We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving this year!
Now I know most people have turned their attention to shopping... so we will start off the Holiday Season with a special coupon code. Now through Monday at midnight, save 20% off ALL items when you use the coupon code BLACKFRIDAY at checkout.
Happy Shopping!
Crystal, Melissa and Suzette
Friday, November 23, 2012
Thanks to Knitters Past and Present
This is the week we remember the people and places for which we are thankful. I remembered my family and friends and gave an extra "Thanks" to the universe that put me in the 21st century in a progressive democracy. It occurred to me early this morning as I worked on a scarf for Christmas on etsy that I had forgotten the generous, anonymous women who invented knitting. I began to wonder why a woman in the distant past put knotted loops on a stick of bone or wood and make more loops with a second stick until there was a piece of cloth to cover herself or a young child. Which genius woman with an enormous amount of spatial intelligence figured out how to make a reversible ribbed fabric for extra warmth? Who was the artist who saw the potential for twisting stitches into cables and knots?
I think they must have been incredibly generous. I envisioned them sitting around a fire, infants and children wandering about, showing other women and girls how to use their needles and thread to make cables and ribs for extra warmth.
Knitters are still generous with each other. I attended a knitting retreat in Pennsylvania this past October. I took classes in brioche knitting and lace making. Eleanor the teacher, was kind to us all and generous with her time and attention to details. She passed on hints and techniques that she had found helpful in her own career. Learning brioche was a challenge, but we did it with her help. During the breaks between classes other knitters shared their experiences and techniques with each other.
Next time you take up yarn and needles, give a quick nod to the woman who taught you to knit, and to the women who invented knitting. As you struggle to master a new technique or stitch, remember the unknown knitter who invented this challenge. Ask them for their help as you design your own patterns and create a sweater no one has worn before.
Be forever thankful for their work and for the opportunity we have today to find other outlets for our creativity, mathematical skills, and design talents. I suspect very woman architect, engineer, mathematician, product designer and patent lawyer has an ancestor who invented a new knit stitch or technique in the distant past. I am, however, aware of my own prejudice. Knitters rock!
Happy Thanksgiving.
I think they must have been incredibly generous. I envisioned them sitting around a fire, infants and children wandering about, showing other women and girls how to use their needles and thread to make cables and ribs for extra warmth.
Knitters are still generous with each other. I attended a knitting retreat in Pennsylvania this past October. I took classes in brioche knitting and lace making. Eleanor the teacher, was kind to us all and generous with her time and attention to details. She passed on hints and techniques that she had found helpful in her own career. Learning brioche was a challenge, but we did it with her help. During the breaks between classes other knitters shared their experiences and techniques with each other.
Next time you take up yarn and needles, give a quick nod to the woman who taught you to knit, and to the women who invented knitting. As you struggle to master a new technique or stitch, remember the unknown knitter who invented this challenge. Ask them for their help as you design your own patterns and create a sweater no one has worn before.
Be forever thankful for their work and for the opportunity we have today to find other outlets for our creativity, mathematical skills, and design talents. I suspect very woman architect, engineer, mathematician, product designer and patent lawyer has an ancestor who invented a new knit stitch or technique in the distant past. I am, however, aware of my own prejudice. Knitters rock!
Happy Thanksgiving.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving!
From everyone here at Poison Garden.... Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you have a wonderful holiday.
Sincerely,
Crystal, Melissa and Suzette
Sincerely,
Crystal, Melissa and Suzette
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Take Back Halloween
Any ideas what you will be for Halloween this? Or will you dress up at all? I love Halloween stores - but it seems like the costume selection is either 1) expensive or 2) sexy. Sexy is great... but it seems 75% or more of the costumes for women are low-cut, very short, or otherwise revealing.
For example, I dressed up as Wednesday Addams last year. Before putting my outfit together, Melissa and I made our yearly trek to the local Halloween store. Not surprisingly they had a Wednesday Addams costume...
Luckily you can find non-sexy versions of her outfit..... Although to be honest I just wore a black dress with white and black stockings, Mary Jane flats, and braided my hair:
Well all of this is leading up to the point of this article: Take Back Halloween. Take Back Halloween is a website by Suzanne Scoggins, who offers information and suggestions for making cheap and easy costumes. In fact, most of the costumes on the site can be created using items from around your home. She even provides instructions on how to make a variety of "sheet" costumes. I think the one of Persephone is particularly beautiful even though it is mostly a sheet.
In addition, Suzanne favors costumes depicting powerful historical women such as Joan of Arc,
Hatshepsut, Boudicca, and Fu Hao, among others. When you click on one of these women, you are provided with a short bio on the figure and then a list of suggestions for crafting your costume.
Also, be sure to check out the Blog section for news, rants about "sexy" Joan of Arc costumes, and some social pieces on Halloween costumes and culture.
For example, I dressed up as Wednesday Addams last year. Before putting my outfit together, Melissa and I made our yearly trek to the local Halloween store. Not surprisingly they had a Wednesday Addams costume...
Luckily you can find non-sexy versions of her outfit..... Although to be honest I just wore a black dress with white and black stockings, Mary Jane flats, and braided my hair:
Well all of this is leading up to the point of this article: Take Back Halloween. Take Back Halloween is a website by Suzanne Scoggins, who offers information and suggestions for making cheap and easy costumes. In fact, most of the costumes on the site can be created using items from around your home. She even provides instructions on how to make a variety of "sheet" costumes. I think the one of Persephone is particularly beautiful even though it is mostly a sheet.
In addition, Suzanne favors costumes depicting powerful historical women such as Joan of Arc,
Hatshepsut, Boudicca, and Fu Hao, among others. When you click on one of these women, you are provided with a short bio on the figure and then a list of suggestions for crafting your costume.
Also, be sure to check out the Blog section for news, rants about "sexy" Joan of Arc costumes, and some social pieces on Halloween costumes and culture.
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