There is a lot of exciting things happening with crochet as we tried to exemplify through various posts this month on the stix blog.
Check out the Free Crochet Pattern Library for various pattern ideas.
We had mentioned in an earlier post the Coral Reef exhibit that is taking place in New York (until April 5th), here's a video of samples of the crocheted reef.
We raised $245 for Freidreich's Ataxia with basket raffles.
We participated in a travelling scrumble which will be raffled to raise more money for Freidrich's Ataxia.
We had Remilter King on a Sunday teaching crochet.
We had Crochet Show and Tell.
Have fun guys and we will see you this Spring for more events!
This weekend wrap-up doesn't include any photos although someone did bring in a beautiful Sunrise Circle Jacket. We had several groups of knitters in the shop this Sunday at both tables enjoying a relaxing Sunday with yarn.
If you remember the post about spatial geometry and how crochet has been used to demonstrate a hyperbole, click on the video above!
It is almost the end of March and thus National Crochet Month. Keep celebrating and exploring crochet, there is so much to enjoy and learn!
Annette, Carla, and Dan joined us for the first time, and we enjoyed having them hang out and knit.
Norah showed us the yarn she handspun (and a lot she dyed). The yarn is gorgeous. Annette, Sheila, and I drooled over all the fiber.
Carol brought in a family heirloom. The bib pictured below was crocheted by her grandma. It is so cute and the little button closure is adorable.
Dan brought in the sweater he is making his fiance which by the way is his first sweater. He just picked out the yarn and a sweater pattern and bham, he's knitting it.
And check out the finished sweater! Yes, it is handmade. The sweater has a delicate lace pattern and lovely silver buttons.
Have a great weekend!
Ian Johnson obtained recognition in 2006 when as the running back of Boise State he gained 261 yards and five touchdowns as ESPN broadcasted the whole game. Ian was a candidate for the Heisman Trophy however due to a collapsed lung his performance was significantly impacted.
Wait-this is the stix-n-stitches blog. Ian's main source of income in college was crocheting hats in the school colors and selling for $15 each. After the broadcast of this clip, the NCAA told him he couldn't profit from the hats (nor could he donate the proceeds). This video is great, enjoy!
Did you forget it's National Crochet Month? We didn't.
We will have more posts about crochet until the end of March.
Spring is spelled out using sheep.
David Kennard is a farmer in the UK who is well known for creating movies about his border collies. Mist, Fern, and Jake, David's border collies, organized the 200 flock of sheep to make the letters spelling SPRING.
Go to the Daily Mail and read the full story.
Here's hoping that Dave's message is heard and we get Spring soon.
Fran was making some lovely fingerless gloves in Ultra Alpaca. We love the stitch.
And on Friday I stopped by for a quick hello and ran into Louise who is in the finishing stage of her latest in Noro Transitions. She was picking buttons with Sunday.
Also, don't forget we are closed Sunday, April 23, for Easter.
Didn't he do a great job? Well, Carmen R. thought he did a fabulous job (Jenn M., his mom, who bought raffle tickets might have a different opinion because she didn't win but she had fun).
The winner of the Knitting Basket was Donna T. Both ladies scooped the baskets up within 24 hours which translates into some happy winners.
The most important thing is that we raised $245!
On The Knitting Front:
Rosemarie has been knitting tirelessly on Novella Socks from the Knit 2 Together book for her daughter. They are gorgeous.
Sheila finished another Spanish Dancer in Mountain Colors Twizzle yarn. She used 16 ounces and made several modifications. Stop by the shop and see what the mods are on this Knitty classic. If you purchase yarn, Sheila has printed a handout that lists the website for the pattern and the modifications she made.
A new store sample includes the Bunny Tail hat from itty bitty hats by Susan B. Anderson.
The hat is knit from Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK and is on sale for $6.
The hat is made in the largest size (1-2 y) and used one skein.
The yarn is very soft and makes a great baby hat.
"If the knitter is weary the baby will have no new bonnet," Irish Proverb.
Don't be weary, go knit!
Last Valentine's Day, we discussed the color red. It is St. Patrick's Day, so let's talk about green.
Green signifies growth and health. Contrastingly, it also has been associated with envy and jealousy (i.e. "green with envy"). Green is the emblematic color of Ireland, which represents the green hillsides and mountains, as well as Ireland's patron saint, St. Patrick. Green is also well appreciated in Islam as paradise is said to be full of lush greenery. Recently, the word "green" also represents a changing lifestyle that promotes an environmental consciousness.
Some interesting facts about green, include:
*Researchers have found that green can improve a child's reading ability. Put a transparent sheet of green over the material and a lot of kids read better and faster.
*Green represents tranquility. A lot of guests appearing on tv shows will often wait in a green room.
*Permanent residents in the United States have a "green card" which is not green.
*Green is the color of the Heart Chakra, also known as Anahata. The Heart Chakra bridges the gap between the physical and spiritual worlds.
*There is a supserstition that sewing with green thread on the eve of a fashion show brings bad luck to the design house.
Green is a wonderful color, so sip a cup of green tea, admire the signs of spring arrive as more green pops up around us, and listen to the smooth sounds of Kermit the Frog singing, "It's Not Easy Being Green".
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Crochet model of a hyperbolic plane by Daina Taimina. Photo courtesy Steve Rowell/The Institute for Figuring
A lot of kids always question when you will need math. When a lot of us picked up knitting and crochet the mention of gauge reminds us of that question. It is not uncommon to hear someone grumble at the shop, "Oh, so I do need to know math?"
In honor of National Crochet Month this post is about how crochet has been helping mathematicians. "Crochet patterns have an underlying mathematical structure and have been used to illustrate shapes in hyperbolic geometry that are difficult to reproduce using other media or are difficult to understand when viewed two-dimensionally." (Hyperbolic Space, The Institute of Figuring). I did not necessarily understand this statement when I first read it, but ultimately it relates to a theory of geometry that challenged the traditionally accepted belief proposed by Euclid about parallel lines.
In 1997, at Cornell University, mathematician Daina Taimina wanted to create a physical representation of hyperbolic geometry and looked to traditional crafts from her country of Latvia. Although, she tried knitting, crochet ultimately proved the best. Check out the The Institute of Figuring for a model gallery and articles on this topic (including the Spring 2005 Interweave Article with instructions). They even have a link for the NPR interview with mathematicians.
Also, check out Cabinet magazine that has a whole article about hyperbolic geometry and crochet.
Lastly, the Institute of Figuring collected hyperbolic crocheted coral reefs. They have organized a traveling exhibit (it will be in NY April 5-May 18th) to raise awareness about global warming.
Enjoy!
Still from Sunday here's two projects one of our newer crocheters did.
She made the cupcake sweater from Debbie Stoller's Happy Hooker book.
Check out the shawl she did!
She has recently learned to crochet.
NEWS! Tomorrow is the last day to purchase tickets for the raffle. Well, Brain's Barn has donated one handmade crochet hook. Go check out some of the beautiful hooks on his site.
One special crocheter received a lot of "oh's and ah's" and do you blame us?
The baby blanket was made with so much love. Patty and Remilter launched into a huge examination and discussion. Winnie is not crocheted on, rather he is embroidered on to the blanket. And don't you wanna just hug the blanket?
Another "aw" moment came when she revealed this crocheted baby bib with ribbon.
Also (yes, from the same crocheter) a crocheted tissue cover in the classic pineapple.
Lastly, check out this crocheted piece that sits on her table every Easter with little bunnies all around the corner with a basket of flowers in the center.
Thank you all to who brought in samples!
Pssst... The Spring Knitty is up! Go check it out!
In order to further support fundraising efforts to overcome Friedreich's Ataxia we are also raffling two baskets. The first basket is a Crochet Basket (pictured above) and we also have a Knitting Basket. In each basket is yarn (of course) in Cascade Pastaza, needles or hooks, chibi, sheep tape measure, the yarn guide requirements, as well as a book on making squares in various stitches.
The sheep pen pictured is to fill in raffle tickets. Each ticket is $5.00 and the winning ticket will be selected at the end of the week (Saturday to be exact).
What is Friedreich's Ataxia?
According to The National Institute of Neurological Disorders, "Friedreich's ataxia is an inherited disease that causes progressive damage to the nervous system resulting in symptoms ranging from gait disturbance and speech problems to heart disease. It is named after the physician Nicholaus Friedreich, who first described the condition in the 1860s. "Ataxia," which refers to coordination problems such as clumsy or awkward movements and unsteadiness, occurs in many different diseases and conditions. The ataxia of Friedreich's ataxia results from the degeneration of nerve tissue in the spinal cord and of nerves that control muscle movement in the arms and legs. The spinal cord becomes thinner and nerve cells lose some of their myelin sheath — the insular covering on all nerve cells that helps conduct nerve impulses.
Friedreich's ataxia, although rare, is the most prevalent inherited ataxia, affecting about 1 in every 50,000 people in the United States. Males and females are affected equally."
Maven demonstrated a couple of the scrumbles in progress. One of the beautiful aspects of scrumbling in addition to the "letting go of structure" thought process is being able to utilize leftover scraps and stash to create pieces of art.
Here's what Ed worked on during the event.
Another fun exercise is when you have group scrumbling on individual pieces have them exchange their pieces and then continue working. For example, the piece pictured below was worked on Remi and Patty.
This is piece will be consolidated with other individual pieces to form one large expansive piece that will be auctioned off to raise money for Friedrich's Ataxia.
Well, the little crocheted panda bear, that Eva got in a fair, knew it is Crochet Month.
Let's begin with Ed who is an accomplished crocheter. Pictured below, Ed is talking to Remilter about his latest crocheted afghan.
Ed also brought his crocheted basketweave sweater he made which is great!
Also, Jenn stopped by with her Top Down Yoke Raglan which is also great.
Tomorrow, will be a post about The Scrumble.
Tuesday's post will feature beautiful crocheted items including a Winnie the Pooh afghan.
In support of fundraising to find a cure for Friedrich's Ataxia we have two baskets at the shop that we are raffling tickets. To participate, purchase a raffle ticket for $5.00 and you can compete for the Knit Basket or the Crochet Basket. The raffle tickets will be pulled on Saturday night.
Happy Crocheting!
Don't know how to crochet? Well, Ms. Remilter King will be here teaching basic crochet techniques from 12-5pm on Sunday.
Of course the 365 Crochet Stitches a Year is a great resource. The perpetual calendar can be kept for many years and on each day is a different crochet pattern which can be used for a scrumble or an afghan. As well, there is the Crochet Answer Book. There a lot of good resources to meet your crocheting needs.
One of our favorite folks, Michelle, stopped by with her completed sweater. She took Sunday's sweater class and brought the completed piece so we can admire it.
We also received a nice visit from Diane who showed us her lovely moebius knit in Berroco's Bonsai.
This Sunday at 2pm at stix-n-stitches, in honor of National Crochet Month, we will be hosting a scrumble. What is a scrumble? Scrumble is another term for free form crochet. Some examples of free form crochet are best represented by the work completed by James Walters and Sylvia Cosh.
This interactive scrumble will be informal so stop by and participate in expanding this piece of art. As well, you can test out Jimbo's handmade crochet hook called a "Chop Hook". No new yarn is needed for this project, in fact, bringing leftover yarn to contribute to the scrumble is encouraged. The final piece will be auctioned off with one of Jimbo's handmade crochet hooks and a journal created by Maven as a fundraising campaign for Friedriech's Ataxia.
Are you ready to scrumble?
If you are getting started with crochet, check out the Free Crochet Pattern Library!
There are significant amounts of patterns so enjoy looking!
A most interesting incident occurred where a friend of the Zimmerman family came in with a sweater knit by EZ. Does the sweater look a little worn?
The sweater was knit when EZ was around 24 years of age. That's a long time ago, aging the sweater around 60 years of age. Sunday and Sheila spent plenty of time examining the sweater for design elements.
Looking for a helpful tip? If you knit one sock and are nervous about if there is sufficient yarn for the second skein, weigh each separately and see if they are close in weight. That's what JoAnn did when debating if this skein had enough to finish her pair.
Looking for innovation? This hat was crocheted in O-Wool in Balance yarn. And then-it was hand dyed!
Looking for a reason to love crochet? According to Wikipedia (and most crocheters) crochet creates a fabric much quicker than knitting.
Looking to crochet an owl? Or an elephant? Or? Check out this site with free pdf patterns of animals.
