Dear Kay,
Dipping into the Modern Daily Knitting mailbag because there are treasures to share, news from all over, tidbits and knickknacks for what is a snowy, snowy day for some of us.
Blanket of the Year (So Far)
We are just going to wear you down until you decide to give Instagram a try. This, for example.
Terhi Montonen’s blanket. Kay writes, “Terhi’s wedding gift to her sister and her husband took my breath away. I’m honored that she started with our Modern Daily Knitting log cabin, and took it to an amazing place. Terhi is one of the most inspiring and prolific knitters I’ve known (without yet meeting in person; I’m in NYC and she’s in Finland). And the snowy photo shoot!”
Follow Terhi on Instagram at @terhimontonen.
A Knitting Anarchist Embroiders
Stitching on my old cardigan has been enlightening on many levels. I wore it at Vogue Knitting Live and felt compelled to say it was unfinished. I don’t think anybody could much tell, really.
“You’ve got a loose thread,” I was told.
“They’re all loose,” I said.
The best part of this project has been the many juicy comments from readers, including Lee Louise who pointed me to Anna Zilboorg’s newest book, Splendid Apparel.
Stitching up and around cables and textures looks like a good bit of anarchy.
Her Ravelry biography: “Anna is, by profession, an Episcopal solitary living in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her love of knitting and knitters takes her out into the world to design and teach. Her proudest accomplishments are the book Knitting for Anarchists and the perfect buttonhole. She is a relic of a bygone age and hence computer challenged and invisible online.”
She will, however, teach classes at Stitches West in Santa Clara, CA, this February 18-21. You’d be crazy not to get in on a class with her. Here’s the list.
Upsetting News Out of Edmonton, Canada
It sounds like it’s being worked out, but I was struck by the story that 69-year-old Pat Reddy was told she had to stop knitting for money or she’d lose her low-income housing subsidies.
This is what got me: “When you become a senior, people talk to you differently,” she said. “They talk down to you. They raise their voices like you’re deaf. And I’m thinking, I still have all my marbles. And I’m only selectively deaf,” she added wryly.
Here’s hoping Pat straightens all this out soon.
It’s a Warm-Off in North Carolina
(photo from The Times-News.)
Love this story of TWO groups knitting hats, gloves, and scarves and leaving them in public places with tags encouraging anyone who is cold to take them. One group is a mom remembering her daughter who died in 2014, with the Meaghan’s Human Heaters campaign. But some other mysterious group in Burlington, NC, is doing the same thing. Meaghan’s mom was quick to say, “We don’t want to take credit for that group’s work, but I think it’s great that someone else in the community is helping.” Being generous? Or was the knitting frankly just not up to snuff?
Mind-boggling Cool New Idea: Three-word Addresses
From my sister-in-law Mary Neal, who always sends the best stuff, an idea that solves a massive, global problem that I’d never really considered: addresses.
It’s a huge problem, getting accurate addresses. Think about it. How do you remember an address? It’s not easy. And when you throw in a ZIP code, forget it. Or what about developing countries?
The brainiacs at what3words have figured out a solution. They designed a grid for the whole world, 3 meters by 3 meters, and assigned three words to each square. There are 53 trillion of these squares, covering the entire planet. You type in the three words, you get an exact location. Anywhere in the world.
It’s precise, but incredibly simple. For example, “setting.privately.funky” puts you in the north of Alaska. The White House is located at “engine.doors.cubs.” And, in that photo, the house where I was born, located at “massing.juggler.factor.”
This little video explains it. Kind of takes my breath away.
And Finally
Fashion watch: the New York Times has declared zig-zag knits a trend in men’s knitwear. HEY NYT: zig-zag knits have been a trend since Charlie Brown. Get with it!
Love,
Ann
That’s sad about the senior. Lady. I would of had a few choice words for them if they said that to me. It’s a shame.
As for the knitter in Edmonton, it was a bit of a misunderstanding on her part regarding what she needed to do/ the consequences of knitting.
I’ll see if I can find the proper news story.
Edmontonians love the arts and our people!!
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/knitting-socks-toques-jeopardizing-housing-subsidy-senior-says-1.3413537
See? She has to confirm that knitting is not her regular income source and all is well and good.
Canada is a great country to live in, and I’m sure everyone can agree that checks and balances need to be in place whenever public money is spent. Confirming income sources to ensure she gets her needed level of subsidy is all that was asked for.
Is there a pattern for that amazing Log Cabin Blanket?
I saw Terhi’s blanket on Ravelry. She hasn ‘t had a blog for a long time, but it was one of the best.
That blanket is inspiration to those us sitting in snowmagedon 2016. The gift of handknits as a random act is equally wonderful. And the story about Pat is sad. Thanks for snippets on a snowed in day.
Comment
I saw the blanket on Instagram. It’s so amazing! To me, it is the best version so far.
I wonder how the Canadian government found out about the knitting senior. Did someone rat her out? How mean spirited is that?
I like the idea about setting out the hats on those statues. Kind of as if the altruism of yarn bombing morphed into something else that is beneficial and nice, too. (Hey, maybe I could knit some dog sweaters and leave them by Balto…) 😉
LoveDiane
Read in the local little paper in November that local women were crochetting and knitting hats,putting them in zip locks and attaching to trees in areas the homeless frequent. Yesterday I saw my first baggies hat. Sounds like this is taking off in many communities. I am in the Comoc valley on Vancouver Island
Maybe that Canadian senior can join the Purlettes +1-seniors who knit bags?
http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1105055/shark-tank-season-7-episode-10
A couple weeks ago when we were having really cold weather, I noticed scarves draped around trees in the park by the river. At first I thought it was an art project, but now I think it was probably for the homeless.
EVERYTHING I WANTED TO KNOW, I LEARNED ON MASONDIXONKNITTING.COM
You guys post awesome thought provoking links with fabulous commentary-Thank You!
Those zig-zag sweater guys need (matching) socks to be fully well dressed. Someone alert the NYT!
As always, your blog blew.my.mind – which is not a location on Earth but may be on another planet
Loved the plug for Anna Zilborg. I took a class from her last spring at Stitches South and loved every minute of it. She’s an absolute delight! Wish she was going to be here this year.
Fabulous blanket! Have you seen the rest of her projects? I’ve never seen someone do black and gray look so fabulous!
Did someone say pile of cashmere? I’m confused and intrigued.
my new address: souk.speech.windows
love it!
I’m a bit puzzled about all the industry that was expended by what3words to replicate a location system that has been in place for centuries. Namely: latitude and longitude. Perhaps it does narrow down a location more easily, but I don’t see their system replacing the more popular address system anytime soon.
Perhaps if they had used simple number/symbol combinations instead of words. But I don’t think most countries would agree to have their address systems replaced by the “Ministry of Silly Names”. Neat concept tho, it’ll be interesting to see what happens with it.
I think it has to do with the simplicity of memorizing short words rather than long numbers.
What a beautiful blanket! This was a singularly informative post, thank you! As to the senior in subsidized housing – she just has to keep track of her income and expenses just like a real business and report it with the rest of her income. Since tax payers fund her housing, and those are the rules which she signed a document saying she would abide by, she should do this. I’m sure she’ll find when doing a profit and loss statement that she’s pretty much zeroing out her income, unless she’s charging what knitters are really worth, but we all know no one will pay what we’re worth. She will need to save receipts for purchased supplies and invoices for payment, but also keep track of her time so she can create an hourly rate for herself, and include in her expenses the time she spends traveling to acquire supplies, phone consultations, writing invoices, etc.
The blanket is absolutely stunning! Where can I get the pattern? I would love to make it.
Another Instagram love: https://www.instagram.com/dottieangel/
what3words is pretty amazing! Thanks for sharing. It really appeals to the geek in me. I got lost mapping important places in my life. Like, not just the home I grew up in, but the window that my boyfriend threw rocks at one night to get my attention. The possibilities are endless!
Can’t stop staring at the blanket. Finland obsession continues.
Instagram, yes! I’m on it (knotingale) and I’m lonely. Need more IG friends. Going to follow Terhi now. Isn’t she the one who modified the shawl from Folk Shawls to have a ruffled garter stitch border?