masquerade

So a few new thoughts from an old lady... I do wonder what is wrong with girls today. Do they feel the only way to validate themselves is by being photographed for mens magazines...

Once there were women known as suffragettes. They fought so hard for us. Now so many of our young girls are throwing it all down the drain, preferring to be judged by the size of implanted breasts they can buy or how many men lust after them. They don't choose the calibre of these men, they are simply dribbled on by anyone in a magazine shop. Is that empowerment..?

It makes me so happy to see women thinking about where they live and finding ways to move craft along with these new, exciting times and out of the realms of 'women's work'. To make it come alive and to live with all of us as we trundle through our day to day lives. I'm not suggesting this is in some way a feminist act, but certainly a welcome and refreshing one to my rambling, cluttered old mind.

These images are from a group in Stockholm called Masquerade. They seem to have so much fun doing it. My favourite is the statue with sweatbands round the wrists of the nymphs.

Over the next few years it will be interesting to see where this leads. I hope we see more of it. I hope we see a resurgence of women choosing to be seen as individuals, with or without a suntan & mini skirt... It would be interesting to see art and craft all over our streets, people being creative and sharing that with their community as this latest craze is doing.

punk pensioner

urban knitting - knitta please

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Elsie Dinsmore - you can read more about me in my profile. Hopefully this blog will be a place for me to explore my interests and pick up a few more chums along the way. I probably won't be a reliably regular blogger...I'm quite erratic by nature. But isn't it better to be off having a fabulously wild adventure than here looking at a keyboard...?

Getting to this ripe old age has been liberating. Not that I was ever... 'repressed', but in the UK, well age isn't exactly celebrated by most people. But I do. I celebrate every day. I squeeze every little drop of juice there is to be had. I'm a bit of a punk pensioner - I will go out with a BANG.

So here I am in blogland, a fully paid up member of the silver surfer society and here are some of the little discoveries I have made...

urban knitting - knitta please

I'm really excited about this urban knitting thing (pictured above) which I found through Knitta Please. Isn't it a positive thing to give a little love to where you live, to make mischief that's not negative and attractive to view... which is surely quite unusual in this day and age. It would be a good thing to see more youngsters (and of course us oldsters) making the environment beautiful.

joetta - little yellowbird

It is also wonderful to start learning more about the craft and art community, which seem to overlap so much these days. I like this blog (see pictures above and below) Little YellowBird. This very real and emotional young girl, Joetta, has taken us along with her on a journey into her studies and her life, her feelings and her insecurities. Now when I was young this kind of connection with other people just didn't exist. I do admire this interesting artist and her open nature.

joetta - little yellowbird

By reading Joetta's blog I read some comments, which encouraged me to find other blogs. Now isn't that amazing! What a thrill. There is so much out there. I can't wait to explore more... a blog I found because of Joetta, is lovely textiles by a woman called Elvis!

elvis robertson - lovely textiles

(Of course - what's not to love about a woman having a name like that!) She is taking me on a journey through the current landscape of knitting, opening my eyes and mind to the huge variety of artists and the oh-so many ways of looking and approaching the same craft/art form.

elvis robertson - lovely textiles

Her approach is varied which will no doubt keep it interesting and her personal writing really strikes a chord of humour and insight. Her family, even her detailed drawn diaries of debauchery and naughtiness (my favourite!). But it is not all about her - she is generous to the artists of whom she speaks, clearly very passionate about the subject.

elvis robertson - lovely textiles

I am actually so excited I feel a bit giddy. I want to speak to all of these people. I want them as my friends. It looks like the internet could do that for me.

My life has been wild... thrilling, horrid at times, hurtful, painful, joyous... oh so very many things. I have searched long and hard to have the right people around me, to cherry pick my favourites. I've never discriminated - just wanted to have interesting characters around me. Age, gender, sexuality, class, colour, culture, status, religion... none of those things have ever mattered. But I do respect kindness, humour, creativity and of course actual real honest emotions. What a journey I feel I am about to embark upon here in this new (to me) virtual world. Yet more adventures to be had.

urban knitting - knitta please

But now the sun is shining at last so I think I will sign off and go and squeeze some of that life that I can see outside my window. Maybe I'll knit a bus stop cosy or such-like!

elvis robertson - lovely textiles

Please do email me or leave comments. I do so look forward to hearing from you all. Hoping you have a very lovely day indeed.

Cheerio.