Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Happy 90th Birthday!

Wangaratta Woollen Mills (now Australian Country Spinners) has been processing wool for 90 years - and still makes hand knitting and crochet yarn in Australia - NOT overseas!

Recently ABC Landline did video coverage  on this enterprising Aussie company - go  to http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/view/75448906 and fast forward to 39.41 to see what it is all about!

Congratulations Australian Country Spinners!!!

Monday, November 11, 2013

CLICKING HELPS!

Just a request to readers of my blog - are there still any here???

You see these little ads on the left hand side, and underneath, this posting?? If you click on them, you earn me a few cents for each click.....when the clicks mount up to $100 - Google AdSense sends me the money  - this helps me to buy the yarn to help me make warm clothing and blankets for Homeless and Needy people in Queensland.

I just recently received some money from AdSense - but it took four years for the amount to reach the target of $100 !!!

So if any of the ads appeal to you - or the subject matter is something you are interested in finding out more about, PLEASE click away!!!!

Most of the knitting and crochet you see on this blog has been made for some less fortunate than I am - and I know you want to help me keep doing this - all it costs you is a click of the mouse - so please, do this for all the Homeless and Needy people in our state....

Thank you in advance.....

Homeless man with  Dog

This makes me so HOPPING MAD!!! What about you?

I don't know if I am being paranoid and overly sensitive but here's what happened to me . A woman I don't know at all contacted me on Facebook asking me to make a preemie beanie and pair of booties for her niece who was born at a very tiny 5lb 7oz

I said I would be happy to do that and told her the price would be $10

She wrote back and told me a sad story of how she realised $10 'wasn't very much' BUT she  was very poor, her wedding was on November 30th, she had a lot of bills, didn't know if she would have enough money yada  yada  yada......

I wrote this back

The things I make are one offs and works of creative art. I have to pay for the materials used. Check out my facebook page and look at the pictures of my work - it isn't the fact that $10 isn't much - but that you think my work is not worth paying for - go and buy something from Target and see how much they charge for a mass produced article. If I could afford to give them to you for nothing, I wouldn't be putting a price on them, would I ?
 
Well, she replied - a blistering message, calling me stingy, and unfeeling, that I was 'up myself'' that she never criticised my work (did I say she did?) and that I could stick the hat and booties where the sun doesn't shine......( well not in so many words , but you get my drift)
 
This sort of thing makes so angry - I had another woman last year ask me if I would make a Queen Size Wool Eater Blanket in pure wool - when I told her it would cost her over $200 ( I was not charging the full price) she was so astounded, she said she thought it would be about $20.00 !!!!! Twenty  dollars????????? for a Queen size blanket with about 10 or more kilos of yarn  in it????
 
Where do people get this mad idea that knitting and crochet is worth nothing??
 
I am so mad at this idiotic woman I could SPIT!!!
 
Rant over - back to some nice soothing knitting and cup of lemon and ginger tea......