SistahCraft

Now, Don't Drop The Ball––March Announcements

If you see something, say something…

(A garter stitch swatch I found, dropped on the steps of the 40th Street subway station, NYC; all pics enlarge.)

If you are the knitter who lost the swatch, or know who did and are reading this post (a shout out to my NYC subway knitters!), you may find me the following events. Now, I hope you just didn't say f*** it, and commenced to knit your project––'cause you know how I feel about swatching first.

I'm Just Itching To See Him!

(portrait by Franklin Habit)

Hubba, hubba! The copiously talented and rakishly handsome Franklin Habit whose blog, The Panopticon, is about to cause the internet to crash due to the size of his fan-base, will be appearing at the wonderful Knitty City on the 29th of this month.  The creator of the sexy and sold out "Guys with Yarn 2009" calendar, will be signing his uproariously funny book,  "It Itches".  (Interweave Press). As the line will probably stretch down the block, come early, and bring a seat (sorry Thomas, I don't know if he's single, you will have to ask him yourself).

Just In Time For The Cherry Blossoms

"America is not like a blanket-one piece of unbroken cloth, the same color, the same texture, the same size. America is more like a quilt-many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven together by a common thread."––Jesse Jackson, American minister and civil-rights leader

Pictured here, the eleventh hour quilter herself, Michelle Bishop, founder of Harlem Needlearts, and portrait quilter Laura Gadson, are getting an extension of their 15 minutes of fame.  The work of these two members of the Harlem Girls Quilting Circle, are part of the exhibition Quilts For Obama: Celebrating the Inauguration of Our 44th President. Due to its overwhelming success, this show has been extended to July 26th 2009; it's at the Historical Society of Washington D.C.

For a short list of more events, check out New York This N' That, in the sidebar.

Éirinn go brách!*

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Lá Fhéile Pádraig!

(This wonderful crocheted coaster, along with many others, is available at Crochet Memories; all pics enlarge)

Rejoice In Your Identity!

I want to wish all of my Irish, and Irish-American knitters and, for this month especially, crocheters, a fabulous holiday!

And in honor of National Crochet Month, I will direct you to two sites which feature the most beautiful Irish Crochet. Here they are:

• Barbara Ballantyne Her research is astounding, and the piece on this link is mind-bogglingly beautiful!
  

• Lacis Museum These are examples of Irish Crochet at it's Finest, with a good historical overview
  

* Gaelic for "Ireland Forever"!

(Sorry for the underline, but I can't seem to get rid of it. This new platform is a pain sometimes.)

The Aliens Have Returned Me!

Where I Was Seen Last During The Summer…

 

(I only got up for a moment; The Silver Spinner, my Ashford Kiwi wheel, custom painted and tricked out to be portable, by the handsome Dave Paul of The Merlin Tree. All pics enlarge.)

Hey there everybody!!!

I want to thank all of you who expressed concern for me. And since I do care about your feelings, I'm not gonna lie––I was not a candidate for the visitors; I was right here on earth.

Honestly? I just didn't have the time to spend online, so I had to take a break. Fall/winter became very busy, between work at the magazine, and my work in knit product development. With the hours I had left, I directed my energies to living, because I am not under the self-help book inspired illusion that one can have or do it all––that's for the deities. And maybe the aliens.

I finished some intense design commitments, then acquired skill in a new medium––hand spinning––in order to refocus my eyes, and find new inspiration. I'm now feeling renewed and refreshed,  just in time for the return of spring! 

But, as the daffodils are moving up, some things have moved on. Here are two announcements, so you won't be unpleasantly surprised when you visit NYC.

Last Stitches

The start of this year has seen the closing of two yarn shops. The first, Yarn Connection (218 Madison Avenue at 36th Street), was a favorite haunt of mine for over 20 years. Arriving at the top of the stairs to Jane Young's jewel box of a shop on the second floor, you were often greeted by boxes of the latest yarns stacked in the hallway; my heart would immediately start to palpitate with cupidity. Her staff was the nicest, both patient and helpful to everyone, and they had the best sale bins for designer yarn in the city. Yes folks, this was where a frugal gal could look good. I admit I didn't go to the final sale. I would've started to cry, embarrassing everyone. For a last look at the shop, go to Heidi Cohen's  Knitted Yarns. Jane, I wish you  the best!

The second to cast off, was Stitches East (55 East 52nd Street, lobby 3). This elusive but spacious boutique, discretely called bitches east by disgruntled patrons, catered to well dressed, advanced knitters and needle pointers who lunched. Indeed, on the rare occasion I stopped in, I was actually treated decently––probably owing to wearing a not-too-vintage designer suit, and running off to meet friends for a sweet lunch at that venerated New York institution, Serendipity.  But, regardless of the mixed reviews, it's still a loss for midtown center––where will the swells stitch now? Perhaps Knitting 321 (321 East 75th Street), will pick up the ball. It's expensive, caters to knitches (from what I've heard), and you can lunch at Swifty's!

Yes y'all, the knitting magpie is back!!