Comments on: sweater eulogies

By: dirt « Five Gallon Bucket

dirt « Five Gallon Bucket — Sun, 13 May 2007 03:04:31 +0000

[...] Here is a thought provoking post from Cosy. It gave me pause, and during the pause, I remembered a wee manifesto I had written a couple years ago. So I went ahead and moved it over to this blog. I have been slow in moving over the archives from my live journal but they are all over there if you really must know. [...]

By: jujuridl

jujuridl — Thu, 10 May 2007 19:17:16 +0000

I keep thinking of the Island of Misfit Toys. Do we change the sweater, or send the sweater to Mongolia? Very difficult.

Personally, I think adding your craft to this anonymous person’s craft is very sweet. Kind of a generational bridge. I don’t know what that means, but I can see a number of options, including steeking up the center to make a cardigan, taking out the cuffs and bottom band, and maybe reusing that yarn for some kind of collar you like better. Overdying it, and maybe even some embroidery? Even? I’m sure you’re way ahead of me on all of this. But there’s good mojo in adding to. Especially if you’re doing it with love and concern. Which of course you are.

By: fivegallonbucket

fivegallonbucket — Wed, 09 May 2007 19:40:10 +0000

thoughts:
I have been waiting to have this kind of conversation for years now. I once read that the textile industry is about a decade behind the food industry (eek it hurts to say food industry) in moving towards consciencious production.
There are many ways to reclaim textiles or recycle them on site (ie at home) which you know of or can imagine. But as a rag-picker, I would like to see the general public valuing those gleanings. You certainly have tapped into this, and I respect you for it!
If every thing has consciousness of some kind, then we need to take that into account when we place ourselves in the material flow. I believe that our intentions are measured highly by Spirit, and if you lovingly release a thing from one form in preparation for its transformation (into another form), you bless that moment of change. You give a gift to that thing, whatever it is. It is really a form of Service, the one that I am called to do more than any other.
here is a post I wrote about it over two years ago:
http://selkie-dido.livejournal.com/8874.html
It is this way with food, too. I feel it especially with meat.

By: rosehip71

rosehip71 — Wed, 09 May 2007 19:01:34 +0000

Is it too big for you? If it was, then I would felt it and ‘reconstruct’ it: perhaps giving it a slashed (boat?) neckline. There’s a (lovely – I think) reconstructed, felted, aran sweater in the last Rowan magazine made into a halterneck top. If the reconstruction didn’t work, then I’d use the felt to make a bag or ‘softie’. Feel free to ignore my suggestion! BTW – I never find wool sweaters to thrift – perhaps British people keep their jumpers forever?

By: elanknits

elanknits — Wed, 09 May 2007 17:20:32 +0000

In the past the knitters themselves would have ripped a too small sweater themselves & reknit into mittens or socks etc so as not to waste the wool, it’s our society that’s changed to a throw away mess. Rip without guilt just think when the next person knits love into it, it will have twice as much.

By: jess

jess — Wed, 09 May 2007 16:45:51 +0000

I can see a man wearing that sweater (I mean, if it were large enough and didn’t have issues with the colors) — their bodies tend to be more suited to the boxy style with drop shoulders.

it is a gorgeous sweater, so I know what you mean about feeling guilty about recycling it (better that than landfill though, like you say). :)