This little light of mine... I'm gonna yarnbomb it.

Send an E-card about crocheting or knitting

This young girl was created by Vincent Van Gogh.

Here's a website that offers the
chance to send free e-cards that feature knitters or crocheters.
Brought to you by the folks at Lion Brand Yarn,
you can access many more choices by clicking on the images.

The Museum of Scientifically Accurate Fabric Brain Art

LOL:

"While our artists make every effort to insure accuracy, we cannot accept responsibility for the consequences of using fabric brain art as a guide for functional magnetic resonance imaging, trans-cranial magnetic stimulation, neurosurgery, or single-neuron recording."

From the website: The Museum of Scientifically Accurate Fabric Brain Art

Strawberries for Valentines Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

Daina Taimina to come to NYSCI

Author, Educator and Crocheter, Daina Taimina, will be giving a talk at the New York Hall of Science. As Librarian there, I advocated for a visit from her and found the perfect venue... the "Staff Science Series" - grant funded professional development seminars funded by Sara Lee (yes, of cheesecake fame).
Her visit will take place sometime in the first week of April.

I told Eric, who gave me the go-ahead to invite her...
"I'm happy!"
His response: "This is all it takes to make you happy?"
Ahh...yeah!

Her book: Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes


We saw her last year at Lion Brand Yarn Store. She is a charismatic speaker with a captivating slide show. Her math allusions (non-Euclidian geometry!) were rather challenging, but I dug the whole scene like crazy.

Now that's yarn bombing!

Olek is a yarn bomber supreme. In this video, she dresses Wall Street's Charging Bull statue.

Click on the bull to see the movie.


There's some other cool stuff on her website: http://agataolek.com/home.html

Crochet Chairs.. Two vastly different perspectives

This chair is named, Lucy.
It's from a German crochet artist: Check out her blog

Crochet Chair

Found this "crochet chair" on the cool blog Art Yarn. I especially like the placement of the modern shape next to the castle wall.

"This glorious outdoor seating design by Dutch maker Marcel Wanders, is initially crocheted with rope to create the chairs form. It has then been reinforced with resin and precious metals for structural and detailing purposes."




From Wander's website, this attempt at description of his cube is found. I dig the ideas about contrast, but find the language a bit much. What do you think?
"His Crochet Cube wryly merges homey, handcrafted doilies with spare, minimalist form. Both represent classic studies in contrasts: softness versus rigidity; minimal form versus maximal pattern; handcrafted appearance versus machine aesthetic; and open web versus closed volume."

Comments from Robin (my sister and an artist)

Wow, those chairs are so ..... EXCITING!!!!

They are both so different (as you pointed out) but both so perfect. I especially love the hard one outside the castle, it's such a fascinating use if form & texture. Besides being beautiful, it tickles my intelligence and my understanding of spatial stuff and how hardeners work and sent my brain into trying to figure out how it was molded, etc.

But the other one is just so very...... Pretty. It makes me not have to think, just grin and enjoy it and notice the time and love that went into it. And smile some more because it's just so pretty.

Then the cube..... fascinating by itself (similar to the gold chair) but the verbiage, well, it's so verbose.

I'm really glad you send me these updates, I LOVE looking at the things you've made, and I enjoy seeing what other artists are doing, you find the coolest, kookiest, funnest stuff being done in your medium.

In process: hexagon afghan blanket

New hat and scarf with new tweedy goods

New hat for warm ears

Crochet vendor sews up profits one hand-made hat at a time on 42nd Street

Hats for Sale, Hats for Sale, $20 a hat!

Click here to read more of this cool story about an enterprising artist.

Hyperbolic scarf

Spinning on the 7 train

Check out this movie, SPINDLE 7. I met the artist, Robyn Love, when she participated in Maker Faire out at the NY Hall of Science. She wrapped the rocket ship with a knitted/crocheted blanket.

Here's the blurb:
Carrying a tote bag filled with drop spindles and wool, artist Robyn Love rode New York City's 7 train through the most ethnically diverse county in the United States, the borough of Queens, talking to her fellow passengers and teaching them how to spin.

I really dug this movie. Since I take the 7 train to work all the time, it has special meaning for me.

Movie link: http://vimeo.com/15853937

Nice to see a present being used so well.

Maker Faire 2010: great fiber art

That's me, standing between two wonderful needle women at Maker Faire. Held at The New York Hall of Science, this festival had some pretty awesome fiber art.
Robyn Love (left) is the creator of this rocket/blanket display. I contributed a 12" square. Anna Hrachovec (right) was a guest "maker" in the NYSCI library.

Lion Brand Yarn sponsored Robyn's exhibit.

From their PR:

At the rocket ship a trail of over 300 knit and crocheted squares will be attached to flow from the rocket.

This interactive exhibit will allow visitors to write notes and pin them to the yarn crafted trail of squares with their personal “message to the universe."

After the event, the squares will be recreated into afghans to donate to the Warm Up America! Foundation"

Here's Anna in the NYSCI library. Her knitted creations are
featured in her new book, Knitting Mochimochi.

NY Hall of Science wanted to have a strong presence at Maker Faire, so as the Librarian, I invited makers that connected science and literacy to display their art in the library.

We also had Sarah Nicholls from The Center for Book Arts and Mary Carson, author of Let's Play Science. Shelby Arnold, who works with Pop-Up Master Robert Sabuda, gave a pop-up card workshop.

Anna's fungus are really adorable and exquisitely rendered. Quite a different feeling from my creations.
Here they visit on my table.

My display included the plarn bag, my fungus creations and of course my security gate sweaters (see previous post).

I was asked to wear the NYSCI t-shirt that featured the "scicons" - designed by Cara, our art director and my best friend at the Hall.

Karen, crocheter and NYSCI educator, made these adorable scicons.

Technology and robots were BIG at this event. Sure, I dig technology, why not?

Like this groovy device.

These pretty eggs were drawn on by a machine (eggbot) connected to a computer that had been programmed with a design. This is technology that spreads beauty.

Thanks, but no thanks!

Among the 173 exhibits I strolled by and kept strolling.

Amy Caterina crocheted this car cover from yarn that had a grass like look.

This is another Lion Brand project. Amy and I had a swell visit on Saturday, she is a thoughtful and joyful artist. Check out her website FreeRangeKnitting.

Red Cross Tent with two brand new crocheters who

learned at one of the many booths featuring lessons.

What's next?

How about my very own Lion Brand Yarn sponsored fiber art piece? Maybe four panels in the library, earth air fire water or winter spring summer fall. I made a connection with them, so we'll see how far it goes.

Maker Faire - thanks for the inspiration!

Security Gates Sweater - all finished for Maker Faire

These security gates will still do their beeping job if needed here in the Library at the New York Hall of Science.
As Librarian, this is only part of my contribution to Maker Faire this weekend. I will also display my mushroom creations.
The Library will be hosting some other Makers, including fab knitter, Anna Hrachovec (check out mochimochiland.com).

Here's my good friend, Ray, being supportive and ready to engage.

Comfy Cozy Security Gates

Maker Faire is coming to NYC. In fact, The New York Hall of Science will be hosting this enormous Do-It-Yourself Festival on Sept 25/26th. (300 exhibitors, 25,000 visitors).

The librarian (moi) will present several specially invited makers in the Hall of Science library, including a table of my mushrooms, lichen etc. For this special occasion, I plan to go the yarn bombing route and create a sweater for the security gates.


In the process now of making the "sleeves". One of the two will be reds/oranges and the other in the blue/green family. The vertical arms might be purple. Stay tuned.

There's another fiber artist who lives here

These are Friendship bracelets

Inspired while on vacation by the Long Lake logo!