A Note for German Customers - Again

Last February, I published a post on the German Customs Service, or to be more precise, on the complete opposite of the famous German efficiency when it concerns importing small parcels that contain one or two berets.

Those days, 4 months ago, I optimistically told German customers that they should expect delays of 2 weeks, but I now know that the Bundesgrenzschutz (German Customs) happily delays deliveries of my berets up to 5 - 6 weeks!

Wanting to provide 1st class service, I regularly sent out replacements, only to hear that the original parcel arrived 2 weeks later. Needless to say I am getting very frustrated.

I place no restrictions on countries where customers come from and from all the 100's and 100's of parcels that I sent across the planet over the years, only two got lost - and that wasn't in South or Central American countries, Africa or Asia... 

So yes, I'm sorry to advise customers from Germany to expect loooong delivery times. The berets do arrive, but you need to practice some serious patience. 

D.I.Y. Beret

Project for a rainy Sunday afternoon:

Made with Shetland Spindrift, this light and classy felted beret will become a favorite in short order. Make one for yourself or a loved one and embellish it with a ribbon or leather lariat and you'll soon be a felting addict! 

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

Pattern Sizing: approx. 21" head circumference Yardage Required: 230 yards of feltable fingering yarn Copyright: Churchmouse Yarns & Teas Gauge: 22 sts & 30 rows = 4" in St st on larger needles, before feltingPattern uses 16" circular 3.75mm/ US 5 and 4mm/ US 6 needles and a set of 4mm/ US 6 DPNs. Pattern skill level: Easy (as determined by the Craft Yarn Council of America).

Gavin Turk

Gavin Turk (born 1967) is a British artist and considered one of the Young British Artists (YBAs). Turk continually investigates what it means to be an artist and many of his works deal with issues of authorship, authenticity and originality.

He attended the Royal College of Art, in London. In 1991, the tutors refused to give him the final degree because of his show, called Cave, which consisted of a whitewashed studio space, containing only a blue heritage plaque (of the kind normally found on historic buildings) commemorating his own presence as a sculptor. This bestowed some instant notoriety on Turk, whose work was collected by Charles Saatchi.

Turk pieces often involves his own image disguised as that of a more famous person. He has cast himself in a series of detailed life sized sculptures as different romantic heroes, including Sid Vicious, Jean-Paul Marat and the leftist revolutionary Che Guevara.

A set of what appeared to be classic posters of Che Guevara in a beret, revealed themselves on further scrutiny to be photos of Turk himself. Turk alleged that the management of London's (now defunct) Millennium Dome refused to display his Che Gavara (sic) sculpture, for fear of offending arms-manufacturing Dome sponsor BAe/Marconi.

Hasta La Victoria Siempre (Elvis on summer holiday with Che Beret)

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. 

It follows the exploits of two secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a fictitious secret international espionage and law-enforcement agency called U.N.C.L.E.. Originally co-creator Sam Rolfe wanted to leave the meaning of UNCLE ambiguous so it could be viewed as either referring to "Uncle Sam" or the United Nations.

Concerns by the MGM Legal department about possible New York law violations for using the abbreviation "U.N." for commercial purposes resulted in the producers clarifying that U.N.C.L.E. was an acronym for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement. Each episode of the television show had an "acknowledgement" credit to the U.N.C.L.E. on the end titles.

U.N.C.L.E.'s archenemy agency was a vast organization known as THRUSH (originally named WASP in the series pilot movie). The original series never divulged what the acronym THRUSH stood for, but in several of the U.N.C.L.E. novels written by David McDaniel, it appears as the Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity, and is described as having been founded by Col. Sebastian Moran after the death of Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls in the Sherlock Holmes story, "The Final Problem."

Beretman - Networking

Violet Teague

Violet Helen Evangeline Teague (1872 – 1951) was an Australian portrait painter and designer of murals, born in Melbourne and educated at the Presbyterian Ladies College, Melbourne.

Violet Teague - Raising the flag at Trawalla, 1940

She studied under E Phillips Fox and Tudor St George Tucker in the Charterisville group, and the National Gallery School under L Bernard Hall, then overseas to Ernest Blanc Garin's school in Brussels and Hubert von Herkomer's school in London.

From 1905 to 1914 she produced many woodcut prints after the Japanese style, and taught the techniques at the Victorian Arts and Crafts Society.

Her painting Boy with a Palette won a silver prize from the Old Salon, Paris when exhibited in 1920, and was later hung at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. She has been reckoned among the best portraitists Australia has produced and a great promoter for Txapelduns (rather uncommon among Australian ladies in those days).

Alex T. Smith & Claude

After briefly considering careers in space travel, cookery and being a rabbit, Alex T. Smith finally decided to become an illustrator. In 2006 he graduated from Coventry University with a degree in Illustration and won second place in the Macmillan Prize for Children's Illustration. 

Claude (in Hungarian)

For such a young newcomer, Alex has already achieved great things. His first fiction series - Claude - has been selected for the Richard and Judy Children's Book Club 2011 and Bella and Monty recently won the Dundee Award.

Le béret nue

Mikel Laboa

Mikel Laboa Mancisidor (1934 – 2008) was one of the Basque Country's most important singer-songwriters.

Considered the patriarch of Basque music, his music has had an influence on younger generations. A testament to this is the tribute album Txerokee, Mikel Laboaren Kantak ("Cherokee: Songs of Mikel Laboa"), published in 1991 by various younger-generation rock and folk music groups.

His album Bat-Hiru ("One-Three") was chosen in a reader poll by the local Diario Vasco newspaper as the greatest Basque album in history. Nearly all of his songs are sung in Basque.

With Jorge Orteiza

Mikel Laboa was a dedicated KANGOL wearer.

KANGOL Ads

A nice collection of vintage KANGOL ads:

Jorge Oteiza

Jorge Oteiza Enbil (1908 – 2003), was a Basque Spanish sculptor, painter, designer and writer, renowned for being one of the main theorists on Spanish modern art.

Oteiza was born in Orio (Gipuzkoa). He moved to South America in 1935, just before the Spanish Civil War, and stayed there for 14 years. In 1963 he published Quosque tandem!, an essay about the aesthetics inherent to Basque soul, based on Basque prehistoric art and Basque people's anthropological roots.

With Juan Mari Lekuona

He died in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, in 2003. Following his will, a month after his death a museum dedicated to his career was opened in Alzuza, Navarre, in the place where he had lived since 1975. The Oteiza Museum is a monographic exhibition space housing the personal collection of Jorge Oteiza, which includes 1,690 sculptures, 2,000 experimental pieces from the artist’s Chalk Laboratory, and an extensive collection of drawings and collages.

With Mikel Laboa

Green Beret Bibs

I'm not much of a fan of Green berets, in the sense of army special operation units. The whole idolization of soldiers doing what they are trained to do is not well spent on me.   

If any, I prefer a Green Basque, with a good sized txortena in the centre. Obviously, there are people who think differently (have a look at the stats for this web site and notice how often people get here by searching for "green berets"...) and a whole industry has developed around that. 

Imitation green berets, books -serious non-fiction and adolescent fiction, songs, desk statues and even baby-bibs!

Who in their right mind would give this to a baby..?

Pakols in 'Beyond the Call'

In an Indiana Jones meets Mother Teresa adventure, three middle-aged men, former soldiers and modern-day, pakol wearing knights travel the world delivering life-saving humanitarian aid directly into the hands of civilians and doctors.

Pakol wearing Ed Artis on satellite phone checking on food delivery. Afghanistan 2001

Ed Artis, James Laws and Walt Ratterman inspire through deeds not words, in some of the most dangerous yet beautiful places on Earth, the front lines of war.

Knightsbridge International is a unique humanitarian organization, whose motto is "High Adventure and Service to Humanity." They explain, "We're not there to change anybody's politics, we're not in the God business, and we pay our own way." They add simply, We do what we can, when we can, because we can.

"An extremely inspiring film that is also hilarious, exciting and heart-wrenching. Not only are the three men unbelievably good willed, they are enjoyable characters filled with lovable quirks and wonderful stories to tell." 

The German Series #22 - Hans Blickensdörfer's 'Die Baskenmuetze'

The Basque beret is a novel by Hans Blickensdörfer, published in 1973. The book became a bestseller and was translated into 18 languages.

 The author tells of his experiences immediately after the end of World War II. In order to avoid capture by the Russians, he flies and ends up in France, where he has friends from before the war and occupation.

 However, he is betrayed and detained and, because of his excellent knowledge of French taken for a spy. He is taken to the notorious prison Bonne Nouvelle at Rouen. In addition to the hatred from the Germans , violence, hunger and disease, he also experienced solidarity and assistance from the French prisoners. Thus, the author provides insight into the post-war trauma in France, of occupation and collaboration.

 In the end, he manages to escape. He wears a Basque beret to hide his shaved head. After several re-imprisonments and escape attempts, he finally gets home, back in Germany.

 In 1990, the novel was turned into a Franco-German TV co-production with Patrick Bach in the title role, directed by Alain Bonnot.

Gaucho Argentina

New, again, at South Pacific Berets

Yes, just when you thought there couldn't possibly be more to add to the stock at South Pacific Berets, the Hoodlums have arrived!

Quality, hand-made berets from the USA. Berets with the Om or Peace symbol (no meditator, Buddhist, Zen practitioner or Peace activist should go without one!), and also custom made peaked berets in grey, brown and navy.
Very comfortable and, I can't help but thinking of the 1917 Revolution and Leon Trotsky, when looking at these berets... 

Have a look here for the whole range.