Posted on 10/01/2021 5:42:14 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
The Monthly Fiber Arts Thread is a monthly gathering of people that love yarn and fabric of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first project, to experienced fiber artists and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
It is impossible to hijack the Monthly Fiber Arts Thread. Knitting, crochet, quilting, weaving, general crafting - there is no telling where it will go, and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our Fiber Arts Ping List.
NOTE: This is a once a Month Ping List. We do post to the thread during the month. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Fiber Arts fans are welcomed any time!
You may like:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/quilting-america-11632506109
Full TXT:https://archive.vn/Fr6nL
Quilting America
A new exhibition shows how craftspeople and artists, most of them women, turned quilts into a record of American history.
Piecework quilts have long been embedded, so to speak, in American life. Assembled from dozens, if not hundreds, of individual fabric pieces, their colorful geometries became popular in the decades before the Civil War, taking the place of wool “bed ruggs” and other colonial-era coverings. “Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories,” a new exhibition opening Oct. 10 at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, explores the enduring hold of quilts on the American imagination, with more than 50 textile works dating from the late 17th century to this year.
Thank you! Nice add to get the day started. :)
Quilting is something I wish I had the patience for. I SO admire people that can do it. I do own a few quilts from past relatives; nothing of any historical importance, of course. ;)
I had no idea there was a fiber arts thread. I got interested in mixed fiber art in college in the ‘70s. Needle arts are challenging with my eyesight, so I just tried my hand at macrame and made an angel as a Christmas gift. I was surprised how nicely it turned out, so it looks like angels all around this year. It’s filling the gap till my 80+ year old neighbor can teach me how to crochet decently.
Thanks for the dedication and effor to maintain a ping list.
I love that video. Was that from ‘I was a Male War Bride’?
No. It was Mr. Lucky. Great scene.
So this morning, I'm thinking about Christmas presents .... I already have presents for my two great-nieces, but now I have a little great-nephew. He will be 7 months old at Christmas. Hmmm ... what to do?
Since I've become a "knitting fiend", the thought occurred that maybe I could knit him a Christmas stocking. His mom crochets & has done just the slightest amount of knitting so she will appreciate the work ... in fact, it's gotten to the point that she's the only one in the family I will gift with knit/crochet items. There are some gorgeous knit stocking patterns, including some very ornate ones. Most with any sort of design require stranded color work (yikes!), but I might as well dive in. If I figured out 'lace' knitting, I should be able to figure this out as well.
Then I found this pattern .... both of my great-nephew's parents hunt ... his dad is a true die-hard deer hunter. I will have to get into the pattern & see if I can make sense of it, but I think his folks would 'appreciate' it. If they didn't want to stuff little presents in it, it could be a decorative item. I would change the background colors from blues to greens/reds for Christmas ... more green than red (dad's favorite color is green).
Another one I like a lot - more traditional:
So glad to see this thread today! I have a question and maybe one of you can help.
I’m almost finished hand quilting a baby quilt for our friends. Trouble is that I’ve been Covid-ing for the last week. Any ideas as to the best way to ensure all will be safe and well when giving the gift?
Baby isn’t due for over a month, so I figure that much time, along with Lysol spray in the dryer should be fine. Add to that, several days in fresh, sunny, TN air.
Anything else to add? Thanks!
Those stockings are adorable! They’ll be family heirlooms if you decide to make them.
For myself, I’m retarded when it comes to yarn and dimensional items. Flat is for me. Flat afghans. Flat quilts. Flat.
Two things saved me from “flat”:
#1 - I learned the “magic loop” method of knitting in the round without DPNs ... I did a couple of baby hats with DPNs & did not enjoy the experience, plus I had “laddering” issues, etc. Magic loop is a game changer - I tried a good while to learn it & was having trouble, finally found a video that was just fantastic for teaching the method, made it very clear how to do it.
#2 - I bought myself a set of circular needles. There are varying cable lengths so you can connect shorter cables into a longer one, like a long length to hold a baby blanket. Then the needles themselves screw into the cables ... the set I have runs from size 2 to 15. I have a whole box full of DPN sizes, plus a few straight needles .... don’t need any of them with the set I bought. I love the set because no matter what any pattern calls for regarding needle/cable size, I probably have it without having to run from store to store, trying to find the correct needle size with a cable that is the correct length as well - the $$$ adds up. Of course, you can knit ‘flat’ with circular needles - I use them exclusively for everything these days.
The stockings will be a ‘challenge’, but the more I think about doing one, the more excited I’m getting. I’ll have to get into the videos on stranded color work to see how that is done. I love a challenge - just figured how how to knit two mittens (or socks, sleeves, etc.) at once & that has really made knitting mittens more “fun”, no 2nd mitten/sock syndrome (you’re so sick of knitting the first one, it’s hard to do the 2nd)!
I think Sunshine and Lysol should do the trick.
I don’t know, but now I HAVE to see that movie! ;)
Love the deer on the blue background!
Probably just washing it and then hanging it out to dry in the sun would be enough.
UV obliterates the COVID virus.
Plus, I don’t think it last very long on various surfaces. Early on last year, there was a lot of information about the longevity of COVID on various surfaces. You don’t see that much any more but I’m sure the info is still out there if you google it up.
It’s a very realistic looking deer & the expression on the face is very appealing.
If it weren’t for Christmas, I’d do the blue. My first thought was to plan on hunter green for the cuff/heel instead of dark blue. For the background for the deer head & toe, a ‘moss’ green, something that blends well with the hunter green. Instead of red, I’ll go to a burgundy color for the snowflakes. Then again, with all the green (background/toe), a burgundy cuff heel might look even better. I’ll have to get the yarn colors & sort of lay them out & see what I like best. I do want a “Christmas-y” look.
I did find the actual pattern & got that saved. Until you get to the heel, it’s knitted flat. I hate knitting flat & having to seam. I took some arm warmers that were flat & converted them to a circular pattern - I wrote the designer & she added instructions to her blog pattern for doing them in the round. I’ll have to see if I can convert this one. I cannot tell you how much I hate doing something really nice, then having a not-so-nice seam.
Fortunately, my little “brainstorm” idea for a stocking has occurred early enough that I have time to make plenty of mistakes, even start over if I need to. I would love to be able to knit beautiful Christmas stockings just as an ‘accomplishment’ in knitting skills .... might make for a good county fair entry for next year, too! :-)
I, too, only knit with circular needles but knit socks and other things in the round using 2 same size needles. This has worked very well for the 50 or 60 pairs of socks I’ve done. Also, with your screen name, I am guessing you have knit with qiviut yarn? It is probably my favorite to work with, but oh, so expensive!
All of your suggested tactics should sanitize it, in my opinion. Yes, hot dryer, outdoor sun/air, and some Lysol spray. Maybe actually wash it in lots of water with a little detergent, then hang out on a clothesline?
Sounds like an ambitious project! Hope you are feeling better!!
TRUE STORY
My mother could and did do all types of needlecraft including sewing, knitting, crochet, tatting, embroidery, cross-stitch, crewel... and anything I left out. She even wove some tiny baskets one year, that she used as the bases for purses she made for my two sisters and me for our Easter outfits....
Anyway, I could sew but nothing else, and was so determined to learn how to knit (my grandmother was an amazing knitter), so I took a knitting class at the Y or park district when I was about 22... learned enough to knit a scarf. Finished that scarf (some peach acrylic yarn, might even still have it somewhere??), and NEVER tried to knit another thing. It was just proving to myself that I could do it, I guess.
Thanks for doing this thread every month!
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