Yarn and politics might seem like a sort of odd mix until you start looking around on the internet and realizing that there are an awful lot of political knitters out there. Really.
On the yarn front, this week I’ve been dyeing this.
The yarn is a lace weight blend of silk and a fiber spun from seaweed. It’s very soft. It’s intensely beautiful, and sadly, it is all for custom orders and I do not get to keep any of what is already dyed, although I have plans to save some of this yarn for me. I’m dreaming of lace scarves in a simple pattern like feather and fan.
On the politics front, I want to share a really touching story that a friend who was an Obama poll watcher told me. He was at an old church called Mount Zion, a ballot box that was primarily African American. As he stood outside, he saw a woman who he later learned was 80 years old walk out of the building in tears.
He asked her what was wrong and found out that they had invalidated her ballot. Through her tears she told him she had waited all this time, and now she was going to die without voting for a black man for president. "No you’re not m’aam. You can vote for one today," was the response. They took her back into the polling place, only to learn that the machine spit her ballot back out and instead of understanding she could redo the ballot, she walked out in tears. The situation explained, she obtained a ballot and was able to vote.
And it’s just that simple. It’s all about helping others.
I love the yarn (especially the one with the grey tones) and I love the resolution of your story.
Joanne
LOVE the yarn and it tempts me to knit…. but no… too many other obsessions. I’ll knit through you! The cheater way! LOL! Great story, btw. You and I are usually on opposite fences, politically and I usually can’t even completely explain my feelings about political candidates because I usually get these weird instincts and “gut” feelings about people and things. And I’m often right. Boy, I sure was right about Clinton! Something about Obama doesn’t sit right with me… like there’s something hidden, an undercurrent… like he’s not all that he seems but in a totally different way than Clinton. I can’t quite put my finger on it but my insides feel scared. And it sure isn’t the color of his skin! I’d be very happy to vote for a black man and think it’s sad that we’ve never had a black president yet so that sure as heck isn’t it. It’s just a weird feeling I get….I dunno… but I love your political enthusiasm Joyce!
WOW
I can barely find the words.
That pink/black/white is FABULOUS!!!!!
WOW
I can barely find the words.
That pink/black/white is FABULOUS!!!!!
Tracy, I’ve actually met Barack Obama and he is for real. He is truly an amazing human being, who loves his wife and kids, and really wants to do good things for the world. Added to that, he is brilliant. And as a white woman, I’ll second that this primary is not about race or gender.
Loved this yarn. And really loved the story about the polls!
You’ve been awarded the “You make my day” badge for having a blog that inspires me. The colors of this yarn exemplifies this. For details, visit my blog and pay it forward! Hug!
Christy
Joyce- gorgeous colors and great story! Have you considered joining the Blythe group so you can get in our Blythe chunky book?
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Arte_du_Blythe/
Gina
See you at A&S