Miscellany

Traveling north

Earlier this week, J and I checked out two LYS in the Boston metrowest area, Wild and Woolly in Lexington (no website, 7 Meriam St., Lexington, MA 02420), and Island Yarn Company in Waltham. Both were well stocked, and we enjoyed talking with helpful staff. I was impressed that Vicki, the owner of Island Yarn, runs what she calls a "destashing" service--wherein knitters who feel overwhelmed by their accumulated, languishing yarns, can turn them over to her, and she'll sell them on consignment--for more on this, see http://islandyarncompany.com/destashing-service/. What a clever idea!

Traveling even farther north...

A friend sent me this link to an interview with Chellie Pingree (D, Maine) on the Colbert Report; besides being Portland, Maine's congressional representative, in a past life she was a major knitting advocate and wrote five knitting books, mostly having to do with regional knitting styles in Maine. Here's a snip from the official biography on her website: http://pingree.house.gov/about/index.shtml

In 1981, she started North Island Yarn, a cottage industry of local knitters, with a retail store on the island. The business expanded quickly, becoming North Island Designs, and employed as many as ten local workers in peak seasons. The business sold knitting kits and pattern books nationwide through 500 retail stores and 100,000 mail order catalogues.

And here's the interview with Colbert--she more than holds her own: http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/240818/august-10-2009/better-know-a-district---maine-s-1st---chellie-pingree

My favorite quote: "Knitting started my political career."

The Zen of Knitting

I subscribe to the blog Zen Habits, and was immediately fascinated by its heading for January 19th: "Unraveled? Here's How to Knit Yourself and the World Together": http://zenhabits.net/2010/01/unraveled-heres-how-to-knit-yourself-and-the-world-together/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+zenhabits+%28zen+habits%29

Actually, the post has nothing to do with the craft of knitting; it simply uses the metaphor of cohesion that the practice of knitting engenders. But it's still worth reading.