Knitting News
Often boring, but sometimes interesting!
Updated September 30 2005
Close To Home
Washington Post - September 30 2005
Concerned about rising energy costs...
Ellen Harpin, founder of "The Ships Project" is the winner of the 2005 Knitter of the year award
News Release - September 27 2005
Ellen Harpin, founder of "The Ships Project" is the winner of the 2005 Knitter of the year award. The award is presented annually at Knitting Magazine’s "Stitches" event. This prestigious award is given to the person who has best shown the world how special knitting is in her/his life and how it can transform the lives of others. This year’s knitter of the Year award was sponsored by the Lion Brand Yarn company.
Ellen is founder and the driving force behind "The Ships Project". In October of 2001, a female sailor on board the USS Bataan responded to an “Any Sailor” letter written by Ms Harpin. In that letter, Ellen mentioned her love for knitting, prompting the sailor to joke that maybe Ellen could send a pair of knit slippers to keep her feet warm as she slept, since her sleeping quarters were extremely cold. Since then, the project has grown exponentially to include ships and ground troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. All items are hand made, knit, crocheted or sewn. To date, over 166,000 items have been shipped from Ellen’s home to the fighting forces overseas. Volunteers number in the hundreds and are from all over the US and even some foreign countries.
The Knitting Factory
Daily Candy NYC - September 26 2005
Do a quick web search on “knitting” and you’ll get Knitting Guild of America, a crocheting index, and the Irish Clan Aran sweaters. Riveting!
Just as you suspected.
Now, take a quick stroll down Lafayette and you’ll find Suss (pronounced “soos”), a new shop opened by Swedish knitting enthusiast Suss Cousins, a beautiful bohemian who’s giving knitting (folksy, chunky) a Scandinavian spin (minimalist, sleek). Her 1,600-square-foot space above Pravda is done up with light woods, cathedral ceilings, chocolate suede couches, hand-knit drapes, and red pottery.
In addition to tons of yarn, Suss stocks needles, patterns, and a selection of incredible ready-to-wear shmattes, like to-die-for cable-knit sweaters, sheer crocheted shrugs, panty and camisole sets, sweater dresses, robes, and baby clothes — all made in rich blends of wool, mohair, chenille, and cotton. Everything is hand-loomed in L.A. at the original Suss location.
Goshen to celebrate knitting
The Truth Online - September 30 2005
The art forms of knitting and crocheting have come a long way since grandma used to make the obligatory winter scarf or newlywed afghan.
Guilds, clubs, periodicals, seminars and festivals are now dedicated to bringing people together who enjoy these needle hobbies.
In fact, one such festival -- the first annual Michiana Knit-Out & Crochet -- will be celebrated in downtown Goshen on Sunday.
"We hope a variety of people will come out to this event," said festival committee member Sher King. "We'll have something for everyone -- children, men, women, beginners and advanced."
Knit for kids
Cornwall Seaway News - September 30 2005
Karen Bedard, manager of the Lewiscraft store in the Cornwall Square, said the Knit for Kids program provided over 400 toques, mitts, scarves, blankets and sweaters for less fortunate, local children last year.
The knitted items are turned over to the Salvation Army, which distributes them in Cornwall and area.
Knitting in Fashion
Concord Monitor Online - September 27 2005
On a sunny, 80-degree day last week, Lesley Hadley looked out the windows of her New London store and admired the beautiful day. But a few minutes later, as she forgot what was outside and began admiring her inventory, she said, not at all guiltily: "I can't wait until it starts snowing."
Hadley is the owner of Knit New London, a knitting boutique that opened in May. Hadley isn't complaining about business, which she said has been surprisingly steady. But you can only look at skeins of alpaca, merino and cashmere and make do knitting cotton bikinis and socks for so long before you long for a New England winter that demands wool, wool, wool.
Hadley's store, a small, inviting space of only 450 square feet, sports walls crammed with cubbies full of yarns, and a counter covered with rosewood knitting needles, colorful ceramic buttons and a calendar with a knit pattern of the day.
The store is decidedly high end, and Hadley is decidedly high fashion. Her store logo shows the store's name in a clean, chunky font, the work of a graphic designer friend. Hadley loves flipping through the seasonal pattern books and looking for cute sweaters and shawls that she would want to wear. She chooses yarns that are luxurious, uniquely colored and have an interesting story behind them. One type is dyed in lobster pots by a woman who lives on Cape Cod. Another is made in Uruguay and the profits of the company are spent on a social worker and other supports for women in that country. A third is designed by a woman who, like Hadley, was a nurse before turning to knitting full time.
Knitters needed on remote Fair Isle
The Guardian - September 27 2005
It makes for an intriguing advert. "Wanted: tenants for Britain's remotest inhabited island. Ability with bricks or knitting required."
The National Trust for Scotland is advertising for tenants for two vacant crofts on Fair Isle, 25 miles off Shetland.
Wanted: tenants for remote island … ability with wool a plus
The Herald - September 26 2005
The Vikings called it Fridarey, or the island of peace. It is now known the world over for its knitting.
It is one of the most remote outposts of humanity in the UK. But there is no shortage of people seeking to take up residence in two vacant properties on Fair Isle – 25 miles south-west of the southern tip of the Shetland mainland – which has a population of only 70.
The National Trust for Scotland (NTS), which was gifted the three-mile long island in 1954, is letting the two homes and has already sent out dozens of forms to would-be islanders ahead of the deadline for applications on Friday.
The houses became vacant because one couple moved to a croft on the island and an elderly couple moved to the Shetland mainland to be near their family.
New islanders will be especially welcome if they bring talents to meet "skill shortages in several areas, but particularly in the building trades and knitting". The Fair Isle Knitting Co-operative sells its wares globally.
Local yarn retailers are expanding offerings
Anchorage Daily News - September 26 2005
For more than two decades, Kay Smith has been on a mission to bring knitting to Alaska. Her quest got a lot easier a few years ago.
Celebrities Sarah Jessica Parker and Julia Roberts and scads of less famous people are part of a nationwide knitting craze over the past few years, to some 38 million U.S. knitters and crocheters, claimed Mary Colucci, executive director of the Craft Yarn Council of America.
Anchorage is no exception. Yarn retailers are expanding their offerings to meet the demand, from Smith's specialty shop to quilt shops that primarily sell fabric to nationwide craft shops such as Jo-Ann and department store chain Fred Meyer.
My passion: Rapt in knitting
Bayside Bulletin - September 27 2005
Sandra Davis has found a "purl" of a hobby.
The Wellington Point resident counts knitting as one of her greatest passions and has been clicking her knitting needles together for 54 years.
Sandra remembers taking up the craft when she was four-years-old.
"I was spending my school holidays with my grandmother and she taught me how to cast on," she said. "I remember there were only 10 stitches on the needle."
Excited, she told her mother about it when she returned home.
"My mother was a champion knitter; she was a magnificent knitter," she said.
"She used to win awards. She taught me the rest of the skills."
Keep yourself in stitches
The Journal News - September 26 2005
If you hear knitting needles clicking wherever you go, maybe they're calling to you.
And maybe it's time to answer.
Crafts like knitting and crocheting may look complicated, but it's easy to get started. And devotees swear they're as relaxing as yoga or meditation.
Once you master the basics with two needles and yarn, think of the scarves you can make for the holidays. Or the blankets, pillows, ponchos and sweaters, if you get bold enough.
"To knit a scarf and just make something, its not that hard. It's just practice," says Elise Goldschlag, owner of Flying Fingers Yarn in Irvington.
Two stitches are the basis for all knitting: the knit and the purl.
Down-to-earth arts patron loved knitting and gardening
Indystar.com - September 27 2005
Margaret Lindsay Denny McKee focused on the fine arts for much of her life, becoming a life trustee of the Indianapolis Museum of Art and gifting a collection of etchings by a French artist to the museum.
That was one of her contributions to the community.
Her family -- her children and grandchildren -- have remembrances of a more tactile and crafty nature: sweaters.
"She loved to knit. And she particularly loved the election years," said her daughter, Grace Norris. "Because she'd sit and knit and knit and knit and knit when all that was going on."
Mrs. McKee, whose father and grandfather had been mayors of Indianapolis, died Friday at age 98.
Hillsboro High School Knit Wits (direct link to MP3) - via Threaded Bliss
WPLN - September 23 2005
Thousands of individuals, groups, organizations and agencies have been scrambling to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina since she devastated the Gulf Coast. But at Hillsboro High School, no scrambling was necessary. The Knitting Club has been quietly supporting worthy causes since its inception six years ago.
Kentuckiana Knit-Out will keep you in stitches
The Courier-Journal - September 23 2005
Get out the yarn and the needles and get knitting.
The first-ever Kentuckiana Knit-Out and Crochet will converge on 4th Street Live Sunday.
"We've got lots of things going on," said Barbara Franc, owner of Sophie's Fine Yarn Shoppe, who is sponsoring the event.
Louisville is making its mark on the knitting map alongside Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.
"We've modeled our event after the national knit-outs throughout the country," Franc said.
The heart of the knit-out will be at the center of the downtown hotspot where a team of volunteers will be on hand to teach knitting and crocheting techniques.
Knitter's business booming
Yreka's Siskiyou Daily News - September 23 2005
Margaret Boos, wool hat knitter, said she may have to cut back from four craft fairs a year to two, and that's a good thing.
Boos said she got her first spinning wheel in 1978 so she could have fun with her sheep and indulge in her hobby of spinning and knitting her own wool. Since then she has slowly built up to a full scale, in home, business as she developed her own specialty wool and unique hat pattern with a very popular side business in pin cushions and Santa beards.
New Knitting Club, boosted by membership surge, seeks to aim efforts toward charity
The Crusader - September 23 2005
At the beginning of every fall semester Holy Cross students have the opportunity to join some of the college's numerous clubs, ranging from club soccer to Pax Christi to the College Republicans and Democrats. What you may have noticed at this fall's annual co-curricular extravaganza is that this year, a new club made its debut - the Knitting Club.
Despite its youth and unconventional subject matter, the club has grown rapidly. "We had 70 people sign up and two of them were guys," said president Stephanie Samborowski. 'We had 30 members show up for our first meeting."
Ye Olde knitting Faire
The Connecticut Post - September 22 2005
What was heralded as "the world's first Renaissance Knitting Faire," took place last weekend in Stratford. Over a three-day period, which began with a reception on Friday, a total of 185 people came to watch demonstrations, take classes or in some other way, learn about the fiber arts employed by women of the 14th through 17th centuries.
The themed event featured costumed local instructors offering classes in knitting, lace-making, spinning and other techniques appropriate to the Renaissance period, an era of artistic and cultural enlightenment in Europe that began in 1300.
"This is, in reality, the world's first themed knitting event," said Janet Kemp, owner of Fine Yarns and Needlework in Stratford. Kemp, who dressed in a garment fit for a queen, came up with the concept and organized the faire, which also featured a concert of early music at Christ Episcopal Church and a slide show of Knitting Madonnas.
Video Game 'Katamari Damacy' Has Fans Knitting Hats And Baking Cakes
MTV - September 21 2005
Some say video games can drive people to violence. Others say games can be used to teach. But so far only one game is inspiring fans to knit hats, touch up Leonardo Da Vinci paintings and bake cakes: "Katamari Damacy."
A critical sensation overshadowed and greatly outsold by the likes of "Halo 2" and "Grand Theft Auto" last year, it's a game that game makers love to discuss, one that has ignited unusual fan celebration across the Internet. And its sequel, "We Love Katamari," hits stores this week.Fan sites began tracking Katamari glass sculptures and Katamari costume parties, paper dolls and Play-Doh sets. At the suggestion of her husband, Bole drew the Prince rolling up the dinnerware of Leonardo Da Vinci's last supper and posted it on her blog...
In January fan Xiola Azuthra started knitting and selling hats styled after the Katamari (another fan bought one and presented it to Takahashi as a gift). The first hat fetched about $130 on eBay. But with each one taking about six hours to make, Azuthra still has 65 people on her waiting list (check it out at www.mad-teaparty.net).
Knitting yarns in more way than one
The Arlington Advocate - September 22 2005
A partial map of the world covers two tables pushed together at the Arlington Center Starbucks. But the colorful map, complete with small countries meticulously researched by Julie Chamberlin and her children, is not drawn on paper. It was made with two sticks and some yarn.
"The first piece (of the world map afghan) was a lot of ocean and I did it in about three weeks," recalled Chamberlin. "I would be watching TV and knitting. At two in the morning, I would just keep going. The second piece took a few months. The third one has been four or five weeks, but I have put it aside for now."
Although much of the work on the map of the world afghan has been done at Chamberlin's Arlington home, she has worked on it during weekly "stitch 'n bitch" knitting circle sessions Tuesdays from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Arlington Center Starbucks.
The knitting circle takes its name from the Yahoo! Group that spawned the session - stitchnbitch-boston, which began after the popular Debbie Stoller book "Stitch 'n bitch: A Knitter's Handbook" was released in 2003.
Family knit-shop operators are purls among men
IndyStar - September 20 2005
From a family-run yarn fixture to a new venture, men who don't fear needles are putting a new face on the craft.
Jim Casale knows the question is coming, so he waits for it with a patient smile.
"They don't just ask: 'Do you knit?"' he says. "They say: 'You knit?' "
It's uncommon, to say the least, for a man to run a knitting shop. So Casale understands that shoppers might be taken aback when they step into the Knit With yarn store in Chestnut Hill, Pa., and find not just him, but his brother-in-law, Bill Giampa, in charge.
Yes. He knits, and so does Giampa.
They also know the difference between kid mohair yarn and super kid mohair. They know Addi turbo needles are better for speed than birch.
Artists erect giant pink bunny on mountain
Ananova
An enormous pink bunny has been erected on an Italian mountainside where it will stay for the next 20 years.
The 200-foot-long toy rabbit lies on the side of the 5,000 foot high Colletto Fava mountain in northern Italy's Piedmont region.
Viennese art group Gelatin designed the giant soft toy and say it was "knitted by dozens of grannies out of pink wool".
Georgia sheep farmers hold wool sale
Burlington Free Press - September 19 2005
The yarns can be habit-forming at the Winn farm in Georgia.
"Knitting keeps the arthritis out of my fingers; I keep moving them," said Charlotte Cutler, 73, of Orlando, Fla.
"Cheaper than drugs," added Jan Johnson, 56, of Jeffersonville.
"I don't know about that," said a chuckling Theresa Mallette, 70, of Colchester.
"Well, no side effects, at least," concluded Donna Winn, a 67-year-old retiree and co-owner of the modest sheep farm with her husband, John.
Lessons to stitch by: Pull it over, down, through
auburnpub.com - September 16 2005
Mimi Hoffmann was a study in patience.
She gently guided nine women - most of them beginners, or nearly so - through her basic knitting class at Seymour Library on Thursday.
"If I have patience, it's because I love to knit, and I want to teach other people to knit," said Hoffmann, a retiree from Auburn's planning department who has knitted since she was 12. "It's fun."
Hoffmann, a member of the board at Seymour Library, taught one of four consecutive classes for beginners. A new set of classes will begin later this fall.
Yarning for a hobby? Try a knitting project for upcoming holiday
Sign On San Diego - September 17 2005
They can rattle off a list of finished projects such as scarves, sweaters and felted purses, but they are quick to tell you they are far from pros at knitting.
They owe their skills to their teacher, Debra Paradis, said a number of students from recent knitting classes held at Yarning For You in San Marcos.
"She is so informative," Annette Svare said. "She knows so much about knitting and she builds up your confidence."
Web masters - Tangled Web celebrates five years of keeping knitters in stitches
Wednesday Journal - September 13 2005
Jeanine Camaren has been ensnared by Tangled Web, the knit shop at 177 S. Oak Park Ave. She regularly makes the trek to Oak Park, past other stores closer to her Western Springs home, to find buttons, yarn and kindred spirits.
Camaren’s drawn to Tangled Web, she says, because "there are true artists here. I love that it’s so eclectic, so trendy. I know all the knit stores, and none are as artsy as this. And so friendly—they know who I am when I walk in the door."
If Camaren’s not careful, owner Elin Thorgren may put her to work. That’s what happened to Cheryll Capps, an Oak Park knitter and frequent customer who stopped in one day to celebrate sending her youngest off to college. Thorgren offered her a part-time job on the spot.
Book has clever patterns for wraps
Bangor Daily News - September 13 2005
Ponchos, shawls and capelets cozied up to the fashion world several seasons ago, but are still being worn here in Maine. Indeed, these garments have an odd staying power and appear in new guises with new generations of knitters and crocheters.
For those who wish to move beyond the Martha Stewart poncho pattern, Interweave Press has published "Wrap Style: Innovative to Traditional, 24 Inspirational Shawls, Ponchos and Capelets to Knit and Crochet." Here the needleworker will find patterns for clever and innovative wraps that go way beyond the "poncho" genre.
In the book, designers employ stripes, gossamer lace, sleeves, and Argyle, Aran Isle and Scandinavian motifs in their "takes" on wraps, shawls and ponchos. Many of the designs are intricate and geared toward experienced knitters and crocheters, but instructions are clear enough to encourage a beginner to jump right in there and give it a try.
Prayer shawls knit with feeling
The Republican - September 11 2005
They've gone to the ill, the dying and the heartsick - woolly embraces with prayer breathed into each stitch.
Knit three, purl three. Bless them and send them on their journey.
Those who gathered at St. David's Episcopal Church yesterday for the second annual gathering of the Prayer Shawl Ministry told stories spun by steel needles.
Yarn sisters
Canton Journal - September 9 2005
A couple of years ago, Canton resident Joyce MacDonald found herself missing the downtown needlework shop called Queenie's.
The avid knitter toyed with the idea of opening her own shop, focusing on yarn. She talked to friends, business owners and knitting enthusiasts.
"I felt like I was just jumping off a cliff," she said of the business decision.
MacDonald got to the point where she said she either got serious or stopped talking about it.
"I decided to take the plunge," she said, stressing that there was a need for a knitting shop in the local area.
Based on one Friday morning, MacDonald, it seems, was right. Her store, SheepStreet Yarn Shop, opened in April.
Chittenden woman questions state’s decision on contractors
Rutland Herald - September 5 2005
Bonny Dutton is taking a stand.
The Chittenden businesswoman has taken on the state over the question of whether her knitters are independent contractors or employees of her home-based Fleece on Earth clothing company.
The issue has financial ramifications for those in the home knitting business because the state says it's entitled to collect unemployment insurance from the likes of Dutton.
The dispute is now headed to the Vermont Supreme Court where Dutton has filed a notice of appeal.
A man, a scholar, a knitter
The Daily Evergreen - September 1 2005
Professor Guy Worthey loves the stars, but he also has spots in his heart for knitting and coffee.
Neil Armstrong was the first man to set foot on the moon and the whole world saw it on television, including this guy.
This “guy” is Guy Worthey, assistant professor of astronomy at WSU, who said the landing is one of his first memories.
“I was only four or five years old; it was July 1969,” Worthey said. “They showed some models of what was going on, and I was unable to distinguish the difference between the models and the live footage. But I thought it was neat. I’m sure it’s a very influential memory,” he said.
Along with his lifelong fascination with outer space, Worthey’s wife, Diane, bribed him into a new interest: knitting.
“It was Diane’s fault. She took free classes at Needle Nook in Moscow. She said to me ‘if you go with me, you can have a latte.’ So she suckered me in, but it turned out very nice,” he said.
“The two styles of knitting that I know are throwing and picking and it has nothing to do with the knitting but with how you hold your hands. I learned by throwing, but picking feels strange to me so far.”
Younger women in the mood to knit
The Marietta Times - September 5 2005
When Ohio University student Samantha Brandjes, of Marietta, wants to relax and kick back, she retreats to her room, plops on a huge cushy pillow — and knits.
“It’s very relaxing,” Brandjes, 19, of Marietta, said.
Over 24 million people, women, men, and children, knit.
They do it for a myriad of reasons.
Some knit to produce clothing, like sweaters, shawls and scarves, purses, mittens, even skirts or coats. Baby blankets and afghans, bed coverlets, wall hangings are also popular projects.
Knitting as one to help
The Border Mail - September 7 2005
A “WRAP with Love” mercy blanket has been knitted by a team at Lutheran Aged Care hostel at West Albury.
The thick, multi-coloured blanket will be distributed to people in need across the world, particularly those at risk of hypothermia.
Every Friday morning, a team of a dozen residents from the hostel get together for a few hours solid knitting.
Helen Paris' knitting has kept babies' heads warm since 1987
Winona Daily News - September 6 2007
She hasn't counted the feet of yarn or the hours it took her to do it.
But Helen Paris knows she started in May 1987, and since then she's knitted 1,011 infant hats for newborns at Community Memorial Hospital in Winona.
A generation of Winonans have worn stocking-cap hoods that were knitted by Paris' masterful hands, which have also crafted intricate name plaques and closets full of afghans.
"When I first started, I could knit two an evening, but now it takes me a little longer," Paris said.
Sometimes, a couple of days.
She wanted to hit 1,000 — and she did in August with her batch of 36.
Now, with her eyesight not what it used to be, Paris has decided to pass the hooks to another volunteer.
New babies prompt binge of knitting
Bangor Daily News - September 6 2005
The birth of my nephew's first daughter, the impending birth of my niece's baby and the birth of a dear friend's grandson - such a bonanza of babies - sent me scurrying to my bookshelf, my trunk of old needlework magazines, to the library and to the Internet in search of knitting patterns for baby items. Good thing these patterns weren't all piled one atop the other because surely I'd be buried in the avalanche of all the knitting directions I've squirreled away.
A Web search yielded www.woolworks.com, which lists 50 free patterns - such as Clifford Williams' granddaughter's mittens, Mrs. Donakowski's child's bow tie scarf, and baby booties from Nancy Crawford's grandmother. The site posts patterns for hats, mittens, scarves, blankets, washcloths, sweaters, vests and buntings. The only drawback to the list is that no photos accompany the patterns so you're knitting "blind." Even so, the site is a treasure trove for those who want to knit for the new baby in the family, or for charitable organizations that focus on children.
Local Church Knitting Blankets For Hurricane Victims
The WGAL Channel - September 5 2005
A local church community has found a creative way to help comfort children affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Sandra Schindler and others at Saint John's Episcopal Church are crocheting and knitting blankets to give to the children who survived the storm.
"The first thing that came to mind was that we can help them with a little toy and shawl and blanket -- something that they can carry around that is just theirs," said Schindler.
Event planning preceded wit to knit (reg. required - try bugmenot.com)
The Charlotte Observer - September 5 2005
Organizational skills learned as an event planner helped Betsey Macholz stitch together her own knitting business.
After graduating from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, the Charlotte native worked for Southern Shows Inc., a company that organizes trade shows.
She spent a year learning how to attract long-term customers, a foundation that helped her build her Baskets of Yarn business. Macholz opened a Charlotte store a year ago and recently opened another in Pineville
As an assistant show manager, she learned she could grow her business by using the same concept in different settings. For example, she coordinated shows where women could shop, listen to speakers and watch fashion shows in different cities: Orlando, Fla., Nashville, Tenn., and Fort Worth, Texas. At Baskets of Yarn, she teaches people to knit and crochet, something she also teaches at schools, churches and homes.
Surgeon general's warning: Knitting is extremely addictive and could be hazardous to your television
it! - September 1 2005
Caution: The book "Teen Knitting Club" by Jennifer Wenger, Carol Abrams and Maureen Lasher may contribute to the initiation of acute knitting addiction syndrome. Read at your own risk.
You've heard of it--that pastime previously associated with old ladies in rocking chairs, but now linked to such high-profile celebrities as Julia Roberts, Madonna and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Knitting has made a comeback from the crevices of our grandmothers' attics and into the spotlight, and once you get started, it's not hard to see why.
But it's the getting-started part that can pose a challenge, and that's where "Teen Knitting Club" comes in.
Knitting together to aid hospice
The Comet - September 1 2005
CRAFTY people are spinning a yarn to raise cash for Comet-backed charity Garden House Hospice.
Led by Linda Williams and Daniella Taylor, they will be spending a long night in a marathon sponsored knit-in at the Jolie yarn and home store in Walkern.
The sponsored volunteers, who will keep clicking from 6pm until 6am, will be making sure their time is spent productively.
They will be making at least one co-ordinated throw in pastel shades of cotton with textured squares, organised by Linda.
It will be raffled after the night to raise even more money for the hospice, which needs £100,000 to complete a vitally-needed day care centre.
