Wednesday 28 January 2015

That Gorgeous Yarn Again

I have cast on that gorgeous Madelinetosh yarn from last week. I am knitting this shawl.



I cannot decide whether the garter stitch pattern is too simple for this lovely yarn. What do you think?





Currently reading (up to the last chapter), Saved by Ben Hewitt



Self-sufficiency and the reduction of the reliance on money and the system it relates to has always been something of importance to me. And I must admit to thinking there was not much different thinking on this subject out there. But this book really taught me a lot. If you are interested in reading in detail on monetary policy, you will love it! I was amazed at the actual mechanisms employed in the operation of monetary policy ie. that it is effectively 'inventing' money that doesn't really exist. 

I had always thought I was being frugal and thrifty by buying most of our goods on special or discounted in some way. But this book made me see that this isn't enough. We need to try not to participate in the 'unconscious economy' and change our transactions to the 'conscious economy'. For example, we need our transactions to be about relationships rather than money - barter, trade, giving.

After nearly finishing this book, we needed to go to the shopping mall to purchase new school shoes. And I saw it all with new eyes. Things that I would probably previously purchased to put away 'just in case' as they were on special, I saw for what they are - fear. Ben Hewitt explains that lots of our purchasing and financial activity is simply from fear - fear of disease, poverty, terrorism, loneliness and death, and that we are trying to dispel these fears, most of which are misplaced anyway. 

'This is going to sound painfully obvious, but here it is anyway. This is your life. This is your one life, and the incredibly, amazing beautiful thing about it is that you get to choose how to spend it.'

Another book that I read a long time ago that ties in with those quote and really impacted me was Your Money Or Your Life.



Reading this book was the first time it had clicked that everything you bought equated to an amount of time you had to work to make the money for the purchase. You would think this would be sensible and logical but until I actually read it in black and white, it just never entered my mind. And this seems to be the same for the majority of people. 

So as I am embarking on the Year of No Superfluous Spending, I was happy to find Saved at the library. It has given me a boost and a real goal to aim for - participation in the 'conscious economy'. 

And who has trouble knitting for 10 year old boys?! I thought I was on to a winner with this one, due to my son's obsession with cricket.



Finally, I thought, something I can knit for him. Says I, 'would you like a cricket vest like the Australian cricket team wear?' - expecting an enthusiastic yes. Reply, 'you can make me one if you like - I might wear it if it was cold enough'. Hmmm, not the resounding success I was expecting.
And I thought teenage girls were hard to knit for!

Linking with Small Things for Yarn Along.

30 comments:

  1. Ooh, Love the Madelinetosh :)
    It is high up on my "Want-To-Try-In-This-Lifetime" list, but it is soo pricey here that it will still have to wait a little longer. I don' think the garter stitch looks bad, I am guessing with that yarn it will be gorgeous next to the skin?
    x

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    1. It is lovely and soft. I know, it was a major indulgence as I am not buying any yarn in 2015!

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  2. Your shawl is lovely. I love the yarn you're using. The Book you read sounds very thought provoking. I agree that maybe we should change the way we look at money. Wishing you a great day!

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    1. Thanks! It sure makes you think about the way the human race has ended up living and whether we really think about what we do in the big picture.

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  3. I bet that yarn doesn't need any dressing up! I love it, but it's just so pricey. :-(

    Your reading interests me. I have always thought a barter system would be awesome, but in our country (the U.S.) even bartered goods must be claimed as income! Ugh.

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    1. Wow, really! How on earth would they be able to track bartered goods? And surely they don't mean little things - like swapping some jam for some lemons?
      It is lovely yarn and my last yarn spend for last year as I'm committed to buying no more this year and only knitting from stash.

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  4. Buying out of fear.....this is why we end up with so much stuff.....stuff in cupboards, drawers, wardrobes, garages etc it just never ends

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    1. I am slowly decluttering and letting go of lots of my 'just in case' stuff.

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  5. inscrutable, kids can be in what they like!!! :) If you love the pattern you are doing with the yarn, then go for it! :)

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    1. Who can I understand kids?! I do love the pattern and it is looking better the more I knit.

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  6. Pretty yarns don't need overly complicated patterns. The colors speak for themselves. Bland colored yarn needs a textured pattern to spice it up. That's my opinion.

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    1. I agree. This yarn has more colour changes than any yarn I have ever used.

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  7. Not squeamish, but I must admit I worry what will happen when the house of cards all falls down. Almost makes me want to put my cash in a mattress, but then, if bad things happen, will paper money even be any good?

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    1. Absolutely. That is why I try and put my money in useful things rather than save too much of it. I think it is way more useful to have water tanks, etc. than savings in the bank.

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  8. I agree with the others--something simple lets the yarn shine!

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    1. Thanks - hopefully it will be finished for show and tell next week!

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  9. I think the simplicity of the pattern will show off that gorgeous yarn perfectly! :)

    We barter whenever possible...am putting that book on my list -- thanks for sharing!

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    1. A friend and are trying to set up a produce swap. But unbelievable the number of hoops you have to jump through! You'd think we were trying to build a nuclear power station!

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  10. oh I was wondering how that yarn would knit up on a shawl, I'm not sure what to do with that skein, I was thinking maybe a Loop Shawl with the loops in that color.

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  11. I think simple patterns work really well with yarn like that, because they really let the beautiful colorways shine!

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    1. Yes, this pattern is REALLY simple (getting a bit boring, actually!) But the colours look lovely.

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  12. I think the yarn you've chosen for your shawl is just lovely, and the stitch is perfect for it; it shows the colours. That book sounds very interesting; one for my reading list, I think :)

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    1. It is a great book. His blog is interesting to read too. It is a lovely yarn and so soft.

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  13. They yarn is fun to look at and with all the different colors it makes a complicated stitch unnecessary, i think. It is lovely.

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    1. It has so many colours and it looks different every time I look at it.

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  14. I love that yarn! I think a simple stitch will show off the lovely colors. My son, who is just 7, already shuns most things I offer to knit. Every once in a great while, he has a request, or is excited about something I make, but usually he just says "ummm, no". Oh well.

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    1. It is so sad, isn't it?! I can just about get away with a hat, as long as the colour and pattern have been pre-approved!

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  15. No, that yarn is lovely in stocking stitch! I think anything more complicated would detract from the yarn :)

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