THE PRICE OF KNITTED BEANS

Kate Talbot's, Beans, Ketchup and Marmite have been the most popular show we have ever had.

We watch faces light up through the window, people jump with delight, and kids have actually banged fists on the glass and shouted 'Yes!' And then we kill the joy when we tell them the crocheted Marmite costs £320.

Kate counts her ours of work and pays herself a professional wage of £10 per hour. We add 20% on top as our commission. 

Knitting will probably always be boxed as a lesser art. Knitting is loved but it is seldom rewarded. Skills take years to perfect, and hand knitting is one of the slowest of mediums. As the Spanish knitting shop below says " All you knit is love"....

Like or hate marmite, you'll love our window display.

Louise found a lecture by Dave Hickey about the subject of selling without selling out.

http://www.friezeartfair.com/podcasts/details/custodians_of_culture_schoolyard_art_playing_fair_without_the_referee

ALL YOU KNIT IS LOVE

Our Hilary went to Barcelona and took this picture of the shutter of a yarn shop which was closed but we would love to visit it one day. If anyone knows this yarn shop, could they please send them our love. 

GOBHI ALOO SABJI

2 hot green chillies,

1/2 inch fresh ginger,

1tsp cumin seeds,

1/2 tsp black mustard seeds,

4tbsp ghee or vedge oil,

3 med size spuds ( about 1lb) peeled and chopped in squares,

1 med sized cauliflower( about 2 lbs) cut in flowerets,

2 med sized green or red tomatoes, quartered,

1/2 tsp tumeric,

2 tsp ground coriander,

1/2 tsp garam masarla,

1 tsp jaggery or brown sugar,

1 1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp chopped fresh corriander

lime or lemon wedges

1. Combine chillies, ginger, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds in a bowl. Heat ghee, when hot but not smoking, pour in seasoning and fry until seeds pop. Drop in spuds and cauliflower and stir fry 4-5 mins.

2. Add tomatoes, tumeric, corriander, garam masala, sweetner, salt and half of fresh herb. Stir well, cover and cook 15-20 mins until tender. Sprinkle water if vedge sticks to pan, but stir gently. Serve with remaining herb and lime/ lemon wedges.

ZEEL BE WITH US

Goodbye Zeel drawings. 

We love you. 

We have to cover you up for a while with new shop fittings. 

You arrived at halloween and cheered us up all through the winter. We are very proud of you and will never forget.

For more friends of Zeel go to

www.zeel.co.uk

REHAB

More yarn keeps coming so we are making the shop bigger.

We think we are quite good at this.

It's taken us 2 days so far...

Do come see!

NEW YORK AGENCY

What are they knitting in New York? 

Well, 

our Sabrina Gschwandtner of KnitKnit fame, just e-mailed us these pictures of a banner she made with Cat Mazza, Lisa Anne Auerbach, Julia Bryan- Wilson, and Liz Collins. 

It says "AGENCY"..and so they are, and so they say.

In America, it is quite common to take a photo into a shop where they will machine knit it to A0 size. It's like having a big print made, except you can use it as a blanket. It is used a lot when servicemen go off to war, and the family can sleep under their portrait. It's a brilliant tool, because you can really say things on a big scale! Correct me if I'm wrong Sabrina, but I think this is how this banner was made?

Anyway, isn't it lovely? And here is a picture of them all discussing what to make! For more on this peace piece, go to

http://flickr.com/photos/arimoore/2222635229/

TUMBLING DRY

Prick Your Finger is the only Haberdashery Shop that buys the fluff formations from your tumble dryer filter. 

You can't spin it, or felt it, or sew or paint it, and one puff of wind and it falls apart, but it's beautiful. A luna landscape made from static particles of your favourite rags.

Louise said emptying the filter is the best household chore, and I agree. 

We will keep trying to find a use for these luna landscapes, but we need your help in collecting them. 

One pound!

Thanks!