taken on yesterday’s walk – a glorious Scottish Summer evening.
1. Thanks to everyone who has recently emailed me about Textisles! I’ve received several queries about whether subscriptions are available, or whether you can access the content without the ‘Warriston‘ pattern. It’s lovely that so many of you are interested in the possibility of subscription, but I’m afraid that I’m not considering this at the moment. Because my condition is so variable, I simply can’t predict what I am able to do from one day to the next: this is perhaps the most annoying aspect of my post-stroke life, but I do have to deal with it. It would be wrong of me, and bad for me, to accept subscriptions for something which may well not appear.
Regarding the content-without-Warriston issue: my central thought was to situate patterns within the context of their making, integrating designs with the ideas behind them. I liked the notion of someone being able to knit up a smock while reading about the history of smocks. Of course, there are many people interested in reading about smocks without necessarily wanting to make one. . . I will see how things shape up — combining the content of a series of issues, and making these available separately from their accompanying designs is something I might well consider in the future.
2. Thanks, too, to Charlotte, Jules, Becky, Althea, Kate, Jess, Caitlin, Susie, and Christina, for help in the identification of the yarrow. Though creamy bokeh is all very well, I should remind myself to take a clear photo of the thing in question if I actually want to know what it is.
3. Finally, thanks for your kind comments on the pod and its redecoration! I particularly enjoyed reading about your own pods, in linen closets, pram sheds, and the like. Everyone needs a pod, I reckon. I’m afraid I can’t take photographs from several angles for you – it is a space in which it is barely possible to stand up and rotate – the shot you saw was taken through the open door from across the hall. And Gretchen was right when she said that I might weary of comparisons to HBC. That crazy bouffe, which I sported for many years, made things much worse, I think. A turning point was reached in 2001, when I was at attending a conference dinner at the Huntington Library. Two waiters seemed inordinately interested in me, and approached me in a state of extreme excitement. They had just catered a party for HBC, they said, and the resemblance was uncanny. A month or so later, I looked like this.
Right, back to Betty Mouat.
I’ve often thought that you look just like M.F.K. Fisher. Now I see that you have resembled a long line of beautiful women, damn your eyes! :)
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I immediately thought of HBC when I saw your photo as well. But not in a bad way at all! She and you both look beautiful.
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Although, from a DIY perspective the idea of a history + pattern is pretty awesome.
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I wonder how many of your readers are, like myself, not knitters at all. I can’t even remember how I found this blog in the first place, years ago (eyes mist up thinking of the early internet). O yes, i was reading a tattoo blog ‘needled’ got annoyed by this knitting blog, then was so taken with this one that i’ve been reading it ever since. (the tattoo blog was sold to a company and then got all crappy) But i stay here, a long time reader, because of the quality of the writing. And because i have academic and nerdy interests in feminism, women’s work, english peasents, textiles. And because i had a traumatic injury last year i’ve been recovering from and it helps to read other people who’ve got off track. And i love popular writing that nonetheless high quality. So basically, i would love to read the article, but i am never, ever going to knit a pattern as i have never knitted anything ever. (ok, once i knit two rows or something when i was like, 8). But I am very interested in textiles and history and context and such. (I’m also very broke (see traumatic injury above- i’m on welfare because disability is absolutely impossible), so i’m not the greatest target market in the world). I wonder how many other people who read this are non-knitters interested in the history and cultural politics of knitting for their own, nerdy reasons?
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You don’t need my advice on the “subscription” thing, but I wanted to throw in a thought here. Your current thinking is more than sound. Offering history with a pattern as the pattern happens seems a smart and realistic path to me. I really think you’re on to something swell, Ms. Davies.
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I’ve been quietly following your blog, love the history, the textiles, the countryside, the hair, the pod,…and epecially your honesty, inteligence, and spirit. Definitely an Academic. I’m finally moved to comment because I don’t knit but eagerly bought Textisles and truly think the text and pattern belong together, enhance one another. I like that it was a package deal.
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Another gorgeous evening tonight; just back from Blackford hill. My boyfriend was taking photos of the Rosebay Willowherb up there. I was more interested in the spiky gorse.
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Looking at this lovely second picture you share with us, the first thing uccurring to me is Elizabeth Bennet. Now call me crazy.
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I was one of those who asked if we could get the journal without or with a different pattern. Now, having seen the journal and read it, seeing the pattern in the ocntext of the articles, it is clear to me why that particular pattern was chosen for that particular issue.
Looking forward to more!
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Oh for a Pod of one’s own…. Love the colour! I’m looking for a green hue, but hadn’t looked at Farrow and Ball as a possibility. Might be a plan lurking.
Good luck on your new life ventures. It must have been hard arriving at the decision for change, but it’s great to see you moving into another dimension that shows ‘you’ off so well. You’re fantastic, so thank you for sharing your passion!
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Pods, rooms, nooks. I have a room and perhaps, there is too much room for everything to be organized? If I downsized, I would have to be very intentional about what yarn or book or pattern notebook went where. That’s something to think about. Thanks for sharing about the changes.
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Always changing :) Very nice. You always manage to have lovely ID photos, no matter what decade it may be in.
I can’t wait until I have a pod of my own. I’m still living at home, so I have little bits of things all over the house.
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I am so enjoying your sharing the evolution of your personal style. (That takes guts, and I will applaud softly. ) The ‘Wild Kate’, then the “Sleek Kate’ . Now I must say, post-stroke even, I think you look much more deeply beautiful than either of the photos back then.
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You’re like some sort of gorgeous chameleon! I think the eyes have it…
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Can you tell us what the wildflower in today’s photograph is?
Steve Schwartzman
http://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com
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sure – it is rosebay willowherb
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Thanks. I looked it up and found that “it is native throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere, including large parts of the boreal forests” and that in North America people call it fireweed, which I’ve heard of but never seen in person. I’d say, and I expect you would too, for having photographed it, that it’s anything but a weed.
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It is indeed gorgeous, and has that name in North America because of proclivity for growth in areas that have been left clear by forest fires.
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Fireweed is very common here in Northern BC, never thought it had much use other than looking pretty in ditches and recently logged cutblocks but recently had some fireweed syrup on hot biscuits with cream. Lovely and aromatic – may need to try making it!
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Thanks for leading me to the story of Betty Mouat – I love the idea of putting stained glass in a ruin.
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So glad we managed to identify what the sweet little plant was ; )
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I think Helena Bonham-Carter looks amazing. And I did spot the likeness with that photo. I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all.
I love all this POD talk. I’m in my ‘POD’ just now – a kind of through hallway leading from the stairs to the kitchen. I love it here, though looking around it could do with a spot of redecoration.
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I would love to have a pod of my own, unfortunately as the dogs like to keep me company while I work, all six of them, we’d need a whole room, which just doesn’t have quite the same ring to it ;)
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Twas a spectacular day yesterday wasnt it? I managed – with a friend – to bring 5 smallish children (aged from almost 2 up to 6 and a bit) up blackford hill to admire the view and slide on their bottoms down again. Of course, the journey home was punctuated, as these things should be by a quick stop for lollies! As for HBC, look on the bright side, an old boyfriend of mine said I looked like Imelda Staunton…
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Another gorgeous licence photo, lucky you! I hate to ask, it might seem a bit cheeky, but did you then weary of comparisons to Sinead O’Connor? Then again, she was probably off the radar by 2001…
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