Save the Sock Monkeys!

Solicity Sock Monkey is Still Awake!

I joined the fight early this year to have the CPSIA , an Act making it tough for small businesses of children's products to stay in business, revised.

This law will affect crafters, handmade toymakers, boutique clothing artists, hobbyists and thrift stores not just major manufacturing companies who can easily afford the mandatory testing and certification.

The Act is so broad in wording that it would even force testing of materials commonly known not to contain lead or phosphates.

And we have won another step to victory or at least a stay of execution. They have granted a one year stay of testing and certification requirements for certain products.

http://www.cpsc.gov/

Yes, we do not want lead in toys and clothing for our children but the burden of proof needs to be on the manufacturers of the materials we use to make items with.

Instead this Act forces repetitive, redundant testing of the same materials at high cost over and over again. Sally crafter has to test the XYZ zipper she wants to use in her boutique dress for a toddler, and Betsy toymaker has to test the same XYZ zipper to use in her doll's dress and so on. When XYZ zipper company could test it once.

You can go directly to the update here:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09115.html

The fight is far from over but now we have a year to present our argument.

You can join the fight to "Save Small Business from the CPSIA" here:
change.org

or here:
http://cpsia-central.ning.com/

AND KNOW THIS CONSUMERS WHO HAVE KIDS AND BUY TOYS AND CLOTHING FOR THEM, THIS ACT WILL HIT YOUR WALLET AS THE COST OF ALL OF THIS REDUNDANT REPEAT TESTING WILL MAKE THE PRICES GO UP AND MANY ITEMS EVEN THOUGH THEY CONTAIN NO LEAD OR PHOSPHATES WILL STILL BECOME OBSOLETE .

We aren't asking congress to veto the Act but to revise it.

Will you join us?

Jewelry, Charms, Clothing, Bargains!
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Knitter Wanted

Finished making the shamrock granny type squares for the afghan I'm working on. All 180 of them! Now to tie a zillion knots and dab them each with a dot of fabric glue for good measure. Then whip stitch them all together and off it will go! This is a fundraiser project for Anthony Maleski ------>



I'm also working on a pair of mittens for a friend. A belated Christmas present. Yeah, my bad.

But the main reason for this post is this:

I'm looking for someone in my area willing to teach me how to knit in exchange for my teaching her (or him?) how to crochet. That would be the Cleveland, TN area. Or any of the surrounding towns here in our corner of Tennessee like Chattanooga, Ocoee, Benton, Athens, Charleston, Old Fort, Georgetown, Birchwood...



You see I've fallen madly in love with Cowichan Indian sweaters and Mary Maxim patterns of the same ilk. And I finally got my hands on the prize pattern of all of these patterns. The one titled "Hoedown" that features a square dancing couple.

Isn't it adorable?

I have my French angora rabbit producing all this wool that I'm saving up to spin into yarn but I lack one little thing. The knowledge to knit!

Teach me! Pretty pretty pretty please!

Are we Americans going to fall for this anymore?

We have $500 screwdrivers in our Army.
We have doctors who push certain medicines on us for the kickback from the pharmaceutical companies.
And now we have the CPSIA with its repetitious redundant testing for lead in materials.

The end product is what must be 3rd party tested for lead

If the manufacturer's themselves where the ones required to test their materials only one test per material would be necessary.

But no, we sellers (crafters, seamstresses, toymakers, hobbiests) must obtain the testing so the same materials will have to be tested at HIGH COST TO A 3RD PARTY LAB over and over and over and over again.

Alice Crafter will have to have say brown Fimo clay tested for lead
So will Betsy Crafter
And Crissy Crafter
and so on.........

Whereas the clay manufacturer would only have to certify it lead free ONCE!

Are you seeing this new million dollar industry???

And where do you fall in the picture? Are you the small business who is going to go out of business over it? Or the consumer who will ultimately eat this waste of more American dollars?

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