Episode 114
The “ALL ABOUT KNITTING” Expertease
The "needle" is pointing to LAUGHTER for this week's Expertease.
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Clare Sera, a master knitter, joins Danno Sullivan on "Expertease" to delve into the unusual and entertaining world of knitting for global and community causes. Clare's passion for knitting transcends the traditional, as she discusses her initiative to create Afghans that symbolize and facilitate the hope of helping people in Afghanistan. This leads to a series of tongue-in-cheek discussions about the effectiveness and sincerity of such charitable efforts, touching on themes of idealism and practicality.
The episode explores Clare's broader vision of using knitting to address social and environmental challenges, proposing innovative yet whimsical solutions like knitted solar panels and a world where everyday objects are transformed by the touch of yarn. In a segment that highlights the humorous rivalry within the needlecraft community, Clare's disdain for crochet becomes evident, yet it serves as a backdrop for discussing the unifying power of crafts and creativity.
As the episode unfolds, the arrival of Mother Ann Lee introduces a new dynamic, with her silent protest against double-needle knitting and her personal history adding layers of comedy and conflict. The podcast weaves together humor, expert knowledge, and a touch of the absurd to create an engaging narrative that celebrates the potential of knitting to foster connection and innovation. "Expertease" captures the essence of expert dialogue with a comedic twist, leaving listeners both amused and inspired by the possibilities of creativity in unexpected places.
Takeaways:
- The podcast "Expertease" features an interview with expert knitter Clare Sera, discussing her creative and charitable knitting projects.
- Clare Sera has written a book titled "Afghans for Afghans" and discusses the unique concept of exchanging Afghans for people from Afghanistan.
- The discussion covers Clare's innovative knitting projects, such as knitting solar panels and exploring the idea of knit cars and offices.
- Clare's charitable endeavors include knitting for unwed mothers and exploring unconventional ways to support the homeless.
- The episode includes humorous exchanges about the rivalry between knitters and crocheters, highlighting the lighter side of craft culture.
- Clare Sera emphasizes the importance of knitting as a communal and positive force, suggesting a world softened by knitted creations.
Transcript
Our audience tonight is composed mostly of knitters and special guest Claire Serra.
Host:Since knitting is your expertise and you are an expert knitter, I thought we could probe your area of expertise, which.
Claire Serra:Is knitting with knitting needles.
Host:Naturally.
Narrator:You'Re listening to expertise spelled wrong, the podcast where the world's most expert experts discuss their areas of expertise expertly.
Host:Ladies and gentlemen, knitters, crocheters, and needleworkers from around the globe, welcome to the expertise, knowledge, and craft podcast.
Host:I think I hear the click clack of silvery needles coming from the hands of my guest today, Clair Cera.
Host:Welcome to the show.
Claire Serra:Thank you so much for having me.
Claire Serra:It is so nice to have knitting get the kind of admiration that it deserves.
Host:Needlecraft needs to be in the spot, and here at expertise, we're all about supporting our homegrown craftspeople.
Host:What are you working on there with your big silvery needles?
Host:It looks like maybe an Afghan.
Claire Serra:I am working on an Afghan.
Claire Serra:I've been trying to rescue folks from.
Host:Afghanistan by knitting special blankets just for them.
Claire Serra:I will give an Afghan over the border and get a person in exchange.
Host:An Afghan for an Afghanistan.
Claire Serra:Afghan for an Afghan.
Host:That's just so beautiful.
Host:Now, I am looking at your book here, Afghans for Afghans, and I'm flipping forward to chapter two.
Host:Caftans for Afghans.
Claire Serra:Yeah, that's the other.
Host:I love the look of a caftan, but I don't think of it as being a knitted garment.
Claire Serra:Well, I think maybe flip over one more page.
Claire Serra:The kaftans are actually captains of the Afghans.
Claire Serra:So that's a person that's been promoted to captain, but we call them kaftan, and they would be, say, in charge of ten Afghans that we sneak across the border.
Host:I feel like this is representative of so many charitable ideals where you have dreams, beautiful dreams of saving the earth, and just absolutely nothing comes of it.
Host:It's really kind of a pointless endeavor.
Host:A lot of wasted energy and time, not to mention human resources, money, treasure, and blood, as they say.
Claire Serra:Well, you know, maybe you want to talk about our other project.
Host:Sure.
Host:Yeah.
Host:I know you're doing a lot of work with unwed mothers.
Host:Another charitable project with some of your knitting.
Host:You're doing booties for beauties.
Claire Serra:Yeah, that's because we figure that if we can keep an unwed mother's booty knit up, she might not have so many unwed baby booties.
Host:I misunderstood completely.
Host:Oh, I assumed it was small baby booties.
Claire Serra:Oh, no, those are too easy and too quick.
Host:Well, and a lot of the unwed mothers are easy and quick.
Claire Serra:Lots of exciting projects in the book, as you can see.
Host:Yep, yep.
Host:And I'm just flipping through the chapters here.
Host:It's one charitable project after another, in addition to unwed mothers, caftans and Afghans.
Host:I'm so interested here in what you're doing for the homeless people.
Claire Serra:Oh, yeah, I know.
Claire Serra:Well, I'm only signed because we have gotten a little bit of backlash.
Host:It's hard to knit a backlash, isn't it?
Host:I mean, you don't know how big a homeless man's back is gonna be.
Claire Serra:And, you know, apparently you shouldn't be lashing them.
Host:That I've never understood.
Host:What's the point of having a homeless population?
Claire Serra:You know, we're trying to come back from that.
Claire Serra:You know, somebody suggested maybe we knit tents for them, but I don't know, it just didn't really take my imagination.
Host:Sure.
Host:It seems almost too obvious, doesn't it?
Claire Serra:Yeah.
Claire Serra:You know, where's the challenge or the fun?
Host:I know a lot of our listeners would be interested in donating.
Host:What's the best way for somebody who's not involved in knitting to help promote the knitting works that you do?
Claire Serra:We do accept donations through nitcoin.
Host:Yes.
Claire Serra:We are currently knitting solar panels to see if we can offset some of the carbon extremis.
Host:I wonder about the technology involved there.
Host:I think of solar panels as being bright, reflective, able to let the sun bounce.
Host:And yet knitted products seem to me to be of wool, of yarn.
Claire Serra:We think of solar panels as a panel that you put on a roof.
Claire Serra:You know, why do you have to limit it to something hard and plastic?
Claire Serra:And again, bad for the planet?
Claire Serra:We would knit a nice, soft, black panel.
Host:Yeah.
Host:Mini clothing has panels.
Claire Serra:Yes.
Claire Serra:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Claire Serra:We're not against panels.
Claire Serra:We're all for panels.
Host:You may be overlooking the obvious here, but here is a way to tie in many of your helpful products all in one.
Host:You've got your bare backed homeless men out on the streets.
Host:What do they need more than anything on their back but a coat, a clothing, something made of.
Claire Serra:I don't want to cut you off, but we've already.
Claire Serra:We've done our bit for the homeless, and there are other projects out there.
Claire Serra:You know, we are trying to.
Claire Serra:We want to see a world of knit cars.
Claire Serra:We want to see a world of knit offices.
Host:These are things that are hard, that could be soft.
Host:These are things that promote hatred, that could promote love.
Claire Serra:We want to soften the world.
Claire Serra:You say you go to the UN, where countries are just going to get up there and scream at each other.
Host:And what does Un even mean?
Host:It means un.
Host:I'm against it.
Host:It's Un.
Claire Serra:Right.
Claire Serra:And what does knit mean?
Host:It means knitted.
Claire Serra:Yes.
Host:Together.
Claire Serra:Things are knitted together.
Host:They are not unknitted together.
Host:They are knitted apart.
Host:Is that close to right?
Claire Serra:No.
Claire Serra:But you have this soft, warm room where people are sitting in knit chairs, where the acoustics are muffled and soft, softening the un.
Claire Serra:Softening the world.
Host:Claire, you talk about bringing people together, about being the un undead, and yet, even within the knitting world, there is strife.
Host:The crocheters are up in arms.
Host:They're saying, two needles bad, one needle good.
Claire Serra:Crochet.
Claire Serra:What does crochet come from?
Host:Crotch.
Claire Serra:Exactly.
Claire Serra:If you want to listen to a bunch of crotch grabbers, feel free.
Claire Serra:I'm not going to stop you.
Claire Serra:That's not an art form.
Claire Serra:That's not.
Claire Serra:They don't use wool.
Host:Now, see, Claire, I can hear the disdain creeping into your own voice.
Host:You're promoting love.
Host:Do you not have love to share with your brethren, the crocheters?
Claire Serra:Well, you know, Dan, even love has to have a springboard, and I like to spring off a crocheter's face and then spread love into the world.
Host:Okay.
Host:Okay.
Host:All I'm asking is, you're knitting a sun absorbing panel.
Host:Could not a one needle crocheter crochet a sun absorbing panel?
Claire Serra:So, did you want to speak to a crochet expert, Daniel?
Claire Serra:Then, I mean, maybe you should have invited Ann Lee.
Host:Wow.
Host:Mother Ann Lee?
Claire Serra:Yeah.
Claire Serra:Oh.
Claire Serra:Oh, I see.
Claire Serra:She's here in the offices.
Host:You know that mother Ann Lee of the local shaker group has taken a vow of silence in protestation of the double needled work of the devil.
Host:Two horns, two needles.
Claire Serra:Yeah.
Claire Serra:Who's promoting love in this room right now?
Claire Serra:Hello, mother Ann Lee.
Claire Serra:It's nice to meet you.
Host:And for our listeners at home, mother Ann has nodded her head graciously, I thought, and she's now gesturing with her.
Claire Serra:With her needle.
Host:Oh, that's not a crochet hook.
Host:That is her arm that was bitten off in a shark accident.
Host:And this is how you treat a.
Claire Serra:One armed woman with a hook, you know?
Claire Serra:Okay, so we're gonna go right to the shark incident.
Claire Serra:I knit her a kayak, and, oh.
Host:She'S shaking her head as if to say, I can't tell if it's thankfully or that the kayak leaked.
Host:And she's not thankful.
Claire Serra:It's not pretty thankful.
Claire Serra:She's sued me, which, you know, really was the start of a bitter rivalry.
Claire Serra:Although I'm gonna say Dano, Mother Ann Lee.
Claire Serra:I mean, I've never seen a crochet kayak that has stood up to a shark.
Host:Yeah.
Claire Serra:So, yeah, point the.
Claire Serra:Maybe don't blame the knitter.
Claire Serra:Blame the sitter.
Host:The sitter in the kayak.
Host:Exactly.
Host:All right, we're gonna ask Mother Ann Lee to just sit down, please.
Host:She's getting a little aggressive there, swinging her hook around.
Claire Serra:Look, you brought her on here.
Claire Serra:You need to be able to restrain her.
Claire Serra:Here, let me.
Claire Serra:A couple of handcuffs.
Host:Oh, that's darling.
Host:For our listeners at home, it's the chinese handcuffs that you put your index fingers into.
Host:And.
Host:Great.
Host:Now Mother Ann Lee and I are permanently connected until we figure out how this thing works.
Claire Serra:Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's been lovely to be on this podcast.
Claire Serra:While Mother Ann Lee and Dan O'Sullivan pull each other's finger, I'm just gonna knit us out.
Host:Mother Ann Lee.
Host:Mother Ann Lee.
Host:Mother.
Host:Mother.
Host:Stop pulling my feet.
Claire Serra:Until next week, gentle listeners.
Host:Stop pulling my finger.
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