Feel Me, Eat Me, Watch Me, Read Me

Absence makes the heart grow fonder?  Hope so because I've been pretty absent this week.  The good news is that I'm done grading and will have a little space to breathe, think, craft, and blog. 

I like to listen to podcasts, when I remember they exist, and one of my current favourites is Stash and Burn.  There are many reasons to like it - from the cool name to the Sleater-Kinney intro song to the feeling of just hanging out with your knitting buddies.  I always get pattern suggestions from them, and I'm seriously considering joining their 15 Hats in 2015 knit-a-long/challenge (check out their group on Ravelry).  Check out their latest podcast here.

I've had a serious lack of imagination when it has come to dinner this week, but I'm feeling my cooking mojo coming back.  On the menu for next week is Crock Pot Green Enchilada Soup.  I'm going to use a combination of corn (non-GMO corn that I froze from the summer) and hominy instead of all corn.

Here's a shout-out to my father's biking friends who really like this blog best when it deals with bikes. Hey, I can't blame them.  I'm missing my bike right now because I'm still recovering from the MCL sprain although I did ride the recumbent at physio for five minutes today.  It felt like a small victory!

The Online Bicycle Museum has lots of great vintage images as well as information on vintage bikes.

The LA Times did an article in September (but I just found out about it) on a mobile library called the Feminist Library on Wheels (F.L.O.W.).  Bicycles, feminism, and books?  What an awesome idea.

Finally, back to the crafting zone.  In my Pinterest gazing, I came along this handy tip for adjusting the tension on your sewing machine.  I've got some plans to sew some fussy fabrics soon, and this will probably help me.

So, that's about the size of it for this week.  Enjoy your weekend!  I hope you have lots of crafting, eating, and merry-making ahead of you.

MichFest 2014!

The ladyfriend and I have been back from the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival for a little over a week now.  This was our fourth Fest, and it was one of the best ones we've attended.  The music was great (holy cow, Medusa!), the weather was good, and there were plenty of workshops, dances, and other activities if you didn't feel like just hanging out on the Land.

I had actually started this post last Tuesday and knew that I needed to address the controversy over the womyn-born-womyn policy, but I was having a hard time putting into clear words some of the thoughts and issues at hand.  This morning I received the following statement from MichFest, and I think it says it best so I am copying it here:

Merchant & Mills: Fetish Alert!

Okay, so if you didn't know this blog at all, you might immediately associate "fetish" with "sex," but as any crafter worth her/his stash would know, there are many ways to get your jollies. (Wow, a phrase I haven't pulled out in a long time; wait, there are now numerous sexual innuendos.  Full stop.)

So with my mind full of admiration and desire, I wanted to share the lust-worthiness of Merchant & Mills.

C'mon, don't tell me you didn't swoon, at least a little bit.  Sustainability, craft, feminism, collaboration, British accents, egads!

I have an errand to run for my PiC at Purl Soho while I'm in NYC, and it so happens that they carry Merchant & Mills patterns and notions.  I have been dreaming about the Trapeze Dress since before the holidays, and it seems like I cannot ignore the opportunity to pick up this pattern.  While I would love the single-sized heavy paper version, I will be going for the less expensive multi-sized tissue paper version.  (Trying to keep my crafty self out of the poor house.)

So simple, yet so chic.

Look at this sleeve detail!

The possibilities feel endless, and isn't that one of the things we like about being makers?

The Awful and The Awesome

It's probably better that I'm writing this post in Essaouira instead of Marrakesh, where I'm much more relaxed and, quite honestly, less traumatized.  Yes, big word, but I'm getting ahead of myself.  Let's go back to Marrakesh.

The souk at quieter moments

On our second day in Marrakesh we took some new friends from the riad to the Artisan Ensemble.  The souk in Marrakesh itself is a good time for many, but I found it a bit harassing - I don't need people clamouring for my attention (and money) as I walk by.  If you actually stop and look at something, let alone touch it, it's all over.  They're going to be on you like a cheap suit.  At the Artisan Ensemble, every craftsperson is vetted, and you're ensured that the items are indeed made in Marrakesh (as opposed to China - no lie).  Also, it's pretty much a no-haggle zone so people pretty much let you look without stalking you.  Don't get me wrong, I like to drive a hard bargain, but sometimes I just want to pay a good price and walk away having both me and the seller feel good about the exchange.

View from the roof terrace restaurant of the Maison de la Photographie

Three of us went on to the Maison de la Photographie which houses a great collection of early images of the Moroccan people.  It's really hard not to get taken in Marrakesh and as we walked, a young man offered to guide us to the museum.  We kind of knew better but no one made a move to refuse his "help."  It turned out that we were really only 100 feet of so from the museum, but he took us up and down these alleyways, making it seem like it was really far.  Of course, then he wanted money.  We gave him 10 dirham, which is about $1.00, so in the end he really only screwed himself.

I had decided to wear my Patagonia dress - comfortable, flattering, and cool (temperature-wise).  I did not think I had dressed provocatively (I'd seen lots of tourists in questionable outfits already) - it was just a sleeveless dress that fits.  Now I know my tattoos are of interest to many and that in and of itself does not bother me, but when it leads to what I'd call unwanted attention, it's a different story.  It's hard to really communicate, but I have to say that that day in Marrakesh - where we went to the Artisan Ensemble, the Maison de la Photographie, and then out to dinner in the "new" part of Marrakesh - was the first day that I blamed myself for the almost constant negative attention I received.  Yes, I was blaming the victim - me.  By the end of the day I could not get back to the riad fast enough.  The level of sexual harassment was traumatizing and quite honestly, I understand the burka.  The men were pigs.  Yep, those are strong words, but even as I write this post, I feel anew the trauma of the whole experience.