Healthful trends for fiber artists
We couldn’t believe the string of personal and environmental health news items that came in over the last month. Wonderful innovations, great good deeds, and healthful habits from across the knitting and weaving fiber arts communities. Take a gander!
Quite literally: Weaving a healthy environment in Nigeria.
Use of invasive river plant in weaving is clearing up waterways. Though pretty, the water hyacinth clogs navigation for fishermen, displaces fish populations, and causes trouble with water supplies. A win-win start-up is training and marketing diverse, beautiful woven hyacinth based items. The hyacinth vines are plied into fine ropes, or braided, and then used to make mats, baskets, vases and other items. Achenyo Idachaba has a wonderful interview at Elle SA about leaving her corporate career in the US, and starting a (socially responsible) business in Nigeria. See the website of this award winning woman-owned social enterprise here: MitiMeth.
Better living for those with diabetes through woven silk test strips.
Unbelievably accurate, and up to 75% more affordable than traditionally manufactured test strips (at least in places where silk is not imported), these woven wonders are poised to make a real difference in the world. They can be produced locally by independent weavers!
Knitting for health
Knitting keeps you healthy, according to 104 years young Doty Patterson. Dotty says it perfectly, and is an inspiration to make knitting an ongoing part of life routines. Oh yeah, don’t forget to read up on the published medical literature which supports what Dotty already knows!
Careful with those needles!
A word of caution however, careful where you put those needles! An amazing (but chilling) story of how a papillon puppy survived knitting needle crash, which included injury to the heart.
Habits for success
And as if personal and environmental health are not enough… With a rash of famous folk, knitting for fun and health, it could help your social standing too? (Granted, this last piece is tongue-in-cheek, but check out this link and it looks like pretty much all famous folk knit: Kate Middleton, Julia Roberts, Dakota Fanning, Kristen Stewart…).
We resolve: more fiber arts in 2015 and beyond!
