In the wake of the recent highly publicized murders of George Floyd and Breona Taylor compounding decades of police brutality and hateful targeting and/or sheer neglect of the black community by the police, the past week has brought no shortage of chaos, turmoil, bloody riots, violence, propaganda, political manipulation, looting and destruction and to counter all of that negativity, peaceful protests, love, compassion, uplifting education, acknowledgement, action, fundraising, communication and understanding, especially right here in the Bay Area where there is already such a strong consciousness (but still not enough; will there ever be enough?) for civil rights. I've previously stated that it's not my intention for this to be a political blog but it is impossible not to take a stand and not to have an opinion or to stay mute as so many weaklings who profit off of online social networking have chosen to do. I don't post on here everyday but I've already made my message very clear on FB and IG. You don't need a blog or even Twitter to speak out online but if you have the energy to post a selfie or send a text message, then at the utmost very least, you should have the grace and power to virtually stand up in solidarity with and support the Black Lives Matter movement. Tell the black people in your community that you care about them. Ask how you can help, become educated and inform others.
And in the meantime, ya'll know what I do to keep calm and carry on. My birthday was a few days ago and although it felt wrong to even celebrate under the current circumstances, I wanted to share this photo of the gifts I received because of their relevancy. American Spy is written by Lauren Wilkinson, a black female author. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson is an account of how humans fought fascism during WWII, particularly in the UK. Since I've been really getting into stranded colorwork knitting, MJ Mucklestone's 200 Fair Isle Motifs is totally my jam! Finally, I've been curious about the MDK field guides and my MIL bought me the complete run of volumes 4-12 (I think 1-3 are out of print and maybe available online only?). I also just read in their Snippets digest as soon as I woke up this morning, that (although as of right now their website still doesn't reflect it) they considerately changed their name from Mason Dixon Knitting to Modern Daily Knitting. This reminds me of a similar situation from my other world, the philatelic world, regarding controversy over the name of the CSA (Confederate Stamp Alliance), a stamp society focused on stamps issued by the Confederacy and Confederate postal history of the Civil War. Some people don't take names too seriously but if a name is repeatedly remarked upon as being offensive then just have some respect and change it already!
I bought this Pennsylvania-based, indie-dyed Machete Shoppe Alektorophobia (Fear of Chickens) Simple Sock 75% SWM/25% nylon yarn at the Firebird Yarns booth at Stitches West 2020. I say it every time but the photos simply do not do the vibrant colors in this yarn justice. These socks are on FIRE!!!
I knit them entirely on 0's. That's my vibe. With fingering, many patterns call for switching to 1's after the ribbing but I have tiny feet.
I actually finished these socks last night but I was too mentally drained to post about them until today which also happens to be my husband's birthday and it's about time to get this wrapped up so I can prepare some greatly anticipated breakfast sandwiches.
I am proud and pleased to admit that this will be the last pair of "plain socks" that you will see me knitting any time soon because from now on, I will be knitting socks almost exclusively out of Laine's 52 Weeks of Socks.
Finally, if anyone is curious about what else is on my needles (because socks are mainly my to-go project), I am making great progress on my second No Frills cardigan with some totally amazing yarn from Ritual Dyes that I will discuss in more detail once the cardi is finished.
If anyone wonders what I enjoy listening to when I knit, this moog record is a perfect example. Fight the power and if you're out on the streets, doing your thing, whatever it is, wear a mask! It's not for you, it's to protect other people and the least any responsible citizen can do.
