BOOK CHARKHA

I got the Book Charkha working today!

The Book Charkha was designed by Mahatma Gandhi as a tool, not just for spinning cotton, but for gaining indpendance from the British Empire and the world at large. 

India had been self sefficiant with cotton fields, and nature full of dyes, providing colours we didn't have in Britian. Indian cotton industry became monopolised by the British cotton mills. Britian was selling the cotton back to the Indians.

Gandhi learned to spin and he made the  wheel the symbol of independence, even putting it on the Indian flag. 

Gandhi spun as protest through all his political meetings, and even today, there is a tradition of spinning in Indian parliament.  

The Charkha was designed as a tool for every Indian family. It is the same size and shape as a book, and was origionaly made from a cigar box. It folds away beautifully, is descrete, and easy to build.  Gandhi told every family to scatter the seeds of the cotton plant in their gardens, and spin their own fibre. 

If you can spin already the Charkha is quite easy to use and suprisingly fast. I love it because it continues to stand as a symbol of independence. You are meant to secure it with your knee as you sit in lotus position, (Which I can't do!)  The design is made with much love. It arrives wrapped in newspaper and putting it together from the simple instructions is very special. While spinning, you can't help but feel free from the rubbish heaps of cotton we still see on the high street.  See the blog 'lets clean up fashion' below. 

SIX LITTLE MICE SAT DOWN TO SPIN....

Just in case you were wondering how all the yarn was spun before the industrial revolution, it was the mice what did it.... as so beautifully depicted by Beatrix Potter.

Six little mice sat down to spin;

Pussy passed by and she peeped in.

What are you doing, my little men?

Weaving coats for gentlemen. 

Shall I come in and cut off your threads?

No, no mistress Pussy, you'd bite off our heads.

Oh, no, I'll not; I'll help you spin,

that may be so, but you don't come in.

This drawing was edited out of the Tailor of Gloucester. I found it in a biography of Beatrix Potter. The three mice, seem to be spinning flax or linen, that's why they have little distaffs.

FORCEFIELD: video III

CLEANING UP FASHION.

We are creative and want the world to be a happier and more beautiful place. It's important to know what we are up against and I've just found a brilliant website to help us. 

 www.cleanupfashion.co.uk

'Let's Clean Up Fashion,' monitors all the major high street brands, and how they work within the Ethical Trading Initiative, a British NGO set up in 1998 to improve the lives of poor working people around the world.  "Lets clean up Fashion" writes to the stores to ask them how they are operating, and they put the replies up for you to read.  Primark now has an Ethical trade team, and is auditing it's factories, thanks to pressure groups like these.  However, these pictures were taken yesterday afternoon, and you can see it's still a mess.

ATOMS TO PATTERNS.

 The Welcome Collection is showing a free exhibition of the work of the Festival Pattern Group - a project at the 1951 Festival of Britain, involving X-ray crystallographers, designers and manufacturers. Diagrams of atomic structures inspire an eclectic array of patterns on curtains, wallpapers, carpets, lace, dress fabrics, ties, plates and ashtrays. 

Here is an insulin pattern which hasn't been seen since for over 50 years. 

The Welcome Collection is at 183 Euston Rd, London NW1 2BE 

Open Tuesday- Sunday with a late night opening on Thursday.

WE COULD HAVE DANCED ALL NIGHT!

Thank you to Susi Joel for bringing such a delightful bunch of people to her private view at PYF, we loved meeting them all. We are finding the company of her work very peaceful and happy. 

Thank you also to Rachel Smithies for making these garlands for our birthday. That was a lovely suprise!

For those of you who asked why the cranberry cocktail was so delicious, it was because it had tonic water and lime in it. 

NOW WE ARE BIG.

Shortly after we opened our shop, Susanna Edwards wrote in 'Design Week' magazine about our hand knitted sign. 

"an example in the whispering category of typography, Prick Your Finger is a contemporary haberdashery in Bethnal Green......It's signage is innovative, yet quiet in its content, process and display. Hand-spun typography has been made from the wool of Rough Fell sheep, the sturdiest mountain breed in Britain. Too rough a material to wear, it has been spun un-washed to produce typography that is full of lanolin that makes it waterproof.  It is homemade: only a spinning wheel and a crochet hook was required, and no sign writer or manufacturer was required.  Even the name "Prick Your Finger" pertains Sleeping Beauty falling asleep."

Our sign was also quiet because I knitted it the night before the opening! 

One year on and Rosemary has had the task of knitting most of the new typeface. It is knitted in Swaldale roving, and soaked in vegetable oil to replace lost lanolin.

Needing a tall man with a ladder, Louise went to our pub, the Florest,  and Bob was just knocking off sick. Fortunatly Bob wasn't that sick, and spent the next hour putting up our sign, for which we were most gratefull.

The letters were a tight fit, but as Louise handed Bob the nails, Rosemary looked on ernestly, and shouted 'left a bit, right a bit,' until we all, along with the people having their lunch in the Wild Cherry over the road, agreed it was perfect.  To thank Bob for his time, Louise darned one of his cashmere jumpers. 

We hope you like our new sign.