Locally Grown

Just got back after a week in the country. Tardnwarncoort was marvelous, as expected. We relaxed, toured around, had good chats with Wendy and David Dennis. It is a great spot if you're looking for a holiday, especially a woolly one.

That said, I did visit the wool shed. I bought yarn for a hat for Isaac-the big ball up the front is a gorgeous natural shade of camel-ish. The pic doesn't really do the yarn justice, but trust me, it is inspiring. And so soft.
I buy the dyed wool for personal projects. I enjoy dyeing very much, but I also like having stuff right on hand for a particular project, and these are marked for a future as a wrap. The undyed (in the back) will eventually end up in the Gallimaufry oeuvre. It is my intention to use locally produced wool as much as possible. The only infractions I can think of are perhaps some rare breed sheep I am curious about. I believe strongly in local produce, even though my actions do not always match up with my enthusiasm. Sometimes you just want a few damn grapes, or a coconut, or a bizarro fibre from a beast on a little North Seas Island.

But still, local is important, and I consider myself blessed to live in a truly bounteous area, drought or no. Meandering around the Colac Otway Shire as well as the surf coast stirred the creative juices and gave me pleasure in seeing so many people trying to make a go at the crafty life. We couldn't go to as many shops and studios as I may have liked, but the happy emphasis was on spending time outdoors with the family. Being a rather sickeningly adoring wife and mother, I was basking in our happy time together. Still, I did get time to myself for a bit of knitting, very minor spinning, and lots of reading: novels, fibre and craft stuff, and magazines. I hit a few op shops too, another passion. I truly get overly excited about country op shops, but here's the reason: I make awesome scores. Two pure wool blankets for seven bucks. Vintage fabric for four. Stack of vintage patterns for five. And magazines. I am trying desperately to curb my magazine addiction, so hopefully the stack of Organic Gardeners I bought for a few bucks will keep me sated in that category.

Wendy Dennis lent me a copy of Selvedge she bought overseas. Now that is a good looking magazine. She also lent me a trade mag out of Italy, full of yarn mostly, with a big focus on knits and some cloth. I forget what it was called. It was a bit weird looking in that continental style-slick with a high fashion focus and interesting language, but that was of little consequence as the photos of yarn etc were highly beautiful. Happily, there was a emphasis on the handmade
"look" with support of quality. Encouraging. While fashion is mercurial, and we all know the fate of trends, it is my very sincere hope that the making of things both practical and beautiful continues well into our future and gains an even stronger foothold. Where I don't wish to go back to the days of drudgery, or the negative aspects of "women's work" (no respect for time, skill, etc), I think the rapid loss of basic skills and the greater loss of one being able to make, buy, or simply appreciate the quality, beauty, and skill that goes into a handmade object is detrimental to us generally. It is a complex issue I look forward to exploring in greater depth.

That said, it is time I go off and sort out my new loot and think about getting rid of old loot. I leave you with an image of the poor parenting of a crafter.
Thank goodness he isn't a reckless child...