My Bit of Earth

Picking the Good (And Another Quilt-ish Blanket)

(I am in Philadelphia this weekend.  Yes, it's related to the yummy food box.  I'll tell you all about it next week--with lots of pictures to make you hungry!  In the meantime, a pre-scheduled moral conundrum....)

Do y'all know about Craft Hope?  It's a group of ladies who choose a different craft project every few months, ask others to craft with them, and then send all their handmade goodies to a part of the world in need.  For example, they sent dolls to an orphanage in Nicaragua, and scarves to college-bound foster kids.

I have not participated before, not because I don't think it's a well-intentioned endeavour, but because...well, I'll be blunt, it felt a little...patronizing.  (That may not be the exact flavor of the word I'm looking for, but it's close.)  Like, I could send you a scarf and feel really good about myself for making it, but if what you really need is textbooks for school wouldn't it be better for me to send you the money I'd spend on yarn?  It seems it can turn into something that's more about making the giver feel good, less about actually helping the receiver.

But, as with many things, the more I think about it, the more I realize how much more complicated it is.  Because "send handmade goodies OR send money" is really a false choice.  First of all, there's nothing to stop a person from doing both in some circumstances.  Second, there have been 13 Craft Hope projects to date, and before this week I hadn't done a thing for any of the people those projects reached.    

A friend of mine has a lovely quote on her Facebook profile that sums it up exactly:

"The daily battle isn't choosing between good and evil. It's hardly so epic. Most days, the real battle is choosing to do good versus choosing to do nothing. (Deirdre Sullivan from her This I Believe essay called Always Go to the Funeral.)"

I wasn't choosing between sending an orphan a doll and sending a bag of flour.  I was choosing between sending an orphan a doll and surfing the internet all evening.  It wasn't "good OR better good", it was "good OR nothing".

And while, yes, a doll is a small thing....

"No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little."

This is all a very long and quote-y way of saying, I made another quilt-ish blanket last week, to send for project 13.  (And that I am a crazy woman who over-thinks everything.)

It's a log-cabin front, all made from scraps.  Then for the batting and backing I used a set of flannel sheets to make it cozy.  It was small enough and the batting was solid enough that I didn't feel the need to technically quilt it, hence the "quilt-ish" designation.

I hope some little boy who lived through this past month's tornadoes will like the roosters as much as my small one does.  (I also hope his mama won't say, "Oh look, how sweet!  This must be some child's first quilting project!"  LOL.)

But seriously, there's something about humans...we're hardwired to want to help in ways we can see and touch and feel.  And particularly here...where I know perfectly that the choice is those fabric scraps sitting in my cabinets for another year OR sending them out into the world to maybe do some good....I pick the "good".

More Knitting For Good Reasons

A few weeks ago I was perusing a newly discovered blog, My Happy Little Life.  The author, Kelly, posted:

"for each year i rack up in age, i want to organize a drive to help impoverished mothers-to-be with their "birth-days". this year i turned 32, and so i'd like to put together 32 newborn kits to distribute to mothers and newborns in need." 

And then,

"in places where women are bringing home their babies wrapped in newspapers, without hygienic means of changing and washing them (please, just imagine yourself in that situation for a moment), there are some basic items that really help . . . ."

Honestly, that's where she got me.  Because I think we all have moments like that, where you really put yourself in another person's shoes and just have to help.  (Of the recent pictures of the Haitian earthquake, the one that disturbed me the most was the one of the Haitian president's residence.  Think about it--if the White House was in that kind of shape, how bad off would the rest of us be?  My fingers flew to the Red Cross website.)

Recognizing that Kelly was feeling that same impulse to help, I really wanted to help her meet her goal of assembling 32 newborn kits.  Among the items needed?  Baby booties.

It so happened that I had a few pairs of those "in stock", and had yarn and time to knit even a few more.

The patterns are (starting top left and going clockwise)...easy knitted booties...magic slippers...angora baby booties...bsj inspired booties...and another pair of magic slippers.

Yay for booties for good!

Support Welshies and Win a Quilt

So long ago that even I had to look up when it was, I made a Welsh Terrier quilt square...

...which eventually ended up in this beautiful Welsh Terrier quilt...

...and now the quilt is up for grabs!  

You can buy a raffle ticket here for $5 or 6 for $25.  The winner will be drawn at the Montgomery County Kennel Club Show, which I believe is held in October, so there's plenty of time to get your tickets.

All the proceeds will benefit Welsh Terrier Rescue, an amazing, all-volunteer group that helps Welshies in need across the country.  (Seriously, check out their website--if the "after" stories don't make you tear up a little, nothing will.)  

What are you waiting for?  Go get some tickets!

Two Things I Love This Week

Number one: Orangette.  Truly, this girl has me wanting to cook like a whirling dervish.  (Whatever that might be exactly.)  On advice of several other bloggers, I ordered her new book, A Homemade Life, from the library.  It's a wonderful mix of stories and recipes and family and food--I devoured it in one sitting and quickly moved on to both her blog and her monthly column for Bon Appetit.

The latter is where I found her recipe for homemade mayonnaise.  Holy.  Hell.

Our favorite brew pub makes it's own mayo.  A friend and I have been known to go and make a meal of it...with a few fries on the side, just to get some veggies in.  Is it completely awful that I can now recreate that meal at home?

Honestly, the mayo takes about ten minutes to put together, but the results are so worth it.  And if I had a mayonnaise making jar (or, more practically, a stick blender) it wouldn't be any work at all.  I used a bit more lemon than Orangette recommends (let's call it the juice of one whole lemon), and per Alton I will store it in the fridge for up to two weeks--if it lasts that long!

Number two: hank&cheef.  Yes, I'm still eschewing paper tissues when possible.  I really don't even think about it anymore, I've officially made handkerchiefs a habit.  (Except for the other night when a visiting friend asked for a tissue.  Felt less than hospitable pointing him to the bathroom tissue, but handing him one of my handkerchiefs--even a clean one--seemed kinda...eh.  Anyone have a good solution for that?)  At any rate, because allergy season is here and because they were super fun, I ordered a few new handkerchiefs. 

They arrived today.  Completely soft.  Completely cute.  Although they came all the way from Canada, the company uses the most minimal packaging I've ever seen, so that probably evens out a little, right?  Next time maybe I'll just have to order more than three at once--I see some owls in my future!

Free Tupperware, Only Better

The other day I posted this picture on the inspiration board because I loved the use of glass milk jugs for dry food storage.  It started a little conversation among some Facebook friends about how jars make such wonderful food containers.

And they do!  I've started using them almost exclusively as a Tupperware substitute.  Why?

1. They're free.  Although I do have some regular canning jars, I've also started just saving our old food jars.  For example, this jar originally came with salsa in it.  Just scrub off the label and you're good to go.  It can be a little fluster-y to keep lids and jars matched, but it's no worse than finding a matching Tupperware lid.
2. They don't leak or pop open.  I can toss a jar of leftovers in my purse in the morning and not worry about ending up with sauce all over my checkbook. 
3. They don't smell or stain.  Which really grosses me out with Tupperware--it's just yucky!
4. They reduce all kinds of trash.  You're not throwing the glass jar away, you're not buying new plastic--yay environment! 

Wow--just wow!

As you may remember, a few months ago I posted about Soule Mama's new site, Mama to Mama, and her first project as part of that site, Caps to Cap Haitien. (Basic idea: send hats made from recycled t-shirts to be used in safe birthing kits in Northern Haiti.)

Well, she just posted the grand total of the hats and I almost can't believe it--5523 hats were made and 169 blankets, besides!  Bravo Ms. Soule!  Can't wait to see and help with what you come up with next!

The No-Plastic Holiday Challenge...I Tried

If you will remember--encouraged by the CDG--I had great ambitions to make this a "no plastic holiday".  Yeah, that didn't necessarily go so well.

I tried.  And overall I think I did buy/use less plastic than I might have otherwise, but still my transgressions were numerous.  In my defense however, this was a hard challenge!

For example, looking for a gift for my cousin's wee lad, I went to our local toy store thinking I could find something made of wood.  But even the wood toys were all still packaged in plastic.

And then shopping for people like my Nice Mom, who really only wanted CD's this year (plastic wrapper, plastic case, plastic CD).  I ended up cheating and getting her a gift certificate to a place where she could buy her own CD's--so technically I didn't buy the plastic, but I'm sure she did.

I did do really well shopping for my girlies.  Cutie Niece got some cool watercolor pencils and paper.  Nice Sister, a book and a day at our local paint-your-own pottery place. 

And I did do really well shopping locally.  The only thing I had to have shipped-in was one gift for Sweet Husband (a kit to make his own mini trebuchet--one of those things you really have to order from wherever you can find it).  I think I got maybe two or three other things from big box stores, but everything else was from our local and lovely small businesses.

So, I guess I could've done better, but I think I did better than I have in the past--that counts for something, right?

Save Handmade Toys

Just read about this last night and am troubled.  Apparently in response to last years Chinese toy recalls, congress has passed a law (the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act) requiring all toys to be tested for things like lead.  The problem?  While the testing is do-able for big toy manufacturers, it's financially unfeasible for smaller manufacturers and independent crafters.

So basically, the people mass-making plastic-y crap (the kind that sparked the recalls in the first place) will get to stay in business, while people who have always been making safe and beautiful toys will get forced out.

Which sucks!

If you are concerned about this, as I am, here is a page with more information and some things you can do.  Especially worth noting is the Handmade Toy Alliance site and blog, which includes a list of proposed improvements to the law that would allow small toy makers to continue their businesses while still keeping kiddos safe. 

A No-Plastic Holiday

You want to know what really scares me these days, environment-wise?  The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a floating island of trash anywhere from the size of Texas to double the size of Texas, sitting in the middle of the Northern Pacific ocean.  A major problem with this particular trash, is that it is largely made up of plastic.

"Unlike debris which biodegrades...plastic disintegrates into ever smaller pieces while remaining polymers, even down to the molecular level.

"As the plastic [degrades] into smaller and smaller pieces, it concentrates in the upper water column. As it disintegrates, the plastic ultimately becomes small enough to be ingested by aquatic organisms which reside near the ocean's surface. Plastic waste thus enters the food chain through its intense concentration in the neuston [little aquatic organisms]."

Yep, that's right, the food chain.  That means it's not just killing sea birds and fish (which is bad enough), but you might be eating it as well.  Yuck!

While, of course, there are lots of things you can do to reduce your plastic consumption throughout the year (e.g. skip the plastic bags at the grocery store), the always wonderful Crunchy Domestic Goddess has issued a holiday specific challenge.

Can you have a no-plastic holiday?  I'm going to try.  That means both looking for alternatives to plastic gift items and buying things with minimal packaging.  Some thoughts on how I plan to make this work: 

Hats for Wee Haitians

My very most favoritest blog these days is Soule Mama written by Amanda Blake Soule.  It's nothing groundbreaking--just a creative mom, her kiddos, and their adventures--but it's just so darn peaceful there.  (Maybe that's what makes it groundbreaking, ya think?)

Last week Mama Soule started a new project called Mama to Mama.  It's mission:

"[W]e craft, sometimes, to bring a little peace to our lives, to our hearts, and to our everyday moments. Taking that just a step further, we can - and do, like so many crafters before us - turn our crafting into peace for the world beyond our homes. The simple act of creating something with intention and heart - for someone in need, can have a beautiful effect on the lives of others. We can, indeed, do something to create a more just and peaceful world...all with the simple, mindful and crafty work of our hands."

In other words, help others by being crafty--excellent!

Her first project is called Caps to Cap Haitien.  There's more info at the site, but basically, we're making baby caps to be distributed as part of safe birthing kits to birth attendants in Northern Haiti.  The hats are made from old t-shirts and there is a pattern here. 

(Aside:  This made the greatest excuse to go through Sweet Husband's old holey shirts.  And when he protested, I said, "But think of the little hatless babies."  And when he questioned if babies in Haiti--where it is awfully warm, after all--really need hats, I read him this.)

If you're itching for a quick something good to do--the holidays always put me in that mood--these little caps were so fun to make.  They look like little gnome hats, and they're super easy.  I made a dozen in about an hour and a half, and I am far from an accomplished seamstress.

The project is going until at least December 10th, so you have plenty of time to join in if you're interested!