tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71192480414590747662024-03-13T04:04:46.408-04:00The University KnitterDestackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-43062495239792346542011-06-22T08:23:00.002-04:002011-06-22T08:28:54.302-04:00The Big MoveHi Everyone!<br />
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After a long hiatus I am happy to announce a very promising move to a new blog and new blogging platform- I will heretofore be writing from <a href="http://interrobangknits.wordpress.com/">interrobangknits.wordpress.com</a>!<br />
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This website gives me the chance to blog under a new name, with a much more professional platform, and gives me more control over how my writing gets out into the world.<br />
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For bloggers who are interested in why I'm making the switch from blogger to wordpress, there are some very important reasons that I hope you consider when creating new blogs.<br />
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Blogger is an excellent introductory platform, and for those uncomfortable with blogging, computers, and the internet, it is an easy way to start. However, the flip side of its simplicity is a lack of control for the blogger. At wordpress, I feel like I have much more ability to customize, build, and explore the inner workings of my blog. A few of my favorite wordpress features that blogger lacks are scheduling publication date and time to happen automatically, at the time of your choosing, checking statistics in both blog views and syndicated views (views in rss feeds), and a clean interface with extensive control options. To be honest, I haven't yet discovered all of the great features wordpress has, which is more than I can say about blogger, whose controls are limited mostly to design, and can be explored in a few hours.<br />
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Blogger's one perk, for those to whom this is important, is that it is easily monetized- if you're looking to make money from your blog, blogger is the place to do it. In fact, when you create a blog on this interface, one of the creation steps is choosing whether to monetize your blog at that time. Of course, I am sure that those who are looking to monetize wordpress would be able to do so, but I haven't worked on that feature. I am less interested in making money off of my blog and more interested in reaching an audience with information I find interesting and feel passionate about, and all of my needs were met more efficiently at wordpress.<br />
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I have to add how disappointed I am that I am writing this post. There is nothing wrong with blogger. In fact, I love love <i>love</i> google, gmail, and all of its constituents- it just turns out that wordpress is a better fit for my blogging preferences. Sorry google :(<br />
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I look forward to seeing everyone over at interrobang, and encourage all of my current readers and subscribers to move on over and read and subscribe at wordpress. It should be an awesome blog, with a much wider range of subjects and topics- but I do intend to continue publishing knitting history material, and I also plan to republish and revisit a few of the posts I published here, on the university knitter, in hopes of giving them a second chance to be read.<br />
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Have a great day, everyone! :)Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-28446589273291715042011-04-07T00:59:00.000-04:002011-04-07T00:59:13.204-04:00Knitted Graffiti (Part 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sketch42blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/yarn-Bomb1_280_714765a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://sketch42blog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/yarn-Bomb1_280_714765a.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Knitted Graffiti, or 'Yarn Bombing,' has a plethora of meanings for the different people who participate in it. The practice can be traced back to Magda Sayeg, who, with her controversial knitting graffiti team 'Knitta, Please' worked to establish the art of knitted graffiti. Sayeg <a href="http://www.magdasayeg.com/about_knitta_please_magda_sayeg.html">states </a>that she started installing knitted graffiti "in response to the dehumanizing qualities of an urban environment. By inserting handmade art in a landscape of concrete and steel, she adds a human quality that otherwise rarely exists." </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTTEMXF6e_5o8BZVg_SmxULP07zyDYRZOsprZNBBeAta8S6nR9b" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTTEMXF6e_5o8BZVg_SmxULP07zyDYRZOsprZNBBeAta8S6nR9b" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Knitta, Please was responsible for 'Yarn Bombing' this bus in Mexico City.</td></tr>
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</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">That comforting nature of knitting- both in its creation and in the final fabric- are utilized by Magda Sayeg and the yarn bombers who have followed her as a way to change the environment of many urban areas. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">Knitted graffiti artists have popped up all over the world, and have influenced both the craft of knitting and the art of graffiti. I am particularly amused by Banksy's depiction of knitting in his own street art:</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSZyLawuIAsCAmllnTYN8839U-UKvG_DVLdCkVw2GQ8tBvlKFFy" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSZyLawuIAsCAmllnTYN8839U-UKvG_DVLdCkVw2GQ8tBvlKFFy" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">I think at the heart of the matter, though, knitters enjoy the process of making their craft. And after making sweaters and hats and scarves and mittens for all of their friends and family, there is some desire to bring joy to more people than they can reach directly. Placing knitted graffiti in public places for hundreds of people to enjoy is a way to use craft to reach out and brighten the day of someone you might never meet. After all, isn't it impossible not to smile when you find a streetlight wearing a sweater on your way to work?</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRMpMIUOeyXlJCdKzAcfS9SdKuFtvP9ARmb75MFiLgSte_NsfJH-Q" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRMpMIUOeyXlJCdKzAcfS9SdKuFtvP9ARmb75MFiLgSte_NsfJH-Q" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div>Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-76660590078062118752011-04-06T23:18:00.000-04:002011-04-06T23:18:46.481-04:00Knitted Graffiti<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR_iLK_kOkwL6g-_rBjmT_eZOtoY5L9MBVPAG-xG5yInDqhwvHw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR_iLK_kOkwL6g-_rBjmT_eZOtoY5L9MBVPAG-xG5yInDqhwvHw" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The surge in popularity of knitted graffiti is one which has left me intrigued and dumbfounded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I first saw a picture of knitted graffiti, I was surprised by how much time and energy someone had put into knitting an item which would eventually be dirtied, torn down and thrown away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet after reading article after article, and seeing more and more pictures representing the art that has been placed on display in streets around the world, the appeal of knitted graffiti begins to make more sense.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4052/4343100747_f7fc7cf348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4052/4343100747_f7fc7cf348.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">It all goes back to the concept of knitting as utilitarian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What once was necessary tool in daily life has become a craft that is done mainly for enjoyment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What was once a way to bring extra money into the household in times of desperation is rarely used as a means of necessary monetary gain today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5019/5554218637_38b344eb34_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5019/5554218637_38b344eb34_o.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
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</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">This is not the first time, however, that knitters are abandoning the useful nature of their craft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Victorian era, it became incredibly popular among those in the upper classes to knit things in miniature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It went along with their predisposition to hold their needles in a less comfortable way- these women went out of their way to make a distinction between those who had to knit to survive and those who chose to knit for pleasure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5258/5547505159_3263c7e254_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5258/5547505159_3263c7e254_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;">The motivation behind knitting abstract and useless objects today is clearly not the same as it was for Victorian ladies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, then; what is the motivation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some large-scale PR stunt for a craft long considered one for the elderly? Another product of the community formed within knitting groups both in person and on the internet?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A fun and harmless way for knitters to 'walk on the wild side?'<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Tune in tomorrow when I will do my best to answer the question of WHY people participate in knitted graffiti. </span></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Pics-Knit-Graffiti-Crew-Knitta-Please-Bombs-the-Standard-NYC-3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://www.psfk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Pics-Knit-Graffiti-Crew-Knitta-Please-Bombs-the-Standard-NYC-3.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></div>Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-23577786236404420012011-03-22T17:04:00.003-04:002011-03-22T17:10:22.482-04:00Taking Knitting to ExtremesKnitting has always been a very utilitarian skill- using a few double-pointed needles, women and children could make stockings to keep their family warm and dry, and maybe even bring in a few extra bucks.<br />
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The closer to the 21st century we get, the more room for exploration is possible for knitting, and playing with size to make creative and inspiring art has become more and more common.<br />
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Today I came across this video:<br />
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<a href="http://nocturnalknits.com/">Laura Birek</a>, author of the book Picture Perfect Knits, had the innovative idea of knitting with unspun roving and PVC pipes, to make a gigantic, cushy knitted blanket. I had already seen <a href="http://universityknitter.blogspot.com/2011/02/utility-vs-impracticality.html">Bisuit Scout's knitted chairs</a> defy expected proportions, but Laura Birek's oversized gauge produces a blanket of average size- it is the creation of the fabric, and the oversized stitches, that lend it a thickness and visual impact far greater than the average afghan.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5289/5371304885_a91fb4a6c0_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5289/5371304885_a91fb4a6c0_z.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Birek's polar opposite can be found in <a href="http://www.bugknits.com/">Althea Chrome</a>, an Indiana based artist who spends her days knitting tiny miniature garments to scale (bug sized- hence the name of her company, Bugknits). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bugknits.com/images/image_home/earth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="http://www.bugknits.com/images/image_home/earth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Chrome knits on tiny pins with the thinnest thread, and her creations sell for thousands of dollars. Beautiful hand-knit sweaters and gloves that will never be worn are ogled under microscopes by art collectors. When looking at pictures of her work, it is difficult to see that they are miniature, unless a hand is in the picture for reference. Chrome stepped into the consciousness of the mainstream with her work on the movie Coraline, which finally allowed her beautiful, miniature garments to be modeled.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7wADZBNvA_s" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br />
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The artistic possibilities for knitting are endless, and playing with gauge is only one of the ways that artists can surprise audiences with unexpected use of proportion. I'm very excited to see what projects knitters will think up playing with giant needles and tiny pins- and there's a part of me that wants to get started myself!Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-13340682265529771412011-03-09T23:10:00.000-05:002011-03-09T23:10:56.167-05:00On Fashion, Old and NewI have a new fascination: a fashion trend known as Lolita.<div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.milanoo.com/upload/products/200909/Lolita-Coat-Cosplay-Costume-14432-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.milanoo.com/upload/products/200909/Lolita-Coat-Cosplay-Costume-14432-1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Inspired by Victorian styles of dress and Rococo costumes, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolita_fashion">Lolita </a>fashion emerged in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harajuku">Harajuku </a>area of Tokyo, Japan. Harajuku fashion, made popular in American culture by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sY-TsLXiDo&feature=relmfu">Gwen Stefani</a>, is based in a shopping district of Japan known for the fantastical costumes worn by those who spend time there. Lolita fashion is an incredibly popular style, featuring subgroups such as 'sweet lolita' and 'gothic lolita.'</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">something about classic lolita enthralls me.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lolita fashion, characterized by bell skirts, very little exposed skin, and accessories such as parasols or wide-brim bonnets, draws from styles and silhouettes long abandoned, and adds a modern twist to make them feminine and unique.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thelovelyroom.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/marymagdalene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.thelovelyroom.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/marymagdalene.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sweet lolita can be recognized by pastel colors, pleats, frills, and bows.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://fanchaos.com/fanplusfriend/c4/Gothic_Lolita_High_Waist_Skirt_Shoulder_Belt_SP00088_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://fanchaos.com/fanplusfriend/c4/Gothic_Lolita_High_Waist_Skirt_Shoulder_Belt_SP00088_01.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a gothic lolita skirt and sash inspired by Scottish tartans</td></tr>
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</div><div>As I searched for different Lolita dresses online (and my eyes bugged out at the prices asked for them) I wondered why fashion has begun to draw from previous eras. Rarely before have major fashion trends been so intimately modeled on fashions from decades ago, and even more rarely have fashion trends copied as closely as possible from ideas at their peak over 100 years ago.</div><div><br />
</div><div>It might be possible today to pull a page out of a fashion magazine and hold it up to a spread from a magazine forty years old, and to not be able to tell the difference between the overarching design themes, shapes, and colors.</div></div><div><br />
Why, now, has fashion begun to revert back to yesteryear? In television shows and movies from the 1950s, by the year 2011 we were all supposed to be wearing spacesuits! Instead we indulge in Victorian fashion, or even more noticeably, in fashion of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Has fashion become less original? Or did we reach a point where improvement was no longer a possibility? I doubt that either of those questions can be answered 'yes.' Perhaps we simply use fashion as a way of connecting with our past socially and historically, and use clothing to express ideals, morals, and expectations parallel of those in the times which we emulate with fashion.</div><div><br />
</div><div>For those who are interested, there is a <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/groups/lolita-knitters">lolita knitters group on ravelry</a>, a comprehensive, user-created <a href="http://www.lolitafashion.org/index.php">guidebook to all things lolita</a>, and a <a href="http://www.milanoo.com/wholesale-Lolita-Clothing-c634">comparatively affordable online lolita shop</a>.</div>Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-74756220111073689782011-02-24T00:40:00.000-05:002011-02-24T00:40:49.442-05:00NPR= Knitting Headquarters<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Hello, all!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">You can imagine my excitement when news of a new episode of <a href="http://onpoint.wbur.org/">On Point</a>, focusing on my favorite fiber craft, hit the online knit-o-sphere.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I finally got a chance to listen to the <a href="http://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/02/15/knitting-resurgence">podcast</a>, which featured cameos from <a href="http://the-panopticon.blogspot.com/">Franklin Habit</a> (!) and <a href="http://www.knittingamerica.com/index.html">Susan Strawn</a>.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The podcast featured an interesting array of opinions on the craft of knitting, particularly in the modern day. Many callers were able to express their passion for the craft and the motivations which drive them to continue to practice it.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Susan Strawn mentioned the idea that knitting experiences a resurgence whenever our country is in a time of distress, and brought up various wars as catalysts for knitting resurgence, as well as the events of September 11, 2001. I was puzzled, however, as knitting did experience extreme peaks in popularity during wars prior to 1950, however, with the Vietnam war, knitting for wartime efforts played a far smaller role in female participation in war efforts, leading up to the present day, in which knitted goods are virtually absent from discourse on military support efforts. How did knitting go from being such an integral part of the war effort to being a nonexistent one?</div><div><br />
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</div>Perhaps women used to engage politically from within the sidelines of the domestic sphere, supporting the war effort while still maintaining societal expectations. After the 1950s, however, domesticity fell out of fashion, as women fought to become involved in all aspects of the 'mens' world' directly, rather than under the shadow of their skirts. Because of this, women could effect the war effort directly, rather than falling back upon domestic activities as their only means of participation.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgs5cv4nET1qau7l0o1_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgs5cv4nET1qau7l0o1_400.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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The good news is that women still have the freedom to knit in support of troops; in fact, in many cases the knitters are described as an army, fighting to support the <a href="http://www.scarvesforspecialolympics.org/">Special Olympics</a>, <a href="http://orphan.org/what-we-do/programs/red-scarf-project/">foster children</a>, <a href="http://www.headhuggers.org/default.htm">cancer patients</a>, <a href="http://www.goodgoes.org/caps#&slider1=3">save the children</a>, and <a href="http://www.hats4thehomeless.org/">the homeless</a>, but they are not confined to domestic means of helping out- they have simply chosen craft as their method.<br />
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I also have to include the cutest thing ever. <a href="http://mymilktoof.blogspot.com/">My Milk Toof</a> has long been one of my favorite blogs to follow- its short, adorable photo stories about <a href="http://mymilktoof.blogspot.com/2009/04/oh-monday.html">Ickle </a>and <a href="http://mymilktoof.blogspot.com/2011/01/lardee-do.html">Lardee </a>are heartwarming and never fail to make me smile. Inhae, the artist behind the blog, is coming out with a book! Below is a really fun 'making of' video.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-ugusmrkfvA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-16150236229036485182011-02-20T14:22:00.002-05:002011-02-20T16:54:34.261-05:00Utility vs. ImpracticalityThis morning I saw the following video on Etsy's blog and was amazed.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WmFPwpWYgno" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br />
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I love to admire knitting from around the world and the ways it is implemented, and the life and endeavors of <a href="http://www.etsy.com/people/BiscuitScout?ref=pr_profile">Lynn Garrett</a> (who goes by the name <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/BiscuitScout?ref=pr_shop_more">Biscuit Scout</a> as a designer, after her cat, I imagine) address a question I had been struggling with since my <a href="http://universityknitter.blogspot.com/2011/02/happy-valentines-day.html">Valentine's Day post</a>. Why do knitters spend so much time, money, and effort creating seemingly useless objects?<br />
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Garrett cites her 'art school days'- she explains that she is "trying to find the creativity I had when I was an art student, because then it's pure creativity that comes from inside you, and it is starting to come out, so I find that very exciting." <br />
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I have to admit, Lynn Garrett's lifestyle; waking up, making tea, and climbing back into bed with her cat and her knitting, seems like a dream come true to me. She has found a way to take a creative passion and apply it in a way that supports her leisurely life in the country.<br />
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Perhaps for hundreds of thousands of knitters around the world knitting serves the same purpose as it does for Lynn Garrett- a creative outlet. Even if their knitting serves no evident purpose, the created object, like the aran-knit 'sweater chair' Scout created, is comfortable and soft and an expression of inner creativity which delights the artist. Perhaps those feelings alone are enough justification for the knitter.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgs5fwcJlc1qau7l0o1_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgs5fwcJlc1qau7l0o1_400.jpg" width="245" /></a></div>Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-90503490883609474362011-02-15T16:57:00.000-05:002011-02-15T16:57:15.401-05:00On PrioritiesUpon reference by Anne Macdonald, I recently found myself reading through old editions of Godey's Lady Book and Magazine, and had the pleasure of reading the story <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=Y8hMAAAAMAAJ&lpg=PA290&ots=RBSItOG5Ob&dq=godey%20%22heel%20and%20toe%22%20september%201857&pg=PA217#v=onepage&q=godey%20%22heel%20and%20toe%22%20september%201857&f=false">Heel and Toe</a>, by Virginia de Forrest.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=Y8hMAAAAMAAJ&lpg=PA290&ots=RBSItOG5Ob&dq=godey%20%22heel%20and%20toe%22%20september%201857&pg=PA195&ci=4%2C16%2C978%2C1485&source=bookclip" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="http://books.google.com/books?id=Y8hMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA195&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U2QIOXbu1LdhuZ_KYq4LlM2SGCg8Q&ci=4%2C16%2C978%2C1485&edge=0" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Godey's was a collection of musical pieces, poems, engravings, short stories, patterns, articles, advertisements and gossip. I think of it as the Cosmo of the 1800s.</td></tr>
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</div>I love this story. Love it. It is well written, short, and illustrative of both its audience and the greater society which encompassed it. The value system employed in the mid-1800s treasured industriousness over all. Young Mary, the protagonist of the story, learns to knit as a child on her grandmother's lap, and has such a passion for knowledge that she knits endlessly in order to earn money to purchase more books. Mary used knitting to "[date] her growth in knowledge. Shilling after shilling was placed in her little box, kept safe in Granny's drawer; and book after book was added to her stock."<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=Y8hMAAAAMAAJ&lpg=PA290&ots=RBSItOG5Ob&dq=godey%20%22heel%20and%20toe%22%20september%201857&pg=PA144&ci=18%2C820%2C946%2C618&source=bookclip" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="http://books.google.com/books?id=Y8hMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA144&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U3be5q-PHuIHM-IMTXqYmfAUVyRmA&ci=18%2C820%2C946%2C618&edge=0" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice that in 1857, many women still published under pseudonyms. <br />
This piece on the new style of bonnets was written by 'Florence Fashionhunter.'</td></tr>
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The concept of remaining industrious, of using every spare moment to produce, to never let a moment go by wasted, is one which can be found in almost every society which included knitting as a source of labor and income. In fact, the worth of industriousness (and the phrase 'no idle hands') was a paramount value of most societies throughout history.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=Y8hMAAAAMAAJ&lpg=PA290&ots=RBSItOG5Ob&dq=godey%20%22heel%20and%20toe%22%20september%201857&pg=PA161&ci=1%2C10%2C987%2C1520&source=bookclip"><img src="http://books.google.com/books?id=Y8hMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA161&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U3TgviQl5RoYYe25_5Pu12ksB0fUw&ci=1%2C10%2C987%2C1520&edge=0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Recently, an appreciation for constant work and diligence has been removed from the societal norm. It is rare to see modern-day workers go on break and pick up a piece of needlework (or other portable craft) in order to take advantage of every idle moment. In modern society, a break is a break. In the past, a break was a chance to produce.<br />
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Whether calling on friends, celebrating or mourning, reading or relaxing, women of the past would always keep their knitting with them, taking advantage of every spare moment to keep busy, keep working, keep producing. The value of a constant worker was persistently enforced, and the attractiveness of this quality was emphasized through stories like "Heel and Toe." Frivolous behaviors were far less attractive than industrious ones.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=Y8hMAAAAMAAJ&lpg=PA290&ots=RBSItOG5Ob&dq=godey%20%22heel%20and%20toe%22%20september%201857&pg=PA196-IA2&ci=94%2C238%2C837%2C1019&source=bookclip" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img src="http://books.google.com/books?id=Y8hMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA196-IA2&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U3ZLHIfgemgbBq0-U6N6JMps7phkg&ci=94%2C238%2C837%2C1019&edge=0" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illustration from the story "Heel and Toe"</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><br />
This constant work ethic, which even incorporated production into relaxation and socializing, makes me feel guilty after a long day of classes, when all I want to do is watch tv. According to the Victorians, I am the worst type of bum, wasting precious time left and right! When I read, I should knit, too, as Mary learned to do- that, indeed, should fetch me a man! At least I can feel redeemed in my habit of knitting when I am out with friends, an excuse I will employ whenever I am chastised for focusing more on my knitting than on the conversation at hand!Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-13041849740862305662011-02-14T22:44:00.003-05:002011-02-15T00:17:30.427-05:00Happy Valentine's Day!<div style="text-align: center;"><a border="0" href="http://shabbyblogs.com/new" target="_blank"><img src="http://shabbyblogs.com/new/storage/old/ShabbyBlogsLookGood.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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In the mood of the day, I found myself searching for some romantic knitwear designs today, and was met with <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer04/index.html">quite a few designers</a> who have brought their needles to the bedroom!<br />
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It seems as if the media has been trying to make knitting sexy for a while now, but with books like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Romantic-Hand-Knits-Flirtatious-Designs/dp/030734696X">Romantic Hand Knits</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Knitting-Lingerie-Style-Lingerie-Inspired-Designs/dp/1584795778/ref=pd_sim_b_3">Knitting Lingerie Style</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/DomiKNITrix-Whip-Your-Knitting-Shape/dp/1581808534/ref=pd_sim_b_2">Domiknitrix</a>, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sensual-Knits-Luxurious-Alluring-Designs/dp/1402749201">Sensual Knits</a>, it seems like knitters are a few steps agead, have divorced themselves from the rigidity knitting was associated with in years past. Although knitters still make socks (and the practice of sock-knitting has an almost cult-like following), making stockings is no longer a necessary part of keeping a family clothed. <br />
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By shaking off its utilitarian nature, knitting has allowed itself to encompass many more categories, to become more abstract, and to become more pleasurable during and after its creation.<br />
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It might be perplexing to people outside of the knitting world that knitters cover everything from babies to teapots to toilet paper rolls with knitting. This practice is, admittedly, strange. There doesn't seem to be any useful purpose to a knitted toilet paper roll cover. However, both the creation of the piece and its existence serve to make the knitter happy. Come on, just try and look at a toilet paper roll dressed up as sushi and frown! It's practically impossible!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1385/823482069_6b10adc806_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1385/823482069_6b10adc806_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Knitting still keeps us warm in the winter and cozy at night, but it also serves a myriad of purposes fairly new to this generation. It is a method of relaxation, a means of entertainment, a source of social interaction, and a reminder that we can produce beauty, a means of sharing our love with others, and an expression of pride in our ability to create.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My Valentine's day present to you- a few knitting pin-up girls (they could be a blog post by themselves)!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b366/sarahmhaines/knitting/ge-pc-26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b366/sarahmhaines/knitting/ge-pc-26.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbb8mR0AVhMMw27VZsxVcxdmpBtL8DoNd4CM-ojAaTwK0zLCdZ&t=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbb8mR0AVhMMw27VZsxVcxdmpBtL8DoNd4CM-ojAaTwK0zLCdZ&t=1" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-45106006072969582182011-02-13T23:43:00.004-05:002011-02-14T00:23:18.759-05:00Knitting TogetherThis weekend, a performance artist from Amsterdam named Jean Hilkens went on holiday to New York City.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qP9waM7Fb_s/TVioe5DrS2I/AAAAAAAAAK0/ROIBed-amuk/s1600/IMG_0145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qP9waM7Fb_s/TVioe5DrS2I/AAAAAAAAAK0/ROIBed-amuk/s320/IMG_0145.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jean is a graduate of art school, and has worked in costume design, but when he stumbled upon my local yarn shop, Yarntopia, he realized that it would be the perfect venue for his most recent project...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-71SQA2jzX0w/TVioUkmYwbI/AAAAAAAAAKs/RLQU1Bqy128/s1600/IMG_0143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-71SQA2jzX0w/TVioUkmYwbI/AAAAAAAAAKs/RLQU1Bqy128/s320/IMG_0143.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hilkens, along with his partner, <a href="http://nellberger.nl/">Nell Berger</a>, have been working on a project which utilizes all of the unique properties of knitting. They have created an enormous red tube of knitting, with at least six sets of circular knitting needles supporting the stitches. The result of their creation is a fabric upon which multiple knitters can work at once.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ms7hMHzuF2A/TVioPdbB7xI/AAAAAAAAAKo/RVfet3fsqQE/s1600/IMG_0142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ms7hMHzuF2A/TVioPdbB7xI/AAAAAAAAAKo/RVfet3fsqQE/s320/IMG_0142.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The circle of red fabric I worked on with Hilkens was not the first he has created, although this one has travelled the world. Hilkens promised that he would soon post on his website pictures of the red circle everywhere from an urban square in Amsterdam to the beach. We were lucky enough to see these beautiful pictures in one of Jean's albums.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tNMmhP15bk0/TVioZeYvefI/AAAAAAAAAKw/TTHbRfHII4o/s1600/IMG_0144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tNMmhP15bk0/TVioZeYvefI/AAAAAAAAAKw/TTHbRfHII4o/s320/IMG_0144.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>That's me, in the upper right hand corner, knitting on the red circle!<br />
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This project does a wonderful job of illustrating everything that knitting is, while simultaneously inverting it. Knitting is very much about community- in fact, knitting has evolved over time to have a subculture and community as important to its nature as its physical definition. Strangely enough, knitting only requires one person, yet is rarely done alone. Hilkens places his finger on the pulse of this paradox by creating a project which must be knit on by several knitters at once- if all of the knitters are not working, the fabric pulls and bunches, and prevents the knitting from continuing smoothly. If one knitter moves too quickly or slowly, the next knitter is prevented from working on the piece.<br />
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The Big Red Circle of Knitting is an illustration of what knitting is, a literal creation of fabric, an inseparable community, a lesson in patience and diligent work.<br />
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Below is a picture of the square in Amsterdam where 75 knitters worked on a similar big red circle of knitting at the same time:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nellberger.nl/fotos/projecten/project_15_breienbuurt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://www.nellberger.nl/fotos/projecten/project_15_breienbuurt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
And knitters knitting garments onto their bodies:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nellberger.nl/fotos/projecten/project_13_knittingthread_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://www.nellberger.nl/fotos/projecten/project_13_knittingthread_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nellberger.nl/fotos/projecten/project_13_knittingthread_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://www.nellberger.nl/fotos/projecten/project_13_knittingthread_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-64865156738607772142011-02-12T23:35:00.001-05:002011-02-13T02:23:28.026-05:00Wartime Knits- then and nowWhile perusing one of my favorite tumblr accounts, <a href="http://feitoamao.tumblr.com/">feitoamao</a>, a collection of pictures and videos with knitting content, I was pleased to find the following video:<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Xi5SPUAu6-k" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Knitting has long been used as a way for men and women to help their communities. Helping the unemployed, as in the video above, was one way women reached out to help others, but even more common was wartime knitting.</div><br />
Wartime knitting was all the rage during every war with American involvement until about 1950. From Martha Washington in the Revolutionary war to the 'sox for soldiers' campaign, American women used their needles to help the troops however they could. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/homefront/images/image6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/homefront/images/image6.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><br />
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Watching Fanny Brice's video for the unemployed made me realize just how viral campaigns for 'service knitting' were during the first half of the 20th century.<br />
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Knitters still knit- why don't we have any viral campaigns asking us to 'do our part' today? With the internet, it has become even easier to reach out to a targeted audience quickly and cheaply. Although programs do exist for women and men to knit for soldiers, they aren't very well advertised within the knitting world, and they aren't advertised at all outside of it. What has changed? Knitters used to be called upon to do our bit to help out in times of trouble. Is society to blame, for forgetting about this huge group of crafters eager to help out? Or should knitters be chastised, for allowing themselves to be underestimated?Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-21167378212164546912011-02-05T23:08:00.001-05:002011-02-05T23:11:18.477-05:00On Knitting in ShetlandI write to report on a fascinating article I just read entitled <a href="http://columbia.library.ingentaconnect.com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/content/maney/tex/2006/00000037/00000002/art00002">Knitting, Autonomy and Identity: The Role of Hand-Knitting in the Construction of Women's Sense of Self in an Island Community, Shetland, c. 1850–2000</a>, by Lynn Abrams (The link I have included will give access to the article in PDF format for subscribers- as a university student, I have access to the article, but if you would like to read it and do not have access, you can purchase privileges for a fee.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TU4fYHCmN5I/AAAAAAAAAJ8/qWpN5X1QEWQ/s1600/Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TU4fYHCmN5I/AAAAAAAAAJ8/qWpN5X1QEWQ/s320/Untitled.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<i>Knitting, Autonomy, and Identity</i> addressed the unique situation of knitters on the island of Shetland, a small archipelago off the coast of Scotland. Before reading the article, I was excited to address my own conflicting views of the knitting community on this island- I have always imagined two very different ideas of the Shetland knitter's world; one of a romantic fishermen's village full of gansey-knitting wives and daughters, and one of a group of independent bread-winning women supporting their families. <br />
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My latter impression has been confirmed as far closer to the truth. Abrams focuses greatly on the economy of the hand-knitting community in Shetland, and explains that the islands relied largely on fishing, crofting, and knitting for financial stability. Due to the nature of the fishing community, women largely outnumbered the men- most men were on the sea as soon as they reached maturity, and the death rates of fishermen at the time were high enough that many men did not return. Women knit out of practicality- they needed a way to support themselves if they were not able to get married, and needed security in case a husband passed away and was no longer able to earn a living.<br />
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Shetland was 100 years behind the rest of the industrial world technologically, but was 150 years ahead of the rest of the world socially. Although knitting frames and hand knitting machines existed and were used both in factory settings and in the home for at least a hundred years, they were still absent in Shetland, where women knit all of their garments by hand. However, the self-sufficient nature of women on the island might have shocked American women living at the same time. <br />
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In order for knitters on Shetland to reap benefits from their work, they needed to leave the home and come in contact with quite a few entities. Abrams argues that this created a more social environment for the women than they would have otherwise experienced. I'm not sure if I agree with that- women found ways to be sociable whether or not they needed to sell their goods- but perhaps the women were exposed to the business world due to their sales, a world they otherwise would have been excluded from.<br />
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The knitters of Shetland dealt almost exclusively with systems of trade- the hosiery they produced would be traded for either dry goods or lines of credit, which could later be cashed in or given away in a trade. The receipt of cash for goods was, in fact, so rare, that when women were afforded an opportunity to receive money for items they had knit they devalued the item extremely, taking far less for the item than its equivalent in goods might have been.<br />
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One aspect of the economy which Abrams danced around but failed to address head-on was the level of poverty in Shetland. Abrams provided accounts of such poignant images as women sitting up all night to finish their knitting, placing black sheets over the windows so the neighbors shouldn't see that they weren't finished in time, and this constant ache to knit more and more (and not for enjoyment, as we might stay up to do today) belies a deep poverty which drives women to work- and even steal- to keep food on the table.<br />
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Theft in Shetland was far more prevalent than one might imagine. Abrams used theft as an example of the nature of the community of knitters which existed- that knitters would steal from shopkeepers but never from each other, because in a barter/trade economy trust is the most important aspect of a salesman. I see in the evidence of theft on the island a community steeped in poverty, so poor that although trust kept their precarious economy viable they risked everything to take items they desperately needed from those who had extended to them credit, and helped them in the past.<br />
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I couldn't help but think, as I finished the article, of one account included of a woman who, at age six, had knit two baby-sized sweaters and brought them in to the local shop, where she traded them for wallpaper. She expressed her pride and satisfaction in having procured something necessary out of items she had made. As Abrams put it, wool, for the knitters of Shetland, was like gold dust- it could easily and immediately be made into something that could be traded for necessities.<br />
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Today, the economy on Shetland has an entirely new face. In the 1970s, oil companies began to move in after discovering vast quantities of oil off of the coast, and this discovery immediately improved the economic situation on the islands. Knitting in Shetland is now widely recognized by knitters as influential and beautiful, and companies such as <a href="http://www.shetland-knitwear.com/history.html">Spirit of Shetland</a> and <a href="http://www.theshetlandtrader.com/">The Shetland Trader</a> have capitalized on the islands' reputation in the knitting world. <br />
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Women on Shetland no longer knit hosiery to support their families, although the tourism trade probably keeps them knitting iconic Shetland lace.<br />
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When looking at a community such as Shetland, in which a community developed which was completely independent of the societal norms so rooted in the rest of soceity- women were producers, traditional gender roles were naught, domesticity as we know it was absent- it becomes hard to understand the modern view of knitting as synonymous with frivolity and old age. Shetland women knit constantly from as early as they could hold needles until old age prevented them from making another stitch, and they knit not for fun or relaxation, but because their hard work kept them afloat financially.Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-73325515145377673002011-02-03T18:56:00.000-05:002011-02-03T18:56:00.313-05:00YarnIn <a href="http://universityknitter.blogspot.com/2011/02/most-important-tool.html">my last post</a> I talked about the way holding knitting needles has changed, and its utilization as a method of displaying social standing. Similarly, the way yarn is held, which effects the way the knit stitch is physically developed, has changed over time, and was used by women as a form of social commentary as recently as the last century.<br />
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There are two popular ways to carry the 'working yarn,' which comes out of the ball and feeds into the live stitches. The first method is English or American style knitting, in which the yarn is held in the right hand, and is brought behind and around the needles in order to form a stitch. This motion is called 'throwing' the yarn.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The other widely recognized method of knitting is called Continental or German style knitting, and requires holding the yarn is with the left hand, allowing the right needle to 'pick' yarn through the old stitch, to form a new stitch. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYX4Cxvn1EEEOPmVncHD8FOc8szyjgA27bZIt4o7sfuuyjd_w72qQw0D2xycBxlEzoRmWE5Kti9wx25FvoQaHpdDY3w61TnOLyaO6mnKi21ETeqz6RWzGhn2YbH7otPi8QGXZrFMnbX3c/s1600/DSC01923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYX4Cxvn1EEEOPmVncHD8FOc8szyjgA27bZIt4o7sfuuyjd_w72qQw0D2xycBxlEzoRmWE5Kti9wx25FvoQaHpdDY3w61TnOLyaO6mnKi21ETeqz6RWzGhn2YbH7otPi8QGXZrFMnbX3c/s320/DSC01923.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Knitters tend to feel very strongly about the method of knitting they use. Continental knitters argue that their method of knitting is faster, while English style knitters argue that it is easier for them to control the tension of each stitch. Both of these claims are true, and knitters tend to prefer the style of knitting they are used to, which is often the method they learned how to knit using.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The real intrigue, however, becomes apparent when we think about greater trends of knitting style preferences over time. I first thought of the historical and social interest in these knitting styles when reading Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Knitting Without Tears." Zimmerman wrote about learning to knit in the English style from her mother, but being intrigued by her Sweedish nanny's Continental knitting. When she decided to try Continental knitting for herself, Zimmerman was scolded by her "English governess, [who,] noticing my unorthodox way of knitting, uncompromisingly forbade the practice of anything as despicable as the <i>German</i> way of knitting."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Zimmerman professed her belief that the English style of knitting was developed by those using <a href="http://gansey.blogspot.com/2009/06/how-knitting-sheaths-work.html">knitting sheaths</a>, allowing for the least needle movement possible, relying on the motion of the yarn to control tension. As expressed by Richard Rutt, we can date English knitting to a far later date than Continental knitting due to its depiction in paintings of knitting madonnas. German knitting likely developed in the same way as the practice of holding the needle over the thumb- members of the upper class took on the method of holding the yarn in the left hand to separate themselves from working knitters, and the lower classes adopted this method from the fashionable upper class. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As we can see from Zimmerman's anecdote, however, there were social subtexts to yarn position as recently as the last 100 years- Zimmerman describes being scolded for practicing the Continental style of knitting in 1920, which belies a greater societal shunning of all things German, clearly caused by World War One. Americans desperately wanted to distinguish themselves from the 'evil, socialist others,' and from the car purchases to knitting style, the choice of 'German vs American' became This distaste for German 'style' practices was only reinforced with WWII, and this elimination of the Continental knitting style remained, with the English style pervasively being explained in instructional books and articles, until Elizabeth Zimmerman endorsed it in her first book in 1971. </div><br />
Women (and men) who didn't feel comfortable getting too wild could still make important social statements about political affiliations and social standing simply by switching the hand in which they held their yarn while knitting. This desire to use knitting as a way to make political statements has been pervasive over time and certainly deserves further exploration. Look forward to learning more about political knitting in the future!Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-76789877942475006272011-02-01T11:59:00.000-05:002011-02-01T11:59:11.002-05:00The Most Important ToolI am excited to announce a new endeavor which will be taking place within the framework of this blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This semester, I am pursuing an independent study with the fabulous <a href="http://i%20am%20excited%20to%20announce%20a%20new%20endeavor%20which%20will%20be%20taking%20place%20within%20the%20framework%20of%20this%20blog.%20%20this%20semester%2C%20i%20am%20pursuing%20an%20independent%20study%20with%20the%20fabulous%20dorothy%20ko%2C%20studying/">Dorothy Ko</a>, studying hand knitting in a historical context, and focusing on social impacts of hand knitting, and the evolution of the craft to it's modern state.<br />
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Each week I will be posting an informational piece which will focus on a very specific aspect of knitting, and hopefully anyone who reads the blog can learn from it. If you have any suggestions or topics you would really like to hear about, leave them in the comments.<br />
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For this first post, I will address what is arguably the most important tool in knitting- the hands. After all, without them, knitters would never be able to manipulate one continuous thread into fabric, creating garments of the simplest construction or the most elaborate architecture.<br />
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The way the hands are held in knitting seems fairly uniform today. Most instructional books will include an image of the hands positioned in this manner:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The needles travel under the thumb and palm, with the ends of the needle travelling down and along the wrist. Imagine the way you might hold a knife- this is the way that the needles are held. However, as will become apparent over the course of the semester, women (and men) often used knitting in a far more subversive way, to make political or social statements within the realm of domestic acceptability, and the position of the hands was no different. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Richard Rutt, in his <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/History-Hand-Knitting-Richard-Rutt/dp/1931499373">A History of Hand Knitting</a></u>, explains that by the beginning of Queen Victoria's reign, the position of hands during knitting was used to distinguish English ladies from working knitters. Ladies began to hold their needles in a more 'delicate' fashion, allowing the needles to travel over the thumb, with the end of the needle pointing upward, toward the shoulder. This way of holding the needles is more reminiscent of holding a pencil, and allows the hand to appear more ladylike, with the pinky extended. The new way of knitting, more importantly, separated professional knitters from 'pleasure' knitters, allowing English ladies to physically represent that they knit for leisure, rather than for a living; that their knitting was a creative endeavor and a manifestation of ease and relaxation.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20776/20776-h/images/352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20776/20776-h/images/352.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This manner of holding the hands was not only less efficient, but was probably uncomfortable for all but the smallest and most delicate projects (which ladies must have almost exclusively worked on). Imagine, however, the weight of a heavier project, an afghan or even a sweater, concentrated solely on the thumb, and moving farther upward along the needle as the row nears completion. The weight of the work must have made it much more difficult to manipulate the needles in the latter fashion.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After English ladies took up this new style of knitting, it soon became the vogue, with professional knitters taking up the style, despite its inefficiency. Many English knitters today still knit in the way developed by English high society women.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It is fascinating that women altered the way they had trained their bodies to carry out a task, retrained their muscles and fine motor movements, in order to make a statement about social standing. If anyone can think of other crafts in which people changed the way their bodies had become used to working in order to make a social statement, please leave them in the comments, and look forward to my next post in which I will address yarn position!</div>Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-23997880709854477982011-02-01T00:51:00.002-05:002011-02-13T12:21:35.944-05:00One of Those Days<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How much of a knitting nerd would I be if I said I liked this song even more because of the knitwear in the music video? </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What if I paused the song to examine the stitch patterns?</span></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ynyA6qPjUpo" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-44734966156256028652011-01-29T14:22:00.000-05:002011-01-29T14:22:01.135-05:00Yarn by Kyoko Mori<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ca.pbsstatic.com/xl/30/8630/9781934848630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ca.pbsstatic.com/xl/30/8630/9781934848630.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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Today I finished the beautiful memoir <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Yarn-Remembering-Home-Kyoko-Mori/dp/1934848638/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296327498&sr=1-1">Yarn</a> by Kyoko Mori. I went through a phase in the summer when I started to buy bucketloads of knit lit. I had my amazon prime membership, and I wanted to take advantage, and I ordered book after book. Some of those books disappointed me- I found them to be badly written or thought the stories were lacking. I was a reader long before I was a knitter, and tend to be critical of the books I read, for better or for worse.<br />
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<i>Yarn </i>was incredible. It was nothing like what I had imagined it to be. Kyoko Mori writes in a beautiful, lyrical way, but for the entire book I could never place my finger on what about the memoir made it so interesting, so intriguing. It wasn't until I read about her experience teaching at Harvard, at almost the end of the book, that I realized what made the Kyoko Mori's writing so wonderful. <br />
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"My new students at Harvard impressed me with their intelligence, their knowledge of the world, and their willingness to work hard. Many were good writers and a few seemed truly gifted. All of them would have been better off if I could have persuaded them to expect a little less. The essays they composed about their junior year abroad were full of lively details and sophisticated cultural observations, but the true story lay in the disappointment of rooming with another American student whose politics embarrassed them or the frustration of having a brother or sister visit during the worst week of their stay. These small and yet troubling experiences- mentioned in passing- hinted at complications that revealed their personal quirks and family histories, but I could seldom convince the students to pursue the stories they considered so trivial. The few who focused on pain wrote about the depression, anorexia, or sexual abuse they had suffered. Asked to stand back and provide more perspective- or else return to the topic when they were ready to do so- they gave me revisions in which the huge unmitigated pain was described in even more detail and with less perspective... I didn't know how to get a group of sophisticated high-achievers to value a bad good story over a good bad story."<br />
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The skill Mori talks about trying to teach her students- that of identifying a good story in a sea of mundane detail- is one which she has mastered. Reading her book is like jumping from puddle to puddle, while avoiding dry sidewalk. Your feet get wet, and with each step you are aware of the dry land below you, but the direction you have chosen to go is far more interesting. Mori paints a memoir with negative space, including details most writers would never think to include, and yet it is those details which make the story so unique and identifiable. <br />
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Kyoko Mori tried to teach her students to value a bad good story over a good bad story, but in her own work, she presents the perfect example of a good good story- with details expertly chosen and words equally perfect, her story meanders through the incongruities and minor challenges of life (fixing up a house, maintaining friends with an ex-husband) and displays how managing those minor downfalls creates a rich and interesting character.<br />
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Knitting plays a deceptively small part in the memoir- although each chapter is named after and revolves around a knitting project or concept, those knit pieces provide a foil to Mori's life, revealing and expanding through metaphors details which otherwise might have been missed.<br />
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It took me over a semester to read <i>Yarn</i>, as I picked it up and put it down sporadically, whenever I had time, and although it was well suited for that purpose, I wish now that I had read it from start to finish in a more diligent manner, as I now have piecemeal memories of details of Mori's life, rather than the sweeping panorama I like to take away from a memoir. I'll try not to fret, as I can't help but feel like with Mori's perspective of writing and life my experience of her story was just the way it was meant to be read.Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-57507031464590141922011-01-27T11:27:00.001-05:002011-01-27T11:32:01.632-05:00Snow in the CitySnow in the city is always a strange and wondrous phenomenon. The white powder is just the same anywhere in the world, but here it has an uncanny ability to muffle a concrete city, reflecting light down alleyways and streets, hiding cars in heaps next to the sidewalk, and desperately trying to keep stress-crazy workers from getting downtown to their offices.<br />
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Lucky for me, school was cancelled. It's always strange to me that school could be cancelled here. It's not long after the last flakes fall that armies of trucks hit the streets, carting away snow by the bucketful. By the time I've woken up in the morning, the streets are clear, and the only indication of snow in the night is the newly white mounds lining each sidewalk. And the slush. Slush is the worst. But it isn't snow.<br />
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Now I'm able to relax, wear pajamas all day, eat breakfast (and even lunch!) in bed, watch a movie, let pandora pick just the right songs, catch up on podcasts, fold my clean laundry, and work on my legwarmers.<br />
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I'm realizing now that I haven't posted knitting pictures in a long time, but now isn't the time- I just don't want to get out of bed!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TUGcH2Xi4LI/AAAAAAAAAJo/wOddXNg3iTQ/s1600/IMG_0117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TUGcH2Xi4LI/AAAAAAAAAJo/wOddXNg3iTQ/s320/IMG_0117.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-84545716130439686982011-01-25T23:01:00.001-05:002011-01-27T11:31:28.834-05:00FandomI think that making connections with 'celebrities' is a huge part of my experience as a fan. This was always true with my favorite musical artists, but I'm finding that it's becoming true for the knitwear designers I follow and admire as well.<br />
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When I was in high school, my favorite band was <a href="http://www.motioncitysoundtrack.com/">Motion City Soundtrack</a>. This band had fast-moving, poppy songs with intellectual lyrics, and I loved to listen to their music. But even more than their music, I loved the <i>band</i>. Along with their album <i>Commit this to Memory</i>, the band included a documentary which followed the band on a tour, giving fans a chance to get to know the musicians 'personally.' I always loved feeling like I knew all of the band members' quirks, where there lyrics were coming from- I could identify with them and feel closer to them, and that connection made me a more loyal fan than I ever would have been otherwise. Even now, although I listen to their albums much more rarely than I did in high school, I still appreciate 'knowing' the members of the band.<br />
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Although I don't still consider Motion City Soundtrack to be my favorite band, I do think of <a href="http://www.deathcabforcutie.com/">Death Cab for Cutie</a> as one of my favorites. There is in existence <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Well-Sleep-Carefully-Death/dp/B0009UZGHI">a documentary</a> about the band, but I didn't obtain the DVD until I was already a big fan of the group. The reason why I became interested in their music was, in fact, because they were written into the dialogue of one of my favorite television shows, and listening to their music made me feel closer to the characters in the show. I later became a genuine fan of the music, rather than the television show, and the documentary helped with that transition.<br />
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The reason why I explain the motivations behind my various musical interests is because having a connection with artists makes me a more loyal fan- it helps me to appreciate their work and makes me excited to see what they will come up with next.<br />
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Over Vogue Knitting Live, I was able to meet some of the biggest names in the knitting industry, and it was shocking to me how quickly and powerfully a connection with these knitters influenced my opinion of them.<br />
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<a href="http://www.debbieblissonline.com/">Debbie Bliss</a>, for one, was one of the nicest people I have met- she was so funny and sweet, and I have a whole new excitement when looking at her patterns, as I can appreciate not only her prowess as a designer but also remember hearing her joke around with our yarn editor about lipstick. <a href="http://goknitinyourhat.blogspot.com/">Carol Sulcoski</a>, also, was so sharp and fun, and as I looked at her patterns today while I was in class (oops!) I identified with her, found myself more inclined to love what she had designed, and more interested in reading her blog. Even meeting her for a few moments reinforced my interest in her work.<br />
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As has become obvious over my past few posts, Ysolda is my favorite knitwear designer, and looking back I suppose that I became a fan last November, when Ysolda took the blog challenge to post every day of the month. I remember my morning routine, which always includes a cup of coffee and a moment at the computer to check email, growing to include a moment at her blog to read what she had posted. Her life seemed so <a href="http://ysolda.com/2010/11/06/postcards-from-saturday/">pretty </a>and <a href="http://ysolda.com/2010/11/14/today/">cozy</a>, just like her patterns, and it made me really like her as a person, which made me inclined to like her patterns.<br />
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Knitting is an interesting industry as knitters constantly embrace new forms of technology which open new means of communication between knitters and designers. Not only can ideas travel more quickly, but knitters have an opportunity to get to know designers, and I think that has a huge impact on the success of those designers.<br />
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I really enjoy having had the opportunity to meet various designers over the weekend, and my 'favorites' folder on Ravelry is subsequently bursting with designers whose patterns I now look at with fresh perspective.Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-46308621194329184122011-01-23T21:27:00.001-05:002011-01-23T21:30:46.077-05:00Vogue Knitting Live, Day 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs256.snc6/180433_181233795250821_131170876923780_437357_1872509_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs256.snc6/180433_181233795250821_131170876923780_437357_1872509_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">You might have noticed that I jumped straight from day 1 to day 3 of VK Live. For me, day 2 didn't really exist. At the last minute, I was reassigned from work on the floor to work backstage at our fashion shows. This was a ton of fun, but also a lot of very, very hard work. I woke up at 6:30 am and didn't even get home until 10:30 pm! The double sided coin is that I never have had hours that strenuous before, but I have never loved my work as much as I have at Vogue Knitting, so it is always a pleasure to spend my time doing what I love.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs778.ash1/166858_181100471930820_131170876923780_436101_950259_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs778.ash1/166858_181100471930820_131170876923780_436101_950259_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The reason why I bring up my busy schedule is that in <a href="http://universityknitter.blogspot.com/2011/01/vogue-knitting-live-day-1.html">my post about day 1</a>, I mentioned my excitement about meeting <a href="http://ysolda.com/">Ysolda Teague</a>. Due to my very busy day yesterday, I was unable to attend her book signing! It was my one disappointment of the weekend.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1389.snc4/164175_181334458574088_131170876923780_437953_6168658_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1389.snc4/164175_181334458574088_131170876923780_437953_6168658_n.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Today was much the same as yesterday- lots of hard, but fulfilling, work. At the end of the day, my mom and grandma came to visit me at the marketplace. They were lucky enough to visit at one of the only lulls in the day, and I was able to walk around the marketplace in a somewhat relaxed style for the first time all weekend. We stopped by the Knitty City book to pick up <a href="http://ysolda.com/patterns/collections/whimsical-little-knits-1/">Whimsical Little Knits</a>, even though I wasn't able to get it signed by Ysolda, and then my mom got caught looking at <a href="http://www.bejeweled-bedazzled.ca/index.htm">Kathleen Kroeger's beautiful buttons</a>. We shopped at Kathleen's booth for a while, and we continued to look at her glasswork even as announcements were made that the marketplace had officially closed. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Just as I began to get a bit antsy and nervous to move on (I had work to do, after all!), my heart dropped. There, walking towards the button booth, was none other than Ysolda Teague, carrying all of her samples along with her. I was not going to let this opportunity pass- I missed her once and I was not going to miss her again!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I stopped Ysolda, and she was so incredibly nice. She put down her huge bag of stuff and signed my book for me. I had been wearing my <a href="http://ravel.me/destack/be0m7">Damson </a>all weekend, and carrying my camera in my pocket, in case I ran into her, and here I was, completely unawares, my phone in my bag next to damson, all the way at registration.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">No matter- as the saying goes, if something is meant to be, it's meant to be. I guess all of my hard work this weekend paid off in that my one big disappointment was negated- I was able to meet Ysolda. I guess it was just fated to work out for me!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I am so grateful to have had a happy ending to a fulfilling weekend! Unfortunately, though, I didn't have even one spare moment to take pictures, although I had my camera in my pocket for two days! All of the pictures in this blog post are from the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vogue-Knitting-Live/131170876923780">Vogue Knitting Live Facebook page</a>!</span>Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-92039822796189244112011-01-22T06:51:00.002-05:002011-01-22T07:36:54.395-05:00Vogue Knitting Live- Day 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TTrPX-jvejI/AAAAAAAAAJg/1eSJ_g2rjAE/s1600/Photo_00002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TTrPX-jvejI/AAAAAAAAAJg/1eSJ_g2rjAE/s320/Photo_00002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Well, you might have noticed that I took winter break off from blogging. Sorry about that! But even though life stopped for about three weeks, I hit the ground running this semester. I am taking seven classes, one of which is an independent study looking into a social history of hand knitting! I am also excited to extend my internship from last semester for another semester!<br />
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I am, indeed, an intern at SoHo Publishing Company/Vogue Knitting. It. Is. The. Best. I love waking up to go to work there, I love the people I work with, and I love the work I do. I can only hope that one day I will have the opportunity to work there permanently.<br />
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This weekend Vogue Knitting broke new ground with an event called <a href="http://www.vogueknitting.com/live.aspx">Vogue Knitting Live!</a>, a three-day knitting extravaganza with classes, shopping, a knit art exhibit, all of the biggest knitting celebrities, and what seemed like every knitter in the world. Knitters took up 1/3 of the Hilton hotel in New York. That's huge.<br />
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After a semester of entering data about class lists and photocopying course materials, it was amazing to see all of the little pieces come together into an amazing event. Knitters are the best people. The best! Everyone was incredibly nice! Just standing in the hallway and watching everyone interact made me happy.<br />
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I do have to admit a bit of embarrassment, though. As I walked alongside my supervisor, Beth, who kept a brisk pace, running around the hotel and answering everyone's questions with a smile (amazing), I looked up, and saw <a href="http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/">Stephanie Pearl McPhee</a>. Just standing there. And I reacted in a way that I could have never predicted. I could not. Stop. Giggling.<br />
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I mean, I was excited, and I don't blame myself, but I always thought I had a little bit more control over my emotions than that! And when she approached me, things just got worse. I was able to squeak out a reply to her question about where the escalators were, but I somehow managed to also add a little "I think you're super cool!!!!!!!" to the end of my directions.<br />
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If anyone reads my blog, and that person happens to be at VK Live, and also happens to be checking their blog reader, I will be at the Hilton hotel all weekend helping out, running around, but based at the Beginner Bar, so come and visit! The other place you might be able to find me is the Vogue Knitting booth.<br />
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More updates to come! I am just too excited to meet <a href="http://ysolda.com/wordpress/">Ysolda Teague</a>, I can't even explain, but if my encounter with the Yarn Harlot was any indication, I probably won't even be able to string a sentence together!Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-56645058652133219272010-12-27T21:09:00.000-05:002010-12-27T21:09:43.325-05:00Extreme Weather: Vacation Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TRlGb7gXYlI/AAAAAAAAAIg/Q5zCiDi9Zkk/s1600/IMG_0099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TRlGb7gXYlI/AAAAAAAAAIg/Q5zCiDi9Zkk/s320/IMG_0099.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I'm here, in the Sunshine State! We made it just in time, because the day after we arrived, it began to snow back home. The measure right now is thirty inches. It's cold here, but at least it isn't snowy.<br />
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I've just about finished <a href="http://ravel.me/destack/ooynp">Manu </a>(pictures to come), all I need now is to sew in ends, close up the underarms, add some pockets, and find the right buttons. I'm not sure if I like the length I made it, but it will just have to do!<br />
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Happy New Year to everyone!Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-46695564850965338032010-12-24T00:32:00.000-05:002010-12-24T00:32:20.257-05:00Well, everyone: I'm finally done!This semester is OVER! I ask you all to please, go back, and make sure to read that sentence in the most gleeful, relieved, exhausted tone possible, because that is how it was intended to be read.<br />
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Since finals have been over, I have been immersing myself in activities which require as little brain power as possible. It's a luxury I've felt guilty indulging since the summer.<br />
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And so, in the last few days, my Netflix subscription has been enduring some <i>serious</i> abuse. Now, I have always loved my Netflix subscription. Love. It is the best ten dollars I spend every month. There are certain little quirks which I indulge, which just make me happy, and one of those is watching TV series in order. I like doing things in order, mostly- I never actually read the 7th Harry Potter book (despite LOVING the series and having read the first 5 books over 6 times each), because when my parents wanted to give it to me, I refused to read it without re-reading the other 6 first. I simply like doing things in the correct order. And so, my parents refused to give me the final book in the series unless I read it on its own, and since I was honest and could not make that promise, I still haven't read the book.<br />
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That anecdote leads me to explain that I have seen every episode of The Office. I watched each season, episode by episode, on Netflix. I did the same with 30 Rock. And I am now in the middle of the second season of Bones. I am obsessed. It is amazing.<br />
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But it is a little bit dangerous to get this engrossed in one TV program, and to watch season after season straight through. I have become super attached to the characters. I cried when Jim and Pam got married, and now I am making facebook statuses like<br />
"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">HODGINS JUST ASKED OUT ANGELA!!! I love Bones almost as much as I love winter break... ♥"</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Yeah. Probably not healthy.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Nonetheless, my family leaves tomorrow for Florida, and I hope to include lots of pictures of our trip. Nothing too exciting, since it's usually just us hanging out by the pool and frequenting outlet malls, but what more could you ask for on a brain-free vacation. It's like a pullover with a stockinette body after a lace shawl.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Speaking of which... progress on Aeolian:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TRQutA8bPqI/AAAAAAAAAIM/4kOXNmW9IFk/s1600/IMG_0093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TRQutA8bPqI/AAAAAAAAAIM/4kOXNmW9IFk/s320/IMG_0093.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TRQuu9NjtrI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/-E_yIMbVq7w/s1600/IMG_0094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TRQuu9NjtrI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/-E_yIMbVq7w/s320/IMG_0094.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TRQuzkkYEqI/AAAAAAAAAIY/OUIx3vbcSQE/s1600/IMG_0096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TRQuzkkYEqI/AAAAAAAAAIY/OUIx3vbcSQE/s320/IMG_0096.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I am LOVING the gold and peach and clear beads against the cornflower blue of the Helen's Lace Fjord colorway.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And just for kicks, my brothers were UBER excited to model their Hanukkah gifts for me, so here are a few pics of them in their new hats! (I love how enthusiastic they are about knitwear!)</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TRQupQWoeVI/AAAAAAAAAIE/7o82EjHe-A8/s1600/IMG_0091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TRQupQWoeVI/AAAAAAAAAIE/7o82EjHe-A8/s320/IMG_0091.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TRQukVJaKeI/AAAAAAAAAH4/ZjcQfP4XwMk/s1600/IMG_0088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TRQukVJaKeI/AAAAAAAAAH4/ZjcQfP4XwMk/s320/IMG_0088.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TRQul0vofII/AAAAAAAAAH8/3tmt0zYFgOA/s1600/IMG_0089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TRQul0vofII/AAAAAAAAAH8/3tmt0zYFgOA/s320/IMG_0089.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TRQuntHU7XI/AAAAAAAAAIA/gffSrY_hubk/s1600/IMG_0090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_MdEQ5ahYJK0/TRQuntHU7XI/AAAAAAAAAIA/gffSrY_hubk/s320/IMG_0090.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</span>Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-80615620294354023432010-12-20T17:23:00.000-05:002010-12-20T17:23:05.200-05:00The Home Stretch<iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oIIxlgcuQRU" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="640"></iframe><br />
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I have two more finals ahead of me. Somehow I have managed to balance some semblance of review with a healthy usage of my netflix subscription. And now I find myself scrunched into the corner of my bed, surrounded with papers, 'youtubing' various songs and pretending to study. In the past two days I have consumed three liters of diet soda, two packs of gum (I prefer cinnamon but will settle for those funny fruity flavors), two books on medieval Jewish philosophy and Kabbalah, fifty pages on dinosaur anatomy, and endless hours of Pandora suggestions.<br />
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I am constantly focused on the light at the end of the tunnel. Friday at noon I leave for Florida, to spend time with my family and knit, to relax with no responsibility and no expectations.<br />
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My room is a mess and my composure mirrors my room. Two. More. Days.<br />
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I just want to give a shout out to Felicity Ford. I have immensely enjoyed reading her blog, <a href="http://thedomesticsoundscape.com/wordpress/">The Domestic Soundscape</a>, for a few months now, and didn't even realize that she was a part of a BBC show. I cannot wait to tune in.Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-83046426231518956552010-12-19T01:08:00.000-05:002010-12-19T01:08:46.834-05:00I love getting packages.I already had <a href="http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/knitting/yarn/LornasLaces/HelensLace.asp?showLarge=true&specPCVID=21487">this</a><br />
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Today <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Czech-Beads-Crystal-Metallic-Lined/dp/B0019LLUR6/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1292738869&sr=8-6">these </a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Steel-Crochet-Hook-Size-14/dp/B000QHDCFM/ref=sr_1_6?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1292738888&sr=1-6">arrived</a>.<br />
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And now I'm starting <a href="http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring09/KSPATTaeolian.php">this</a>.Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119248041459074766.post-28453662261918560342010-12-16T10:11:00.000-05:002010-12-16T10:11:14.516-05:00Food.I think there might be something wrong with my study habits. <br />
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This morning I had a final at 8:30 am. I quickly finished it and rushed to the library to work on a take-home final which is due today at 5:00 pm. But before I could start, I dropped my things and headed to the in-library cafe to pick up some coffee and some breakfast.<br />
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The cafe was closed. I was horrified. How could I possibly function without my third cup of coffee?! But I couldn't be too upset, as I was directed to the building next door, which also has a cafe.<br />
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So I ran back to the third floor of the library, grabbed my coat, and ran outside. <br />
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It is cold. So. Cold.<br />
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So when I arrived at the cafe, I naturally decided to buy as much food as I could carry so I would never have to leave the library again. <br />
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I am now sitting in my little cubicle, avoiding work, eating oatmeal and a banana and drinking coffee, and looking over at my iced tea, yogurt, gum, muffin, and trail mix. Which I bought just in case.<br />
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It's going to be a long afternoon.Destackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02432541560250309135noreply@blogger.com2