Definition of GAY (via Merriam-Webster)
1
a : happily excited, merry <in a
gay mood>
b : keenly alive and exuberant
: having or inducing high spirits <a bird’s
gay spring song>
2
a : bright, lively <gay sunny meadows>
b : brilliant in color
Having embarked on knitwear, I’m having lots of fun making simple knit tops and mastering my knit techniques.
I’d already earmarked this awesome red fabric with widely spaced navy blue & white stripes for a simple boat-necked T when NZ’s Prime Minister stuck his foot in his mouth and told someone they’d never make it because they were wearing ‘a gay red shirt’. Wow. Thanks John Key.
Whatever your feelings on homosexuality, using personal descriptors as insults is NOT OK.
Everyone, up to and including Sir Ian McKellan, has come down on Mr Key for his comment. He tried to defend himself by saying he heard his kids say it, and thought it meant ‘weird’. I don’t think he’s helping his case at all.
Someone decreed Friday the 9th of October as ‘Gay Red Shirt Day’ as a protest against his insult, and hey, I’d just finished this and was planning to wear this anyway.
I had an extremely gay time making my shirt on Wednesday (it was so easy – and provided a fun alternative to following the US election), and wearing it on Friday to visit a friend and her four-year-old. We gaily rambled along the beach, and spent a gay hour in the awesome neighborhood playground, going ’round & ’round on the octowobble, discovering that I am very bad at the ‘mouse house’ (like a hamster wheel for humans), and climbing to the top of the super slide and going down it over and over again.
I liked it so much I threw it in the wash that evening, hung it to dry over the dehumidifier, and wore it again on Sat.
In the afternoon Mr D and I went for an explore in the town belt with my camera.
It’s quite impossible to go on a ramble with me, especially in spring, without things getting very gay indeed. I start bouncing along the trail and finding things and exclaiming over them “Ooooh…look! Daisies!” ”Oh, the first forget-me-nots of the year! Aren’t they just darling?”, “A meadow! With clover! Lets go roll around in it!”, “Oooooh…honeysuckle! Isn’t it just divine?”. ”Oh look at that funny little shed with the graffiti! Take a picture of me in front of it please!”
And I skip. And frolic.
It’s quite ridiculous, and I just can’t help myself.
Oooh, speaking of getting excited, I really want to show you this picture:
It’s a terrible picture of me (what on earth am I doing with my hands?), but a great view of Wellington — and not the usual one you see on the tourist postcards. Also, it’s full of glimpses of places where I’ve taken pictures. The oval of grass on the far left is The Oval where I did the photoshoot for the Win in Black & White jacket, and the red-shrouded tower that you can see behind it is the War Memorial Campanile, where we did the Grandma’s Blue Dress photoshoot. The Campanile is right in front of the old Museum building where I did this photoshoot, and this photoshoot, and this photoshoot, and this talk. Somewhere in the green hills right behind the Campanile is the valley from the Rodeo & Wrangle outfit. Wellington is such a photogenic little city!
To balance out the weird picture of me, here is my new favourite photo of me (even though the photo, and my shirt, make it clear that I have a little winter squidge to get rid of):
Just the facts, Ma’am:
Fabric: 90cm of mid-weight viscose jersey with added spandex, thrifted
Pattern: 3HoursPast’s Blank Canvas Tee, with a boatneck, and 8″ in length added so there would be a stripe at the hem.
Year: 2012
Notions: Thread
And the insides? Red, white & blue overlocking!
Hours: 2
First worn?: Wed 7 November (US election day on the other side of the dateline) and then after a wash on Friday 9 November for GayRedShirt Day, and then again after a wash on Sat 10 Nov for a walk & photoshoot.
Wear again?: Yes! in fact…
Make again?: I think I’m going to have to, seeing as I’m tempted to wear it constantly!
Total cost: $2
