Of Pussies and Presidents

Job hunting sucks.  Job hunting when you're unemployed through no fault of your own, sucks even more.  I've managed my first week back after being signed off with work related stress.  I emailed all five of my consultants to let them know that I wasn't coming back to the department.  At the time of writing, not one of them has acknowledged the email.  Not.  One.  

On the plus side, this was waiting for me in my old desk drawer - a Christmas gift from one of my colleagues: 

She didn't realise that I read the Yarn Harlot's blog nor that I'm a little gutted not to have met her when she came to London last year.  The book is perfect; easy to read and was completed within a couple of days.  That's it's written by somebody I admire is a bit fat bonus.  

The book buying is carrying on unchallenged, as the book Protest Knits arrived this week.  (A gallery of some of the items can be seen here)  We live in strange times.  There are lots of things that I feel angry about, and if my knitting is a creative way of expressing that anger, then so be it.  Craftivism (craft + activism) is becoming more prevalent - and I can only see that being for the good. 

Craftivism in action - yarn-bombed trees protesting HS2, near Euston Station

Arguably, one of the more well known symbols of craftivism is the pink pussy hat.  I missed all the marches last year, as they happened just as Mr Knitty was in hospital; I was emotionally and physically wiped out, and my poor, poorly husband needed me more than the protesters did.  (Interestingly, there is now a move away from pink pussy hats, as they're not seen to encompass all women.  The Blaze has an article as does National Review

Protest Knits has a pattern for a pussy hat, so I could easily make up for lost time - especially as Donald Trump was reportedly coming to visit London in February this year (after my contract ended and I had time for protesting).  Pussy hat, here I come! 

Only, that's not the way it turned out. 

Twitter did what Twitter did best, and royally took the mickey, with the #IcancelledmytriptoLondon hashtag.  Sadly there were also anti-Islamic comments mixed in with the comedy.  As a result, my list of blocked users now has more people on it. 

So, no pussy hat after all.  Now where did I put my pink uterus yarn?