Knitting provides homework alternative
Knitting has gained popularity
among a younger crowd,
raising concerns about costs
By Ashley Griffin
Freelance Reporter
Cigarettes. Alcohol. Caffeine. Even
chocolate.
But knitting?
Often used as a relaxation tech
nique or as a way to make great gifts,
urban knitting has struck the nation
with yarn fever.
But knitting can also be costly, time
consuming and distracting. Several lo
cal knitters said knitting is a hobby for
the addictive personality.
"Once you get going, you just
have to finish your scarf. It's horri
bly addictive," junior Shayna Bres
low said. "My knitting has taken
over my furniture."
Breslow said once she got started
with knitting, she couldn't help but
want to be the best.
Sophomore Emily Hines agreed.
"At first it was more frustration
than anything else that sparked
a need to keeping doing it," J
Hines said. "Then I got one row ^
done and saw that I could do it.
Then, I kept going."
Hines said she started knitting to
keep herself entertained while
watching television and to pro
vide herself with a break from
homework. Now she picks
up her knitting needles on
a regular basis, she said.
"It does distract me," she
said. "I get addicted be
cause it's soothing and
relaxing."
Both Hines and Breslow
agreed that knitting can become a
preferred activity over homework.
Knitting "breaks" can easily extend
into an hour or two, and half a scarf
is purled and knit
ted before the
knitter knows
where the time
went.
Cindi Blevins, an
employee at Soft Hori
zon Fibre in Eugene, said
knitting is a time-consuming
habit. For a beginner, Blevins
said some scarves can take
weeks of work.
Blevins said knitting can be as
costly or as cheap as the knitter
desires.
"Because of the many different
qualities of yarns, there are thou
sands of yams in all kinds of prices,"
Blevins said, adding that she spends
a great deal of money on yarn and
has devoted an entire room to her
yarn collection.
HOCKADAY
continued from page 8B
came out. There were three other peo
ple in the theater, so we talked and
laughed the whole time.
"I can't believe he actually ran
away from that hot girl! That's hilar
ious!"
And we, of course, recommended
it to friends. But it was out of the
theaters the next day, skipped the
$1.50 movie theater altogether and
was soon lost in the sea of movies.
But not to me. I bought the DVD
on the day it was released. I showed
it all my friends and it soon became
a cult hit. My roommate bought the
DVD, becoming the second person
in Eugene to own it.
More people heard about it and
more people loved it.
What's the moral of this story? Re
ality television is a shared experi
ence. The more people watch it, the
farther it spreads. Think about it. If
you like reality TV, your friends
probably do, too. And visa versa.
"American Idol" is one of the few
shows out there to actually gain
thousands upon thousands of view
ers every season.
Sure, "Friends" can be a shared ex
perience. So can "The Simpsons."
Fictional shows aren't dead. Just
look at the young success of "The
O.C." for evidence of that.
But reality shows are a shared ex
perience of real people and real
emotions. If Ross slapped Phoebe
on "Friends," would you talk about
it at school with your friends?
Maybe. When Stephen slapped Irene
on "Real World: Seattle," we talked
about it for months.
So, in the end, reality television
serves to bring us together. What's
brainless about that?
Contact the columnist
at peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.
SHAKRA
continued from page 8B
every single continent."
In his book "9-11," Noam Chom
sky notes that the United States, by
its own definition of the term, is the
No. 1 supporter of state-supported
terrorism. The public is relatively
aware of the fact that we bomb Iraq
and Afghanistan, but what about
our August 1998 bombing of the Al
Shifa pharmaceutical plant in Su
dan? Or the United States' support
of Turkey crushing its own Kurdish
population (we supplied 80 percent
of the arms). Note, the United
States is also the leader in global
arms sales (Source: The New York
Times, Sept. 25).
There are numerous other examples
I could point out, but for brevity's sake, I
would encourage you to visit the Feder
ation of American Scientists Web site,
which maintains a list of United
States military incursions at
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101 /ops/.
In Maria Mies and Vandana Shi
va's book "Ecofeminism," Mies
draws a connection between vio
lence and science, using Francis Ba
con as an archetypal father of mod
ern science, "(who) called for the
subordination, suppression, and
even torture of nature, to wrest her
secrets from her."
Mies argues that without the ex
ploitation and subjugation of
women, nature and foreign peoples
and countries, Western civilization
simply could not exist. Furthermore,
these aforementioned scientific fa
thers such as Bacon "(have) con
stantly concealed the impure rela
tionship between knowledge and
violence or force by defining science
as the sphere of a pure search for
truth." In other words, "progress"
and "advancement" have come at
the expense of a violence that is jus
tified as truth.
In his article "No Way Out,"
Michael C. Ruppert, editor and
publisher of the newsletter "From
The Wilderness," discusses the
American dependence on oil that
causes us to "(engage) in a multi
tude of psychological and sickening
rationales that will, in the end,
amount to nothing more than say
ing, 'I don't care how many women
and children you kill. Just let me
keep my standard of living.'" Here,
we have a version of violence caused
by the desire to consume. Chal
lenges to this desire are not likely to
be met receptively. Americans in po
sitions of dominance, affluence and
advantage, tend to want to remain
that way.
Violence is not just a vice rooted
in the American way of life, howev
er. It telescopes out a global scale. So
I'll close with a question: What can
we do in our everyday lives to curb
this addiction?
Contact the Pulse editor
at aaronshakra@dailyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.
...VICE SALE
That's right, it's time for Paul's annual service
sale. Just for having your bike tuned up
during March or April, we will give you
$10 Off. This offer applies to either our
regular tuneup ($39 less $10 ■ only $29),
or our major tuneup ($49 less $10 ~ $39 i)
Paul's Bicycle Way of Life g
2480 Alder & 152 W« 5th & Oasis Plaza www.bicycieway.com
nisi
your independent student newspaper
Many knitters follow Blevins'
path and start collecting knitting
supplies. 1 lines said she saw it as a
cheap form of entertainment in
light of today's skyrocketing theater
and restaurant prices.
"Now that I'm good, I'm willing
to spend up to $25 on a heap of
yarn," Breslowsaid.
Breslow said she brings her handi
work to class because it keeps her
hands busy with something other
than doodling, thus helping her lis
ten to the lecture.
Knitting can be distracting to oth
er students, however.
"People are always looking at
what I'm doing and asking ques
tions about my project," Breslow
said.
Ashley Griffin is a freelance reporter
for the Emerald.
Sam’s Place
Come join the fun at Sam’s
,
Breakfast specials
Lottery
Karaoke Saturdays
Sunday NASCAR
Happy Hour specials
few owners!
Open 7am - 2:30 Mon. - Sat.
Sunday 7am - midnight
825 Wilson St.
(North off West 11th)
484-4455
Aerobics Instructor?
an
Kickboxing instructors are professional
sts, black belts, who have been kicking
r years. They know how to teach kickboxing
and safely for maximum fun and maximum
more wild punching in the air pretending
Our classes use heavy bags to minimize the
and increase the quality of your workout.
You haven’t kiekboxed until you’ve used a bag!
Gall for driving directions and class schedules
8 Coburg Road • Eugene • (541) 345-7792
AJ£.
All Well Drinks All Day, Every Day!
$ 1 Pints Of Pabst Blue Ribbon - Always!
$3 Microbrewed 8c Import Beer - Always!
Stop Chasing Cocktail Specials!
Neighbors Features The Lowest
Regular Prices In The Campus Area!
Neighbors Also Offers Eugene’s Largest
Selection Of Kegs To-Go!
Call Today To Make Arrangements
For Your Party!
Convenient Campus Location
1417 Villard - Two Blocks East Of Campus
541.338.0334
www.TheEugeneBar.com