Social consciousness rambling

Consciousness, y’all. Awareness. Thoughtfulness. I believe in it. And it’s why I talk about crafters, independent artists and small sellers all the time. It’s also, in large part, why I work for a non-profit organization. I like to think about what my time, energy and money supports. And I want to do what I say I believe in. Forgive me while I ponder that a minute…

When I go shopping, sometimes it’s hard.

When I purchase something, I ponder where my hard-earned money goes. I wonder what the company is putting my money toward. I wonder if what I bought was worth what I paid. Was the quality everything I desired? Whose pockets did I just line? Did the worker(s) who actually made the item actually get any of the money that I paid for it? Does the company who sold it to me, or who made it, have business practices I agree with?

We all have priorities, right? For some, finding the lowest-cost item is THE one and only priority. But for many people - in fact an increasing number of people - it’s important to support certain business practices and models, and price becomes a less important, or perhaps a secondary consideration.

Many businesses these days are finding out that operating according to certain “socially-conscious” ideas is really attractive to their customers. This is why you see a Subaru commercial on TV that touts its environmentally pristine, landfill-free plant in Indiana. Subaru isn’t advertising their cheap cost - they’re telling you that they’re eco-friendly and American. They’re selling to people whose priorities and values are based on more than just cost.

i think Indie Shopping is the best way I know of to be a responsible consumer. I know, for example, that the money I spent went to the maker. I often know whether the maker is ecologically conscious. I know who owns the business, and sometimes something of their story. I have, in general, a much greater chance of knowing that my hard-earned dollars got spent responsibly, and aren’t supporting things I don’t like.

Here I am, rambling on… so I guess I should at least say that this whole train of thought was started when I roamed by the outfit Marmalade Pink. Marmalade Pink is “a co-operative of online women-owned businesses supporting socially conscious shopping.”

Their definition of “socially conscious shopping” is a bit different than mine - their definition is sustainable, eco-friendly products, while I think that choosing to purchase from, say, a woman-owned business or an independent business is also socially conscious. That Wiki article I linked to above thinks a little differently about what social consciousness is. Perhaps my definition is influenced by pop culture! But I think, and you may disagree, that what it comes down to is that “socially conscious” really means “what are your priorities apart from money?”

We all have to think about money - where it comes from, where it’s going. But it doesn’t have to mean that we just fling it about carelessly. When you pay for things, you support their existence, you say “I agree with what you’re doing - keep on going, I’ll support you.” The question is - right now, are you saying what you think you’re saying?

Craft Brunch

Happy October!!

Yesterday I had the happy fortune of having brunch at a cafe here in Austin with a friend.  After noshing, I provided what I hope was a relatively decent explanation of crochet for a friend who wants to learn the art.  Sunday Brunch is my favorite meal - husband and I often had brunch on Sundays at a cafe down the street when we lived in Manhattan, and I’ve continued to love the idea.  And sharing crafting is one of my favorite things to do.  It was a *great* Sunday afternoon.

Yesterday’s get-together was occasioned by my friend Paula’s receipt of a crocheting kit. Paula would like to make a blanket eventually, but when she wrote me last week all she had was yarn , a hook and completely confusing directions for making a granny square scarf.  It is true that providing directions for crochet is hard:  crocheting is essentially the art of making various types of knots into a piece of cloth using a single hook. And at the moment, Paula is in that really interesting stage of trying to get the feel of manipulating the hook and yarn together while not having the whole thing fall apart.  I remember that stage well, and in fact Paula’s beginning efforts yesterday were a great deal more effective than my own a couple of years ago.  I know she doesn’t think so, but she’s never seen how I started out. Although she now knows my little “secret” that I only manage to create a “real” slip stitch about a quarter of the time, I did hopefully manage to show her how to do a chain stitch and a single crochet.

Jean Railla, in Volume 4 of Craft, talks about how one of the important aspects of today’s crafting movement is how many crafters & artisans are intent on spreading the love of DIY around.  So many of us post tutorials, tips & tricks on our websites to share what knowledge we’ve gleaned about our crafts.  Even on Etsy, in a lot of cases you can not only buy a crocheted object but the pattern as well.

Crafters are usually not a jealous bunch - the point is not knowing but doing: making stuff & creating something, not keeping our proprietary knowledge squirreled away.  When it comes right down to it, someone else’s version of my craft isn’t going to be the same anyway - I’m sure that they will add their own unique elements to it, their own style, their own sense of self.  They won’t choose the same yarn or color, and they’ll probably tweak it, improve it.  I like that, and I do that myself to others’ patterns.  If I provide a pattern for something, I don’t even care if someone else makes it to sell - if it works for them, great!
Crafting is a skill:  something to learn and to get better at, something that provides a medium for expression, something to take pride in.  Crafting is also a pasttime:  something to do when you’re bored, something to spend time doing when you read or watch a movie.  Crafting is friendly:  passing on skills, connecting at craft fairs, reading and writing blogs online.  And hopefully, it’s enjoyable most of all.

Guest Post: Melissa’s Scarf

My most frequent commenter is also a knitter and general crafter as well as a very old friend of mine. Her name’s Melissa (left). Recently she showed me her first finished knitting project, described below, and I thought hey - it’s not all about me, right? No, seriously, it’s really awesome to see others’ projects and see the joy they get out of making (and finishing!) things. Maybe Melissa will send us a picture of her mother wearing the scarf later, eh? Without further ado, I present:

Melissa and the Scarf

When Miriam asked me to contribute a guest entry on my first knitting project, I hemmed and hawed like crazy. I’m very much a beginning knitter, and I don’t have a ton of confidence in my skills yet. But considering my limited abilities at this point, I was delighted with how my first project– a soft heathered-blue scarf I knitted for my mom (shown right)– turned out.

I’m more or less a “dabbler” when it comes to crafts. Since childhood, I’ve tried on different crafts, looking to fulfill a longstanding desire to, well, create. But I’ve often abandoned projects after starting them, or become frustrated and quit before getting good at something. You name it, I’ve tried it through the years – crochet, cross stitch, puff painting T-shirts, stamps, acrylics, calligraphy, needlepoint. I still haven’t finished a cross-stitch kit I bought in 1994! So learning how to knit, and actually completing a project, gave me quite a sense of triumph. And with knitting, I think I’ve found the crafting hobby (or at least one of the crafting hobbies) that suits me best.

I didn’t know how to go about tackling my first project. After mastering the knits and purls and practicing ribbing, seed stitching and other techniques, I knew it was time to complete something. But I was afraid of attempting to read knitting instructions. I taught myself to knit left-handed, and I still don’t understand completely how to translate patterns for a lefty. (That’s a confusing endeavor I’ll have to embark upon as I go). A friend and fellow knitter suggested I keep it simple and just use the most basic stitch there is – the garter stitch – to make an uncomplicated scarf. No pattern, just knitting until the scarf seemed long enough, then binding off.

I chose a bulky yarn that is quickly becoming my favorite for projects – Lions’ Brand Homespun yarn, for this project in Blue Sky. The yarn is so silky, easy to work with, and has subtle color variations that I just love. I used large, size 17 needles, and because of the bulky yarn and the big needles the scarf was done in record time.

I haven’t given the scarf to my mom yet, because I completed it in August, and my mother lives in Houston, Texas. (She won’t need a scarf until at least November). But I’m so excited for her to wear it, and now I want to give knitted things to everyone! Friends, beware – scarves, bags, blankets and even tea cozies might be coming your way.

I’ve heard many people describe knitting as a meditative practice – a technique to calm the mind, its rhythmic needle-flicking and yarn-wrapping soothing the soul. It’s true for me, and I need more of that calmness in my life.

So now I’m already at work on my next project, a baby blanket for my friend’s little girl. And once again I’m using Homespun yarn, this time in Lemonade (such a pretty, sunny yellow!) It’s going to take awhile to finish. But I’m addicted to the pretty yarn, and to knitting in general. I think this hobby is a keeper.