Give me the Chemicals

Being at camp is exhausting! Actually it’s relaxing but the sun and fresh air seem to have tired me out. It certainly couldn’t have been the knitting marathon or the relaxing atmosphere.
The girls and I had a great time.

The Common Ground Fair was and was not what I expected. After hearing so much about it in high school and then college but never going, the fair had attained mythical status in my mind. This did not bode well for the Fair as I think anything would’ve fallen short. I knew it would be a crunchy-alternative type fair with hippies, organic and vegetarian food. I did not realize that the entire state of Maine would turn out to see it at the same time I did. Rather than the low-key non-commercial event I expected, I found long lines, throngs of people, and over priced food. Admission was $10 just to be on the grounds, an eggplant wrap was $7, Fried whole wheat dough was another $6 and water, $2. You see where I’m going? This seriously cut into my yarn allowance.

As we walked through the fair squeezing all the yarn in beautifully sun and natural dyed colors, we concluded that we like chemicals in our yarns. While merino is merino, it’s not the same from the organic farmer as it is with a nice wash and softener. My brain glitches at this thought, aware that those chemicals may not be healthy for me or the people who applied them. Like recycling, it feels like I should take care of the planet and buy the local less processed item, but you know what? Knitting is my passion, it’s something I love to do in large part because of the tactile sensations. If I were to use that scratchy wool I wouldn’t knit, I’d become a fidgety basket case with an explosive temper, not exactly the ideal environment for my nervous Chihuahua. So I’m going to be irresponsible and continue to buy my yarns, from Peru, India, China, etc. I’ll recycle, support my local businesses, drive a fuel efficient vehicle, conserve electricity, and refrain from eating meat but I draw the line at my knitting. I couldn’t help but think that that scratchy wool was what gives non-knitters such a poor impression of wool. I wouldn’t want that stuff anywhere near my skin but give me a nice wool-alpaca blend, merino, or Malabrigo from the LYS and I’ll gladly wear it all day without a thought of itching.

That being said, I did by some “glamour bunny blend” 30% angora bunny yarn that is amazingly soft. I wanted to take all the bunnies home with me. I also found people selling the balsam pillows like my AP has. She’s had the same one for 15 years and every time I go to her house I touch it and enjoy the scent. Those pillows will always make me think of her home. And I couldn’t resist the transformation print of yarn to cats. I’ve definitely done my fair share of knitting cats and knitting for cats.