Boone County Pioneer Festival

[altivo]

Jamming at the James' Tent
Originally uploaded by Altivo

The weather relented and was quite pleasant, which meant there was a good turnout for the festival. While Gary and Rob were performing on stage from 1 to 3, I sat in the front row of the audience spinning cashmere on a small drop spindle. This of course generated many of the usual questions. This year's prize winning exchange:

Visitor: "What are you doing?"
Me: "I'm spinning yarn from wool, as it was done before the spinning wheel was invented."
Visitor: "What is yarn?"

(This was an adult male, not a child.)

The photo shows Gary and Rob jamming with Ray James, surveyor, history professor, and bass player. Click through the photo for a larger view and access to additional photos from the festival.

Comments

[schnee.livejournal.com]

Oh my.

(At least he was asking, though; that's a start.)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

He was asking, yes. But as if he had just arrived from Mars. He was amazed that you could spin thread from wool, didn't know that cashmere came from goats, didn't understand that you could knit or weave yarn into cloth all by yourself without the aid of large machines, etc.

This man was quite possibly over thirty and no less than 27 or 28 in age I'd say. I can only conclude that a lifetime spent watching television and playing video games is leaving people utterly detached from the realities of life.

[flamekist.livejournal.com]

I'm sure I'm playing Devil's Advocate here, but I didn't know cashmere came from goats either. And I'm at least vaguely familiar with some fiber arts.

I wouldn't know where to begin on making yarn or thread, but I can crochet if I need to, could probably figure out knitting from memories of watching my grandmother, used a loom twice in high school, and could probably make a shirt I wouldn't be too embarrassed to be seen in provided I had a pattern to go by.

But, yes, "What is yarn?" is pretty much inexcusable even in today's technological world.


But, yes, "What is yarn?" is pretty much inexcusable even in today's technological world.

[flamekist.livejournal.com]

And apparently I need to work on honing my cut and paste skills. Sorry 'bout the double line up there...

*embarrassed*

[altivo.livejournal.com]

*snicker*

Maybe you should talk to one of these spammers who keep sending e-mail offering to sell me a "daoctrate" or a "msater's degree"?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

You are galaxies ahead of the average person who asks me questions at these events. It's not that I mind answering, but I am becoming increasingly horrified at the utter lack of general awareness or knowledge among Americans who have, one must presume, been through the school system and didn't drop out when they were ten years old. It is more and more apparent that schools are failing to teach anything, and/or students are failing to learn anything.

Those science fiction scenarios in which something disrupts society and 99% of the population dies within a few weeks are starting to be more and more believable. When all the McDonald's and WalMart stores close, they will be at a loss to survive. Of course, they might die of boredom first because there'd be no television any more.

[hrrunka]

I'm glad the weather turned fine. It makes events like that much more enjoyable.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Sure does. There were some nice looking horses around too. I didn't have time this year to browse all the exhibits, but they are always interesting.

[felder.livejournal.com]

*rolls his eyes and snorts at that exchange*

good grief 'tivo ;) i don't know.. these young whippersnappers..

*snugs*

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Not even very young. I think he was near 30 years old. A lifetime spent watching television, I guess, will leave you ignorant of everything.

*nibbles*

A good yarn

[mondhasen.livejournal.com]

I make it a point to explain to my son the use of objects we find in various junk shops and consignment barns (is that redundant?). He's inquisitive, and playing curator keeps my sleepy mind active.

One object that stymied me turned out to be an antique, four-spindled skein winder. I thought I knew the object's basic function (nothing is labeled) but told him it was to do with yarn and I'd look it up when we got home. Mom knits so he at least knows what yarn is ;o)

[It was an odd day at that shop, btw. There was that winder in one room, two spinning wheels off in another, and in a room of plush, on a top shelf surveying all, was a huge plush horse almost identical in color and similar in construction (without the rockers) to the one you have as a userpic ... and who came to mind?]

Re: A good yarn

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Too bad that shop is so far away. I can always use more plush horses. ;p

Skein winders come in many different shapes and styles, though the one that most often flummoxes the uninitiated is the traditional niddy noddy.

For an adult of either gender in any English speaking country not to know what yarn is just boggles my mind. Not knowing how to do anything with it, though, is no surprise at all.

Re: A good yarn

[mondhasen.livejournal.com]

One can never have enough plush, horse or otherwise. Would have made a nice bed buddy except for it's needing a thorough cleaning and preening.

the traditional niddy noddy.

I wouldn't have known that item... but now I will if I see one about.

I have a beautiful albeit quite pilly reindeer sweater that my mom made me years ago. She had to give up knitting when the arthritis took over.

For an adult of either gender in any English speaking country not to know what yarn is just boggles my mind.

Tis amazing what one takes for granted. hmmm, I have a set of old books that has lithos of items and descriptions of their usage: Trachten, Haus, Feld, Und Kriegsgerathschaften Der Volker Alter Und Neuer Zeit I've been told that these style books were being assembled at the end of the 19th century because things were changing so rapidly and they wanted a permanent record. However, it's in German, in the old style writing, so it is not easily accessible to me.

[merik.livejournal.com]

Visitor: "What is yarn?"

That's quite an exchange, although I have to admit that I don't find it too surprising, considering the blissful ignorance many people, especially younger people, seem to show about how things get made and how things work. I'm more surprised that he actually asked about it.

*chuckle* Makes me think of the staff meeting I had with my TAs for Engineering General Chemistry last week. In their next lab experiment, the students are making soap. I told my TAs to have fun with their introductions to the lab, such as maybe telling the students that they're learning to make soap so that, after civilization collapses because of some technological disaster brought on by bad engineering, engineers will have at least one useful skill ;-)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

ROFL. Sadly true. I've known some engineers who couldn't put together a sandwich, let alone make the bread for it. Not only was washing dishes beyond their comprehension, they couldn't even put the dishes into a dishwasher in an orderly enough fashion to get them clean.

I would say "We're making soap so that you can clean your ears out enough to hear the rest of the lecture presentations."

This reminds me. At my neighbor's wool shop this week I examined a bar of lye soap. "Pure, natural, traditional" and so forth. Oddly, no warning that it would damage wool if you used it for laundering same. It did say it was excellent for washing out the mouths of children who use bad language. ;p

Anyway, it listed one "ingredient:" sodium tallowate. Now I understand how soap is made and all that, I've tried it myself. But "tallowate"? Is that just an outdated term like "sugar of lead" or is it a legitimate catchall for the mix of compounds you get from mixing lye with fat?