The Fat of the Land

One of my goals while living here at Heir Head Manor is to become more Eco conscious and build a network that is self sustaining.  As I have already discussed in previous blogs one of the ways we intend to do this is by starting a large garden where we will be able to harvest our own fruits and vegetables.

Since moving here and becoming part of a culture where people live off the land, raising their own animals to butcher and eat I have come to a new mind set.  It is not enough for me to bring my reusable bags to the grocery store or have my own garden.  I have decided to go completely local in what I eat, wear, and do.

As I told my mother tonight.  I have decided to learn to knit as part of my contribution to becoming more Eco friendly so that I can make my own clothes.  My mother seemed unimpressed and skeptical of my proclamations.  (Especially since in other recent blogs she has painted me as the Imelda Marcos of Vermont I really don't own nearly as many shoes as she claims.)

In between her laughter and a garbled story about some childhood trauma of being forced to wear a home knitted ski jacket; which I personally think sounds charming, she wished me luck on my knitting scheme.  Now this is not some hair brained idea I have pulled out of thin air research and thought has gone into this new pursuit.

I have located a group that hosts several knitting jamborees per year with all the yarn hand spun and dyed on site.  Granted the group does look a little older and greyer than the crowd I would normally hang with but I am sure that after doing a few online knitting tutorials I will fit right in.

Who knows perhaps with a little practice and a few knitting jamborees with my new medicare gal pals I too can be skiing down the mountain this time next year in my own hand fangled knit wear ski suit.  It might not be an exact fit or have the right stitch, but at least I will be doing my part to cut down on the carbon footprint of shipping, sweatshops, and planetary destruction that so many of our consumeristic ways produce.

I am sure that after watching the Eco path I intend to tread my mother will be all to eager to help compost our way to a better world.  After six months here she will be sporting a home hair cut, with an all natural dye job at the local squash festival wearing my knit creations and then she will truly know she has arrived.