Episode 41: Purls Before Swine
What's worth talking about? Pixar's short "Purl" in Bootie and Bossy's Episode 41!
What happens when a pink ball of yarn named Purl starts working at B.R.O. Industries? Find out in Kristen Lester’s Pixar animated short “Purl.” There’s a lot going on in these 8 minutes that’s worth talking about. It’s “unbeweavable,” as Purl herself would say, but there’s a deeper message underneath all of the knitting puns. Purl is the literal and classic “round” character capable of surprise and transformation as she reknits herself in the bathroom to look more like her male co-workers. Her knitting skills are rewarded too: when she looks and talks more like her “flat,” stereotypical male co-workers, she’s accepted and listened to. But what’s the cost? The arrival of another ball of yellow yarn—"Lacy"—forces her to make a choice: go back to her old, true, round, pink self, or stay flat in her knitted power suit and be accepted by the bros? There’s a beautiful arc and message here as Purl returns to her former self. Here's what Kristen Lester, the director, had to say:
"I wanted to tell and speak to an experience that I felt like we had not been talking about a lot . . . Believe in your voice, believe in what you have to say, believe in the things that you like. You can get challenged a lot, especially when you are a young woman going into the industry. It’s really important to stay true to who you are and believe in yourself."
--Kristen Lester, Director of “Purl”
But Purl’s round, colorful presence also transforms B.R.O. Industries, ostensibly making it a more welcoming place for all. That’s the beauty of inclusion—it makes it better for everyone, right? But what about how the men are flattened and stereotyped? And the guys at B.R.O. Industries—what if they don’t want to change? What if the culture of scarcity makes them feel like they are losing instead of gaining something? Art prompts these important conversations, and these things are worth talking about, especially today. And speaking of great conversation, did we mention that we will be hosting a Zoom Knit Night with Kim Davis on Friday, April 4, 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST? Put it on your calendars now and plan to join us! We’ll be sending out a link to register soon, so stay tuned!
And if you need a little snack to go with your wine, may we recommend Dorie Greenspan’s recipe for “Savory Cheese and Chive Bread” from her cookbook, Around My French Table? It’s easy and versatile—throw in whatever you have on hand—those random hunks of leftover cheese, bacon, walnuts or olives. Even the ungrateful children love it! So whip up some cheesy, savory bread, watch “Purl,” and join us on April 4 for some laughs, some good crafting talk and great conversation!
Whatever you do, don't knit like my sister!
"The beginning is more than half the whole and sheds its light on all the rest"--Aristotle
"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces--just good food from fresh ingredients."
--Julia Child
That early memory, as I think about it now, was perhaps the origin point for a strong mental association between Christmas and knitted sweaters. When we were little, we had the sweaters that Grandma Klein knitted for us, sweaters that were often wider than they were long--sweaters that seemed tailored to fit someone like Grandma herself–but sweaters knitted with love and a deep regard for thrift and the hand-made. --excerpt from a letter Bossy wrote in 2011
Happy Holidays!! Aunt Betty's famous dinner rolls and great small knits, plus memories of Christmas Joys
“I am no longer accepting the things I can not change. I am changing the things I can not accept.”—Angela Davis
"Life is like a marshmallow; easy to chew but hard to swallow."--Francis Bacon
“Almost every recipe ever made – French, Italian, English, Indian – begins with chopping onions. That's the foundational act of all cooking. So every night I find myself chopping onions at six o'clock and it's both life-giving and monotonous, providing and draining."--Adam Gopnik
"Here comes Janet with her damn brownies."--Janet
"My recipes are inspired mainly by traditional Ecuadorian dishes that I grew up eating in Ecuador. However, my love of food – and therefore the recipes posted here – go beyond Ecuador and include anything from Latin America, my mom’s spicy New Mexican cooking, my grandmother’s homemade Southwestern dishes and Texas style BBQ, my husband’s (and his family’s) delicious French food, new dishes introduced by my amazing group of international friends, and of course the great variety of seafood, vegetables and fruits available in the Pacific Northwest."--Layla Pujol (from her blog Laylita.com)
"In all my decades of staying busy, I had always presumed that my head was fully in charge of everything, including telling my hands what to do. It hadn't ever really occurred to me to let things flow the opposite way. But that's what knitting did. It reversed the flow. It buckled my churning brain into the back seat and allowed my hands to drive the car for a while. It detoured me away from my anxiety, just enough to provide some relief. Any time I picked up those needles, I'd feel the rearrangement, my fingers doing the work, my mind trailing behind." Page 34 of The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama.
"April hath put a spirit of youth in everything."
- William Shakespeare
"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry"
--Robert Burns
"Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
―Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
"We will all profit from a more diverse, inclusive society, understanding, accommodating, even celebrating our differences, while pulling together for the common good.”
–Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The greatest illusion is to think that life is at all possible without illusion --Bart Giamatti
Kia whakairia te tapu
Kia wātea ai te ara
Kia turuki whakataha ai
Kia turuki whakataha ai
Haumi e. Hui e. Tāiki e!
Restrictions are moved aside so the pathway is clear to return to everyday activities. Join! Gather! Unite!--Maori invocation
We have salted sweet hours,
Made the years rewind,
Eaten all the ripened heart of life,
And made a luscious pickle of the rind.
--Isak Dinesen
"Tis a Fearful Thing
"Tis a fearful thing
To love what death can touch.
A fearful thing
To love, to hope, to dream, to be--
To be,
And oh, to lose.
A thing for fools, this,
And a holy thing,
A holy thing to love.
For your life has lived in me,
Your laugh once lifted me,
Your word was gift to me.
To remember this brings painful joy.
'Tis a human thing, love,
A holy thing, to love
What death has touched.
--Yehuda Halevi
"Don't eat too much cheese; it's very fattening." --Mita
We present Fanny's (aka Bootie's mother in law) recipe for ratatouille. This delicious vegetable dish always reminds Bootie of relaxing summer visits to Fanny's house in the country. See the recipe page for more details. Bootie and Bossy discuss the bittersweet transition of our children's moves to college (Will they have enough deodorant for the after life? Will they use the right pan? Will they ever find the Better than Bouillon?). As usual, knitting gets us through the emotional roller coaster. We give updates on our latest projects (ah, the joy of Fall knitting!) and adventures.
"A party without cake is really just a meeting." --Julia Child
Bootie and Bossy each thought they had the best ginger snap recipe. It turns out that their recipes are virtually identical! Bootie's came from her wonderful friend, Mary Ellen Haley, who is well known for her delicious baking. Bossy's came from Marion Cunningham's cookbook, The Breakfast Book. Bossy has been luring her coworkers into attending meetings with these cookies, along with the accompanied lemon curd, for many years. One of her coworkers said he goes to bed dreaming of them. The recipe for the lemon curd comes from Ina Garten who ingeniously has you peeling the lemons for the zest and then pulverizing the peels with sugar. This method may use a few more bowls than we would like but it's so easy. You can find the recipe here. Bootie recounts her knitting get together with Marie Greene, the author of the most wonderful book, The Joy of Yarn. Got yarn? Marie to the rescue with wonderful tips about how to rediscover the joy in the stash you already own, plus gorgeous patterns to use it up!
Episode 20: We are no longer Rhinebeck virgins!
"Take the Risk." --Adella Colvin of Lolabean Yarn
Bootie and Bossy took the risk and made their way to Rhinebeck for the sheep and wool festival! It was a pure delight. We met several knitting celebrities, fondled much yarn, but what we truly delighted in was the inspiring stories we heard and projects we saw. And oh yeah, we did bask in the glow of the compliments we received for our own knitted wear. We plan to go back next year!
Our recipe for this episode is a hearty soup that is perfect for "sweater weather" AND evokes fond memories of our trips to Kauai. The soup is called Portuguese Bean Soup from the Cookbook, Tasting Paradise by Karen Bacon. We would always stop at the Koke'e Lodge and order this after hiking around Waimea Canyon (after visiting the KMart, recycling stations, and all the other "fun" activities our parents planned for us during our visits). Did you know that Kauai is home to the wettest place on Earth? Mount Waialeale receives over 400 inches of rain a year! This is making Bootie and Bossy very grateful that they only see 40 or so inches a year.
"Inside every person is the room of the child." --German proverb
"A cocktail is not meant to be a melange. At its best, a cocktail should be crisp, elegant, sincere--and limited to two ingredients." --Richard from the novel Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
“There’s something about, you know, when your life is sort of falling apart you need to create a purpose in it for yourself. And if that purpose is quite small, it doesn’t matter. It’s important. It’s something tangible.” From Visible Mending by Samantha Moore
It's snowing in colonial Massachusetts and threatening to snow (mostly large drifts of paranoia) out in the Pacific Northwest so we offer Ina's Winter Minestrone to warm the cockles of your soul, and your belly. It meets all of our criteria: one pot, it makes a lot, and uses mostly ingredients from your larder. Bootie and Bossy do a deep dive into all the many poignant moments in the brilliant short animation Visible Mending by Samantha Moore.
For this episode, we interviewed Melissa Klein, who has recently written a memoire about online dating. Melissa is a commercial artist, muralist, illustrator, logo designer, author, and standup comedian who works in a wide range of styles and mediums to reflect her client's vision. And she's our sister!! Here is Melissa reading the complete chapter (she read an excerpt during the podcast) entitled Imperfect Hearts and Roses for Valentine's Day:
And speaking of drinks, Bootie and Bossy thoroughly enjoyed A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage. There were so many gems in this book. We loved how he highlighted the fascinating details about beer, wine, distilled drinks, tea, coffee and Coca-Cola while putting them in the context of larger and broader historical trends. Some things that stood out for us:
The British Navy got some of its strength due to the grog (named after Admiral Vernon who wore a suit made of grogram, a coarse fabric strengthened with wood gum) the sailors drank. The drink contained rum, sugar and lime juice. The lime juice prevented scurvy. Unfortunately, the French were drinking brandy which contains very little vitamin C and thus the sailors fell victim to the maritime disease. That grog gave the British Navy the edge against the French and lead to British Imperial domination . . . hooray?
Who knew so much of American history depended on alcohol? The Pilgrims ran out of beer and that's why they wound up in Plymouth! The Whiskey Rebellion--why is that not a movie? George Washington was a big time distiller and seems to have largely bought his votes with alcohol.
And for you tea drinkers out there, apparently the tannins in tea prevent dysentery, cholera, and typhoid. You're welcome.
And one of the big messages: beer, wine, and alcohol made unsafe water pure, so drink up because it's good for you (ok, this may only be true if you don't have access to safe drinking water but let's not sweat the details).
Episode 25: Get better fast Mom so you can enjoy this cocktail!
Whelp, Mom is in the hospital again, so it's time for another cocktail! Update: she's out of the hospital and in a rehab where she is making excellent progress! So cheers to that!
The cocktail is called the Bobby Burns, aka Robert Burns, or Rabbie. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and an early promoter of the Romantic movement. When he wasn't farming and writing poetry, he was quite busy fathering children (12!). His birthday is celebrated on January 25th, and many toast him with this cocktail. In addition to writing the New Year's classic, "Auld Lang Syne", he wrote this gem, "The Answer" (can't you just here the Scottish brogue?):
Ev’n thena wish (I mind its power)
A wish, that to my latest hour
Shall strongly heave my breast;
That I for poor auld Scotland’s sake
Some useful plan, or book could make,
Or sing a sang at least.
And speaking of drinks, Bootie and Bossy thoroughly enjoyed A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage. There were so many gems in this book. We loved how he highlighted the fascinating details about beer, wine, distilled drinks, tea, coffee and Coca-Cola while putting them in the context of larger and broader historical trends.
Bootie and Bossy discuss their knitted projects, including Bootie's latest finished object, the Taos poncho by Marie Greene.
For Bossy's granola, you don't have to respect the proportions (unlike Nana's Ratatouille) but you do need to respect the process. When knitting, gauge swatching is part of the process and it must be respected. As much as we would like to skip this step, we have learned the hard way that as Patty Lyons says in her book, Knitting Bag of Tricks, "If you don't have time to swatch, save time to rip out your sweater." Patty Lyon is such a believer in swatching that she has an entire chapter devoted to it. We highly recommend her book for the many pearls of wisdom, not just the swatching advice.
Bootie and Bossy discuss a wonderful video on the Moth Radio that captures the highs and lows of what happens when you don't swatch.
Episode 28: Another interview with Liss!
Our beautiful sister, Melissa generously agreed to come back on because we need more vegetables in our repertoire! Melissa discovered this recipe for roasted tomatoes on NPR and if anyone know who deserves the credit, let us know. The recipe is as simple as it gets--throw a couple of cans of diced tomatoes in a pyrex, along with a bunch of cilantro, olive oil, salt and pepper, then run around panic cleaning for before your guests arrive. Melissa also shared her recipe for baked polenta--a total game changer. Melissa describes some of her current projects.
Bootie and Bossy discuss their mostly failed efforts at spring cleaning (anybody else storing a large box of dirt in their basement?). As promised, you will feel better about your own efforts.
Episode 29: Banana Bread and project updates!
Episode 30: Cruising right along
We have made it to episode 30 and you guessed it, time for another cocktail! This one is from Laylita.com. The melon sangria is a combination of delicious summer melons (your future self will thank you for balling up the melons and making melon ice cubes to have on hand), grappa, honey, and moscato. It's the perfect summer refresher. And there's a nonalcoholic version too. Bootie recounts the joys of her Alaskan cruise and Bossy has a finished object to share.
Episode 31: Looking forward and looking back
Episode 32: Made with Love
Our recipe for this episode is a summer classic: Gazpacho! Here's the clip of Marjorie Taylor Greene saying gazpacho instead of gestapo. You're welcome. For the record, when Bootie says Crypton instead of crouton, this is charming and not horrifying. Bossy has been making this recipe for many years, as evidenced by all the splatters in her cookbook. It meets all of our criteria: makes a lot, uses one pot, and you have most of the ingredients in your larder. And it's versatile! It's perfect for a hot summer day.
Episode 33: Chicken Fun
Our recipe for this episode is perfect for busy back to school nights: Pineapple Marinated chicken breasts! It's super easy, tasty and you'll probably have everything you need in your larder except the chicken and the fresh pineapple. The leftovers are fantastic too! Bossy first discovered the recipe in the September 26, 2021 edition of the New York Times.
Our Knitting in Pop Culture moment is brought to you by Wallace and Gromit's "A Close Shave" where we are introduced to Wendolene Ramsbottom who owns a wool shop and plays Wallace's love interest. We're also introduced to the charming Shaun the Sheep (even his name is a pun!). From start to finish, it's a treasure trove of knitting puns and simply a delight. We also love Chicken Run where the sheep are knitters. I mean, right?
Happy 90th birthday to our dear Aunt Ruthie who is rocking the poncho that Bootie made for her!
Episode 34: Abundance
Whether you have an abundance of tomatoes in your garden like Bossy, or bought them on sale at the market like Bootie, you will love this super simple and amazingly delicious recipe. It's great for those back to school nights when you need something fast. And if you prep everything in the morning (your future you will thank you for that), your kitchen will smell wonderful all day. The recipe for linguine with tomatoes and basil comes from the Silver Palate cookbook and we've made a few updates, as always.
Our knitting in pop culture moment is brought to you by Gilmore Girls Season 7 Episode 9, "Knit, People, Knit." We loved how they really got the philosophy of knitting, (if not the mechanics) and the knitting puns had us in stitches ;-)
Bootie and Bossy both have finished objects! Just in time for Rhinebeck!
Episode 35: Our Country is Spatchcocked but there's still Rhinebeck
We're back--we hope you missed us! And we brought scissors, and we are not afraid to use them in spatchcocking a turkey for Thanksgiving. "Spatchcocking?" You may well ask. It's not just a word for removing the spine of the turkey to make for a wonderfully evenly roasted bird in half the time--say goodbye to over-cooked, dry breasts and under-cooked thighs (the turkey's, that is). But it's more than that as chef, teacher and cookbook author Kim O'Donnel explains in "Spatchocking: A Culinary Term for Our Times." Written in 2022 after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, but perhaps even more resonant today, O'Donnel reflects on her own freedom to make choices that have shaped who she is.
"The right to decide allowed me to become the woman I am . . . The choices that were mine to make allowed me to forge my own path. They've given me the wisdom to know this: Without safe, legal abortion, this country is spatchcocked."
Kim O'Donnel, "Spatchcock: A Culinary Term for Our Times," Lulu Pork Chop, July 3, 2022
But what about Rhinebeck?! While other podcasters might broadcast live from the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival, we prefer to wallow in the womb of time and reflect on our experience for a month. What did we conclude? It wasn't just fun, it was joyously inspiring. We met so many designers and knitters we admire--Aimée Gille, Vincent Williams, Patty Lyons, Sarah Schira, Jamie Lomax, Bristol Ivy, Gigi Queen of Orange, the Grocery Girls and Rosann Fleischauer. What about Andrea Mowry? Don't worry, her pattern "Framed" clearly caught the collective fancy this year and was everywhere in all colors and sizes. It was magical to see so many people wearing hand-knit their framed garb on the hill for the meet-up.
Episode 36: Shear delight: A conversation with Christina Kading
Shear delight is the only way to describe our conversation with the wonderfully talented Christina Kading, who began her career as a second-generation sheep-shearer at the age of 8 ("I was born on top of a sheep!"). What's so hard about sheep shearing, you ask? First there are the kicking animals who don't necessarily want a woolcut, even though they have it growing out of their ears and eyeballs. Then there's the sheer physicality it demands, second only to jackhammering. And finally there's all the sexism, the men like Gary in Pennsylvania who didn't think Christina--a woman!--could shear his alpacas. Step aside, Gary, and let Christina Kading show you just how capable she is. She can do so much more than shear Gary's alpacas, though that alone would be enough--she's an accomplished artist, working in wood and wool, and a mixologist to boot. Try out Christina's recipes for a Jade Gimlet and an Espresso Martini--they are divine concoctions to warm up and refresh on a cold winter night (or day).
"Just because we are women, and we are gay, doesn't mean we are not capable of shearing an alpaca."
Christina Kading
We met Christina at Rhinebeck where she was selling her rugs, hand-made from the unwanted wool from her shearing. Her designs are wonderfully geometric and coincide with the wood tabletops she makes using pyrography, a technique of inscribing designs with fire. Her fascination with lines and shapes began in her high school math classes (as a way to avoid learning math), but that has blossomed into beautiful art informed by sacred geometry, the sense that we are all connected through universally shared lines, shapes and patterns.
We hope you enjoy our conversation with Christina as much as we did--we learned a lot, and it is true that "sheep-shearers are just irresistible. . . we just hypnotize people with our loving, gentle, sheep-shearing skills. I don't know what it is, but it gets them every time." So grab a Jade Gimlet or Espresso Martini and take a break from the holiday chaos to tune in for a great conversation with a fascinating artist and sheep-shearer!
Christmas bonus 2024: Mom's Strangest Christmas
Let’s set the scene. It’s December, 1946, and it’s beginning to look a lot like a disappointing Christmas at the Fort Hamilton, NY military base. No Christmas tree, no decorations for eight-year-old Mom waiting to disembark with her two sisters and mother for Heidelberg, Germany where they will join their father, then serving as an Army intelligence officer. The only gift? A pair of mittens for each girl handknit by their grandmother, wrapped and waiting on the bedstand Christmas morning. The disappointment of a handknit gift is what Mom decides to share on our knitting podcast. We can’t make this up.
"I have wished many times over the years that I had asked our mother more questions when she was still with us. Eight-year-old me was disappointed in such a sparse Christmas, but I now realize how difficult that time was for our mother, and I am grateful for what she managed to do under the circumstances. I wish I could tell her that.”
Janet Lewis Klein, "My Strangest Christmas"
Thankfully, it does not end there. Her older sister didn’t remember the mittens, but she did remember the stocking filled with candy hanging at the end of the bed. Which version is more true? Perhaps the Christmas miracle here is that both are true, and it takes a family to reconstruct the whole story. But that little detail changed the story for Mom and what it meant to her. As she says, “Our memories are unreliable. Thank heavens we grow up.” This is why we need each other, and why we share these memories and mis-rememberings.
We hope you find some time over the holiday season to share some memories with family too, and maybe make some new ones. And Mom, we are grateful for all you have given us over the years, but it was a C and H Pure Cane Sugar ad, not Hawaiian Punch.
Episode 37: How is Ina Garten like a Phoenix?
Want to start out the New Year with a great read? If you are an Ina Garten fan, as we are, her new memoir Be Ready When the Luck Happens and this episode are for you! And with the audio version, it’s like Ina is keeping you company while you’re knitting—as Ina would say, “How great is that?”
We decided that Ina is a bit like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. How can that possibly be, you ask? To be clear, she does not compare herself to a Phoenix. But as she describes growing up in a strict, 1950s household obsessed with appearances where her mother (a dietician) saw food as sustenance and insisted her daughter focus only on her studies, Ina rises from the ashes to create a food empire grounded on the opposite of those values. Ina’s food is about love, something she learned when she started making cookies for her then boyfriend, Jeffrey: “baking something delicious was a way to express my feelings and to connect with Jeffrey—I’d think of him while I cooked, and when he reached for one of my cookies or brownies, I knew he’d think of me” (35). Grandma always said the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.
What Ina wanted—and still wants—is to be “independent and self-determined,” and if that meant leaving her job in the White House to own a specialty food shoppe, then that’s the point: she wanted the freedom to make that decision, even when everyone else, including her parents, thought it was wrong. And guess what? Ina was right. The irony is that she worked incredibly hard to make cooking easy for the rest of us.
“You weren’t lucky. You make your own luck.”
Oprah Winfrey to Ina Garten (303)
There’s only one thing we must take issue with, and we are going to side with Oprah Winfrey here, who smacked Ina on the arm when she returned to her seat after accepting an award and expressing gratitude for all of her good luck. Ina made her own luck. Oprah wins that one.
A Phoenix is also the theme for Bootie’s latest knitting project for our sister Melissa, who decided she needed a pussy hat emblazoned with a Phoenix rising from the ashes of 2024. As all good things, it was a collaborative effort, with Liss designing the Phoenix, Bootie’s son providing the graphing paper for a knitting-stitch scale, and Bootie knitting and embellishing with duplicate stitches. A lot of work, but it looks great!
So make a big batch of Ina’s delicious carrot ginger soup—very healthy, depending on how much cream you add—and snuggle in for a listen to Ina reading Be Ready When the Luck Happens and to our podcast!
Did we mention that Ina is also a knitter?!
Episode 38: Perfectly perfect, or not
What is it about Martha Stewart? If you want a good watch while you are playing with your Christmas yarn and pointed sticks, tune in to the Netflix biopic, Martha. Talk about a phoenix. Launching her own I.P.O. in 1999, she became the first self-made woman billionaire in American history. Five years later, she’s wearing her “Coming Home Poncho” that a fellow inmate crocheted for her as she leaves a federal prison, a.k.a. “Camp Cupcake.” We have watched her rise and fall and rise again, and there’s a lot to admire here. Perhaps Joan Didion said it best in her New Yorker piece: “This is not a story about a woman who made the best of traditional skills. This is a story about a woman who did her own I.P.O. This is the 'woman’s pluck' story, the dust-bowl story, the burying-your-child-on-the-trail story, the I-will-never-go-hungry-again story . . . The dreams and the fears into which Martha Stewart taps are not of “feminine” domesticity but of female power, of the woman who sits down at the table with the men and, still in her apron, walks away with the chips." Joan Didion, The New Yorker, February 21 and 28, 2000.
This is a Martha who is 83, and she’s got an edge—she even drops an occasional f-bomb! But it’s an edge that she has earned, and she’s not going to sand it down or dip it in sugar. And in the midst of the triumphs and the tribulations, she’s learned a few things worth listening to: “If you want to be happy for a year, get married. If you want to be happy for a decade, get a dog. If you want to be happy for life, plant a garden.” She learns something new every day, and she lives by the dictum that “when you are through changing, you are through.” This is a Martha who is perfectly human, flawed like the rest of us and weathered by experience, but still standing and inspecting her peonies. She makes us think that whatever happens, we'll survive--a message we could use right now.Speaking of transformation, of taking clown-colors and making them wearable, check out Bootie’s shawl that she over-dyed with Kool-Aid. Her daughter actually wears it on a regular basis! A knitting triumph, but it didn’t start out that way. Between this and Martha’s story, you’ll definitely find some inspiration in this episode, and a healthy snack with Martha’s Lemony White Bean Hummus!
Episode 39: Murder! Vacation! Knitting!
What could murders, vacations and knitting possibly have to do with one another? Kim Davis, one of the hosts of the podcast Slaycation, connects the dots in this episode. The name “Slaycation” says it all: these are true-crime tales of murders that take place on vacation—more reason, as if we needed it, to stay home and, well, eat, drink and knit. It’s just safer. But in addition to her popular podcast, Kim is a crafter extraordinaire, (follow her on Instagram at @thatgirlknits) and we dive deep into her story here. She learned to crochet as a child growing up in Brooklyn—even then she was fascinated by how a piece of yarn could become a fabric with a little deft maneuvering of a hooked piece of wood. Taking classes at a local yarn store introduced her to knitting and brought her skills to a whole new level. Now she teaches those classes and runs workshops.
But the real connection between her twin obsessions with knitting and true crime is in the details. Knitting taught her to see, to pay attention to all the little things because the truth—what really happened on that beach or on that hike in Colorado—always lies in the little stitches that make up the tale. And like true crime, knitting is a bit like a puzzle, particularly when it comes to fixing your mistakes. First you have to see the mistake, and often it's lying there in plain sight, just waiting for you like that little clue, that critical piece of evidence that unravels the whole mystery of who done it. That’s why she calls one of her classes, “Forensic Knitting.”
But beyond the surprising parallels between true crime and crafting, knitting brings her peace of mind, something we could all use right now:
“Knitting is the perfect combination of meditating and peace. It sounds crazy, but when I don’t have knitting, I can feel myself shorting out a little bit, being a little crankier and just missing it . . . it’s just such a great way to disconnect from the chaos of the world . . . to just center yourself and take your mind out of the orbit of insanity but on to what it is that is right in front of you. And I think that’s really important. When I say to people that you need a hobby, it’s not an insult. It’s the best thing you can do for yourself.”
Kim Davis
If only more people understood that the cure to our collective crankiness is more time alone with nice yarn and pointed sticks.
Episode 40: Vengeance Most Fowl
Snow! Rain! Ice! Wind! When the blows of winter buffet us, we need to find joy in small things like bowls of warm, tasty Jamaican Chicken Curry, compliments of Kim Davis of Slaycation fame. Kim might not love cooking, but sometimes the non-cooks have the one tried-and-true recipe that hits all the notes. This recipe will definitely make it into your regular rotation because it’s delicious, easy and flexible—throw whatever you have on hand into one pot and make the ones you love happy today and tomorrow.
And speaking of Kim Davis and finding joy in good company, we are excited to announce that we will be hosting a Zoom meet-up for our Bootie and Bossy listeners and Slaycation crafters on Friday, April 4 at 7:00 PM EST and 4:00 PM PST. Sign up for our newsletter through our website, bootieandbossy.com and we will send you a link to register. Grab a glass of wine or one of our cocktails and join us for some great conversation with Kim. And did we mention the PRIZES?! There will be some good ones! Mom might even come too (hi, Mom)!
And for our knitting pop-culture moment in this episode, there’s lots to love in the latest Wallace and Gromit feature film, Vengeance Most Fowl. While Gromit, Wallace’s ever-faithful canine companion, finds joy in making things by hand from knitting socks to cultivating his English garden, Wallace is determined to make his life "better" through time-saving inventions like Norbot, the happy, nifty gnome who does everything fast. Besides the knitting references, we love the commentary on modern life that this “simple” stop-motion/Claymation film offers, like the settings Wallace devises to capture the spectrum of available human emotional and moral states:
If only we could wear this on a t-shirt to alert everyone to our setting on a given day. Or maybe everyone else could wear it so we would know when to stear clear. Remember, it's not their fault that they woke up on the "Grumpy" setting--it's just the programming. A good project and a nice cup of “Snoozy Choc” might be the answer. Keep finding the joy in cooking and making, and join us on April 4 too--more joy to come!
Episode 41: Purls Before Swine
What's worth talking about? Pixar's short "Purl" in Bootie and Bossy's Episode 41!
What happens when a pink ball of yarn named Purl starts working at B.R.O. Industries? Find out in Kristen Lester’s Pixar animated short “Purl.” There’s a lot going on in these 8 minutes that’s worth talking about. It’s “unbeweavable,” as Purl herself would say, but there’s a deeper message underneath all of the knitting puns. Purl is the literal and classic “round” character capable of surprise and transformation as she reknits herself in the bathroom to look more like her male co-workers. Her knitting skills are rewarded too: when she looks and talks more like her “flat,” stereotypical male co-workers, she’s accepted and listened to. But what’s the cost? The arrival of another ball of yellow yarn—"Lacy"—forces her to make a choice: go back to her old, true, round, pink self, or stay flat in her knitted power suit and be accepted by the bros? There’s a beautiful arc and message here as Purl returns to her former self. Here's what Kristen Lester, the director, had to say:
"I wanted to tell and speak to an experience that I felt like we had not been talking about a lot . . . Believe in your voice, believe in what you have to say, believe in the things that you like. You can get challenged a lot, especially when you are a young woman going into the industry. It’s really important to stay true to who you are and believe in yourself."
--Kristen Lester, Director of “Purl”
But Purl’s round, colorful presence also transforms B.R.O. Industries, ostensibly making it a more welcoming place for all. That’s the beauty of inclusion—it makes it better for everyone, right? But what about how the men are flattened and stereotyped? And the guys at B.R.O. Industries—what if they don’t want to change? What if the culture of scarcity makes them feel like they are losing instead of gaining something? Art prompts these important conversations, and these things are worth talking about, especially today. And speaking of great conversation, did we mention that we will be hosting a Zoom Knit Night with Kim Davis on Friday, April 4, 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST? Put it on your calendars now and plan to join us! We’ll be sending out a link to register soon, so stay tuned!
And if you need a little snack to go with your wine, may we recommend Dorie Greenspan’s recipe for “Savory Cheese and Chive Bread” from her cookbook, Around My French Table? It’s easy and versatile—throw in whatever you have on hand—those random hunks of leftover cheese, bacon, walnuts or olives. Even the ungrateful children love it! So whip up some cheesy, savory bread, watch “Purl,” and join us on April 4 for some laughs, some good crafting talk and great conversation!
