In the Loop, May 2023
Maggie Phelan Joins CKC’s Board of Directors
We are excited to announce that on May 17, 2023, we elected Maggie Phalen of Arlington, VA to serve a 3-year term on the Center for Knit and Crochet’s Board of Directors.
Maggie started knitting in 2003 and crocheting in 2016. She dabbles in other fiber arts, but knitting remains her primary creative outlet. She comes by her love of yarn honestly: her mom, great-aunt, and great-grandmother are or were avid knitters and crocheters. This cross-generational connection sparked Maggie’s ongoing interest in, and appreciation for, textile history, and how people and communities interact with that history. She is passionate about preserving cultural heritage for future generations.
Maggie brings considerable experience managing analog and digital collections and developing public programs and exhibitions to CKC. A Senior Librarian in Northern Virginia, Maggie has previously worked at libraries, archives, and museums in Boston and Washington, DC. She holds a Joint Masters in Anthropology and Archaeology from the University of Aberdeen, UK; an MS in Archives Management focusing on Cultural Heritage from Simmons University in Boston; and a graduate certificate in Museum Collections Management from George Washington University, Washington, DC.
Maggie also enjoys reading, exploring historic sites, and she has recently begun fencing épée. Please welcome Maggie! You can contact her at mphalen@centerforknitandcrochet.org.
Annual Meeting Notes
CKC’s Board of Directors held its Annual Meeting via conference call on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 8 PM Eastern. Board members reported on CKC’s financial health, the substantial growth in CKC’s membership and social media reach, the upcoming 10th Anniversary programs, and the new collections and exhibitions in progress.
— The following Board Members were elected to a 3-year term, ending in 2026 — Suzann Thompson and Lori Winterfeldt.
— The following Officers were elected to serve a 1-year term ending in 2024 — Jennifer Lindsay, President; Rebecca Keyel, Vice President: Katie Daugherty, Secretary; and Marilyn Huset, Treasurer.
We thank CKC’s outgoing Membership Chair, Marina Scott, and outgoing Secretary, Suzann Thompson, for their service.
We also thank all the CKC Members who made time to attend CKC’s Annual Meeting. We hope more members will attend next year.
We encourage all CKC Members to continue to become more involved in CKC’s activities!
Kirk Dunn and his Stitched Glass Tapestries. Photo: The Knitting Pilgrim, by Georgia Kirkos, Jorjas Photography, May 2019.
Kirk Dunn @ CKC’s Virtual Craft Circle
On May 11th, we welcomed Kirk Dunn, “a self-taught knitter who loves colour and knits everything from the very simple to the blow-your-mind” to CKC’s second Virtual Craft Circle meet-up.
In a fascinating and inspiring program, Kirk shared his thoughtful, community-centered approach to designing and creating everyday items, art installations, and performance art.
Kirk discussed his journey to research and create the three huge knitted panels that look like stained glass windows shown above, and how these “Stitched Glass” tapestries inspired him to create “The Knitting Pilgrim,” a multidisciplinary one-man show that marries the tapestries with personal storytelling and image projection to explore the connections between the Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. For more information, visit kirkdunn.com.
Mark your calendar for CKC’s future Virtual Craft Circle meet-ups on September 14, October 12, and December 14, 2023. We look forward to seeing you there! Stay tuned for a surprise summer meet-up, date TBD!
CKC Music | Makers Competition
Our CKC Music | Makers competition closed on April 30, 2023. We are creating an online Listening Room where you will be able to hear contestants’ interpretations of the vintage music about knitting and crochet found in CKC’s Library and Museum Collections. We thank all the artists who submitted new renditions of these vintage songs.
Watch for future CKC emails and social media posts inviting you to listen to the recordings we received and to vote for your favorite. We anticipate opening the voting on June 15, 2023, so “stay tuned!”
CKC Member News
Susan Strawn publishes “Another Noble Cause: Suffragist Knitters of World War I” in PieceWork.
CKC Member Susan Strawn teased the stories of amazing American suffragist knitters from the pages of The Woman Citizen, the weeklypublication of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Suffragists worked tirelessly to achieve voting rights for women AND they knitted to support the war effort during World War I (1914-1918). In New York City, suffragists knit more than 3,000 garments for sailors on the battleship Missouri. In Minnesota, women physicians knitted socks for Belgian and French war refugees.
Read more of Susan’s research in the Summer 2023 PieceWork magazine, available in bookstores or from Long Thread Media.
Susan Strawn, PhD, researches and writes stories found in textiles, especially stories about knitting. She is the author of Knitting America: A Glorious History from Warm Socks to High Art (Voyageur Press, 2007).
Moorestown Knit & Crochet 2gether: A Virtual Gathering
CKC Member Marilyn Fishman facilitates a knit and crochet group on Zoom that meets the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month from 1-2pm ET.
If you would like to join in, you can register at https://www.moorestownlibrary.org/events/
Click on the title to start the registration process. You will receive an email with the Zoom link after registering and one day before the event.
You do not have to be a resident of Moorestown, New Jersey, or the USA to participate. People from across the country and Canada have joined the Library’s virtual events.
Ikat: A World of Compelling Cloth at Seattle Art Museum
CKC Member Susan Strawn recently visited the Seattle Art Museum’s exhibition, Ikat: A World of Compelling Cloth. She was pleased to share photographic evidence, right, that the exhibition includes a knitted hat from Peru. The ikat parts are the blue and white checkerboard bands. Thank you, Susan!
The exhibition closes on May 29, 2023.
More information about the exhibition can be found on the Museum’s website: https://www.seattleartmuseum.org/exhibitions/ikat
Call for Pattern Testers Extended!
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 sweet story of the original bears she added to CKC’s Crowdsourced Collection here.
We are seeking 5 crochet testers and 5 knit testers who will complete their bears and provide feedback on the patterns by June 30, 2023.
Email Katie Daugherty at kdaugherty@centerforknitandcrochet.org if you’d like to help by testing these patterns. You can also join our test thread in the Testing Pool Group on Ravelry. Please be prepared to let us share pictures of your bear(s) on social media. Thanks!
We will hold a drawing on July 1 for all who complete the pattern test by June 30, 2023. Two testers (1 knitter and 1 crocheter) will win a skein of beautiful hand-dyed yarn!
Join CKC’s 10th Anniversary Shawl-Along
Please plan to include a 10th Anniversary shawl on your list of summer projects! 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.
THE DETAILS
— Choose any pattern
Visit CKC’s pattern bundle on Ravelry for ideas.
— Use CKC colors
Get inspired by the beautiful palettes below . . .
— Knit or crochet
— Make to keep, give, or donate
— Share something about CKC with anyone who asks you about your project!
Join us on social media and at future Virtual Craft Circle meet-ups to have fun and share your 10th Anniversary shawls. Help us encourage more people to follow CKC, use and add to CKC’s digital collections, and to support and expand CKC’s preservation efforts.
We will share a list of organizations that accept shawl donations. We will also encourage you to wear your 10th Anniversary shawl at future CKC events, and to add it to CKC’s Crowdsourced Collection.
Send a photo of your shawl-in-progress to newsletter@centerforknitandcrochet.org, and we’ll publish your photo here next month.
Thank you!
CKC Palettes: Some Tints, Shades, and Tones of Teal and Butter.
Rebecca Keyel, CKC’s Vice President, developed the two palettes above from CKC’s logo colors, which are Teal, Butter, Black, Gray, and White. 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.
Membership Corner
- As a CKC Member, you are vital to CKC’s success. If you are interested in volunteering, contact us at membership@centerforknitandcrochet.org, for more information and to learn about opportunities.
- To those who already volunteer — Thank You!
- Is your membership current? Check that and renew!
Don’t Be Shy! 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, fill out the form!
Knitting & Crochet in the News
By Anne Lies
Educational influences:
- Why More Colleges Should Focus on Knitting. “…knitting has grown into a metaphor and instrumental practice…”
- Fiber Arts in the School Garden.
Goal setting:
- Meet the TikToker Making His Own Cardigans. Go dude!
- More goals. In a Sheep to Shawl competition, you have 5 people, 1 sheep, and 3 hours — good luck!
- Long-term goals. 99-year-old crochet enthusiast creates cozy blankets for cats in need.
Knitting across the pond:
- ‘Woolly delinquents’ celebrate Charles’ coronation in yarn.
- Giant knitted King Charles appears in Cheshire village ahead of Coronation.
- But not everyone is a fan… King Charles III beheaded three times in village’s knitted displays.
Other fiber art and artistry:
- Fiber artist Susan Fay Schauer John gains notoriety as thread painter. What can’t you do with fiber?
- Horizon-expanding: The 62 Group of Textile Artists.
Knit-tech:
- Digital design with Computational Knitting Patterns.
- Knit Grotesk is a Font You Can Thread Right Into Your Sweater. Typeknitting!
- To boldly go… UK ‘knitted satellite’ will see Earth day or night.
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 to see past issues!
May Newsletter Contributors:
Katie Daugherty, Marilyn Fishman, Anne Lies, Jennifer Lindsay, Maggie Phelan, Suzann Thompson, Susan Strawn, Lori Winterfeldt.
