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Here's another for the Samizdata Wonders of Capitalism collection.

In her intro at the top of her blog, Natalie Solent says:

Politics, news, libertarianism, Science Fiction, religion, sewing. You got a problem, bud? I like sewing.

Me too. Not to do it mind, but when I go to Natalie, I hope to be reading about it every so often. But it's mostly about politics, news, libertarianism, etc.

However, yesterday there was a sewing item.

Enough of politics …

Good, good.

… I have got me an overlocker.

What's that?

It cost more than my last car but two.

No, not what did it cost? What is it?

These beasties are to proper sewing machines what the microwave oven is to a proper oven - the quote comes from Jan Saunders of Sewing for Dummies fame, and it's true. An overlocker can't do some things that a proper sewing machine can but it does its more limited range of tasks much faster and, once you have one, the change in the relative cost in effort of each action inevitably changes the whole style of cuisine, sorry, sewing. For benighted readers who do not know what an overlocker is, take off your T-shirts. Yes, very nice. Now turn the T inside out and look at the seams. They were sewn, bound and cut in one operation by an overlocker. The fluffy, softer thread used is distinctive, and overlockers are better at not distorting stretchy fabrics than an ordinary sewing machine is. In the opposite direction, they are also better at not puckering up thin, fray-prone "brittle" fabrics. I have already had the guts to make a child's dressing-up cloak from some ridiculous shiny stuff that I had kept for years waiting for the day when I got my Black Belt.

This is the …

… Janome MyLock 644D for the hordes of sewing-geeks who infest this blog like swarming locusts.

Yes, we have swarms of those too, because we have swarms of everything. But for the benefit of the more typical Samizdata reader, Mr Natalie helps out:

My husband has kindly translated sewing geek language into Engineering: the overlocker is to the ordinary sewing machine what the vertical mill is to the lathe; you can do almost anything on a lathe including vertical milling - but a mill does the job so much better.

Serious point about capitalism, excellence of, to end with: Some of you may not have understood all of what Natalie, or even Mr Natalie, says about her new Janome MyLock 644D overlocker. I think it is clear that she likes it, but I for one can't claim to be entirely sure about all the detail of exactly why. But with capitalism, this doesn't matter. All that is required in a free market is that the people involved directly in a deal understand what they are doing.

In particular, no politicians need get involved, or feel that they have to understand what is going on, before matters can proceed satisfactorily. Imagine how much more primitive and miserable life would be if politicians did have to understand everything and supervise everything.

Well, you don't have to. Samizdata is full of reports about just such circumstances.

Take Cuba, a classic "The Boss has to understand everything" kind of place. Paul Marks and David Carr weren't agreeing yesterday about what will happen next, but between them they describe what a grim and ghastly and easily understood place Cuba now is very well.

And for an example nearer to home of circumstances ever more directly supervised by the politicians and consequently ever more shambolic, look no further than this posting which I also did here only yesterday, about Britain's ever more state controlled examination system.