Knitting News

Crafty decor | The Columbian

Crafty decor
The Columbian - July 30 2006

M'Lyn Walther's crafts are everywhere in her Ridgefield home: lined on her mantel, stacked on her CD holder, clustered on an end table.

But don't get the wrong idea. These brightly colored knitted objects aren't clutter. They're home decor.

Not everybody has time for a 24-hour reality-TV-style home makeover or a $10,000 room refurbishment. But as a group of women that gathers weekly in Ridgefield has learned, anyone can create hand-crafted home decor. All it takes is time, creativity and the support of friends.

Crafters with a vision -- from art nouveau to down-home style -- are putting personal touches on their homes without spending a fortune.

"You probably won't see our stuff in those million-dollar homes," said stitchery group regular Dolores Dougherty, with a laugh. Then again, you never know. [more]

Alpaca fleece becomes a modern farming trend | South Bend Tribune

Alpaca fleece becomes a modern farming trend
South Bend Tribune - July 30 2006

Stanton Shepherd shed his General Motors Corp. job seven years ago, uneasy with the shifting industry and seeking a new lifestyle.

And he found — alpacas?

Today, Shepherd of Genesee County’s Grand Blanc Township drives a mobile-breeding lab with two male alpacas. They command $5,000 stud fees and draw investors hoping to cash in on a new farming trend.

The alpaca, built low to the ground — like a fullback with a pipe-cleaner neck — is related to the llama and known for a silky, hypoallergenic fleece used in luxury items such as sweaters, hats, gloves and socks. [more]

Good yarn | Chicago Tribune

Good yarn
Chciago Tribune - July 29 2006

Who would have predicted that knit is the new “it”?

Yarn shops popping up all over. Stitch-and-bitch chatfests replacing book groups. Items made by hand—or made to look that way—are the fashion rage.

Pity the deprived boys and girls out there who have to wear store bought sweaters to school. Quite a 180 from the good old days (that would be a couple years ago) when anything handmade was hopelessly lame.

Now there are dresses, jewelry, dog clothes, belts and diaper bags showing off their home-ly origins.

Give this trend, of course the hit designer “it bag” of the summer is knit (and also purled). This Salvatore Ferragamo purse has it all: the hand hewn hippie vibe and a cool status label sensibility. It even has the classic shape of the knitting bag that would sit at grandma’s feet as she as she clicked away. [more]

These knitters are pearlers | Star

These knitters are pearlers
Star - July 20 2006

Cranbourne Community House has babies’ jumpers flooding its halls thanks to donations from the community.

Knitters have put together an amazing 400 jumpers for South African babies born with AIDS after the centre received wool from people around Cranbourne and beyond.

Cranbourne Community House manager Margaret O’Callaghan said the response was outstanding.

“It is heart-warming how the people of Cranbourne have made this a huge project,” she said.

She thanked everyone for their time, generosity and goodwill.

But Ms O’Callaghan said they now had so many jumpers, they could not afford to send them overseas. [more]

It's a wrap | The Honululu Advertiser

It's a wrap
The Honululu Advertiser - July 28 2006

When the music swells tomorrow night at Café Sistina, it will mark the morphing of a dancer into a designer. Pam Sandridge sees the event as a coming-out party for her funky, fashionable hand-knitted shrugs as well as a reincarnation of herself.

[...] Last year, the little hobby became a passion as she took her hand-knitted shrugs to a whole new level.

What's a shrug, you ask? Think teensy short sweater with long sleeves. That's a loose definition. Sandridge, however, is incapable of thinking inside the box, so her shrugs have taken a variety of shapes, from long sleeves to sleeveless. Some are mini-capelets that drape over one shoulder.

Sandridge's shrugs have a whimsical feeling about them. Perhaps that's because the process is purely organic: "When I start out (knitting) I don't know where I'm going with it. I just knit away and when it goes on a detour, I go with it. The textures and rhythms of new yarns make it come alive," she explained. "Every one is an original. Even if I tried to repeat a pattern, I wouldn't be able to."
[more]

Miu Miu Crochet Frame Bag | Luxist

Miu Miu Crochet Frame Bag
Luxist - July 28 2006

Aside from the fact that this bag bears a strong resemblance to the Barbarella Sofa, the Crochet Frame Bag from Miu Miu is a cute addition to their fall/winter line. The bag is covered in crocheted, creme lambswool, for a soft feeling and a look of warmth that will add a touch of comfort to an outfit on a cold and blustery fall day. [more]

More knitters are demanding nonallergenic and organic yarns | Anchorage Daily News

More knitters are demanding nonallergenic and organic yarns
Anchorage Daily News - July 25 2006

I often prowl down the rows of shelving, looking for The One -- the ideal image framed in my mind's eye.

Suddenly, I spy The One. What I gaze upon causes me to stop dead in my tracks. The feelings of excitement cause me to hold my breath and gasp out loud. I reach out with hesitating fingers to touch The One. My fingers are met with softness receptive to my touch. The sensual delight vibrates all the way up my arm. Beads of sweat form on my brow. My pulse quickens. My eyes are met with a hypnotizing blue framed by long and lovely eyelashes.

Does this sound like a scene from your favorite soap opera? If you have had this feeling in your local yarn store, you have no doubt guessed that The One is a perfect skein of blue eyelash yarn. Selecting yarns isn't just about what color it is or the price tag. Avid knitters know it's a whole process that borders on the obsessive and bizarre.

Choosing just the right yarn often becomes a challenge equal to the work you'll put into the knitting or crocheting. There are many types of fibers out there, and for some of us, they can be a health issue as well. [more]

Women get their blog on | Inside Bay Area

Women get their blog on
Inside Bay Area - July 26 2006

It's a Tuesday in July, and Alice Bradley's Bloomfield, N.J., house seems to be melting.

"It's 98,000 degrees in here," she said.

Bradley is the woman behind Finslippy, a blog dedicated to documenting her personal adventures raising a son. This afternoon, Henry, now 4, interrupts her phone conversation to ask for a snack.

"Want a yogurt?" Bradley asks him. "What kind? Vanilla?"

Finslippy ranks among the most popular of the "mommy blogs," but female bloggers have struggled to shake the stigma that the only things a woman can write about are motherhood, knitting and cats.

"Women are blogging about everything," said BlogHer co-founder Elisa Camahort, a 42-year-old San Jose marketing consultant. `'Many women are blogging about everything at once." [more]

From vice to virtue | The Sydney Morning Herald

From vice to virtue
The Sydney Morning Herald - July 27 2006

Forget acupuncture, hypnotism and patches - they're so five minutes ago when it comes to quitting smoking therapies. Craft enthusiast Kris Howard is calling all smokers to enrol in her very worthy Knit and Quit classes. An AA-style support group, it enables smokers to learn a new skill while sharing their trials of giving up nicotine. [more]

Art Feature: Avenue 9 Gallery celebrates fiber arts | Chico Enterprise Record

Art Feature: Avenue 9 Gallery celebrates fiber arts
Chico Enterprise Record - July 27 2006

Chico's Avenue 9 Gallery is inviting the public to dress in wearable art for the festive reception of its summer fiber arts extravaganza.

Taking place fom 5-8 p.m. Friday to the beat of jazz music by Rudy Giscombe and Greg D'Augelli, the reception kicks off a two-month exhibit that will include kaleidoscopic creations and interactive events. There will even be a knit-in accompanied by poetry readings.

Why fiber art? Dolores Mitchell, Avenue 9 co-owner, boasted of Chico's richly talented art programs at Chico State University and Butte College. Dynamic artists/artisans offer a wealth of community instruction and Chico is home of world-class loom supplier, AVL Looms. Stir in the fact there has been a noticeable revival of interest in fiber arts on the local, national and even world level. [more]