Knit to This
Wheels Off with Rosanne Cash
Dear Ann,
Hey! Rhett Miller has podcast, called Wheels Off. Episode 1 (full episode is up top) is a conversation with Rosanne Cash, who is known for many great things including being in the same sewing circle that I am. (Also some Grammies or something? But mostly: sewing circle.)
I love this conversation because it’s Rosanne being herself, full of hard-won insight and honesty about showing up for creative work despite doubts. She’s funny, and so generous.
There are two more episodes of Wheels Off already, one with Fred Armisen and one with Rob Thomas. I love listening in on conversations like this. Now I want to hear Rhett Miller tell stories about Dolly Parton.
Hope you enjoy this. Great for knitting and/or sewing. Then go listen to Rosanne’s latest record, She Remembers Everything. I loooooove it.
Love,
Kay
Love Rosanne Cash. Sounds like just the thing to listen to on Monday while working in the home office.
I love She Remembers Everything as well as The River and the Thread! Eight Gods of Harlem is a personal favorite. The woman can write and sing. The fact that she also sews is the gravy in the icing as we say in our house!
Want more Rosanne? Check out this lovely discussion/performance with Brooke Gladstone from On the Media: https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/time-brooke-met-rosanne-cash
My favorite snippet of that interview was them talking about why Rosanne joined the Daughters of the American Revolution (at 25 minutes in). “I’m going to join the DAR because my family has been [in America] since the 1630’s and I welcome everybody.” Granted, no mention of Native Americans, but I think it’s important to “be the change you want to see’ and participate in changing things for the better, DAR included. And she’s raising her son to be aware of sexism. ❤️
I don’t know if Brooke knits or sews, but she definitely crochets. In 2013, she offered to give a hat she had crocheted to anyone who donated a certain amount to On the Media. There’s a funny YouTube video of her surrounded by hats – they look nice, lots of different shapes & sophisticated colors. She seems like the kind of smart, kind, classy person who would want to hang out with Kay, making things.
Between watching this conversation with Rosanne and Rhett, and Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird” playing in the earbuds, I’m feeling much better this week about this writing thing I have started doing. I didn’t know the not so nice thoughts I had about being good enough and Why am I doing this, were so universal. For me, it is much easier to cook and dig in the dirt then to sit down and share these experiences through writing. Having said that, I do love the challenge of finding the right words to express myself as these two artists and Ann and Kay do so creatively everyday.
Loved “Bird by Bird.” Read it didn’t listen. For some reason I get distracted when I listen to audiobooks. I too want to be a “great writer.” But, fear of not being good enough is real. Ann and Kay are an inspiration.
Do it everyday. Shuts the voices up when you can say to them: I HAVE A DEADLINE SO SHUT UP.
So much this. Deadlines are the best worst thing ever. When I was freelancing for magazines – writing and photography – I never missed a deadline, never, not once. Now…erm…I write a blogpost every few days when I feel like it, and although it’s fun, I never get that hand-dusting satisfaction of a job well done.
Keep going, Judy – you’re doing great!
Husband and I will be seeing Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal in Orange, CA at Chapman University TONIGHT! (fangirl squeal)
That was great; always a woman with depth, she seems to grow and have more to say year after year. Listening to She Remembers Everything now. Thank you Kay.
Thank you, Helen, Kay, and Quinn. Okay, tell the voices to shut-up so you can get to hand-dusting satisfaction part! I’ve got it! PS Quinn, I love your musings about farm life and painting.
thanks Judy 🙂
Curious; What kind of sewing do you do, Kay? I can only do a blind hem on a machine but love to hand mend…… I play a fairly good improv piano, though…..and a crappy acoustic finger-style guitar…..LOL!! DRM
We each work on our Alabama Chanin DIY kits. It takes forever to finish a garment but we have a nice time.
What a combo…. Rhett and Rosanne! I am a huge fan of both!