Fiber Focus Goes Social on Ning!

I noticed that several of the bloggers and textile artists I admire were part of a social networking site called "Stitchin' Fingers".

Visit stitchin fingers


I took a look, was impressed by the work there, and thought it would be fun for my own work (which I haven't had time to do in months!). So, I joined, loaded my photos and people started commenting. It was nice to receive questions about technique and find that there was some serious interest in the things I've made.

Then, I thought about how much I love ethnic textiles and fiber work and all the social dimensions these pieces evoke for me. Morna from Bittersweet suggested another fiber art site on Ning which was also beautiful, but I decided I would like something that had more of a global focus. I searched around and didn't see anything that really grabbed me.

My muse bonked me on the head and I realized that I could start my own site on Ning that would complement the wonderful direction this blog has taken. The blog is getting good traffic and I am told that people love reading it, but few comments are left and I often feel like I am sending things out to outer space. I stayed up late and did it, finishing by sending off a bunch of invitations to fiber friends. I woke up this morning pleased to find that several had joined. And, so far, these are all wonderful artists with fire in their bellies. I'm ecstatic!

The concept, then, is that Fiber Focus, the blog features fiber-related articles. Fiber Focus on Ning personalizes this theme into a place where members can promote their work and businesses, discuss topics, share what's going on them, suggest books, films, music, and recipes that inspire them, and so on.

Several contributors are writing regularly for Fiber Focus. They come from varied backgrounds and share their insights with us in their own way. Click on their names to see each one's articles all on one page.

Catherine Salter Bayar lives with her husband Abit in Selcuk, near Ephesus, Turkey, where they own a vintage textile shop and a water pipe & wine bar. Catherine is working on a book about Turkish textiles. Her articles for Fiber Focus look at symbolism in design and at the textile trade in Turkey.

Visit them at www.bazaarbayar.com or www.bazaarbayar.etsy.com.




Diane Gerlach, AKA the Yin-Yang Knitter, is a long-time friend of mine. She is an avid charity knitter for two organizations that support orphans in Afghanistan and soldiers in that same region. I have also benefited from her knitting and own hats, neck-warmers and fingerless gloves made by her expert hands.





Erin Stoy of La Chapina Huipil Crafts is an American whoʼs lived in Guatemala for over a year, caring for the daughter she and her husband are in the process of adopting. During her time in Guatemala,she has developed a passion for Mayan textiles. She has been selling arts and crafts she makes from used huipiles (traditional, hand-woven Guatemalan blouses) since October 2007. Her blog is http://huipil-crafts.blogspot.com and her Etsy shop is http://lachapina.etsy.com.



California quilter, Donna Hussain, has exhibited in major quilt shows around the country and authored books. Her articles on Fiber Focus explore techniques she has developed that have often been inspired by Islamic designs.





Each of these brings a fresh perspective and unique voice to Fiber Focus. Many others have also contributed articles on their work, on fair trade, on green trends, and on other topics. The common denominators are fiber and an interest in our place in the world. Fiber art and traditions are the spring board that connect us to one another. I would love to grow this platform with more regular contributors and have a dynamic platform where we can really learn from each other.

Explore the blog and the new site on Ning. Like what you see? Come on in! Add your voice and expertise. We would love to meet you!

Fiber Focus Goes Social on Ning!

Not Only Men Who Knit, But Men Who Knit Lace

by Diane Gerlach
the Yin Yang Knitter

Contemporary male knitters abound, well, at least are becoming more common. The first male knitter I knew of was Kaffe Fassett, famous for his fabulous colorwork in the decorative arts.

Other than Kaffe, it was not common to hear of men knitters in the late 20^th Century. Rosie Greer embroidering? [All Pro defensive lineman, Los Angeles Rams, 1960’s and 70’s] Yes, but knitting…no.

In World War II Britain, it was expected that everyone, schoolchildren and adults alike, would “Knit for Britain." When World War I was waging, the American Red Cross provided yarn and instructions to knitters all over the US, to encourage them to knit gloves, hats, vests, socks, etc, for the men in the military. It is not known how many men on the home front were knitters.

"War, War, War, Warm, Warm" by Rayela Art
Reverse painting on glass collage

During the American Civil War, there was a huge effort to produce knitted goods for soldiers on both sides of the conflict; there is documentation that boys and men were involved in this effort.

Not so surprising when one considers that the first French knitting guilds in the 1300’s were male organizations, and it is likely that knitting came to Europe as it was spread from port to port by Arabic sailors.

In many communities in the Andes, men are the knitters.

Lauren Weinhold explains her photo, “This gentleman is knitting a hat by the side of the road. I had heard that needles are often recycled bicycle spokes, sharpened to a fine point, and this picture seems to confirm it. Also, his technique is quite different from European circular knitting - he is actually purling every row in the round, working from the outside of the loop, not the inside. This is supposed to be "easier" for the integrated colorwork. It is also a tradition that the working yarn is looped around the neck - it is here, although hard to see. (The end ball is in the small bag near his foot on the ground).“

In Men Who Knit and the Dogs Who Love Them,

Annie Modesitt and Drew Emborsky include short bios of 16 male knitters, one of whom learned to knit as a child from his grandmother and another who learned from his wife as a way of spending more time with her. Selected pages are available here.

But men who knit lace, now that’s special. A personal favorite is Jared at Brooklyn Tweed who scaled up a vintage knitted doily pattern

into this jaw-dropping Hemlock Ring Blanket in a lovely manly shade of gray.

He also knit Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Pi Shawl as a blanket,

which became so large it presented a blocking problem. (Photos courtesy of Jared)

Montse Stanley’s book, Knitter's Handbook : A Comprehensive Guide to the Principles and Techniques of Handknitting has an illustration of a wonderful pair of Spanish 19^th century knitted stockings with inscriptions ‘Jacinta Cabanes’ knitted into one sock and ‘Recuerdo de Vicente’ on the other, recording a gift from a man to a woman.

Were they knitted by Vicente himself? On needles finer than anything readily available today?

Kenny, The Boy Who Knits produces lace shawls

scarves,

and lace socks. (Photos courtesy of Kenny)

A lovely Spiral Counterpane was knit by Ricke Scott:

He is a member of Men Who Knit, an online community where you can buy Real Men Knit, the DVD.

In The Dining Room at 209 Main, a restaurant in the central Wisconsin small town of Monticello, a display features the exquisite work of Gene Beugler:

Yknit offers a podcast by WonderMike and Stephen hizKNITS, who describe themselves as "two needle junkies who happen to be men". Episode 5, "Lace in Your Face" interviews Nino Esposito

and Ted Myatt, the Knitter Guy.

Who would have predicted it, all these men who knit? And, men’s knitting retreats are popping up from Australia to Albany, NY. Steve reports in his blog, Famous Steve Knits, that there were six male knitters at the Atlanta Knitter’s Guild’s recent retreat, an all-time high. EZ would be so proud!

[Elizabeth Zimmerman affectionately known among knitters as EZ, revolutionized modern knitting with innovative techniques and patterns in her books and in her knitting series shown on American Public Television. In 1974, she founded Knitting Camp, which continues today under the direction of her daughter.]

Amazing work. Good job, all of you guy knitters, and thank you for the eye candy!

____________________________________

Note from Rachel:
I made a series of reverse painting on glass collage pieces recently. I had found an article on men knitting during World War II and used the images in the collaged pieces. These were inspired by Diane's charity knitting and are available for sale on Etsy. Click on the images for the link.

Not Only Men Who Knit, But Men Who Knit Lace

Guest Artist: Diane Gerlach, Charity Knitter

Diane is a long time friend who started out as a customer in one of my retail stores in Chicago a long, long time ago. She lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin, most of the time. She must have some nomad blood in her because she is often off somewhere visiting some friend in need (including me). She was just here for the quilt show, lending her much needed support.

Diane is a charity knitter. I asked her to write about what she does because I think it is of interest to all of us in the fiber community. She knits both for children in Afghanistan and for American soldiers based there. When I first learned about what she was doing, it struck me as a bit odd, kind of like patting both the victim and the victimizer on the back. I am personally against the Bush Administration's position and action in Central Asia, but I also differentiate between the troops and our government's policies. When I lived in Chicago, I rarely met someone who was not a Democrat or who favored the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Ironically, my Afghan partner in my former gallery is a Republican. Moving to Kentucky, especially during my one year stint at Home Depot, introduced me to wonderful guys and men who had either served in a war, were in the reserves or were on their way.

So, Diane's work, to me, is one of blind compassion to all who have cold fingers, toes and heads. I have also personally benefited from her swift fingers. I live in a house with no Central Heating (radiators and a gas wall unit) and it can be bitter on a few winter days. Diane supplied me with wonderful woolen gifts that made my cold house bearable.

Knitting in such volume has a price. Diane had surgery on both wrists last year for carpal tunnel problems. As soon as she healed, she took up her needles and went back at it! Thank you, Diane, for all that you do for all of us!

A Post from the Land of Yin/Yang Knitting

Rachel calls me the Yin/Yang Knitter because of my diametrical charity knitting activities. In real life, I'm Diane Gerlach, and I knit in Kenosha, Wisconsin...and most any other place I happen to be.

Diane Gerlach in Paducah, April 2008, with my monsters.

Now that I’m retired from teaching, with more time to knit and less need for new knitted garments for myself, charity knitting has come into my life. I was especially inspired by Candace Key, “How Knitting for Charity Changed MY [Knitting] Life.”

We are both enthusiastic about Afghans for Afghans which, inspired by the Red Cross Knitting tradition, is a people-to-people project that sends hand-knit and crocheted blankets, sweaters, vests, hats, mittens, and socks to the people of Afghanistan. For so many of us, our first image of Afghanistan was Steve McCurry’s haunting young girl with beautiful eyes on the cover of National Geographic in 1985.

copyright Steve McCurry 1985

Since that time, we have seen all too much evidence of the effects of war on that country.

Helicopter Crash, Google photos

The climate is harsh,

"Near Kabul. 1975. The girls lived in a walled village of a kind fairly common in the region."

germán on Flickr

transportation is limited, and schools such as do exist are unheated,

Hazara schoolboy, copyright Steve McCurry 2008

or even out-of-doors.

An Afghan girl learns the letters of the Dari alphabet on a blackboard in an outdoor classroom, during a lesson on the first day of the official school year in Kabul March 23, 2002. Photo by Natalie Behring

Afghan girls attend their first class on the first day of the official school year at the Amir Dost Mohammad Khan Secondary School in Kabul March 23, 2002.

Copyright, Natalie Behring

Through AFA, American and Canadian knitters and crocheters have contributed more than 70,000 wool garments and blankets to displaced Afghan families since 2001. Recently hats were collected for the Afghan Mobile Mini Circus for Children in organizational colors of red, green, blue, and yellow.

Photo from Aghan Mobile Mini Circus for Children. Kids are wearing AFA hats.

Newborn-size hats were sent to CURE, the only hospital in Afghanistan with a neonatal unit. As we have been asked to provide a link rather than photos, you can see them here.

Afghans for Afghans also has links to many knit and crochet patterns, including a darling one dedicated to newborns in Afghanistan: http://sasw.blogspot.com/2006/03/infant-earflap-hat.html

"Young Packer Fan"
Diane reverse-engineered this hat from a tiny one found among her mother's things after she passed away.
The original pattern likely dates back to the late 30's.

When I was laid up with bronchitis from January to March, I sat in my favorite chair, turned on audio books, and knitted: hats, socks, mittens, sweaters, and an occasional blanket [well, yes, afghan.]

The Ships Project sends handmade “hugs from home” to troops in all four services deployed in the War on Terror. Since 2001, when Ellen Harpin sent a single pair of knitted slippers to a young woman with whom she was corresponding, nearly 290,000 items [hats, slippers, “cool ties”] have been contributed, the product of several thousand crafters. People photos shown below are from their website.

My projects have included black wool hats requested by Special Forces units in cold weather, the always popular patriotic hats,

the bright, soft colorful hats sent to medical evacuation units year round,

and socks.

Knitting for Afghan kids and for Special Forces troops stationed in Afghanistan; there it is: the yin and yang of my charity knitting.

All knitted items shown in the photos were knit by Diane Gerlach for her charity knitting projects. Do you have yarn sitting around that you are not going to use? Think of donating it to the knitters of one of these wonderful projects.

Guest Artist: Diane Gerlach, Charity Knitter