Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Knitting and Reading


I am knitting the other half of this simple scarf.  I figured out that in order for the scarf to work, I needed to knit two separate halves and then sew them together.
Here is the simple pattern - 
Cast on 28 stitches.
Knit 2 rows.
Then repeat this simple sequence -
Row 1:  Knit
Row 2:  Purl
Row 3:  Knit 2, Knit 2 together (4 times), YO, Knit 1 (8 times), Knit 2 together (4 times), Knit 2
Row 4:  Knit

I am enjoying the essays from Wendell Berry's, Home Economics.  Here is an excerpt from A Defense of the Family Farm.

"We can say without exaggeration that the present national ambition of the United States is unemployment.  People living for quitting time, for weekends, for vacations, and for retirement; moreover, this ambition seems to be classless, as true in the executive suites as on the assembly lines.......  This is explained, of course, by the dullness of the work, by the loss of responsibility for, or credit for, or knowledge of the thing made.  

But there is an even more important consequence:  By the dismemberment of work, by the degradation of our minds as workers, we are denied our highest calling, for, as Gills says, 'every man is called to give love to the work of his hands.  Every man is called to be an artist.'"

Joining in with Ginny for the Yarn Along today.

I thought this appropriate as we begin a new year, filled with 365 new beginnings.
Warm wishes,
Tonya

12 comments:

  1. Lovely scarf, thanks for sharing the pattern. And your book is intriguing.

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  2. I love that you shared the pattern for the scarf, which is beautiful. I love the rich color of the yarn!

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  3. I so agree with the quote from your book! I love the color of your scarf. You have inspired me to go in and get to work on the knitting loom scarf I am making for my sweet hubby. Have a good day!

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  4. Happy New Year to you! I owe you a long overdue thank you for the simple triangular scarf pattern you posted last year. I had tried so many times to do lace but could not find the focus in my busy household. I felt like a failure until I saw your pattern. I have made 2 since! I then moved on to lace hats and now am working on the Ashton shawl by Dee on Ravelry. Thank you so much for getting me over my knitting hump.

    Alicia in New Zealand

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  5. Hard to find a better and more truthful read than Wendell Berry. Very pretty scarf, thank you for sharing the pattern.

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  6. Really lovely pattern, and I really enjoyed the quote--it is so in line with many of the things I have been reading and thinking about lately. Happy New Year!

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  7. Love that excerpt! I wish my husband could leave his job and work from home, doing something that he finds fulfilling. Unfortunately, he doesn't really have any transferable skills. He is a highly paid and highly specialized software engineer, which we used to think was the end all. At this point in time, however, it has become nothing, but drudgery for him. We've been looking into various options, but there's the mortgage and all that to be considered. All I can say is that I wish I had taught more trade/handcraft skills when I was homeschooling my older three children and I hope to be able to do a better job of teaching such skills to my younger two. I want them to have options besides the traditional "9 to 5 until 65" (or older) careers. Our country has got stuck in this go to school, go to college, get a good career, rut such that many people are snobby about manual labor, but recent studies have found that people in poorer countries, where manual labor is more of the norm, are actually happier than we are.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Maureen,
      This is truly a complex issue that goes really deep into the whole structure of our economy. I think one of the points Berry was trying to make was the more local, more one has ownership to what one does/makes the better off one is and the better off our community and earth is - and to actually be part of the whole process, not just a cog in the wheel.
      However, everyone is at their own place and I think also the point is that no matter where we are at we are to work to glorify God - no matter if it is a CEO of a multi million dollar company or on a factory line - so much is our attitude.
      But, I also think that it is our job to utilize the gifts we have been given if at all possible, even if that means teaching an art class on a Saturday morning or starting a summer basketball league for children, etc....

      So interesting your last point and I believe it. In this country we are surrounded by the message that we never have enough - which, I think, leads to discontent.

      Warm wishes,
      Tonya

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  8. Beautiful blue in the scarf. I haven't read that one of his. It sounds really good!

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  9. Thanks for the Wendell Berry excerpt--so so true!

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