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New eMagazine: A Modern Template Preserves the Past

Dec 23, 2010 by Sarah Read

. Here at Interweave, we live in two worlds. We live in the world of the past, where shearing a sheep, cleaning and combing the wool, spinning it into yarn, and then weaving, crocheting, or knitting it into fabric are daily routine (or at least daydreaming about it is). Many of us are being crowded out of our homes by looms, spinning wheels, and yarn. Our employees and contributors travel the world gathering knowledge from cultures with unique craft techniques and where crafts in their more ancient forms are still practiced. 
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. But we couldn't share it with you, if we didn't have our feet firmly planted in the world of technology. So we also try to keep up with the the newest and fastest ways for us to take the knowledge we have gathered and share it with as many of you as possible. 
Some of Judith MacKenzie's ancient spindle whorls .
. On that note, Interweave is excited to release a new eMagazine that links these worlds in an inspiring way: SpinKnit. I spent a blissful morning clicking through a digital file, scrolling down the pages, watching embedded videos that transported me to other continents, and listened to the voices of women who have spent their lives exploring the history of their crafts, traveling to its source, and doing everything they can to preserve them and learn from them.  

I watched Judith MacKenzie share her collection of ancient (think 6,000-year-old) spindle whorls. I got to look into Priscilla Gibson-Roberts eyes as she said, with heart-wrenching gravity: "Don't lose the craft."


 
Heaps of Alpaca fiber .
. I'm usually a bit behind the curve when it comes to technology. I've been a little more focused on not losing the craft than on keeping up to date with how to spread that philosophy around the world. Perhaps that is why I greet this eMag with such awe. But I took from it more than just being impressed with the innovativeness of the platform. It was the perfect pick-me-up for this time of year, when crafting sometimes starts to feel like a chore, like one other thing I don't have time for in my busy, modern world. 
A still from a video of Andean handspinning .
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If you need a similar dose of inspiration, I highly recommend that you take a peek. A tour of the crafting folks of the Andes might be the perfect getaway during the busy days leading up to the holidays. Escape by watching videos of herds of rare, fluffy alpacas! And if you spin or knit (or want to learn), there are instructional articles and videos as well. The true value of this new digital magazine, though, is in its perfect marriage of past and future. We're moving forward, and we're taking our ancient crafts with us! 

Until next time,
Priscilla Gibson-Roberts .

 PS: Alpacas!!
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Comments

 
Manycrafts2 wrote
on Dec 23, 2010 1:46 PM

Have you tried to save your emag to a reader?  Such as Sony 600 or Nook color reader from Barnes & Noble?

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