It is spring and the cherry blossom season is here. I’m lucky enough to live in an area with beautiful blossom trees. They are inspiration for my one crochet project that I am developing.
Cherry Blossom
Far over the misty mountains cold
I got this beautiful yarn for Christmas from Dragon Hoard Yarns as an advent calendar. It took me this long to take a photo and stop admiring them. I’ve added them to the hoard while I work out what will show these glorious skeins off to their best advantages. In the meantime I’ll just take them out of hoard and murmur my precious over them occasionally.
For yarn dyers out there. Please do yarn advent calendars. I am ready to impulse buy all of them (budget allowing).
Bread and Roses Shawl
I have struggled with this shawl. The idea is clear as day in my head, but getting it out on paper and realized in yarn has been more challenging that I thought it would be. The good news is that the problems have been solved and it is now coming together beautifully. The rosebuds look gorgeous and the Czech seed beads are a lovely shade of pink/copper/gold. I’m a bit concerned about the ears of wheat, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
It is my suffrage shawl and it is not going to be ready in time for the NZ elections where one of two women will definitely be Prime Minister (17 October). Nor will it be ready for the British Columbia elections (24 October) but I’m pretty sure it will be ready for me to swish around my shoulders and watch the US elect a women Vice President. They might fall short again, it’s true. But the shawl is reminder to keep fighting for your rights not only for the most basic of things, enough money to buy food and shelter but also that we all deserve beauty, art and inspiration in our lives.
I hope when the pattern is published at the end of October 2020 that this shawl inspires other knitters or brings joy to anyone lucky enough to have it given to them as a gift.
Glorious Inspiration
I have loved this song and this specific version for as long as I can remember. As I got older the lyrics resonated more and more for me. If there was an anthem just for me and my philosophy on life, this would be a good place to start. It has never failed to move me and I wanted to pay tribute both to the beauty of the song but also the continuing cause of women’s suffrage.
Lawrence Textile Strike
As someone in fiber arts I’m also interested in the association the song has with the Lawrence Textile Strike where thousands of women mill workers took to the streets for better pay and working conditions. Although the strike captured public sympathy and drew attention to the cause, it ultimately was not successful in significantly improving the lot of mill workers. Yarn dyers, and fabric designers are still trying to work out how to make a living wage from fiber arts. Sweatshops in the developing world continue to have horrendous working conditions and give the developed world a false sense of the cost of clothing production. It’s still relevant.
Lyrics
As we go marching, marching
In the beauty of the day
A million darkened kitchens
A thousand mill lofts grey
Are touched with all the radiance
That a sudden sun discloses
For the people hear us singing
Bread and roses, bread and roses
As we go marching, marching
We battle too for men
For they are women’s children
And we mother them again
Our lives shall not be sweated
From birth until life closes
Hearts starve as well as bodies
Give us bread, but give us roses
As we go marching, marching
Unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing
Their ancient call for bread
Smart art and love, and beauty
Their drudging spirits knew
Yes, it is bread we fight for
But we fight for roses, too
As we go marching, marching
We bring the greater days
The rising of the women
Means the rising of the race
No more the drudge and idler
Ten that toil where one reposes
But the sharing of life’s glories
Bread and roses, bread and roses
Our lives shall not be sweated
From birth until life closes
Hearts starve as well as bodies
Bread and roses, bread and roses!
Winter Rose Cowl – New things to learn
Another photo shoot. A triumph and a learning experience all at the same time. The beauteous Steph has been my model for this wonderful winter rose cowl that I finished recently. She graciously did the photos I requested from her so that I could publish them. As you can see she looks amazing and so does the cowl. Except it could look better. It is inside-out. As a knitter it never occurred to me that someone wouldn’t know the stocking stitch garter stitch game and be able to see which way was the correct way to wear it. So even though I have had to ask for new photos I feel like I learnt an important thing about how your item will be worn.
Even better news – pattern will be available as soon as I get the new photos!
Amateur photo shoot failure
I made a great lamb pie which was meant to be an edible prop to go with a set of tea towels I am doing. I was thinking this was a win-win for us. We eat yummy lamb pie and get a good photo for the tea towel pattern. Of course, I ended up having to unpick a section of the tea towel and underestimated how long it would take. This has resulted in half-eaten lamb pie and half finished tea towel.
I am fairly sure that my photo editing skills (non existent) are not going to be able to put these two things together.
Beloved has suggested making more lamb pie when tea towel set is completed. He seems very enthusiastic about that solution to the problem.
Clue
I just discovered today about the word clue being related to a ball of yarn in English. How cool is that? It all relates to the Minotaur and Ariadne giving Theseus a ball of thread to guide him out of the labyrinth. She literally gave him a clew (clue) to get out of the labyrinth.