ELIZABETH ALEXANDER 2009 INAUGURATION POEM.

BORROWER'S PINS.

Thank you to Colleen who mailed us this charming pin story to add to Kirsty's Pin Story Collection. 

It is from chapter 2 of the Borrowers by Mary Norton. The Borrowers were little people who lived under the floorboards and had to borrow everything they needed from the humans above.

" How cosy those winter evenings could be. Arrietty, her great book on her knees, sometimes reading aloud: Pod at his last (he was a shoemaker, and made button boots out of kid-glove - now alas only for his family); and Homily, quiet at last, with her knitting.

Homily knitted their jerseys and stockings on black headed pins, and, sometimes, on darning needles.  A great reel of silk or cotton would stand, table high, beside her chair, and sometimes, if she pulled too sharply, the reel would tip up and roll away out of the open door into the dusty passage beyond, and Arrietty would be sent after it, to rewind it carefully as she rolled it back."

For more pin stories, come to Prick Your Finger for tea on Saturday afternoon.

FELIX'S AMAZING DAY!

Last Thursday, we were honored to be part of Felix's amazing day.

Thank you Felix, it was a joy to see you.

It re affirmed my hunch that you know how to make days amazing.

INFORMATION WANTED - STICKY BOMBS.

Sabrina Gschwandtner, author of the brilliant book and magazine series 'Knit Knit' has asked us to help her with an investigation. 

Does anyone remember anything about the manufacture of 'Sticky Bombs' in World War 2?

These pictures and the caption below are the only material Sabrina has on this subject. Sabrina is trying to find any of the women who did this knitting. She wants to know where they did the knitting, for how long, and how they got hired (or was it a volunteer effort?). She would like to interview them about the experience. 

"Women war workers fit knitted woolen jackets onto the glass flasks of sticky bombs at a factory workshop somewhere in Britian. The women including Mrs B Colman (nearest to the camera) and Miss H Brearley (centre), fasten the jackets by means of a draw string around the neck of the flask.  The woolen jackets will soon be coated with adhesive to enable them to stick to their target before detonation."

If anyone has information could they please contact PYF or 

Sabrina Gschwandtner, 526 West 26th Street number 1022, New York NY 10001

sabrina@knitknit.net

http://www.knitknit.net/sabrina.html   (718)812-0446

PIN RITUAL.

We are pleased to announce that Kirsty Hall, textile artist from Bristol is heading our way.

Kirsty's exhibition will be at Prick Your Finger for the next month, and her work is all about pins. Kirsty has been collecting pin stories for years and will be listening to our pricked fingered anecdotes over tea and cakes on Saturday 24th January from 3-6pm. You are all welcome.  Here are some stories she has collected already.

Fairy Pin Story

"A middle -aged woman told me a story about a favourite book she'd had as a child.  She couldn't remember anything except this one image:

There was a coat so worn that nothing but the lining remained. It was pinned all over with thousands and thousands of safety pins, so many that the coat was heavy with them. And no one knew how many there were, but when you put on the coat you could hear the fairies singing."

Bent Pin Story

"Pins were dropped into sacred springs by the Celts. The pins were often bent, probably deliberately.  Sacred springs where such pins have been found are usually associated with fertility. Needles and pins have other links to fertility, Sleeping Beauty pricking her finger on a spindle springs to mind.  Occasionally whilst pinning, I find bent or blunt pins - misfits, useless for their purpose - and I think of those other sacred pins."

If you live too far away to take tea with us and you have a  pin story please send them on a postcard to Kirsty Hall, Prick Your Finger, 260 Globe Rd, London E2 0JD

or e-mail pins@prickyourfinger.com

DIY NATION.

I had a chat with Crafts Business Magazine this week, about one of my favourite subjects....

RECESSION! What I love about Craft Business is that they don't ask about my Grandmother or celebrities.  

Have a read at http://craftbusiness.com/site/index.php/content/news/diy_nation/

LOVE IS AWESOME.

Love Is Awesome opens on Valentine's day in Reading, Berkshire, not far from London.

Artists Felicity Ford, Rachael Matthews, Stavroula Kounadea and Emmylou Laird are opening their show on Valentine's day 2009 to offer new perspectives on the idea that LOVE IS AWESOME.

LOVE IS AWESOME promises to be a surprising antidote to the asinine syrup of Valentine's day and a marvelous tonic for the heart.

LOVE IS AWESOME is at Gallery 10, 10 Gun Street, Reading Berkshire RG1 2JR

LOVE IS AWESOME opens for cake and wine on Saturday 14th February at 6pm. 

Bring a bottle.

Show remains on until 28th February, check gallery for opening times.