Tag Archives: Knitting

Where have I been…? Tweeting! But These Women Matter. Read On…

I know, I’ve been MIA. Well, blogging is blogging, and I’ve been Tweeting my little brains out. But I came across this incredibly moving article, and I had to share it.

The scarf is a physical reminder of all those missing and dead in Peru's conflict.

Many, many women in Peru have a place in their hearts that feeds on blackness and silence. It is a bleak landscape of remembering, the result of husbands and sons and nephews and fathers “disappeared” by the Shining Path rebels and state forces in the 1980s and ’90s. Now, today, these women are knitting a Scarf of Hope, a remembrance of the thousands gone from their lives. I am humbled and saddened… and hopeful that the knitters will triumph.

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A Scarf of Hope and Remembrance, by Dan CollynsBBC News, Ayacucho, Peru

There is something warmly familiar and comforting about the quiet chatter of women and the clickety-clack of knitting needles. Standing or sitting huddled together in small groups, the knitters dressed in traditional Andean hats, big “pollera” skirts and draped with a “manta” or shawl, form a multi-coloured feast for the eyes. But they have more in common than crochet. These women are some of thousands in Peru who lost husbands, brothers and sons in the country’s bitter internal conflict between the Mao-inspired rebels of the Shining Path rebels and state forces in the 1980s and 90s.

Read the whole story here.

Adventures at StitchesEast….

Going to StitchesEast was like diving into a box of chocolates. Not that everything suited my taste, but, boy, I sure relished what did.1006SE06

Delicious would be a word I’d use for some of the new and favorite yarns I brought home.  Continue reading

Jurassic Park anyone…?

Scary dinosaur atop a human.

Scary dinosaur atop a human.

Oh, dear… This reminds me of a creature in Jurassic Park. I think it spit.

Oh, NO! It's eaten the human!

Oh, NO! It's eaten the human!

Read more about her tragic end here, at Craftastrophe.

A Poem is like a melody…

Not a poem, but a very cute porcupine.

Not a poem, but a very cute porcupine.

It’s all about a poem, one to be knit by You. Just imagine – knitters around the world, click, clacking away as they contribute to the world’s first giant knitted poem. Plus, ArtYarn has launched a new social networking site for contemporary knitting and crochet called Subversive Yarn.  Continue reading

A Praying Tampon?

Only a small part of the whole, hideous picture.

Only a small part of the whole, hideous picture.

I just discovered this marvelous Web site, Craftastrophe. The site has all sorts of creepy-funny crafts gone bad. And I mean bad. But, really, KnittingNews is all about knitting, right? Would I let you down? Naw. Here’s a small preview. Just click through to see the Praying Tampon. (Craftastrophe’s utterly apt phrase.)

Continue reading

Talk about a knitalong…

Award-winning artist Rania Hassan loves her knitting. I mean, she really loves her knitting, as evidenced by her marvelous sculpture/mixed media work “Knit Together.”

"Knit Together," Renwick award winner

"Knit Together," Renwick award winner

Continue reading

Real Men Knit…

It’s pretty obvious I’m passionate about knitting. Lots of women are, in fact. But did you know that Real Men knit? Continue reading

IGOR ZAKOWSKI

You may have noticed my marvelous LaidBack Knitter “icon.”

lbksmIt feels utterly like me. I adore it. How did it come about? I was fortunate to stumble upon a fabulously talented young artist named Igor Zakowski. You can read more about Igor on my “About” page. (Be sure to scroll down.) And your can purchase Igor’s illustrations herecats_and_dogs_on_white_m

UFOs!

I’m sorry, but aren’t I supposed to blog about my stuff? My ideas, theories, thoughts, wanderings, and pasttimes? Yes, of course I am.

This has nothing to do with my post.

Gracie running. This has nothing to do with my post.

Except I came across this blog that…well….it’s far more deserving of a post than anything I can think of right now. Continue reading

Wild Linda Cortright and Her Fab Fibers…

Linda brushes a muskox to glean the amazing qiviut, a fiber without compare.

Linda brushes a muskox to glean the amazing qiviut, a fiber beyond compare.

Writer, publisher Linda Cortright is an uncommon human. Her commitment to her magazine, Wild Fibers, is vast. Equally vast is her commitment to the wild “fibers” that walk on four legs all across our spinning globe. In pursuit of her passion, Linda’s traveled from Kyrgyzstan to Tanzania to New Zealand and just about every place in between. Her writings have encompassed the sacred sheep of Chiapas, Mexico; Vermont’s Green Mountain Spinnery; and a 2,000-year-old Lakota legend. To say that her Wild Fibers‘ subject matter has breadth is an understatement.

I recently spent some time with Linda at her hilltop aerie in the semi-wilds of Maine. Her magic lies in the tales she tells, the exuberance she exhibits, and the smiles she wears talking about wild creatures in their natural habitats. Her chairs are comfortable, so is  Continue reading