How My Worlds Connect

With the announcement last week by the CLRG* that World's in Dublin this July has been cancelled, and knowing that many knitting/fiber arts festivals are probably going to be at best online again this year, I've been thinking of some similarities between my two worlds once again. So I've made a short list!

1) Small accessories like to disappear:

Ask nearly any dancer, Irish or other discipline, what they can't find and odds are extremely high they'll answer bobby pins or hair elastics. Ask a knitter the same question and odds are extremely high they'll answer stitch markers or yarn needles. I've begun to suspect, in my house anyway, that all four items have run away together and are probably on some tropical beach somewhere. And any replacements I buy follow soon after coming into the house. 

2) Niche jokes are always in:

Whether it's a cartoon of a sheep knitting it's own wool into a sweater on a project bag, or a t-shirt mentioning "reel" dancers, knitters and Irish dancers love their in jokes. And usually the punnier the better. I'm not not saying I have an "I will knit in the rain. I will knit on a train. ..." mug on my Amazon wish-list, or an "Everything feisin'* hurts..." tank top (or t-shirt) bookmarked from Irish Dance T-shirt Company, but obviously there's a market for both of them ;)

3) It's fairly inexpensive to get started but it doesn't always stay that way:

In both worlds, we often start with the serviceable to test the waters and move on to better quality, and pricier, options when our budgets allow. Whether it be a particular hand dyer who's captured a podcast audience's imagination, or watching for photos on Insta from Gavin/Éire Creations or one of the larger feisanna* hoping for a glimpse of the new dresses, and/or vests, we all want at least a moment to ogle the priciest and prettiest on offer.

Hmmm, I thought I was on a roll with this post but I seem ti have run out of steam. If you think of something that I might be able to pair together with something from the other realm, drop me a line in the comments and I'll see what I can do!

Yours in yarn and ghillie laces, (They're both strings ;) )

Síle

All words that I've asterisked (*) can be found in my Irish dance glossary, which is here.