Lindy's Knits & Laces General Comments Half the Sky — A Must Read Book

Half the Sky — A Must Read Book

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I just finished reading Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. This is a must read book for anyone who is concerned about the lack of equality for women worldwide, as well as lack of decent health care and education for women and children throughout the developing countries of our world.

The book is very factual, yet filled with actual stories about real people and how they have been able to overcome extreme hardship with some small amount of help — in the form of microloans or sponsorships for education. There are stories that will make you weep and stories that will make you smile — but they all show a better way for those of us who have much more to help those who don’t.

The authors will challenge your thinking about large government funded aid programs and the role our government(s) should play in the developing countries of the world — especially Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. They make a very strong case for approaching problems on a more personal and direct way.

Check out the book and check out the website:
www.halftheskymovement.org — it’s worth a look.

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Some observations while waiting in line the day after Thanksgiving.Some observations while waiting in line the day after Thanksgiving.

I went to the fabric store yesterday. I didn’t go because there was a super sale going on. (There was, but I wasn’t aware that it was.) I went to buy buttons. Just buttons.

So when I went to check-out with my single-minded purchase, I was directed to the Express Line (5 items or less. Returns & Exchanges). Now the store was packed with eager shoppers getting great bargains on fabric, notions, Christmas items — you name it. They were having a great sale. The store’s staff was well-organized. They had set up a number system to handle the many shoppers needing fabric cut and it seemed to be working efficiently. They had enough staff on hand to handle both the fabric cutting duties and they cash registers. And they had all of their cash registers staffed and there was that staff member who was directing traffic. So while there were lines and everyone had to wait their turn, I thought things were being managed well and efficiently. My compliments to this store. This time of year, handling the crowds for an “After Thanksgiving” sale is an art form.

While standing in line, waiting my turn to pay for my purchase, this young woman came into the store and promptly through a hissy fit. She loudly grumbled as she made her way to stand behind me in line that she “didn’t know why SHE had to wait in line to just do an exchange!” The staff person directing traffic attempted to calm her down — but she was not willing to do so. So she continued to grumble loudly while standing in line behind me. Now the line was moving fairly quickly, but there were six customers ahead of me. This unpleasant young woman was rude and obnoxious to everyone around her and seemed to think that she deserved special consideration and was not happy that the store was not willing to give it to her.

While I ignored her as much as possible — I really try not to take on another person’s bad moods — I kept thinking that this young woman was selfish and terribly self-centered. I have tried to make excuses for her — maybe she was running very late for an appointment, maybe she was super stressed out, etc. But the bottom line is, everyone standing in those lines could have been running late or been super stressed — but no one else was making a scene and behaving like a spoiled brat. Yes, I felt that she was acting like a spoiled brat who wasn’t getting her way. After I completed my purchase — she slammed her item on the counter in front of the store clerk. I felt sorry for the clerk, who had been nothing but polite to me.

If we’re honest with ourselves, we will admit that we’ve all had times when we weren’t at our best in public. I hope that young woman has a better day than she did yesterday. I know she will come in to mind for me the next time I find myself losing patience while standing in line. This time of year, with the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season upon us — please take a deep breath, find peace within yourself and act kindly to those around you.

New Local Yarn ShopsNew Local Yarn Shops

I recently visited two new yarn shops that opened in my area.  They are both lovely shops and filled with some lovely yarns – some of which aren’t carried by the local yarn shop that has been the only shop in the city for a number of years. Each shop offers a different variety of yarns than the other, so I am hoping that both of them can be successful.  We certainly have a growing number of knitters in our community, so having new yarn shops is quite appealing.

ImagiKnit Yarn Shop is located in the Bel-Air Plaza at 120th and West Center Road, Suite 602, Omaha, NE. This shop does not have a website, but does have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ImagiKnit-Yarn-Shop/263171999129. The owner of this shop moved her business to Omaha from Hastings, NE.

Wooly Mammoth Yarn Shop is located in Rockbrook Shopping Center at 108th and West Center Rd, Omaha, NE. This shop also does not have a website, but does have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wooly-Mammoth-Yarn-Shop/150211221662670. The owners of this shop recently moved from Kearney, NE.

I’m sure the knitters in Hastings and Kearney miss having the shops in their towns, because they are both wonderful yarn shops and we are very lucky to have them here in Omaha.

Appealing, as well, are the yarns I purchased from both shops. (I couldn’t resist).

From Imagiknit, I purchased a skein of Smooshy fingering weight yarn from Dream in Color. The colorway is 2014 September and it just spoke to me of autumn.  It has this delightful mix of fall colors: reds, purples, golds, greens in various shades. See the swatch below

.Swatch with yarns

I also bought a skein of Fabjous Fibers Cheshire Cat in the colorway Off with Her Red – which blends perfectly with the Smooshy colors. I am using these yarns to knit a shawl using the Merlot pattern, which I purchased at Ravelry. This will be the topic of another post.

From Wooly Mammouth, I purchased 4 skeins of Addiction yarn by Claudia Hand Painted Yarns – also fingering weight yarn. I bought 2 skeins in the colorway Teal and 2 skeins in the colorway Prussian Soldiers. I plan to knit another two color shawl using these yarns, but I haven’t decided on a pattern yet. I like the Merlot pattern, so I may choose to do that again – but there are so, so many lovely shawl patterns in my queue…

If you are in Omaha: check out our new local yarn shops.  🙂

Diaster in HaitiDiaster in Haiti

I’m sure everyone has watched the tv coverage of the earthquake in Haiti with horror and a sense of “what can I do” to help. Like many, it seems the best action that I can take is to donate to one or more of the humanitarian organizations who are already speeding their way into Haiti to help.

There are so many organizations out there — and it becomes a challenge to know which ones are the best ones to support. After listening to the coverage today — two organizations struck me as: 1) already in place and, 2) focused on some of the most critical needs of the people in Haiti. Those two organizations are Doctors without Borders and the Salvation Army. These two organizations also tend to receive less donations than the Red Cross. Doctors without Borders are already working to serve the severely overwhelming need for medical care in Haiti and the Salvation Army is working to set up shelters and feed people in need.

So — I’ve gone online and donated to both Doctors without Borders and the Salvation Army. I know many others will also be donating to the organizations of their choice today. If you have not yet decided what organization will receive your donations — please check these two worthy organizations out. I’ve included links to their sites below.

Support Doctors Without Borders in Haiti