In the Loop, April 2023
Reminder: CKC Annual Meeting, May 3
CKC’s Board of Directors will hold its Annual Meeting via conference call on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 8 PM Eastern. All current CKC Members are invited to attend.
To attend CKC’s Annual Meeting, please email us at info@centerforknitandcrochet.org by no later than 5 PM Eastern, Sunday, April 23, 2023. Please confirm your name as you would like it to appear in the Annual Meeting Minutes and confirm the email you want us to use to communicate with you about the meeting. All attendees will receive an agenda and call information via email before the Annual Meeting.
CKC Virtual Craft Circle Launched
The first CKC Virtual Craft Circle meeting was terrific! We enjoyed gathering, showing our current projects, and trading crafting and travel stories. CKC President, Jennifer Lindsay, discussed CKC’s significant accomplishments, 10th Anniversary plans, and how to use CKC’s digital collections for research and enjoyment. This stimulated a deeper discussion about how each of us is using and thinking about these digital collections.
Thanks to all who registered, and all who could attend. We look forward to seeing you at future sessions!
Join us for the next Virtual Craft Circle!
Thursday, May 11, 2023 8-9:30 PM (Eastern); 7-8:30 PM (Central); 6-7:30 PM (Mountain); 5-6:30 PM (Pacific).
Additional sessions are planned for September 14, October 12, and December 14, 2023. Please mark your calendars!
Calling All Music | Makers! Submit Your Sound Legacies by April 30!
Don’t forget to enter CKC Music | Makers Knit Purl Jam and Acoustic Crochet Competition!
CKC invites amateur and professional musicians to enter CKC Music | Makers Knit Purl Jam and Acoustic Crochet competition by recording one or more of the 14 vintage songs and tunes about knitting or crochet we found in CKC’s Library and Museum Collections. You can re-interpret these songs for contemporary listeners in any musical genre.
See the songs list, find out more about the contest, and sign up for our CKC Music | Makers email list at https://centerforknitandcrochet.org/ckc-music-makers.
The deadline to enter is April 30, 2023, 11:59 PM.
— When you sign up for the CKC Music | Makers email list, you will receive a confirmation email enabling you to enter the contest. If you don’t receive a confirmation email, be sure to check your spam or junk folder. Thanks!
— CKC’s historical collections of knitting and crochet are hosted via Digital Public Library of America (dp.la) and its many open-source partners. Click on any image to visit the original collection where these objects are housed and to find out more about them
A(I) BRAVE NEW WORLD
“CrochAI Pastorale” and “Knit AIngel” — two AI-generated artworks created by Suzann Thompson in starryai.com using the terms “crochet song” (Left) and “music about knitting” (Right).
When CKC President Jennifer Lindsay joked that the only way she could enter the CKC Music | Makers contest was if she used AI to generate the music, Suzann Thompson wondered “AI? Why not?” She posted about this to social media on April 12, and illustrated CKC’s posts with AI-generated art, using the AI application starryai.com to develop illustrations with the prompts “crochet song” and “music about knitting.” Find links to our social media at the top of the newsletter.
We love the results, which may be coming to a CKC coffee mug or T-shirt sometime soon.
Just to be clear, CKC Board members are not entering the CKC Music | Makers contest! But we hope you will!
Call for Pattern Testers
In honor of CKC’s 10th Anniversary, we are releasing patterns developed by Marilyn Huset (in both crochet and knit) so you can create your own cuddly versions of these cute bears. Read Marilyn’s story of the original bears she added to CKC’s Crowdsourced Collection. We are looking for 5 crochet testers and 5 knit testers. You will get a copy of the pattern for free. The pattern will need to be tested and feedback received by May 26, 2023 so we can release the pattern to CKC Members in June. Please be prepared to share pictures of your bear(s).
Please email Katie Daugherty at kdaugherty@centerforknitandcrochet.org if you are interested in helping to test these fun and exclusive CKC patterns! Katie will be your contact and coordinator for the pattern testing process.
From CKC’s President — A 10th Anniversary Shawl-Along
“Shawls are such comforting garments; they can be worn and enjoyed by everyone. Making a shawl is a way to give thanks, show support, and acknowledge in a tangible way how much someone means to you. Wearing a shawl made just for you is like wearing a warm and affectionate embrace.
As I reflect on CKC’s 10th Anniversary, and all the current and former CKC Board members, members, donors, and volunteers who given so generously of their time and talents, their resources, and their unique perspectives on these crafts to realize the dream of building a digital museum for knitting and crochet, I wish I could make and give a special shawl to each one of them. I already know this won’t be possible.
Instead, I hope you will join me in knitting or crocheting a 10th Anniversary shawl together as a fun way to share the love of these crafts, and to celebrate each other and CKC’s next 10 years of leadership in the digital preservation of knitting and crochet.”
— Jennifer Lindsay, CKC President
THE DETAILS:
Join us on Ravelry, Facebook, and Instagram from May 1 through December 14, 2023 to knit or crochet a shawl together to celebrate CKC’s 10th Anniversary. Bring your shawl in progress to CKC’s Virtual Craft Circle!
— Choose any pattern
— Use CKC colors
— Knit or crochet
— Make to keep, give, or donate
— Share something about CKC with anyone who asks you about your project
In addition to the joy you will bring this community by participating in CKC’s 10th Anniversary Shawl-Along, your good words about CKC will encourage more people to follow CKC, use and add to CKC’s digital collections, and to support and expand CKC’s preservation efforts.
Thank you!
CKC Palettes: Some Tints, Shades, and Tones of Teal and Butter.
For inspiration, Rebecca Keyel, CKC’s Vice President, developed the two palettes above from CKC’s logo colors, which are Teal, Butter, Black, Gray, and White. You can use any solid color or combination of colors from these palettes, or variations on these colors based on what you have on hand or like to wear.
We will compile a list of organizations that accept shawl donations. We will also encourage you to wear your 10th Anniversary shawl at future CKC events should you decide to keep it or to make more than one.
Get ready to join us on May 1, 2023! Bring your shawl-in-progress to the next Virtual Craft Circle on Thursday, May 11!
Mooretown Knit & Crochet 2gether: A Virtual Program
CKC Member Marilyn Fisherman facilitates a knit and crochet group on Zoom. They meet the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month from 1-2pm ET.
If you would like to join register at https://www.moorestownlibrary.org/events/
Click on the title to start the registration process. Registrants will receive an email with the Zoom link after registering and one day before the event.
Registrants do not have to be a resident of Moorestown, New Jersey, or the USA. People from across the country and Canada have joined the Library’s virtual events.
Membership Corner
- As a CKC Member, you are vital to CKC’s success. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Marina Scott, CKC’s Membership Coordinator, membership@centerforknitandcrochet.org, for more information and to learn about opportunities.
- To those who already volunteer — we are grateful to each and every one of you!
- Is your membership current? Click here to check that and renew!
Share Your News
- Have you designed a new pattern, written an article, been invited to give a presentation, published a book, started a new craft group or craft initiative, been promoted in your guild? Do you want to engage other CKC Members in what you are doing or in an event in your area? If you are interested in being featured, or have some news or events to share with CKC Members, click this link to fill out the form!
Knitting & Crochet in the News:
By Anne Lies
Fashion and design:
- Knitting pattern highlights ‘hidden figure’ in Bernat Klein designs. A woman’s work, never done, etc. etc.
- At least these folks are getting credit in real time: Meet the Creators Reinventing the Art of Knitting.
Knitting under the radar:
- Circumvent Facial Recognition With Yarn.
- Subversive or just subterranean? Beatriz Flamini: Athlete emerges after 500 days living in cave. I mean, that’s one way to make time for knitting.
Because you can:
- Celebrate coronation day by knitting your own King Charles!
- Or if the fishing opener is more your thing: Crochet Your Next Big Catch with Free Patterns from the National Park Service.
- For a different take on crowns: Mandy Watts makes hats for chickens. Yes, you read that right.
Knitting and crochet: It really is for everyone:
- Young people are starting to knit and crochet for mental health. The benefits are undeniable.
- These kids, though! Students Hooked on Crocheting Hope to Inspire Others.
- Get your spools of yarn at the ready… These stars just love knitting! A Rolling Stone gathers no… wool?
Crochet-inspo… crochinspo!
- 50 Cool Crochet Projects Thanks, Reddit!
- Folk Artist Maud Lewis in Crochet.
- A little more about Maud: Maud Lewis paintings are fetching big money at auction — and fakers are trying to cash in.
Time for a new yarny pursuit?
- Have you tried these on-trend yarn crafts yet?
- It’s not just about rugs: Shishi San’s Vibrant Tufted Sculptures Celebrate the Colorful Motifs of Chinese Vases.
Parting shot:
Your Voice Matters!
We invite YOU to contribute to CKC’s monthly newsletter. Please email your ideas, stories, and announcements to newsletter@centerforknitandcrochet.org. We hope to hear from you!
Please visit CKC’s Newsletter Archive!
April Newsletter Contributors:
Katie Daugherty, Marilyn Fishman, Marilyn Huset, Rebecca Keyel, Callie Lasch, Anne Lies, Jennifer Lindsay, Suzann Thompson, and Lori Winterfeldt.
