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Thursday, December 10, 2009

New Moderator

To EtsyKnitters Team Members,

Please join me in welcoming Robbi of KindredKnits as a moderator.



Robbi will be adding a much needed jolt of energy to the current group of 3 moderators made up of Mette (KnittingMette), Sherri (SherriCrochets) and myself.

As this team has grown in leaps and bounds in the past year, we three had to humbly admit that we couldn't keep up with the pace. Robbi will be assisting us in keeping current member lists up to date, in brainstorming new ways to promote the EK team, and in contributing to a million other small behind-the-scenes tasks.

We are thrilled that she agreed to take on the moderator role.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Knit a Poem

Interview with Judith Palmer, Director of the Poetry Society

by Federica Giudice



A giant knitted poem for the centenary of the Poetry Society of Great Britain! What a great idea! I immediately thought - and like more than 700 knitters around the world I got in contact with the Poetry Society to receive the knit pack and start knitting my letter, which turned out to be a ‘Y’….like in happY, sunnY, lovelY,
beautY….I can’t wait to see in which word of the poem my knitted letter will appear!

The entire knitting process that resulted in a 12-inch square with a big black Y in the middle has been intense, not for the difficulty of it (even though at certain point I got all tangled with the 5 bobbins jumping around on the back of my work) but for the many questions I started asking myself about the whole initiative …’”How did they get the idea for this amazing project? What will it be like t o stare at a giant poem all made of soft and warm wool? Which poem will they choose?”… and meditations on the same process of knitting and writing poetry that kept my mind busy…” Do you realize that writing a poem requires the same attention, care, creativity, patience, time, love, passion, unraveling, reworking involved
in knitting?”.

I needed some answers and Judith Palmer, Director of the Poetry Society was really kind to take her time to answer to my questions. If you are curious even half of how I was you will enjoy reading the interview and discover how did the idea of ‘Knit A Poem’ get started and the knitting experience of a creative knitter and passionate poetry expert like Judith.

F: How and when did you think about creating the first giant knitted poem for the centenary of the Poetry Society?

J: I took over as Director of the Poetry Society just before Christmas 2008, with our Centenary year, 2009, just around the corner. To mark our 100th birthday I wanted to think of a project on a grand-scale which lots of people could participate in - something that was about Poetry but which also summoned up the idea of
‘Society’ – to reflect all the thousands of people who’ve kept the Society going since 1909.
It being Christmas, the Christina Rossetti poem came into my head “What can I give him, Poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;” So – what skills could I offer the centenary? – I thought – “I CAN. This dialogue was going on in my head as I drove up Highgate Hill one Sunday afternoon, on my way to my
friend Tanya’s house. A few months earlier, I had made a one-off knitted painting for an exhibition called ‘The Bad Painting Show” – it was a joke exhibit really – entitled “Still life with mixed citrus and surprised mule.” I hadn’t realized, but Tanya had bought my stocking stitch still life, so I when I arrived in Highgate,
there it was, hanging on the wall. That reinforced the idea that knitting was definitely the way to go.
Driving home again, the knitted poem idea began to take shape in my mind.
What I love about it is it enables people to participate in a big national project wherever they’re based, even if they are housebound, and hopefully feel part of a friendly poetry-knitting community.

F: Are you a knitter yourself? If yes could you tell us when did you start knitting? Who taught you to knit? What do you like most in knitting?

J: I’m an intermittent knitter. I like making people presents – especially if there’s a new baby – but I haven’t had much time recently. I vividly remember my grandmother trying to teach me with some red and green 4-ply just before she died. I must have been about three, and I never quite grasped it. I got stuck in properly at
University when I shared a house with a handknitter called Harriet. It meant I had someone on hand to teach me how to read patterns and help when I dropped stitches.
What do I like most? I love yarn itself – all the different colours and textures; losing myself in the meditative clicking; conjuring something into being from all-but-nothing; and the ability to give something special to someone, in this time-poor age that is quite literally a labour of love. Knitting’s also seen me through some
rough times in hospital waiting rooms and patient bedsides, where it can be so helpful to have a long project to lose yourself in and calm your mind.

F: On a long train journey do you prefer to knit or read some poetry?

J: Funnily enough, one of the first images for the project which dropped into my head was of an enormous long knitted poem – maybe Paradise Lost – stretching all the way up the West Coast Main Line, alongside the tracks, so it could be read by all the passengers travelling past. Decided there would be way too much bureaucracy involved in pulling that off!
I like doing both on trains – reading poetry and knitting – but it depends how packed the train is. If I’ve got a nice clean table, and a bit of space, that’s good for knitting. I recently made my god-daughter Eira a stripey green beret on a train from Bournemouth. Yesterday though, I was travelling down from Carlisle and I was
reading Colette Bryce’s collection “Self-Portrait in the Dark”.

F: Would you consider poetry more a craft or a skill?

J: Poetry is an art and a craft. It requires skill, but skill alone won’t make a work of art.

F: Is there any similarity according to you in knitting and poetry? Is yes, could you please name one?

J: I can’t name just one! There are so many connections. I’ve always been struck by the shared physical characteristics – building the finished piece up, line by line, row by row. That’s the most obvious one. But knitting’s also such a great metaphor for the creative process, where you take something and transform it into something else. Knitting and poetry also share that sense of compression and expansion, of interlocking things closely.
The knitted poem, I hope makes another link. I wanted people to be reminded of the work that goes into making any poem – the hours of reworking, and unraveling. Poems don’t just drop out of the sky onto the internet – they need to be carefully crafted by people. A small poem might have taken the poet a huge amount of time to get perfect – and although a poem might be a small thing, its significance in readers’
lives the world over, might be huge.

F: How many knitters are there in the poetry society?

J: The Poetry Society has around 4000 members and 14 staff (mostly part-time). Of the staff, the keenest with our yarn are probably myself and Rebecka – who is a demon crocheter. Our Publishing Manager Mike’s partner Carolyn is a crocheter, feltmaker and weaver, so he’s very wool literate. Our President, poet Jo
Shapcott has written a lovely knitting poem. One of our Vice Presidents, poet Gwyneth Lewis made a Radio 4 series about knitting and poetry, and our Vice President, Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy is also partial to a bit of a knit.

F: Are you going to exhibit the giant poem when it will be finished? Do you already know where and when?

J: We should be unrolling the knitted poem in London in October. Keep checking our website for details – and to watch us post up photos of the letters as they roll in, as words begin to form, and the full poem begins to take shape. And to read our weekly poems for knitters.

F: What are the channels you are using to promote the initiative?

J: The whole project has spread by word of mouth. Woman’s Weekly mentioned it before we had the project fully mapped out, and we couldn’t put the genie back in the bottle. Word was out and it’s just passed from blog to blog. Now we keep people updated via our website, the main Poetry Society Facebook group, our Facebook Knit a Poem fan page, and a forum on Ravelry.

F: Some of the knitters did have to drop out the initiative for different reasons, to name a few: cost of 100% wool, lack of availability in their local shops (for example, they do not use wool in Arizona as it is too hot), allergy. Is there a particular reason why you did ask knitters to use 100% wool for their
letters and blank square?


J: We were so sorry to find we couldn’t accommodate everyone. The decision to stick to wool only, was made on the advice of our advising knitters from Prick Your Finger, Rachael and Louise. The feeling was that for the whole piece to come together, we needed some unifying principles - if we stuck to all wool then sizes,
thicknesses, stretchability would vary less, the different sections would knit up better, and the colours would be more harmonious (so we wouldn't be mixing tweedy homespun with day-glo fluorescents).

F: As you said you are mainly using social networking websites to promote “Knit A Poem” and I was wondering what is the relationship of poets and poetry lovers with internet and the computer world?

J: Just as knitters need to feel the texture of yarn against their fingers, poets and readers will never give up on the scent and touch of a book in their hands. BUT most poets and readers also embrace the internet gladly, and enjoy the ability to stay in touch with a global community of like-minded people. Hopefully the Knit a Poem project will have rekindled an interest in poetry amongst knitters, and got more poets and poetry enthusiasts knitting.

Thank you very much Judith for the insight in the backstage of the Knit a Poem initiative!

______
Etsy Knitters, do not forget that letters and blank squares will have to be joined up and the staff of the Poetry Society will need you and your sewing needles ready to help them. Please check the Poetry Society website for details of knit-together social sessions in September and beginning of October!
In the meantime you are all invited at the joint event the Poetry Society is organizing at the SouthBank Centre, London SE1 in occasion of National Poetry Day, Thursday 8th October from 2 to 5pm (admission free). There will be live performances, films, archive footage, poetic knitting and some poetry word games using knitted letters.
The great news is that so many knitters wanted to join the Knit a Poem initiative that together with the main poem there will be a knitting a poet annex - composed of poets' names. Those knitted poet’s names will be highly visible at the SouthBank Centre event, where, in the occasion of the centenary of the Poetry Society, the BBC will release the results of the votes gathered through their website to name the Nation’s Favourite Poet.


Please contact Rebecka (officeassistant@poetrysociety.org.uk) if you would like to knit a letter!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Don't Forget to KIP this weekend



The KIP (Knit in Public) dates have been extended to include the following days:
June 13th and 14th
June 20th and 21st

For more information, please refer to the earlier post about this fun event.

Be proud of your knitting. Show it off to the world!

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Etsy Knitters Teams says 'I Do' again




The Etsy Knitters Team says: ‘I DO’ … To ETSY’S 2009 Handmade Wedding Series.

For the 2nd year in a row, the Etsy Knitters Team, an international group of talented and successful knitters, has challenged its members to create items that represent the love and beauty of a wedding through the art of knitting.

Throughout the month of June 2009, members of the Etsy Knitters Team will present handmade wedding items to the public through Etsy.com. These items will encompass a wide range of wedding finery including bridal accessories, traditional wedding fare and even special items for the honeymoon. The stipulation to each member is “If you can dream it and it can represent the art of knitting, then one is encouraged to partake in the ‘I Do’ Wedding Challenge.”

The catalyst for the Etsy Knitters Team’s ‘I Do’ wedding challenge was Etsy.com’s Handmade Wedding Series. Rather than participate individually, the team felt that they could be more successful promoting their hand knit wedding items if they collaborated. After countless hours of designing and knitting, the Etsy Knitters Team is proud to present the ‘I Do’ Wedding Challenge.

To search for challenge items, please type in the words “ido2009” and “etsyknitters team” into Etsy’s search engine or click this link. Members will be listing their offerings to the challenge throughout the entire month. Each item will include the special ‘I Do 2009” Wedding Challenge graphic as the 5th photo. Be sure to visit Etsy and search often.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Featuring Knitters on Blogs



The High Plains Knitter has started a new series on her blog featuring Etsy knitters and crocheters.

Her most recent post features an Etsy Knitters Team member: Elena of Passion Knits.
"I think the name of her shop tells a lot about Elena. She has a passion for knitting and for fiber. Her shop is full of bright, gorgeous, creative items that just make you want to reach into the computer and touch them", says The High Plains Knitter.
To read the full story, please go here.

If you would like to have your Etsy store featured on The High Plains Knitter's blog, please contact her directly.

_______________________________________________________



Additionally, Beverly of DesignBCB is actively looking for Etsy sellers that would like to be interviewed for Handmade News.org. Beverly is a columnist for the online magazine.

If you are interested, please contact Beverly via the Etsy forum thread she set up or via a direct Etsy email.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Spring Scavenger Hunt


The EtsyKnitters team Spring Scavenger Hunt ended at midnight, Sunday April 12.

Winners have until midnight, Sunday April 19 to use their "magic word" discount code in our 31 Etsy Shops!

For more details, please visit this site.

Many thanks to Maggie, Etsy store owner of Knotes for Knitters, for organizing this hunt.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Spring Scavenger Hunt

Etsy Knitters Team will be hosting a Spring Scavenger Hunt from April 5th through April 12th.

Stay tuned for more details.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Toe-up Gingko Socks by Kyoko

Kyoko of Cotton and Cloud has released a new sock design.


Toe-Up Gingko Socks



To download the pattern for free, please visit her blog.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Knit in Public with the Etsy Knitters Team

The Etsy Knitters Team is proud to host a virtual Knit in Public Day for the 2nd year in a row.




What:
Knit in Public Day

When:
June 13th, 14th, 20th and 21st

Who:
Knitters!
All knitters are welcome to participate. It is not required that you be a member of the Etsy Knitters team.

Where:
World Wide
Wherever you are, there is where the event will be.

Why:
To promote the craft of knitting

Guidelines:

  • Knit in a public place on June 13th, 14th, 20th and/or 21st.
  • Take a camera with you and a friend, if available.
  • Have your friend or a perfect stranger take a picture of you knitting in public.
  • Share your picture(s) by uploading them to Flickr.
  • Join the group specifically set up for this event: EtsyKnitters WWKIPD
  • Utilize the "Send to Group" button to upload your pictures to the group.

Extras:
Crocheters are also welcome!
For more information, please review the description on WWKiP's site.

Enjoy the day knitting!

Friday, February 27, 2009

Featuring Urban Eagle Designs

Handmade Sunshine and the Destructo-Bunnies Blog featured an Etsy Knitters team member:



"It's not every day that one gets to meet a woman who is truly a treasure. Today we all get to look into the wonder that is Katy of Urban Eagle Designs. Her shop has been open a little over a month now, so she is still “undiscovered”, but she should be right up there on everyone's go-to list for something extra-special. After I read her questions I just wanted to get on a plane and fly out to New Mexico to meet her in person...she's just that awesome" says Sarah, the voice behind the blog.

You can read the full article here.


Additionally, don't forget to stop by the weekly Etsy Forum thread hosted by the Etsy Knitters Team to see the incredible designs the Etsy Knitters team members have created.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Scarf of Many Colors by The High Plains Knitter

Carnival Scarf of many colors



This is my newest scarf of many colors. I call it Carnival. Bright, bold, vivid colors of pink, orange, green, purple, yellow, and burgandy are mixed with all the sparkle of a carnival. I imagine the bright lights and laughter of a carnival when I look at it.

The scarf was hand knit by Dianne of The High Plains Knitter. Below Diane takes the time to answer additional questions about the scarf.



Q. What was your inspiration?
A.
I love to put colors together. This one is so bright and perky that I
call it Carnival.


Q. How long did it take you to make it?
A.
I put about 3 hours into making them.


Q. Do you plan to make any more items similar to this one?
A.
I do plan to make more of them, and in different colors.


Q. Did you enjoy making it? Why or why not?
A.
This is one of my favorite scarves because the creativity comes in choosing the yarns. When its comes to knitting it, I can do that pretty mindlessly, even
late at night.


Q. Anything else you want to tell us about it?
A.
It is purely a fashion statement and not intended for warmth, but make a statement it does.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Gung Hay Fat Choy

Today marks the first day of the Chinese New Year.

It is the year of the Ox.

Every year, my family makes the trek into Philadelphia's China Town for Dim Sum. Afterwards, we huddle together outside in the cold to watch the dragon parade by. For us, it's a wonderful excuse to bring the family and close friends together again and visit with the people you missed seeing over the holidays.



(Apologies, but this was the best picture I could come up with. All my Chinese New Year pictures were taken before I received my new digital camera this year).

And because it would be unseemly to not present you with a gift on such a festive day, I present you with a free dishcloth knitting pattern. Enjoy!



The pattern may be downloaded from my website.


Gung Hay Fat Choy (Happy New Year!)