SistahCraft

Summertime, And The Whirlwind Is Easy––Row 1

(Uhuru Sasa!!* July 4th weekend at the 39th Annual International African Arts Festival 2010**; all pics enlarge.)

I Was Looking For Y'all!

Despite the smokin' hot (as my gurl Nicole Bryd would say) temperatures over the July 4th weekend, folks were out in force at Commodore Barry Park in Brooklyn for day 3 of the 4 day cultural festival of entertainment, food, crafts, workshops, a black inventors exhibit, fashion, theater and more. Can I tell you? It was happenin'!

This event commemorated the 40th anniversary of the iconoclastic Uhuru Sasa Shule the independent, community run school of The East, a cultural nucleus in the Bedford Stuyvesant/Fort Greene area (a HUGE shout out to Baba Jitu Weusiº, co-founder).  In order to keep this post within your attention span, I'll only rap on my day, but do get the full rundown on the festivities, and the history of this iconoclastic institution from the footnote links.

Major Standouts From My Style Lens

  (Silver, semi-precious stones, bone, oxidized metal; Akosua Jewelry Designs.)

I was on a  serious mission to acquire another piece from Akosua Bandele, an Afro-Futuristic ornament sculptor, who I met years ago during Harlem Week.  Unlike most trendy, status symbol jewelry––the moment never passes for hers. Not to be missed either, Akosua's partner in life Marvin Sin, is a superb artist working in sculpted leather portraiture. His accessories are a must have––and that day, the must-have of the must-haves was the Obama portrait wallet. In light of the up-coming birthday of the lion of America, show your continued support by rockin' one!

Because It's Time!

  (Bamboo and leather, hand-stitched; Nativo Collection Watch, by ECOWRIST)

  This united couple, MarQurite Hamden and David Gandy know about quality time; thank the ancestors I found them!

Tired of digging in my handbag for a phone to tell me the time, I had been vibe-ing for a watch. Energized from my new ear sculpture, I wanted to see who else was leading the different. Well, I didn't have to walk far.

Baby! These watches are the re-birth of cool. MarQurite and David work with artisans in South America to produce these works of natural materials. Yes, the movement is quartz, but this was necessary to keep the prices affordable––under $150US. Not sure of how to dispose of your old battery? They know how and will do it for you. Yo, D.P.! Get to their site for a watch, so you can stop yanking my arm to oogle mine.

The Super-natural Future, Today

(Future present; fiber incorporated locks, and mathematical cornrows are crowning the heads of standout sisters.)

My mission accomplished, Mr. K and I reveled in the rest of the fest––eye candied folks who my gurl Zenobia Bailey calls the supernatural brothers and sisters.  Big up to all of the most beautiful attendees I've ever seen in my life!  Uhuru sasa for the future!

Yarnfettish, you woulda' passed out at the natural hair show, produced by Nekhena Evans, owner of New Bein' Enterprises. My style lens is focusing on fiber accented locks, new-math cornrows and wire, by next summer; look for it, y'all.

 

The Call And The Response––Many People, One Voice

(Africa called and we responded; Lorraine Klaasen vocalist and performers.)

Every year the IAAF has brought passionate and magnetic performers to the stage, from Fela Kuti, to Lauryn Hill. This year it was Lorraine Klaasen the high-powered South African vocalist. Singing selections from her new album "Africa Calling", this sister had folks of all colors kicking up dust! Check out her site and pick up this wonderful album post haste––lalalalalalalalalala!

Already? Damn!

My watch is telling me it's time to go to the separate reality of dreamland. That said, a big shout to the sponsors, organizers, coordinators, volunteers, exhibitors, performers, and everyone else who worked hard to make this happen. And a special thanks to Atim Annette Oton co-owner of Calabar Imports and the publisher of Calabar Online Magazine; she went to print for this event. She's also the reason for row 2––the next post.

Important footnote links

*The 39th International African Arts Festival

**Uhuru Sasa means freedom now, in Swahili.

ºBaba Jitu Weusi, the East, and the Uhuru Sasa Shule––a watershed time in New York City's education history.

Stay tuned, y'all! BTW, my homeade sorrel was great!

(pic taken by Mr. K––mwah!)

Hibernation's Over––March Announcements

(This beautiful bed is by Shawn Lovell Metalworks; all pics enlarge)

The Bears Are Awake––What's Up With You?

Ancestors! The weekend before last, a glimpse of spring in New York had folks estimating the time it would take to shed their winter weight, dusting off stored wardrobes, then running around town to supplement their look with spring pieces––shopping bags were everywhere, baby. Mr. K and I sloughed off our winter sleep with a couples massage at the No. 1 date spa in the city––Supple! Many thanks to Kitty and Chanda, our respective masseuses. Whooee! Our evening wrapped up with a fabu dinner of Kimchee and BBQ at Hangang Korean Restaurant in Lil' Korea (34 West 32nd St. between Broadway and Fifth). If you live here and haven't been to the last 24 hour block in NYC––you're still asleep!

So Yo, Snap Out Of It!

Is my motto for the spring season. Knitters and crocheters! Make a note of what row you're on, put away your work for now and get to steppin', with some people, places and things to capture your attention, and either attend or attend to. I'll list, and as you'll want to dig deeper, their respective pages will under the New York sidebar.

 August Wilson's Women

Is open until April 10th, and I'ma be there looking for you, so hit the Nuyorican Poets Cafe!  When will you get to see a performance of this stature from the perspective of the women?

Cuddly Repulsion––Ain't He Cute?

In 3 days you must go to Gallery Hanahou to see "Out of the Black", a show of new works by my friend, the copiously imaginative and insightful Matt Campbell (check out his link), who will explore our fascination/repulsion with the objects and pollution we create and consume. Says Matt, '"We invade the habitats of other life forms and take them over and drive them out. We know it’s bad but we can’t stop - because we love all the cool shiny new stuff we make. We love technology - we love Tuna and we just want to keep eating it."'

Represent! It's Your Time Now

A big shout to my sisterfriends, the divine Carolyn Butts of African Voices Magazine!

Reel Sisters Women of Color in Film, is accepting submissions for its 13th annual festival. This most important and compelling festival showcases the best in narrative (Courtney Lilly's excellently hilarious "I'm Through With White Girls"), documentaries (Alice Brewton Hurwitz's brave Lillie and Leander), animation (Michelle Bodden's award winning "Obara & The Merchants"), and shorts (Christine Turner's "Rubber Soles" was a standout, right Mr. K?). Teen film makers can holla' back too!

Okay, I gotta' run and pick up my sewing machine from the mechanic, but I'll put up the pages as soon as I return; for real!

Postprint: I returned and the pages are up, so get on it! Thanks, and if you have time, check out my new spinning blog––In It To Spin It. I'm spinning yarn in the city, oh yeah!

The Home Twister is Back!

Go, Go Gadget––Twist!

(You can even twist outdoors; all pics enlarge.)

A New Generation

Originally named the Daruma Home Twister, I sold beaucoup of these in the eighties, as a sales associate at School Products Co. Its popularity spawned a mélange yarn fad, prompting a few shops to even offer a twisting service for their customers.

Then a decade later, the capriciousness of fashion precipitated a decline in the home knitting market, and the Daruma was cast off by its original producers, the Yokata Co., Ltd..

Hey, nothing lasts forever.

(Mélange magnifique; twisted balls)

Or does it? When my own appliance started approaching its end last year (its housing now glued together), I started searching for a replacement. Ancestors! I learned that interest in this device had attained cult status among fiberphiles. Sightings on Craigslist and Ebay were but a blink of an eye, being snatched up. Vintage sewing and needlework sites, who knew the value of this doohicky, listed prices as high as $100 (for serious collectors, the Daruma in it's original red housing, can be purchased at the fabulous site for vintage housewares,  Pinky LaRue. )

Well, I posted about my own, in the hope that the laws of attraction would bring one to me––and it did. Now, I bring it to you!

KrisKrafter To The Rescue

(It's jim dandy; the new Home Twister)

My girl Kris is now manufacturing and selling the Home Twister! It's a fraternal twin to the second iteration, the only difference is the casing's coloring. It still holds several strands of yarn in a slit in the cone's top, enabling you to create marls and mélange's in weights from lace to bulky. Simple to assemble (just 2 parts), it stores easily.

Now, some of you may find the price of $70.00 not very frugally fabulous. Check this out.

If you're a machine knitter with cones of yarn that are too thin to hand knit with, the twister can extend your creative range. Ply together small amounts and knit mini swatches until you arrive at a pleasing color combo; it's how I came to knit my V neck. I wanted to hand knit a sweater, looked at all of the cones of yarn I had, then said "Gee' maybe I'll twist some strands together and see what happens"; it's like painting!

(Happily twisted; for details see my projects on Raverly; there's a tutorial in the sidebar too.)

Now, if you're not inclined to spin yarn, this is the next best thing; experiment, throwing in lengths of yarn to catch in with ones being twisted. Ply together different weights and textures. You can create blends just as nice as many handspuns; this super device, is designed to ply your yarns together evenly, no matter what weight or type.

The Home Twister is a great way to extend your stash, and to create new fabrics. And it won't fall apart on you. There aren't any parts to break, and trust me––mine has lasted 23 years. How frugally fabulous is that?

Ready everbody? Let's twist with Kris!

The Magnificance of Significance, Because ALL Time is Real

Don't Let The Fickle Fingers Of Fate Dictate Your Time!

(Real time, or real crowded; Times Square at the evening rush hour; all pics enlarge).

Naomi, I'm so happy my intermittent blogging has inspired you––because real time has become a real pain in the tuches for me.

The Tunnel's Too Wide For My Vision

When I returned from my vacation, it all hit me again. My job––which is about things that happen before real time, my leisure––which is my time, and real time––everyone else's time––came crashing into me. The simultaneously occurring circus of invitations, openings, events, and just plain mayhem that drives the hypertension of this city, my perpetual curiosity, and the illusory need to stay in the radar, doesn't allow much time for real contemplation. You can either blog your ass off––or rebel totally, and gaze at your needles (or your Jacob & Co. navel ring, right Tammy?). In the end however, is it elevating anyone's craft or consciousness?

Nevertheless, since I ain't turning down many invites or recommendations, I had to find a solution. New York This N' That––And The Other, is the sidebar portal that will preview and pertain to––the city circus; you can get your hypertension on! If you're traveling here––and many of you are travelers, international, as well as cross-country––it's my culturally hip radar screen, and a respite from the mainstream's myopia. For those who want the other––these are products and producers, who are about friends, rather than fame (but it can be about that too; there are some famously friendly folk out there). At last, I'll be free to blog in a manner that honors the subject (thanks for your patience, Monique).

Featured blog posts will be timelessly devoted to significant content. In my definition, this will mean content to elevate either your craft or your consciousness, with some of my raised eyebrow observations thrown in, to deflate the high and mightiness of that last sentence. I hope you'll find my new lens enjoyable and reactionary!

(And yes y'all, I'm still knitting––hell, my leisure time is of significance!)

My boat neck dress is an A-line silhouette; the yarn is a linen blend; the pattern is Herringbone Lace, a favorite of mine, from A Treasury of Knitting Patterns. Knitted on # 5's, I'm half-way up the back piece now. I'm wearing it to dinner with Mr. K, at the Ebbitt Room in The Virginia Hotel, when we return to Cape May (I know, but we love it there) next week).

Greetings From Cape May––My Trip To Peru, Row 2

(Some of the girls and ladies; all pics enlarge.)

After purchasing my fleece and a few gifts, came the apogee of my visit––meeting my benefactors. Barbara took me to their comfortably large, clean––and today, cool––quarters, where we were greeted by the flock, as feeding time trumped the heat. Well, I tell 'ya––cute overload aside, looking at these alpacas swelled my sense of pride toward spinning their fleece. Their conspicuous health and beauty are a testament to the care they receive from the Nuessle's, and the couple's concern for the surrounding environment as well.

"We and the other farms in the area had the goal of land preservation in mind" Barbara told me, "so we all locked down the land against further development." Wow. To me, living in New York, where urban development and eminent domain, is erasing the past as fast as rain on side-walk drawings made of chalk––this is the ultimate thank you, to the earth and certainly to Cape May. 

(Hunter and Harrison. You can see more pics of the herd on the website.)

The Nuessle's have 10 acres, on which their 26 Huachaya alpacas reside. Now, I know––as a knitter, spinner, weaver, or anyone else involved with fiber, you've had fantasies of having a (fill in the animal) farm.  Mr. K and my own holdings are limited to a dog and a cat. So how do the Nuessle's do it? "Twenty-two alpacas are easier to care for, than one dog," says Barbara. Really? Seeing the fish-eye I gave her, she explained. "You have to walk a dog, at least twice a day. And there's other kinds of care too."

I learned that alpacas are very clean, and don't defecate where they eat, making them less prone to parasites and disease. Socially, they're herding animals who like to stay with the group––you won't see signs posted around town for lost alpaca, reward $$. During my visit Alfalfa was being served as a treat, but hay is the primary staple, along with a supplement of vitamins and nutrients. Shearing occurs once a year in May, during which the vet visits, and the flock receives the "medical day spa" treatment, consisting of a physical exam, a dental check, their top knots (the hair on the top of their heads) trimmed, and a pedicure.

(Florence, after a happy hosing.)

Show-stoppers––Products of Good Breeding

The loving care that the alpacas receive, has brought about an impressive number of awards. The farm

participates in two major shows during the year––The
Alpaca Fiber Cooperative of North America (A.F.C.N.A.) national show, where BSF Frederico was the Reserve Color Champion of the continental fleece show for 2006––and the Mid-Atlantic Alpaca Association (MAPACA) show. Awards from these shows, translate into breeding with champions of other farms––and Bay Springs is expecting 6 crias (babies) this fall.

(Future Champ; Isabel, Miss Katie's daughter)

Now, what does this mean for you? Top notch fleece if you spin, yarn if you knit or crochet, or fab gifts, if you're the beneficiary of either group I mentioned. 

The Early Spinner Gets The Fleece

There are fleeces still for sale on the website, but spinners––act now! I was informed that the fleeces from last year's shearing sold out rapidly. "Spinning seems to be on the increase", Barbara told me. "When I was at the last TNNA (The National Needlework Association) show, there were a number of spinning vendors in attendance. But for you knitters out there, not to worry; the farm always has yarn for sale.

I'm already thinking about the future. I have my eye on Isabel, a darling 2 month-old cutie-pie, who was entertaining herself by just scampering about. Her fleece already has that championship feel.

Bay Springs Farm Alpacas, 542 New England Rd, Cape May, NJ; (609) 884-0563