Craft Activism

Starting Young

This is a good time of year to be looking forward, and I’m going to interpret that as thinking about future crafters. A friend recently told us about the Needle Arts Mentoring Program (NAMP), which is dedicated to passing on knitting, crochet, and other needle crafts to youngsters. Facilitated by the Helping Hands Foundation (HHF) and supported by TNNA, whose members generously donate supplies, NAMP now involves more than 5,000 children in 36 states.

A Red Scarf Project* knitter in Vermont, at K Yarns.

            For any of us who remember being taught to knit or needlepoint by a mother, grandmother, aunt or anyone else for that matter, and want to pass that feeling forward, it’s not hard to start a program. All that’s needed is a group of kids, mentors, and a place to meet. NAMP can provide startup supplies and mentoring materials. photo courtesy of NAMP

            Says Penny Sitler, executive director of HHF, “Many mentors share stories about the benefits of NAMP as they find that the needle arts improve reading and math skills, the ability to focus and follow directions, and self-esteem. NAMP is the perfect way to teach a whole new generation the needle arts. People are continuing to return to the basics, which translates into working with their hands.”

            For more information, go to www.needleartsmentoring.org.

            And here’s to a crafty new year!

 * It's just a bit past the deadline but you can still send a red scarf in to Foster Care to Success for this year's care packages.

Craft Activism at the Arkansas Lit Fest

What a joy! Here's the yarn bombing at the Arkansas Literary Festival as part of the our book's inclusion, earlier this month. So many photos I want to share that I'm embedding a slideshow. I was so honored to be a guest author!  Details of my adventures, and how we planned the yarnbombing, blogged here . Enjoy!

I need to give credit for inspiration for this to our  Craft Activism book subjects, the JafaGirls and Crispina ffrench.  (I may have channeled some Kristin Nicholas, too.)

-posted by Gale

Rooms With a View(point)

I always like to read about London's Craftivist Collective, which has the catchiest of mottos: A spoonful of craft helps the activism go down. In the past they've used sewn banners large and small, instead of knit or crochet tags, to get their messages into the public eye. Hanky-panky stitching they call it.

Embroidery art Jafabrit a.k.a. Corrine Bayraktaroglu

Evidently their "mini protest banner" project inspired a blog follower in Devon to take on a craft activism project of her own—putting up a Be Kind banner in her village bus stop shelter, where hopefully the gentle message infiltrates the mundane schedule listings and posted notices about things for sale.
It also reminded me of an early JafaGirls project, in which they turned a public Yellow Springs lavatory into the Chamberpot Gallery. I guess it has something to do with the captive audience factor. Anyway, the JafaGirls (aka Corinne Bayraktaroglu and Nancy Mellon) have moved on to scores of other yarnbombing projects, often involving other members of their community. Spring is coming. Is there a place for Flower Power in a bus stop near you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nancy & Corrine with Mr Plato, in Yellow Springs OH.

location photography has its benefits

When indie knitwear designer Ann Weaver said she'd model her Lounge Act cardigan for the book, we decided to shoot outside an alt music venue, in keeping with her inspiration*. We hit Central Square in Cambrdge MA, for its murals and music act flyers plastered all over.
Not to mention the unpredictable. In this case, a beer soaked, shirtless Southie sure he was getting his break into modeling. **

Ann is am amazing talent: she's got tons of ideas and energy, two collections of knitwear designs in self-published books, mad knitting skills and a fabulous sense of color. You should meet her. OH WAIT! If you are anywhere near Connecticut this weekend you can, she and I will be at The Griswold Inn , in charming Essex CT for a special weekend event celebrating handmade in America. On Sunday Dec 11th we'll have our own showroom, with our books (I'll have both Craft Activism and the now out of print Shear Spirit), trunk shows, yarn, some framed photos of woolly creatures. Come sit, knit, chat & shop a little too.

I'll do a small talk about Craft Activism at noon and 3, but mostly its a casual gathering, so stop by, bring your knitting. And bring your cameras! Essex is uber-photogenic, especially this time of year.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

* Ann designed this cardigan with her memory of seeing the Kurt Cobain video for Smells Like Teen Spirit in mind. In the book, we have this fitted version for women and a mens version,  in dark green, for men.

**Yes, he signed a model release. No, we didn't use the photo in the book. Yes, we love it.

posted by Gale

there (oughta be) an app for that

Take my idea, please: you input what crafting materials you feel like working with (or have on hand). Then you choose a difficulty level , the amount of time you want it to take to completion, and the approximate size or function of the kind of thing you want to make. The app gives you a list of possible projects, with links to tutorials or examples online or patterns/instructions you can download/purchase. Why not? There're apps that do this for cooking & recipes, right?

Artist Trading Card by Bee Shay, from Craft Activism

That's all I'm saying.

posted by Gale

Whirlwind Weekend

There was a real Craft Activism frenzy in Santa Barbara last weekend, beginning with a signing and granny square extravaganza at Loop and Leaf ,
which had just celebrated its fourth anniversary! Ellen Bloom made the journey from Los Angeles and toted granny square creations of every conceivable shape and color, including a new Granny Greenbag she had just whipped up in blue. (Does that make it a Bubbe Blue bag?)
I, of course, was wearing the sharrow sweater.
It wasn't long before a few of Loop and Leaf's constant stream of visitors were sitting and schmoozing. Mike had actually won a copy of Craft Activism for his pumpkin carving abilities pre-Halloween and had read it!
A long-lost friend of Ellen's also happened by, proving once again that Southern California is really a small world. Thanks to Ellen suddenly there was a new groundswell of crochet inspiration in Santa Barbara. (And thanks to Ellen for the pictures, too!) I'm eager to see who will soon be creating what.

On Sunday, EtsySB materialized in person, thanks to Susan Torrey of GirlSundayDesigns and Andie Olivia deJarnette of Rogue Butterfly. The rain clouds dissipated, and a score of crafters set up a Backyard Boutique. Among the goodies: recycleable sandwich bags, upcycled leather goods, hand-sewn aprons, and plenty of other evidence of craft activism at work. To say nothing of the fact that an online group now had a physical community as well – another aspect of the DIY movement. (Alas, as you can tell, I forgot my camera.... next time Gale will have to show up.) Thanks to all for including me!

Posted by Joan

Fun to Be Lion-ized

New York City was a whirlwind for me, but what a great reception Gale and I got at Lion Brand Yarn Studio on Monday night.The yarn bombed door handles of the storefront entrance. Perfect for a Craft Activism event.

Fans of our first book, Shear Spirit, and enthusiasts of Craft Activism turned out to see pictures, hear behind-the-scenes stories about the book, and fondle (and model!)Craft Activism projects.

(Lion Brand's Patty Lyons introduced us wearing the Tongue-in-Chic skirt and the Lounge Act cardigan.)  Our Seattle-based tech editor, Dorothy Orzel, was there, along with the PotterCraft crew. Nice, too, to know that Ruth Marshall's work will be featured there in November.

Gale wouldn't take off Ruth's Ocelot scarf, while I discovered that Lisa Anne Auerbach's Sharrow sweater fit me. It's almost enough for me to take up bicycling.

Posted by Joan

 

 

craftactivists make: Brooklyn General

In compiling ideas for the book, we kept bumping up against "the New Domesticity." It leaves us twitchy. But what we do feel at home with is the idea of crafters teaching, sharing inspiration, passing on skills, using them in ways you choose to enhance your life, and feeling more powerful because you CAN [insert word here: sew, stitch, repair, weld, invent, reverse engineer]. Catherine Clark and Katie Metzger and their shop, Brooklyn General embody this appproach. So is there any place more pefect to have a booksigning & crafting party,  and trunk show? We think not!

 

When the idea came up for a crafting party, we couldn't decide which project from the book would be best. Sewing the Bella Brooklyn housedress (designed by Catherine & Katie) would be fabulous but too ambitious for a three-hour gathering. Maybe a granny square clinic would be fun? Then Catherine, who has sculpted window displays and more from old sweaters, got inspired by a photo in the book of animal heads by Crispina ffrench,  profiled in our Crafting to Recycle, Renew & Reuse section. She thought they'd make great pin cushions, which would tie into the sewing that goes on around her shop. And just like that, she sent us a protoype for the party: Owly, above. Squishy heads in Crispina ffrench's studio in Pittsfield, MA.

If you can't make it Sunday, check out our right sidebar for upcoming events. Joan's heading East and we are ready to rolllll!

 

posted by Gale

 

 

 

 

the extra photos

I'm going through the 12,000+ images that didn't make it into the book, prepping our NY slide talks (see right sidebar for dates). Many favorites are glimpses that bring back a small moment. More of these to come, of your projects too please, on the new Craft Activism Flickr group. (thanks Maryse!)

In Ellen Bloom's guest room, the Casa de Crochet guest suite, two pillows & her granny square Babette in the LA sunshine. Love.

ps. Ellen is one of of our profiled Craft Activists, from the Recrafting the Past section of the book. She designed a wonderful project for us,  a Granny Greenbags tote. Do not resist the granny.

posted by Gale

craft activist: norma & the red scarves

When we started to brainstorm what & who to feature in the book, one subject was a no-brainer. Norma Miller and the Red Scarf Project. You can learn why in this free excerpt.

Yup, lookie right here, a glimpse into Norma's Blogging World Headquarters, with the ever adorbs Mr Jefferies. (and I am not one to throw the word adorbs around lightly. Or, um, at all.) More about our photo shoot together for the book over on my knit blog, She Shoots Sheep Shots.

You can win a copy of Craft Activism, our book, in the contest Norma is running this week to support the Red Scarf Scholarship Fund. Go enter--and go knit or crochet a red scarf. Deadline for the scarves  is Dec 15th.

posted by Gale