This picture of Billie Joe, Adrienne and Vickie Howell was posted on Vickie’s blog in July. There’s a much larger version of this pic there too. More pictures here; these are of Adrienne at Habitat for Humanity.
[Pics via itsonlymec and thirdbeatred ]

Vickie Howell’s podcast of her interview with Adrienne Armstrong — “First Lady of Green Day” — is now airing, as promised. Adrienne sounds like the lovely, smart, down to earth person that she’s always seemed to be on the other occasions when we’ve heard from her. Listen here. It’s 24 minutes long, plus some tips on sustainable crafting at the end.

Vickie says she and Adrienne first met when Vickie called a green yarn she sells in her “Rock” line of yarns “Billie Joe.” Adrienne saw it in a catalog, ordered the yarn, and they started corresponding and became friends.

This is a synopsis of what they discuss (don’t read if you don’t want to know what she says before you’ve heard it):

Habitat for Humanity: Both participated in a “blitz build” in Los Angeles, an event where 2500 volunteers work together for one week to build homes for Habitat.

Touring: Adrienne started knitting to pass the time and relax while traveling by bus on tour. She says her kids join the tour during summers and they have “fallen in love with touring.” Everyone looks out for them. It’s like a “circus on wheels.” The kids bike or skateboard in the arenas during soundcheck.

Knitting: Adrienne teaches knitting to first graders at Jakob’s school, and the kids are really into it. She likes to make smaller projects, like wrist warmers, to give out as Christmas gifts. She says she prefers homemade gifts, which are way more personal and more heartfelt, as a way to bring meaning to the holidays, instead of having it become a big consumer thing.

NRDC: Her and Green Day’s involvement is primarily to raise awareness. The NRDC is an organization that is able to actually make changes, and signing up with them gives people an opportunity participate very easily. Sometimes issues can feel too big, and this is a way one can be a part of the movement to make change.

Her store, Atomic Garden: She’s always wanted to be a designer but had trouble with the mass consumption and turn over of trend after trend in the industry, so this is a way to offer items that make a difference, don’t pollute, support small production and celebrate the craft of the work.

————————
Related Posts:
Interview with Adrienne Armstrong in Knit1 (Includes scans of the magazine article, which covers the same interview that was in the podcast.)
New Article on Adrienne Armstrong’s Store: Atomic Garden

Write a comment