Knitting at Food & Friends

For new Food & Friends clients, we’d like to deliver pot holders (hot pads, oven mitts, etc). That means we need 100+ a month! To knit or crochet, use wool or cotton (not acrylic, which melts).

When quilting use cotton fabric & batting. Minimum finished size: 7” x 7”. Remember to add a loop for hanging. Potholders knit with loops are also welcome. The wilder, the better.

Send to: Food & Friends,
Attn: Potholders
219 Riggs Road NE
Washington, DC 20011

Include your name & address (or a SASE) within the package so that we can send you a thank you note. You may also deliver your donation directly to Food & Friends, Monday - Saturday.

Our annual scarf drive will run December-January. Due to storage constraints, please do not send scarves, hats and other warm things until December.Thank you!

http://knitters-and-crocheters-care.blogspot.com/

The Creative Knitting Guild in Bethesda

Susan from the Creative Knitting Guild in Bethesda, wanted me to share the link to their guild's new blog:

http://creativeknittersguild.blogspot.com
Please check them out. They allow visitors to their meetings.

Stitch N'Pitch Comes to D.C.!

Last season I loved to go to Nats games and knit on a pair of socks and enjoy a baseball game, but how much fun will it be to join a whole group of knitters at a game to root for the Nats and knit and generally raise a ruckus--er, I mean awareness of the craft of knitting. Anyway, here's the scoop on what you need to know if you want to Stitch N'Pitch this spring with the Nats:

(Please send me pictures that you take of yourself and your knitting while you're at the game so that I can post them here on the blog)

I just received this email from a colleague who is a member of MANRA, the The Mid-Atlantic Needlework Retailers Association, about the fact that Stitch N'Pitch is coming to Washington, D.C.!

As you may already know, Stitch N’ Pitch is cooperative effort between TNNA and Major League Baseball (MLB) to bring stitchers to baseball, and baseball to stitchers. At designated games throughout the season, a section of seats is reserved for stitchers of every type and their families, friends, and casual acquaintances.

This year 23 teams are participating, including the Nationals. Our job is to fill those seats with stitchers! Why, you may ask baseball and stitching? Why not? MLB has a chance to fill stadium seats and develop new fans, and TNNA has some mainstream exposure to show the world that stitchers come in every size, shape, color, professional background, and age range! It’s good for both organizations, and it’s fun.

It is the responsibility of the TNNA shops in the designated MLB marketing area to sell the tickets, and MANRA will co-ordinate these efforts. Last Wednesday, a small group of us met with TNNA organizers and Nationals public relations staff to map out a strategy for making this event successful. We expect to sell at least 500 tickets, and hope to sell many more than that.

Here are the details: Game Info: Monday, May 14, 2007 at 7:05 pm

Ticket price: $10.00

Tickets are available at any MANRA shop (The Mid-Atlantic Needlework Retailers Association's). Please go to http://www.manra.net/ to find the closest shop in your location. All tickets are in section 514. Make your check payable to MANRA. If you would like to sit as a group, please collect the checks and bring these checks in one envelope so that the shop can give you seating in the same row.

The nice surprise is that when you buy tickets from a MANRA shop you will receive a tote bag with goodies so buy those tickets early.

Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival Classes

Consider this just a friendly reminder from someone for whom the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival is the highlight of her spring season. If you plan to take any classes at the festival this year, it's time to head over to the web site and pick your classes. You'll need to print off a registration form and get it ready to mail in because April 2 is when class registrations open up. You could even mail your registrations now, but the ones received before April 2nd will be counted as if they arrived on that date.

I'm looking at the 'Infinitely Interesting Cables with Janet Szabo,' class. I highly recommend the, 'Drop Spindle with Sally Jenkins.' I took this class from her last summer out on a grassy lawn at an Alpaca farm and I had a great time.

So, get a move on and sign up for a class. They are also looking for volunteers to help in all areas of the festival. The entire thing is put on by volunteers, so give some thought to sharing your time to help keep this fabulous institution going.

Fiber Finds

I've added a new link to our sidebar for a web site that has information about all aspects of the fiber industry. Growers wishing to vend their fiber or craft can quickly and easily set up a store. Knitters will have a variety of unique yarns to choose from. In addition, they are working on the educational pages of the site.

Check them out at www.fiberfinds.com.

DC Knitblog on Squidoo!

I just created a lens for the DC knitblog over at squidoo.com to spread the word about our groups. Go take a quick peek.

Speading the Warmth

Check out this post on the dcist blog about the Food & Friends project. I find the debate about crocheting in the comments just fascinating. I thought that we were so totally over that whole crochet vs. knitting thing. Can't we all just get along in peaceful, crafty co-exitence?

World Premiere of "Public Art Private Parts!"

NEVIN KELLY GALLERY TO PREMIERE DOCUMENTARY ON 2005 CONTROVERSY
SURROUNDING MING YI SUNG'S CROCHETED NUDE SCULPTURE

Public Screening and Reception Saturday, January 20, 2007 from 6-9pm.
Artist's work on display January 19 – February 2, 2007.

A 2005 exhibition of knitted sculpture in a Washington DC office
building sparked controversy among tenants because it included work
that the tenants (predominately lawyers) found offensive. The
controversy centered on crocheted sculptures by local artist Ming Yi
Sung (now Zeleski) that showed human figures and monkeys complete with
crocheted nipples and genitalia.

The controversy attracted significant
media attention. A short documentary about the controversy, called
"Public Art, Private Parts," will premier at the Nevin Kelly Gallery
on January 20 at 7:00 pm, with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m.

The artist and the film's director, American University graduate student Brandon
Bloch, will be present. The gallery will display Ming's work in an
impromptu exhibit from January 19 through February 2. The exhibition
will include the work at the center of the controversy—"Settlement
with Monkeys"--which is now owned by gallery director Nevin J. Kelly.

For a gallery of Ming Yi Sung's work: http://mingyisung.com/

juliaATnevinkellygallery.com
www.nevinkellygallery.com

Beth Brown-Reinsel Workshop

On Feb 17-18 Beth Brown-Reinsel is offering a 2 day workshop at the Harford Comm.
College, Bel Air, MD on the Norweigan Fana Cardigan.

Ths workshop is for intermediate to advanced knitters who have
used double point needles. Cost is $164 (not including lunches). 10-4 both days.

Send an email to: Lisha, ljenkinsATharford.edu, and ask for the Knitting Traditions flyer, or for more info about the workshop.