Knitting, Crochet, and Yarn news from publications around the world. http://www.DailyKnitter.com/knittingnews.php en-us Copyright 2007 The Daily Knitter Wed, 16 May 2007 10:10:30 -0500 editor@dailyknitter.com editor@dailyknitter.com http://www.DailyKnitter.com/knittingnews.php http://www.DailyKnitter.com/images/rss_logo.gif 90 55 Knitting, crochet, and yarn news. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=65 Ann Pruitt's homemade decorations can be found colored throughout her Kenly household. From hand-knitted calendars to painted pictures to hand-stitched animals, her domain is filled with artistic creations that are pleasing to the eye. Her latest creation, a crochet design of The Last Supper, is appropriate for the upcoming Easter holiday. "I saw a picture of it in a crochet magazine one day," said Pruitt. "And it looked so pretty. I wanted to see if I could do it." Pruitt started on the piece in 2001, and finished it up in December of 2006. The main reason for the delay was Pruitt had to undergo brain surgery twice - once in 2001 and again in 2003 - to remove a tumor both times. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=64 As 2006 ended, the owners, employees and customers of the Knitting Sisters yarn shop in Williamsburg turned out more than a thousand tiny caps for babies in poverty-stricken countries. As 2007 began, two of them found themselves making the rounds of congressional offices in Washington. Politics came to life for Kat England and Elizabeth Gorny as they helped the Save the Children organization deliver handmade caps from around the country and campaign for an act to increase aid for mothers and newborns worldwide. The knitters and crocheters met Jan. 31 with members of Congress to brief them on how simple, low-cost solutions, like a knitted cap, can help save lives. Worldwide, according to information from Save the Children, four million infants die each year before they're a month old, including two million during their first 24 hours. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=63 Esther Rine has taken what she thinks is one of the most valuable things she ever received from her grandmother and shares it with many others. She crochets rag rugs. "That's one of the best gifts she gave me," Rine said. She learned the craft as a 7-year-old girl from her grandmother Ida Eppley. The rugs she makes are being sold on eBay today, thanks to Ella Collins. Collins met Rine when the elder lady advertised to trade some adult clothing patterns for children's patterns. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=62 They're knitting boots and Joey Ramone dolls, crocheting cowboy hats and retro purses. Young urban hipsters, passionately plying these handicrafts, are transforming traditional women's work into the stuff of modern day politics and culture. "It made its way from people in living rooms at stitch 'n' bitch (meetings) to the contemporary art world, big exhibitions like 'Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting' in New York," says Elissa Auther, a Denver fiber-arts scholar. Auther wrote her doctoral dissertation on feminists and the craft movement of the '70s. She says that revival declined along with '60s counterculture. "But youth culture had new visibility in the '90s," she says, "and one thing they happened to embrace was do-it-yourself, and a very noncommercial attitude toward leisure time." Now the needle is off the dial: 12.2 million women under the age of 34 knit or crochet, according to the Craft Yarn Council of America. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=61 This coming Sunday is dedicated to mothers. I went shopping recently for a Mother's Day card to mail to my mom, and I realized that this is a generational perspective. I was thinking of my mother, who is my elder, while my granddaughters might be thinking of me as their elder.Becoming a mother means having a baby, so, in many ways, Mother's Day is more about babies. Most knitters know how much fun it is to stitch up those cute little baby outfits. I love them because they are much less intimidating to knit than an adult sweater is. That size extra-large sweater is a serious commitment after your time and finances are taken into account, wouldn't you agree? http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=60 "Here's Looking at Ewe Kidd" is the theme of this year's three-day Linn County Lamb and Wool Fair and Northwest Champion Sheep Dog Trials that start Friday in Scio. There will be just one performance of Scio in Revue this year and that is at 3 p.m. Sunday at the ZCBJ Hall. The revue is a vaudeville-style variety show, said Robert Waterhouse, who will narrate a rendition of "The Shooting of Dan McGrew." The show will include belly dancing, Irish step dancing, jazz vocals, a didgeridoo, a children's rock band and piano playing. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=59 For years, knitting was something grandmothers did while sitting in rockers drinking cups of tea and recollecting stories from days long gone by. In the mid-part of this decade, however, knitting suddenly became "the" thing to do, with commuters pulling out yarn and needles on the Metro and co-workers proudly comparing rows of self-crafted monotone scarves. Knitting claims a myriad of benefits, from stimulating the brain to lowering blood pressure to, according to Suzanne Harker, founder of Trinity Shawls and a program called Knit-to-Pray, connecting with God through reflection and prayer. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=58 Down on the diamond, Cristian Guzman, the Nats' shortstop, slapped a sharp single into center field. Up in the stands, Peggy Lister got so excited that she put down her crocheting needles so she could clap. Then Lister, 69, a retired medical secretary from Silver Spring, picked up her needles again and went back to crocheting the red, white and blue blanket that lay on her lap. All around her, in section 518 of RFK Stadium on Monday night, women were knitting, crocheting and cross-stitching, working on sweaters, socks and, in the case of Terri Tubergen of Damascus, stitching a multicolored rug for a dollhouse. The "Stitch and Pitch" movement, which began in Seattle three years ago, had finally arrived in the nation's capitol. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=57 According to Maureen Clark of Clark's Trading Post in North Woodstock, Maxine Tyler is Clark's Official Bear Knitter. That's a title not many people can claim. "She's a wonderful knitter," Clark said in a recent interview, "Everyone loves her work." Now, it's true that 79-year old Tyler of Benton has knit at least 30 Irish Knit sweaters. "So far," Tyler adds. And it's true that she won second place for her knitting in a National Grange Needlework Contest in 1969. And its true that there's hardly a knitting or crocheting pattern she can't conquer. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=56 A variety of one-of-a-kind items from 90 vendors will be available at the second annual Craftstravaganza at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Andy Krueger's mom taught him to sew. His wife taught him to knit. In between, he has dabbled in a lot of crafts, preferring "learning over mastery." On Saturday, Krueger and his wife, Jenna, will host their second annual St. Paul Craftstravaganza at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, featuring 90 young vendors whose crafts range from handspun yarn and hand-blown glass objects to handmade hula hoops and adult-size, one-of-a-kind boxer shorts made from recycled T-shirts and embellished a la Underoos. Admission is free. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=55 Dee Mason said when she tells people she raises alpacas the response is often, "Alpacas? Is that some kind of dog?" An alpaca is really more like the second cousin of llamas and camels, but much smaller. They stand only about five or six feet tall and most of that is legs and neck. While in some South American countries their meat was once considered a delicacy, alpacas today are bred for their hair - or fiber, as people in the industry call it. photo by ROBIN BASS In what could be labeled the before and after, two alpacas greet each other over the fence. The darker-colored alpaca on the left had just been sheared, while the white one was still waiting for his appointment with the clippers. Mason and her husband Steve have owned Elk Creek Alpacas for seven years and have yet to make their fortune in selling fiber, but that hasn't stopped them yet. "I love animals and I've always want some kind of business involved with animals," said Mason. Debbie Perdue, another local alpaca farm owner, said she's found that people get started with alpacas for a combination of reasons. She has owned Perdue's in Paradise Alpaca Farm located in Normandy with her husband, Mike, since December 2000. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=54 irls from Year 10 have taken part in a nationwide campaign to raise money for Age Concern, knitting over 350 "woolly hats" for Innocent Smoothie bottles. Innocent Drinks are running the promotion, nicknames "Supergran", which involves people of all ages across the country knitting hats for the caps of Innocent Smoothie bottles. For every bottle sold in Sainsbury's or an EAT cafe between the end of November and Christmas 2006, with a knitted hat, Innocent donates 50p towards Age Concern's annual Fight the Freeze Appeal. 10 girls from Year 10 formed a "Knit and Natter" club during break and lunchtimes to start knitting the woolly hats, raising over pound 175 for Age Concern. 200,000 hats have already been knitted across the country. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=53 Has spring-cleaning spilled over to your craft room? If so, you may want to think about taking up a new hobby while you're at it. Visit your local bookstore to find a new collection of clever craft books that are sure to spark your creativity. These titles also are a great way to connect with friends and family. Choose a project for everyone to make, and set up a time to get together and share what you've learned. "Purls Forever," by Jonelle Raffino (2007, Anezka Media, 19.95). Raffino is the mastermind behind South West Trading Co. in Tempe, Ariz., that introduced Soysilk bamboo yarns to knitters and spinners around the world. Now, she shares family stories and offers a knitting project to go with each one. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=52 Last winter, the cold temperatures and ice-covered playground at McKinley Elementary School forced students to stay inside during recess. Fourth-grade special resources teacher Renee Wegemer used the time to introduce her students to a new hobby: knitting. Danya Streetman, owner of Happy Cat, a yarn store near the OU campus, went to the school and gave the children several lessons. Wegemer said the class immediately liked the activity, and before long more children from different grades were eager to learn. "All of the kids showed up and we were flabbergasted," she said. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=51 Julia Roberts To Make Knitting Movie There are just not enough knitting movies out there. In fact, the whole textile craft industry, be it crochet, macrame', or weaving is severely underrepresented. Julia Roberts plans to balance the scales, though, with The Friday Evening Knitting Club, based on the novel by Kate Jacobs. The Hollywood Reporter says that Mark Binder, the writer/director of The Upside of Anger and Reign Over Me, will adapt the novel for Roberts and her production company, Red Om Productions. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=50 160 pages of "cool" illustrations are the focus of Bonnie Kraus Connelly's coffee-table book Everything's Coming Up Sock Monkeys: Art, History and Business of The American Sock Monkey. Without doubt these images convey why this truly American folk art toy with its never-ending smile is, as the front inside cover states, "not just about those lovable monkeys, but about the very things and attitudes that the sock monkey owners embrace." Readers who are familiar with sock monkeys will immediately connect with the herd of these colorful and uniquely effervescent images that have been contributed by over 80 artists, photographers, collectors, museums and gallery exhibits, vintage and non typical monkey makers, published books, comics and craft magazines, and businesses of the American sock monkey. And this is what makes this book sing. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=49 Dinah Freeman had no inkling of the avalanche of faith, love and scarves that would be triggered by her suggestion that her church women's ministry do a little knitting for their counterparts in Ukraine. "I'm a member of the team that is going to two women's Christian conferences in Ukraine," says the Christ Presbyterian member. Last fall, amid making travel and conference plans, the group pondered what to do for "hostess" gifts to give the women they were expecting to encounter. "I suggested we should knit scarves," Freeman says. "It has been absolutely amazing what happened." The goal was to have at least 350 scarves, enough, they hoped, to put one on the dining hall chair of each Ukrainian woman during the two weeks in Kiev and L'viv. This week, when the counting was done, there were 700 scarves. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=48 Funny thing about knitters: They will wear an exquisitely beautiful sweater with pants from Goodwill. Why? Because they spent 200 dollars on yarn and had no money to buy pants. Anyone who fits this description would feel right at home in Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's world. In her new book, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off: The Yarn Harlot's Guide to the Land of Knitting, McPhee, who will be at the Bluegrass Festival of Books later this month, describes the inhabitants of the land of Knitting, their language and their oddly endearing ways. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=47 Niamh O'Maille is an anomaly in Ireland. She's 29 years old and loves to knit. Niamh (pronounced naeve) comes by it naturally. Her grandfather and uncles founded O'Maille (O'Mawlya), a famous shop for hand-knit Aran sweaters in Galway. But unlike in the States, where knitting is a hip chick trend, in Ireland the craft is a casualty of progress. After more than a century of gloom, Ireland is on an economic high. But as the pace of life picks up, Irish women no longer have time to knit. O'Maille employs about 170 knitters on the west coast of Ireland. Most are elderly. Some young women are discovering knitting, Niamh says, "but not to the extent that you could run a successful business." O'Maille opened in 1938, selling custom tweed suits. But when Niamh's uncle Padriac met Aran Island women selling hats, socks and sweaters at the local market, he started carrying those, and they eventually became the core of the business. The shop is now owned by Niamh's parents, Anne and Ger (who were on holiday when I visited). Niamh mostly helps with the company's Web site ( www.omaille.com). http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=46 During winter break, Jennifer Garcia '10 gave her aunt, who was undergoing chemotherapy at the time, a scarf she had knitted as a gift. This gift would give Garcia the inspiration to create a new knitting club on campus. "She ended up loving it, and told me that hospitals give cancer patients knitted items to keep them warm," Garcia said. "I had always noticed that many people around campus knit, so I decided to get in contact with knitters I knew to see if they would be interested in knitting for hospitals in our area." Elizabeth Trammell '10 was attracted to the club not only because of the charitable focus, but because she finds knitting to be a relaxing activity. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=45 Not only has knitting made a comeback, it has become downright trendy. And those who have been bitten by the knitting bug find themselves craving more designer yarns. That craze, along with her own love for the craft, prompted Melanie Smith to open her Yarnivore store. "I wanted a place where addicted knitters, such as myself, could get their fix. That is why the slogan of the store is 'Feed your need,'" Smith said with a laugh. "It really is an obsession. Once you get into knitting, you just can't stop." http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=44 If you ask around, you'll find that almost everyone has something knitted, crocheted, embroidered or quilted. Think about this for a bit, and I think you'll agree. Does your family have a crocheted afghan that Grammy made? Remember those "grannie squares"? I know of several friends who still have the moth-eaten remains of a multicolored, grannie-square afghan Mom or Grandma made years ago. They wouldn't dream of giving it up. Last fall, Anchorage first lady Deborah Bonito spoke about her "blankie." This brightly colored blanket was crocheted by her mother for Bonito to take to college as a reminder of home and family. She has kept it all these years, and it still holds a place in her heart. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=43 Some fun ladies have been knitting and crocheting in Roseville for charities, and they hope you'll join them. The Saturday Slip Stitchers will have a special meeting on Saturday, 1-4 p.m., at the Jo-Ann fabric and craft store. It's the group's fifth anniversary and members will be on hand to answer any questions about the group and about the blankets, lap robes, hats and winter items they make for needy families, school children, chemotherapy patients and premature infants. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=42 If knitting is so relaxing for women, as I am reliably informed it is, knitting would probably be relaxing for men, too. This is undoubtedly what's behind the word that's beginning to filter out of Danner's Books -- which now is also a major knitting emporium -- that starting a knitting club for guys is under consideration. I was enthusiastically informed of this last week by my friend and fellow newsman, Lathay Pegues. "Can you believe it?" he said, excitedly. "What kind of stupid idea is that?" But then I began to explain the benefits, like refreshments. I happen to know that when one women's knitting club gets together at Danner's, they have to clean their needles after every meeting, just to scrape all the cheesecake off of them. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=41 Knitting, once the exclusive domain of the grandmother set lovingly churning out soft-coloured baby sweaters, is now just as likely to be a tool of the revolution. Along with the regular "stitch and bitch" sessions held in knitters' living rooms, there are now "knit-ins" to draw attention to political causes; the amount of knitted donations reaching various charities has proliferated along with the explosion in the craft's popularity; and even the language used by this new brand of knitter sounds an awful lot like activist-speak. In Calgary, the Revolutionary Knitting Circle meets at an independent cafe once a week. Over mugs of fair-trade coffee and bowls of vegan chili, they share their techniques and talk politics. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=40 When Shana Williams picks up her needles and yarn, she feels a connection to her aunt Betty. "She taught me to knit when I was in the second grade, and I've been doing it since then," the 23-year-old substitute teacher said while knitting slippers in her Stockton home. "Every Wednesday night, I used to sit there for hours." With new techniques such as felting and fancy materials available today, the historic craft isn't just for grandmas anymore. For young women like Williams, it's hip to knit. "Over the last 20 years women have been getting back into (crafts)," said Tamara Berg, director of Women's and Gender Studies at Winona State University. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=39 Some say it has been a hobby that is now being put toward a good cause. From teenager's to retirees, women sat Monday afternoon knitting afghans that they have been creating for the past month. These women are creating something bigger than your average sweater. They are making afghans that will be donated to children who need a little warmth during the year's coldest months. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=38 Life is very mysterious, and sometimes stumbling onto the wrong path for a while can lead you to your "dream come true." That is what happened to single mom Debbie Friedlander-D'Angelo, of Hazlet, who was forced to leave a high-stress job in the corporate world six years ago when she became disabled. Now, she's doing something she had always dreamed about. "I've always wanted to do this, my entire life," she said of the fine imported yarn business she co-owns with Hazlet knitting buddy Kaye Lewis. "I have more yarn in my house than most local yarn stores do. It's so tactile. It's beautiful. You can create things, from the stupidest little thing to the most glorious sweater. You watch it coming off your needles, and it's such a rush." Friedlander-D'Angelo said she first met Lewis about a year ago, when she joined a knitting group after losing her foot due to diabetes complications. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=37 Dr. Ann Steinberg, a Dayton chiropractor and president of the local Kiwanis chapter, has been working these past few months to connect the knitters of the Dayton Senior Center and the teens at the Dayton Teen Club who want to learn how to knit and crochet for a cause. Knitters of Columbia, rejoice and raise your double pointed needles in triumph! You no longer have to drive out to Irmo to get your yarn fix! In the Loop is a new yarn shop on Devine Street that opened in January. The shop is housed in a deceptively tiny cottage, but it contains more yarn than anyone can shake a pointy stick at. Stock includes everything from Debbie Bliss to Blue Sky Alpaca in all sorts of colors. New yarn is shipped in every week, making it easier to stock up your personal supply. If your favorite yarn isn't in stock, In the Loop can order it for you from its Charleston-based sister shop, Knit. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=36 Dr. Ann Steinberg, a Dayton chiropractor and president of the local Kiwanis chapter, has been working these past few months to connect the knitters of the Dayton Senior Center and the teens at the Dayton Teen Club who want to learn how to knit and crochet for a cause. The ultimate goal is handcrafting afghans and decorating quilts for the children in the Renown Pediatric Unit in Reno. Busy fingers have already donated about 75 "blankies" to these kids -- many far from home and, understandably, scared. Several weeks ago in Dayton, Steinberg arrived for the first crochet lesson at the Dayton Teen Club laden with yarn, crochet hooks, a CD and DVD on how to crochet. The DVD was quickly ignored and left playing to an empty audience as the group soon reverted to the nothing-beats-hands-on-teaching-by-a-person process. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=35 Winter is slowing coming to an end and spring is just around the corner. Maybe you have one or two (maybe three or four) unfinished projects you would like to complete but your get up and go has got up and gone. If that is the case get your unfinished projects together, whether it be quilting, scraping, knitting, sewing, or cross stitch, just to mention a few, then give your friends a call and say, "Have I got an idea!" March 31, beginning at 9 a.m. the Good Shepherd Relay for Life team is sponsoring "A Crafting for the Cure Day."Bring whatever project you would like to finish, or learn a new one, and enjoy yourself with friends as you complete whatever you like. There will be someone there if you would like to learn to knit. A two-hour bulky weight yarn mitten pattern will be provided. The team will also provide "Lizzy and Kate" cross stitch patterns. So you could bring your knitting needles, yarn, thread and fabric and go home with a completed cross-stitch picture or a pair of mittens. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=34 Using yarn, needles and busy hands, a group of Calgary high school students are helping to save the lives of newborns in the Third World. Eight teens at private West Island College in the southeast have spent the last two months knitting caps to give babies in Ethiopia and Kenya a fighting chance for survival. The students, who teamed up with Save the Children Canada for the project, have knitted 200 colourful caps -- more than any other school across the country. Grade 8 student Erin Baird said she's blown away by the volume of caps she and her peers have contributed. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=33 Greg and Suzan Thomas can spin quite a yarn about the origins of their new shop. Avid knitters both, the rural Williamson County couple were making frequent field trips to Nashville, Tenn., and St. Louis to buy quality yarn for their stress-relieving hobby. Advertisement Advertising Info "There was just no place to get good wool and good yarn," Suzan said. A love of quality yarn - and a dislike of crossing state lines to get it - inspired the couple and became the impetus for The Yarn Shoppe, a new Herrin business that delivers precisely what the name promises. The Yarn Shoppe is a sensory pleasure, for both knitters and the uninitiated. Skeins of rich, colorful yarn adorn every shelf, each roll softer than the one before it. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=32 When Suri Cruise appeared in Vanity Fair, photographed asleep in the arms of father Tom Cruise wearing a cream-coloured knit jersey, Aucklander Justine Turner's website went crazy. Turner runs Just Jussi, an online knitwear business specialising in heirloom knitwear for babies and Suri's appearance in a knitted top gave her valuable - and free - advertising. "There was a real peak in sales after those photos came out," said Turner. "I think around the same time a couple of American baby fashion blogs had picked me up." Although Turner wasn't the creator of Suri's garment, her beautiful and unique handknits are creating a stir in the North American market. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=31 No pencils. Just needles and yarn for this class. Knitting and crocheting is a new offering at Mt. San Jacinto Continuation High School, started by teacher Barbara Crossey. Besides learning a new skill, the 20 girls and boys in the class also can donate some of the items they make, such as booties and blankets, to teenage mothers, battered women's shelters and the needy. Students who donate will be given double credit. "I've been waiting for this class forever," said Marley Benshalom, 16. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=30 I love challenges and problem-solving. I like to never say "never." That may explain why, while watching the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts make their way to the Super Bowl, I sat cutting plastic grocery bags into long strips, making balls of plastic "yarn" and then crocheting "string" bags that I could take on my grocery shopping excursion. The challenge and problem to solve, of course, was: How to stem the manufacturing of more of those Earth-unfriendly plastic grocery bags at the checkout line. And to make use of the ones I already had. ("Most plastic bags," the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Web site says, "are made from polyethylene, which is made from crude oil and natural gas, non-renewable resources.") http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=29 Almost daily, Sami Marty sits watching TV next to a basket full of yarn and ribbon while she crochets pink, blue and multicolored dresses. The 78-year-old Moreno Valley woman has made about 250 gowns plus a number of blankets and hats. When a newborn dies in a local hospital, staff members dress the baby in one of the gowns. The parents are given the gowns and a memory box that includes footprints and photos of the infant. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=28 With knitting and crocheting curiously hip again, "Threadbared: Decades of Don'ts from the Sewing and Crafting World" ($17.95, Three Rivers Press) should be a cautionary reminder that just because you can knit something doesn't mean you should. This campy book by Kimberly Wrenn and Mary Watkins takes us back to the zenith (OK, maybe nadir) of the modern-day craft movement - the 1970s - when homespun shawls, afghan blankets and macrame plant hangers were the height of natural-chic. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=27 t's never about the finished product. Area knitters say they pick up their needles every day, not because they need another scarf for the frigid weather, but because they need the rhythmic motion to relax and unwind. Knitting has become an increasingly popular hobby during the past five years, bringing people of all ages to yarn shops and classes. On Thursday afternoon at The Knitting Shoppe, 2141 Muscatine Ave. in Iowa City, a knitting class of about eight women in their 40s, 50s and 60s bent over their work, needles clicking. Many of the women around the table began knitting in just the past year. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=26 KNITTING nanas are helping penguins p-p-p pick up a pullover. The tiny jumpers will save the lives of stricken penguins across the globe. The woollies for endangered wildlife - which come in different styles and colours - are the creations of pensioners Miriam Whittington and friends Jen Evans. Evelyn Nichols who have spent weeks knitting for the endangered Australian fairy penguins. The women, all from Seaham, are part of an army of kind-hearted volunteers who have given up their time to helping thousands of birds affected by oil spills on the Australian coast. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=25 Knitting in public used to be something practiced only by grannies and Madame Defarge. But you don't have to be over 50--or a bitter fictional French revolutionary--to whip out the needles when you're away from home these days. People from all walks of life are knitters, and proud to show it off. You see them on the CTA, in coffee shops and in museums. Needles clacking, they talk merrily about life, love and the shared enjoyment of craftiness. Some have even formed groups, which meet for noshing, chatting and knitting in pubs, restaurants and all kinds of other venues. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=24 Eleanor Swogger's mother refused to teach her to knit -- not out of spite, but because she wanted her daughter to learn to knit the right way. Maybe that's why 48 years after joining the knitting club in elementary school, Swogger, 59, teaches three classes a week -- two at Nazareth's Kraemer Textile and one at Bethlehem's Tangled Yarns -- and almost never puts aside her knitting needles. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=23 Bea Bartlett's hands worked rapidly around circular knitting needles, a lavender hat fit for a baby taking shape between them. Baby booties sat on the table before her, alongside knitting projects boasting different colors, textures and patterns. Bartlett, of Palmetto, sat with four other crafters in the warm Tom Chaires Building on the chilly Manatee County Fairgrounds in Palmetto. It was Day Eight of the Manatee County Fair, which ends Sunday. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=22 Upon first glance, Jean Soffa's hands are fairly typical for an elderly woman. Wrinkled, faint tributaries of veins visible on her soft skin, fingers slightly crooked from arthritis. But the hands are those of a creator. Soffa, 97, continues to knit and crochet in her old age, a craft she learned when she was just 5 years old. It is so much a part of her past that she cannot imagine a life without it. "It's my whole... " She paused. "It's my whole life. When my husband died, I took to knitting. When my mother died, I took to knitting. I'm wrapped up in it. In knitting." http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=21 As one walks through "Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting," which opens today at the Museum of Arts and Design, it is glaringly clear that the term "fiber art," like that of "craft," has become too limited. It inappropriately prejudices the viewer to expect a certain type of experience - one mired in doilies and grandmothers' sweaters - while pinning down the artists whose ideas about materials are sophisticated, entirely fluid, and nondiscriminatory. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=20 A community service project is also a class. Barbara Crossey, a teacher at Mt. San Jacinto Continuation High School, will start a new elective: "Knitting and Crocheting." Items made in the class, such as baby blankets and booties, will be given to teen mothers in the community. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=19 "Roses are red, violets are blue and if you're a knitter, I'm sure to love you!" "If you will be my Valentine, I will stop in the middle of the row!" "We're knitted together, Valentine!" Maple syrup sappy? Corn better converted to ethanol? Maybe. Then again, maybe it's just love, sweet, sweet love. Valentine's Day brings out sticky sweet, buttered corn sentiments in me and my knitting. Marilyn B., my muse and precious friend, once told me that "I'm in love with love." She was right. And that translates to knitting heart stuff and writing little verses, sappy or non, for Valentine's Day. (I would never tell you that marriage #2 was on Valentine's Day and then I had to reclaim the day!) http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=18 In a quiet corner of the Pequot Library's children's department, young girls curl up on the couch and easy chairs once a month, not with a good book, but a pair of knitting needles. Guided by several library staffers, who call themselves Chicks with Sticks, young knitters have learned the fundamentals of the ancient fiber art since the program began in the fall of 2005. The once-dying tradition has enjoyed a resurgence of interest, according to Pequot Children's Librarian Susan Ei, who said as many as 11 children, most of them girls, attend the workshops. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=17 Members of the knitting group at the Community House comfort themselves with more than warm scarves and sweaters when they gather on Thursdays. The 15 or so women who meet each week have found camaraderie and lifelong friendship as they knit one and pearl two, swapping platitudes on the best way to raise kids and grieving together when one loses a spouse. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=16 f you are looking for an inviting group of gals to spend a few winter evenings with, pull up your afghan (you knitted it yourself, right?) and snuggle in with The Friday Night Knitting Club. Kate Jacobs' breezy first novel reads like Steel Magnolias set in Manhattan. Julia Roberts is already set to star in the movie version of this story about a single mother named Georgia Walker, abandoned by her hunky urban professional beau, James, and left to raise their daughter, Dakota, alone. To survive, she opens a knitting shop that attracts a circle of women who tenuously become friends in the knitting club. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=15 Geraldine Roche's fingers labored effortlessly as she wound yarn and ribbon around her knitting needles during a recent meeting of the Handicrafts and More Club at the Lakewood Ranch Town Hall. Her homemade creation would later become a poncho. "On cool Sunday mornings I usually wear them to church," she said, making another stitch. "I should have it done by Friday night." The other women laughed. Most had been working on their projects for weeks, even months. But it was all part of the banter of the Handicrafts and More Club, a group of women that gets together to work on various handicrafts. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=14 With knitting and crocheting curiously hip again, "Threadbared" should be a cautionary reminder that just because you can knit something doesn't mean you should. This campy book takes us back to the zenith (OK, maybe nadir) of the modern-day craft movement - the 1970s - when homespun shawls, afghan blankets and macrame plant hangers were the height of natural-chic. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=13 When my friend Joy Neitling invited me to Tangle Knitting Studio at 440 First St. in Lake Oswego, images of my sweet grandmother came to mind. Knitting didn't strike me as the latest craze, but it appears I've been asleep under an afghan somewhere. Last Thursday night, I dropped by. Five minutes after I met Tangle owner Alice Burnham, the door opened and Alex Shafer, a senior at West Linn High School, entered. He's 18 and he was on a mission. Alex wasn't lost. He bought skeins to knit Christmas gifts for his mom, sister and girlfriend. This is no yarn http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=12 There was no shame in giving away a gift as soon as it was received. That was to be expected from an event called an ugly yarn exchange. Members of The Villages Knitting Guild selected yarn from their own stashes and wrapped it up prettily before gathering Monday at Churchill Street Center for the exchange. The thought was that an ornate package could contain some fabulous yarn. "That's the assumption," Anita Shapero of Winifred said. "Anyone who has such good taste couldn't possibly put in ugly yarn." But that was not necessarily the case. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=11 Almost 250 servicemen and women will be kept a little warmer this winter, as local seniors have been knitting hats to send overseas. The knitted hats are made to fit under the helmets of troops stationed in Iraq in a nationwide effort. Local knitters, including both the Plainville and North Attleboro Council on Aging's weekly knitting groups, have been producing the colorful skull cups. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=10 After several thousand stitches and about 150 hours of knitting, Elaine Harmon finds her retirement is even busier than her youth, which found her dancing away nearly every night in Los Angeles nightclubs. But the 81-year-old finds knitting -- and sometimes crocheting -- for Project Warm Up with Yakima's Retired and Senior Volunteer Program more satisfying because the pieces go to the needy. Harmon, who enjoys listening to the Beach Boys while knitting hats for cancer patients, does what she loves while keeping people warm. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=9 The county's elderly people have been doing their bit to raise cash for local services. Members of Age Concern Herefordshire and Worcestershire have been busy knitting little woolly hats to raise money for local services. The hats will go on the lid of Innocent drinks and be sold in Sainsbury's and EAT cafs. For each hat created, Age Concern receives 50p to help older people keep warm this winter. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=8 Should I move my thumb?" 25-year-old Andrea Lee Estrada of South Boston asked Mike Attisha yesterday, as he took her through the first steps of knitting. "Yes, unless you want to knit your thumb into it," Attisha replied. "But who knows, that could be your thing." Welcome to Men Who Knit - and the Women Who Love Them. More accurately, it was the second annual StitchFest, sponsored by the Boston chapter of the National Organization for Men Against Sexism, which encourages men to not only knit but also challenge sexist prejudices. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=7 Thoughts of knitted sweaters may fill the heads of gift givers and receivers this time of year, but there's more to the stitching technique than clothing. "I'm personally into lace," says Elizabeth Wells, who organizes workshops for the Old Pueblo Knitters. Wells knits doilies for the backs of chairs and to place under glass on bedside stands. She uses the lace as decorative edging for towels. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=6 Debbie Ruf was tugging around a small snowman ornament and a fiber sheep as she glanced at the Christmas tree full of creations from members of the Black Sheep Weavers Fiber Guild. The group held its 24th annual holiday sale on Friday and Saturday at Cromaine District Library, where everything from handmade scarves to ornaments were for sale, while various looming, knitting and other craft demonstrations were set up throughout the library. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=5 A petite woman, Ludmilla Wohland counts her blessings. She has a modest, well-kept apartment, has enough money to get by and has a social circle that she can call on for support. She says she is doing OK but is not ashamed to ask for help. "I get help and I give help," she said. She helps by knitting and crocheting, skills she learned as a child in Slovakia. She donates many creations to Birthright, an organization that helps young, unwed mothers, and to area hospitals. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=4 OK, we get it. Knitting is popular. We've seen (some of) the thousands of blogs, and maybe once or twice, gazed at a friend's sweater longingly. But a spate of recent books -- with titles like "Sew Subversive" and subjects like how to knit felt (really?) -- inspired some questions. Is it any cheaper to make your own clothes? Can the quality match mass-produced merchandise? If not, why else would you spend pound 300 and as many hours making a sweater? http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=3 Nothing can keep Jeri Iwasczuk down. While recuperating from spine surgery in 2005 and then a second battle with cancer in May, Jeri took the approach that if she had to sit still, she might as well knit wool handbags. Knitting has been a part of her life since she was a girl. "I knitted 300 pairs of cuffs for soldiers' coats to keep them warm during World War II," said Jeri, who is 77. On Wednesday, she and hubby Steve arrived with the results of her most recent creative jag: about 40 soft wool "felted" handbags in a riot of colors and styles. She will be selling them for pound 18 to pound 50 on Saturday and Dec. 9 at the Holiday Unique Boutique at the Art on the Square Gallery in downtown Belleville. It's a special two-weekend-only holiday sale of one-of-a-kind items created by area artists and including paintings, jewelry and sculpture. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=2 Some of the area's tiniest babies will stay warm, thanks to students at Portage High School. Members of the school's combination knitting and art club are crafting tiny hats that will keep low birthweight babies warm at the hospital. Knitting tiny hats serves a twofold purpose, said Wanda Rice, the club's faculty adviser. Many of the club members are novice knitters, and "this just seemed like a really easy project," she said. http://www.dailyknitter.com/knittingnewsdetail.php?id=1 Judy Ross and her daughter Mitzi Ross raised llamas for years before Billy Bannerman, a master spinner and weaver, taught them how to spin the animals' fur into yarn. Once they learned the craft, the Ross' wanted to share the joy of spinning with others and began the River Cities Fiber Clan, a group that meets to spin, knit, crochet, weave, needle felt, cross stitch, and applique.