Knitting News

Club shares friendship, laughter | Daily Courier

Club shares friendship, laughter
Daily Courier - August 30 2006

The Mother of Purl Craft Club, formed 40 years ago as a social outlet, recently marked its anniversary with a special dinner at Rotelli's in Uniontown.

With the sudden loss of a loved one at a young age, Joanne Natale said she and a few local women formed the group for fellowship.

"It was a very tough time in my life," Natale said. "And these women were absolutely wonderful and a great source of comfort to me."

Originally, the women met and knitted or crocheted, thus the name "purl," which is a form of knitting -- the stitch going from the right to the left through the stitch.

"We would get together every month at someone's house and would have a light lunch and then maybe crochet. That first year everyone had a turn," Natale said. [more]

Check out this dress - made of sock monkeys! | Weird News at Tampa Bay's 10

Check out this dress - made of sock monkeys! [with video - via Boing Boing]
Weird News at Tampa Bay's 10 - August 29 2006

We asked our friends at our sister station KARE about this one-of-a-kind couture after we saw this great picture on their web site.

They tell us that the Minnesota State Fair features all sorts of arts and crafts exhibits - most of which are decidedly more mainstream.

KARE sent us their video report, check it out! [more]

Knitaholic’s needling will have you in ‘Stitches’ | Boston Herald

Knitaholic’s needling will have you in ‘Stitches’
Boston Herald - August 31 2006

Debbie Brisson has been knitting for only two years, but she’s out to save the world from what she calls ‘‘grannification.”

It’s a know-it-when-you-see-it horror - an ankle-length cardigan vest with a fringe, perhaps - and Brisson’s blogger alter ego, Stitchy McYarnpants, has culled hundreds from vintage knitting magazines. The results can be found in her amusing new book, ‘‘The Museum of Kitschy Stitches” (Quirk Books, $15.95).

Anyone who has ever been forced into a homemade - with love! - knit tunic or jumper will appreciate Brisson’s effort. The pictures are the highlight of the book, but McYarnpants’ commentary will make you cringe with glee. [more]

Lamafest brings a forest of furry necks to town | Lansing City Pulse

Lamafest brings a forest of furry necks to town
Lansing City Pulse - August 30 2006

Looking at a llama — a whole llama — is as hard as swallowing one. Each part is pretty by itself, but somehow they never come together in the visual cortex. With generous, lovely fleeces, tiny coffee-table legs, necks as long as interstate highways and huge, expressive eyes, they look as if they were designed on a Chuck E. Cheese placemat by a 6-year-old girl.

Even when seen live and up close, nuzzling each other and frisking through a meadow, llamas only seem to exist in two dimensions.

Llamas may be pack animals and even table meat in their native Andes, but in Michigan about 150 farmers keep them, primarily to produce super-soft yarn and soak up affection and curiosity.

Michigan’s growing interest in llamas — safely in the pet rather than meat stage for now — will be more than satisfied at “Lamafest 2006,” the largest llama show east of the Mississippi, set for MSU’s Pavilion this weekend. [more]

Knitting a heart and other fantasies | The Monitor

Knitting a heart and other fantasies
The Monitor - August 31 2006

Looking through a craft magazine is like choosing a fantasy to make real. Crafters are overwhelmed by the possibilities. Which color of yarn or paint will she choose to turn into a beautiful work of wearable art? Which technique will translate these written instructions into an heirloom worth displaying for generations?

Walking into a craft store is like celebrating Christmas year-round. The colors of silk flowers, yarns, gems and the fragrances of potpourri stimulate the creative juices.

Even when following instructions, experienced crafters tweak and adapt to make the piece their own.

What if there were no instructions and your imagination had no boundaries? What if you could knit or crochet any fantasy your mind or heart could conjure? I asked the members of my knitting group this question. [more]

Babies go home with handmade hats | The Andalusia Star-News

Babies go home with handmade hats
The Andalusia Star-News - August 30 2006

We may be born into this world in nothing but our skin, but one Mizell Memorial Hospital employee has made it her special project to make sure that the babies born there don't leave the hospital that way.

Kathy Dewrell, a registered nurse in MMH's labor and delivery department, spends her downtime in the department crocheting toboggans that are sent home as keepsakes for each new baby born at the hospital.

"I got the idea from the Enterprise hospital," Dewrell said. "That's where I did my clinicals. I liked the idea so much I decided to do it here, so I just called and asked for their pattern." [more]

Fall brings opportunities for knitters to perfect their craft | Anchorage Daily News

Fall brings opportunities for knitters to perfect their craft
Anchorage Daily News - August 29 2006

The geese are headed south, school has started, the company has left or is busy packing up to board the plane, and that can only mean one thing: Fall is here.

Fall is that time of year when every needle worker settles in and begins to think of her cold-weather projects, such as knitting or crochet. There are many events throughout the Labor Day weekend and September for Alaska knitters and crocheters to enjoy in the Matanuska Valley. [more]

Knit Wits with a ‘K’ | www.thelutheran.org

Knit Wits with a ‘K’
www.thelutheran.org - September 2006

So you think knitting is only for mature women? In Lindsborg, Kan., Bethany College’s Knit Wits beg to differ.

An intergenerational service group that meets every Friday on campus, these knitters range in age from 8-year-olds to lifelong knitters. Joyce Englund, head Knit Wit, has been knitting for more than 65 years. The group’s name came from her business, Knit Wit Enterprises. “It’s funny as long as you remember to put the ‘K’ in,” she said.

Last year the Knit Wits made more than 300 knitted and crocheted bandages for people in need. They sent these to Global Health Ministries in Minneapolis to be distributed in countries where patients suffer from slow-healing open sores and ulcers. Members also make sweaters, prayer shawls and “chemo caps” for cancer patients. [more]

Get the knitty-gritty of this upcoming fall trend | MSNBC

Get the knitty-gritty of this upcoming fall trend
MSNBC - August 29 2006

Layering can be a big coat over a voluminous skirt with a legging peeking out underneath. It can be a big chunky sweater over a narrow pant. It can be two coats over each other or simple knitted dresses worn with big belts. The designers really took layering to every possible extreme. And there are lots of different ways to do it without looking like the Michelin Man.

Overall tips
1. Choose one focal knit piece in a new shape and pair it with other clothing items. Don't feel you always have to layer knitwear. Just trying the newer shapes and incorporating them with existing items in your wardrobe is enough to give your outfit new life and a trendier feel. [more]

Tanner Randall struts his hand-knit menswear in fashion show | Anchorage Daily News

Tanner Randall struts his hand-knit menswear in fashion show
Anchorage Daily News - August 28 2006

If Tanner Randall leaves no other mark on Alaska fashion, there's one style he can claim all his own. No one else makes dressing warm look so hot.

At 20, Randall appears a tested veteran of vogue in front of the camera. In professionally produced images he models knitted hats that hide everything but the tips of his shaggy brown bangs; crocheted scarves knotted around his neck dress up a bare chest.

In the shots, Randall's gaze is always distant and sultry, the backdrop -- from snowcapped mountains to matted brown grass that's a signature of Alaska springtime -- is always outdoors.

But Randall's responsibility for his "dress warm, look hot" style is twofold. The outerwear he models comes from his own collection of scarves, hats and vests handmade from a mixture of fashionable, functional fibers. [more]