Wednesday, July 01, 2009
HOT WEATHER KNITTING
Red Maple and rhodo explode the reds
I can remember a time when people didn't knit in hot weather. Knitting was reserved for long nights by the tv or by the fireside, should we drift back a few more decades, but is there any true-blooded knitter out there who puts their needles away for summer? Yes, I know that outdoor activities exert a gravitational pull this time of year --the gardening, the barbecueing, the days at the cottage—but, really, isn't everything better done while knitting?
While it's true that I have yet to figure out how to swim while knitting and performing any exercise while holding a pair of sharp, pointy, objects is not recommended but still… here we are, just at the launch of a warm, humid, summer and I can't stop. No, it's not because technically knitting is my business, it's because knitting is my life. Ask me not to breathe, why don't you? It's true, I have the fan whirring in my face some days while others I'm forced to cart my knitting bag down to the deck to catch a cooling breeze but otherwise, it's knitting and breathing as usual. Just ad warm weather and, occasionally, sun.
And what's more, science now confirms that knitting is good for our brains, ensuring that the right and left cerebal hemisphere learn how to better communicate with one another instead of heading off to separate corners to sulk. Many other activities only use small chunks of our grey matter, encouraging our mental selves to compartmentalize into tiny, bite-sized pieces. You've heard the old adage that we only use 10% of our brain? Well, during certain kinds of knitting, we're exercising far more than that, knitting having the potential to encourage creativity, basic math, envisioning and much, much, more, all at the same time.
Just think: knitting makes you smarter. Do you want to dumb down for the next two to three months? Of course not, so, smarten up and pick up those needles!
PS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CANADA!
Berber Jacket with Azaleas
Posted by Jane on 07/01 at 12:11 PM
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009
KNIT EXOTIC: MOROCCO MARCH 2010
The Berber jacket in the High Atlas Mountains
It's wet and steamy down here in Nova Scotia, a climate more like a rainforest than a temperate oceanside playground. Is it any wonder my thoughts turn to a high, desert clime? Way on the other side of the world, the sun is shining bright while liquid light washes over some of the most extraordinary colors I have ever seen: Morocco, the land of authentic color.
I'm preparing to lead another small group of knitting, beading, and fiber-lovers to Marrakesh in March 2010 where we'll indulge our senses for seven days in a lovely luxury guesthouse (riad) only steps away from the famous souks. Why not plan on joining us? Last year, the trip booked up quickly and I'm expecting the same again seeing as I already have reservations despite the fact I haven't yet begun to advertise. As in the past, we have 12 spaces only available, preferring to keep the group intimate, the gathering small. Bring your significant other, girlfriend, sister, daughter. There's plenty of activities for non-knitting companions including men. My husband comes along, helping out as often the tallest marker in the crowd as we wind out way down the ancient streets.
My husband, John, studies the carpets
Dinner by the pool
Madeleine and Jean shop for argon oil
Our 'living room'
Olive oil soap, argan oil and indigo for sale
And, this trip, we're featiring not only Amal's free-range crochet plus plenty of one on one instruction, but the opportunity to make the lush, Berber-inspired Berber Jacket. For more information and to register, click here: http://www.janethornley.com/blog/index.php/site/Morocco/
Posted by Jane on 06/23 at 08:52 AM
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From the entry 'ELFWARE: or what I want to wear for this part of my life'.
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| By Verna on 2009 06 21 |
