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Posts Tagged ‘yarn bombing’

Canadian Yarn-Bombers create 2,500 ft. airplane cozy

Posted in Knitting, tagged on August 14, 2012 | 1 Comment »

(photo by Yarn Bomb Yukon)

Looks like it can get so cold in the Yukon that even the airplanes need sweaters!

As part of a collaboration with The Yukon Transportation Museum and The Yukon Arts Center Public Art Gallery, members of the Yarn Bomb Yukon Collective worked for 5 hours to cover this 70 year old DC-3 with a 2,500 foot airplane cozy! Knitters from across North America joined in, creating granny squares made of acrylic wool to contribute to the project.

If you happen to be in the Yukon, you can see the airplane cozy up close and in person until it’s torn down on August 21st. Once removed, pieces of it will be cleaned and turned into blankets that will help people in need stay warm this winter.

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Crafts & Hobbies Show Photo Recap + Facts!

Posted in Machine Knitting, Vickie Howell, tagged , , , on February 6, 2012 | 3 Comments »

The Tree
Well, we pulled it off.  Two-and-a-half weeks before the show, Spinrite (the new owner of Caron) marketing exec Sara Arblaster and I decided that I should yarn bomb a 10 ft’ fake tree, live from the show floor. Normally, plans like these take months of planning. We however, like to live on the edge.
Thanks to the powers that be for approving it, the design wizardry of artist (and art director on Knitty Gritty) Dave Lowe who built us a tree, and to the knitting machine that helped me whip out the pieces to cover it lickety-split–our zany idea came to yarn-y life!
“Yarn Bombing” (aka knit tagging, knit graffiti) is a phenomena that saw a rise 5-7 years ago in the indie scene and has since gained popularity in the mainstream. Its purpose can be anything from making a statement against the stereotypical purpose of knitting/crochet, to challenge the modern perception of art, to offering a fun way to make a bright (but harmless) mark on an otherwise ordinary object.
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Sheep(ish) tree, yarn bombed on the CHA floor.
My creation
I made most of the tree pieces on the Ultimate Sweater Machine. 

Here they are, finished and ready to be packed for the trip!
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Screenshot of live streaming from the show floor.
Now that I know how to do it, maybe I’ll do more live events (only that aren’t 4 hours long!)
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Be-cozying in progress.
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Final touch: fabric tree “carving”.
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Fabric hanging: hand embroidered and machine sewn.

CHA Floor

Much like every convention in any industry, the CHA convention is wall to wall carpeting and booths. What makes this one different though, is an unusual amount of glitter, paint and yarn. Oh, and these guys.

Random CHA launch show.
Every year before the show doors open, a bag pipe procession plays through the aisles. Random.
Whipped up a Sheep(ish) cast cozy for Andrea from A.C. Moore
Andrea from A.C. Moore, kindly let me cover her cast in Sheep(ish).
Quick chat with my friend Deborah Norville at the booth. #CHAshow
Quick chat with pal, Deborah Norville.
Hope live body painting.
My friend Hope Perkins, painting a live model from the I Love to Create booth.
Last Minute Knitted Shade
Last minute lampshade cover, made on the USM the night before the show to fill space. Most of our stuff didn’t make it, so we had to do a wee bit of scrambling.
CYC Reception
White at CHA,  I attended the annual Craft Yarn Council reception. This is the meeting where the council presents to industry types, the data obtained through researching customer’s yarn habits for the previous year.  I always walk away with some interesting facts so this time, I thought I’d share a few. All information is based on the results of surveying 5,175 knitters and crocheters found via the web.

Out of the stitchers surveyed:

  • 63% both knit and crochet (This was a happy surprise to me! I’m so glad to see that the majority are bi-craftual. That keeps things interesting for us in the the design world.)
  • In 2011, 87% of knitters/crocheters said that they’ve taught at least one other person to stitch. (Recruiters!)
  • Hats and scarves are the most made projects (70-77% respectively)
  • Knitters and crocheters each averaged 33.4 projects in 2011. (This number blew me away! I suppose this speaks to the popularity of small projects. I’d also wager that many of these are charity projects.)
  • 98% of the stitchers surveyed, said they plan to make at least as many projects in 2012 as they did in 2011. (This is great news for local yarn stores, big box retailers, independent designers, publishers, and anyone else who’s in the industry or simply, loves the craft!)
For more information, check out the CYC website.
Stitch.Rock.Love,
Vickie

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Yarn Bombed Deer!

Posted in Crochet, Knitting, Vickie Howell, tagged , , , on January 12, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Yarn deer chart
Sheep(ish) Deer for JoAnn Fabrics

Since November, I’ve been DYING to share the project that the JoAnn Stores marketing team commissioned me to create. Well, I just got word that it’s finally ok to let the cat–or rather the deer–out of the bag. Meet my yarn bombed buck and fawn!

Crocheted Fawn
Sheep(ish) fawn. Crocheted in colors: Taupe(is), White(ish) & Pink(ish)
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Crocheted flower made with Simply Soft Paints & Sheep(ish).
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Sheep(ish) buck. Knitted (by both hand and using the Ultimate Sweater Machine) and crocheted.
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Crocheted snowflake (pattern from Robyn Chachula’s Crochet Stitches Visual Encyclopedia),
made in color: Robin’s Egg(ish).
 
Some of you may remember me tweeting about learning how to use the Ultimate Sweater Machine for a big project. This was it! After I hand crocheted the fawn, I knew I wouldn’t have time to do the same for the entire buck. Plus, I wanted knitting to be represented by the dynamic, deer duo–duh! My friend (and USM co-creator) Cari Clement, worked up the first 2 pieces for me which then inspired me to finally, take on the machine myself. I used a combination of hand and machine knitting to create the buck’s body.
This was a challenging project, but a lot of fun to work on. It’s really, the first time I’ve done anything like this. I’m also pretty happy that now when I get that inevitable question in interviews, “What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever knit or crocheted?”, that I finally have an answer!
I’ve admittedly not been that into “yarn bombing” in the past, but now I’m hooked. I can’t wait to show you what I’ll be working on at the Crafts & Hobbies convention (CHA) later this month! In the meantime though, I’d love to hear about any objects– straight forward or strange– that you’ve covered in yarn!
Stitch.Rock.Love,
Vickie

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Yarn bombing makes Time Magazine!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged on June 16, 2011 | 4 Comments »

Yarn bombing hits the big time!  This recent article from Time Magazine shows that yarn bombing is here to stay as an acceptable form of grafiti.  Not only do grafiti artists no longer have to yarn bomb unseen in the dead of night, but they now even get the assistance from local civil servants.  Just check out the photo taken in Vancouver showing local fireman attaching “yarn blossoms” to a tree.  Nothing is off limits in the art of yarn bombing– from tank covers to pot holes.  Gotta love it!   

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Make a Stylish Scarf-Belt for Mom

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged on May 5, 2011 | Leave a Comment »

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Knitters often don’t like the way the edge of their work curls, but I really like the natural roll of the edges that I get when I do straight knitting on the pocket knitter. It’s great for creating a skinny scarf or belt.  I just made this scarf-belt out of Simply Soft Party in Snow Sparkle (yep, Party is still my favorite yarn) and added mismatched lengths of fringe with bead embellishments for some extra flair.  You can drape this scarf around your neck and just let is hang, wrap it, or knot it.  You can wear it as a belt or even just drape it through a belt loop and let it dangle. 

It’s nice in light, both in weight and color, so is perfect for warmer weather. And the best thing?  You can make this in a single evening. That means you have time to make one for Mother’s Day!

So, do you want to make a scarf-belt just like this?  You will need:

  • Pocket knitter
  • 1 ball Simply Soft Party in any color
  • Approximately 18 beads of choice (make sure the openings are big enough to accommodate the yarn)

 SCARF-BELT

Cast on 14 stitches.

Work in St st until piece measures approximately 50 inches.

Bind off across.

Using yarn needle, weave in your ends

Attach Tassels/Fringe: Attach 9 tassels to each end of scarf as follows:

Cut 2 strands of yarn, 10″ long. Hold both strands together and fold in half forming a loop at folded end. Draw loop through one corner of scarf, thread ends of strands through loop and pull to tighten and secure. Repeat 8 more times to attach a total of 9 tassels evenly spaced across end of scarf.  Repeat for other end of scarf. 

Attach Bead Embellishments:  Thread tassel through a bead and knot below bead to keep bead in place. Placements of beads should be scattered in various positions on the tassels so that beads hang at various lengths.

Trim ends of each tassel about ¾” below knot.

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