but I did find some lovely photos. This seems to fit my mood today.

Knitting is a way of calming my anxieties, and I'm amazed by these objects -- knit guns. From one of my favorite websites: Accidental Mysteries. The artist is Theresa Honeywell.

Knitting Art & Woman's Work

I found a remarkable book at my local library, Knitting Art: 150 Innovative Works from 18 Contemporary Artists. I want this book, to own. I love so much about it. I'm too busy doing my own laundry today (at Alice's house because my machine is broken) to post about all the things I love about this book; it has to go back to the library, though, so I am putting it here to not forget. Michelle said she liked the string people on the cover (I did my laundry at her house on Friday).

Karen Searle, who edited the book, and is herself an amazing knitting artist, has a website worth exploring.

And here is more about her book. Worth owning.

Knitting Art: 150 Innovative Works from 18 Contemporary Artists
Author: Karen Searle

As some knitters craft mittens and sweaters, others find themselves taking flight into the realm of art. Some become true fiber artists, creating exhibition-quality quilts and sweaters and shawls, yarn mobiles and sculptures and gigantic abstract installations. An exploration of art knitting, this book profiles eighteen of the most prominent and intriguing practitioners of this craft-turned-art. Karen Searle, herself a recognized fiber artist, examines the works and inspirations of each of these knit artists. Numerous photographs illustrate each profile, documenting these artists' work and at the same time offering inspiration to those who might transcend the purely practical aspect of knitting. Among the artists encountered here are such nationally known knitters as movement founder Katharine Cobey, Carolyn Halliday, Debbie New, Lisa Anne Auerbach, Lindsay Obermayer, Kathryn Alexander, and others.

Who wouldn't be in love with (or creeped out by, but in a good way) Lindsay Obermayer's sweaters? Gorgeous colors and wonderful woman shapes and a tiny bit too close to this menopausal woman's heart/home. Her collection Woman's Work is soothing and scary. Knocks me out. What do you think?