In the Loop, February 2023
CKC Attends Vogue Knitting Live!
CKC attended Vogue Knitting Live in New York City, February 9-12, 2023. It was wonderful to meet in person again with so many knitters and crocheters and to share news about CKC’s growing digital resources and 10th Anniversary events.
On Sunday, Jennifer Lindsay, CKC President, spoke about CKC with Suzan Colón, former Senior Editor of Oprah Magazine, and author of Yoga Mind: Journey Beyond the Physical, Scribner, 2018. Jennifer invited attendees to use CKC’s digital resources to find out more about the history of knitting and crochet, and to document their own histories and objects.
CKC launched the CKC Music | Makers project at the event, gained new members and email subscribers, future speaking opportunities for guilds, and debuted a new project bag!
It doubles as a backpack!
We are so grateful that Vogue Knitting makes it possible for nonprofits like CKC, artists, and emerging entrepreneurs to attend VK Live.**
*Stay tuned for how you can get your Ampersand logo bag.
**CKC pays for WiFi, electrical, and promotional materials at these events; Board Members donate their time and expenses to attend.
Celebrating Black History Month!
CKC’s Library and Museum Collections provide the gateway to a growing ecosystem of freely available digital resources and collections that document significant and everyday contributions of Black Americans to American life and letters.
In honor of Black History Month, please read this new blog post by CKC President, Jennifer Lindsay to learn about this beautiful beaded bag, right, and important steps in documenting and preserving Black History:
Dorothy Porter Wesley: Changing How Books About Black History Were Catalogued.
Beaded Drawstring Purse with Peacock Design. Early 20th Century. Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution. From the personal collection of Dorothy Porter Wesley, 1905-1995. Maker unknown. Photo: Smithsonian Institution. No Copyright.
Texas Crochet History Exhibit Opens!
Crochet and history enthusiasts gathered at the Heritage Museum of Big Spring, Texas, located at 510 Scurry Street, on February 4, 2023, for the opening of the Texas Crochet Heritage panel exhibit by creator and CKC Board member Suzann Thompson.
After snacking on fruit, finger sandwiches, and cookies, participants joined Suzann for a slide show and discussion about “What to Do with Grandma’s Doilies.” The exhibit will be on view at the museum through the end of March 2023.
To compile the Texas Crochet Heritage exhibit, Suzann interviewed crocheters and people who love them, doily collectors, and museum curators. She photographed their doilies and similar crocheted items. Suzann found even more information about crochet and doilies in the Portal to Texas History’s newspaper archive. Suzann’s travel to the Texas Panhandle to collect doily history was funded in part by a grant from the Summerlee Foundation.
The Portal to Texas History shares its knit and crochet-related items (but not its newspaper archive) with CKC’s Library and Museum Collections by way of the Digital Public Library of America (dp.la).
The Texas Lakes Trail Region Tourism Office distributes the Texas Crochet Heritage exhibit. Please contact them for more information. You can see the exhibit on TikTok
CKC Music | Makers
Don’t forget to share CKC Music | Makers: A Knit Purl Jam & Acoustic Crochet – a contest for musicians to re/interpret historical songs about knitting and crochet that we found in CKC’s digital archive.
CKC Board members Suzann Thompson and Callie Lasch created CKC Music | Makers to showcase the incredible variety of materials related to knitting and crochet in CKC’s Library and Museum Collections, and to engage creative people in using and sharing this rich, interdisciplinary resource.
For more information, including a printable Call for Musicians, visit our CKC Music | Makers page.
Please share this contest opportunity with musicians and music lovers everywhere! Submit your “sound legacies” by March 31, 2023!
NEW! CKC Virtual Craft Circle . . .
Save the Date!! CKC Board Member Lori Winterfeldt will be leading a regular, bi-monthly 90-minute Zoom-facilitated crafting session exclusively for CKC Members and Donors.
The initial session will be held on Thursday, April 13, 2023 8-9:30 PM (EST); 7-8:30 PM (CST); 6-7:30 PM (MST); 5-6:30 PM (PST).
Please stay tuned for a forthcoming email with more information about these sessions, and links to register. We are looking forward to getting to know you better!
Membership Corner
- When you vouch for CKC, you inspire new members to join and get involved. So please share news of CKC and all it has to offer at your meet-ups, on social media, or with a friendly person your local yarn store!
- As a CKC Member, you are vital to CKC’s success. We love our volunteers! If you are interested in volunteering, contact Marina Scott, CKC’s Membership Coordinator, mscott@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
March is National Crochet Month!
March 8 is International Women’s Day. Celebrate the achievements and contributions of women, while challenging the discrimination and oppression they continue to face.
Crafting Your Community:
- Crochet for all – How Jorden started a craft club at his high school.
- Teachers are allowed, too! Superintendent’s Spotlight: Students teach teachers how to crochet
- British care home resident attempting knitting world record. There’s a world record for everything, I guess.
- Fake it ’til you make it: Watch this sweet little artist in training! It’s only a matter of time before they’re doing it for real.
High-tech Fiber:
- There’s always time for yarn The Knitting Clock.
- Watch it in action! Knitting Clock Makes You A Scarf For Next Year.
- Crochet is truly a human endeavor: ChatGPT Keeps Imploding Because of Crochet. (Seriously.)
- Hand dyeing yarn in Egypt. A little lower-tech.
In Books:
- Book Reviews: The Threads That Bind Us: Children’s picture books about knitting, sewing and weaving.
- 10 Anime & Manga About Fiber Arts.
Healing Arts:
- Mother takes a yarn bombing road trip to honor her daughter: For love and colour.
- Kentucky Marine veteran crochets as a means to balance his mental health.
Ancient Threads:
- Time-calibrated phylogeny of the Pan-Testudines, or in other words, The Turtle Family Tree. SLOW fashion, amiright?
- Mittens Dated As 1100 Years Old. Ancient weaving!
- RVK Newscast 195: Ancient Artefacts video – proof that kids have been losing their mittens for millennia! (Starts at the 3:29 mark)
Your Voice Matters!
We encourage all CKC Members to contribute to CKC’s monthly newsletter. Please email your inquiries, ideas, and stories to newsletter@centerforknitandcrochet.org. We hope to hear from you!
Please visit CKC’s Newsletter Archive!
February Newsletter Contributors:
Anne Lies, Jennifer Lindsay, Marina Scott, Suzann Thompson
