spinhandspun designs


Yarn Bombing with Art Yarn @ Sounds From the Other City
March 6, 2010, 5:56 PM
Filed under: opportunities


Sounds From the Other City Festival with ArtYarn

Katie Brandon and Rachael Elwell of ArtYarn.org invite you to yarn bomb this year’s Sounds From the Other City festival with bright, bold, and wooly graffiti. Submissions will be installed at the festival site in Salford, Greater Manchester, UK on the weekend of May 2nd, 2010.

A detailed list of local rail, tree, lamp post dimensions and more is available by visiting ArtYarn or the Yarn Bombing @ SFTOC Facebook group.



Call for Entries: Stories in Textures with Daina Taimina
February 16, 2010, 5:16 PM
Filed under: opportunities | Tags: , , ,


Fiber Stories with Daina Taimina

Hyperbolic crocheter Daina Taimina has announced an open call for participation in her experimental fiber project tentatively titled, “Story in Textures.”

Last month, Taimina retired from her profession as a Mathematics professor at Cornell University. Because she experiences difficulty expressing this emotional transition in words, Taimina has begun outletting her feelings through fibers.

Her hope is that, if someone asks her how she feels about her academic career and retirement, she will be able to hand them a tangible object that expresses her loss for words. The challenge will be creating beautiful work that also represents the pain of her transition.

Taimina is inviting other fiber artists to express a story or emotion through small fiber work ranging between 20 and 50 centimeters in any direction. Whether you include the story or emotional experience that inspired you is optional. Entries must be received by the end of March at the latest in order to be included in her talk at the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Arts’ “Textures” conference in June.

For more information, visit http://fiberforthought.multiply.com/ (you do not need to register to view the site).



ATTN: Twin Cities! MAKE this Saturday MAKEnificent at TCM MAKEr’s Minne-Faire!

JOIN SPINHANDSPUN
IN A CORNER ON THE FLOOR
ON A BLANKET BY A CHAIN LINKED FENCE
AND LEARN TO MAKE FELT,
REAL UGLY FELT,
FOR CHARITY!

This Saturday, February 13th, be a part of the first ever Twin Cities Maker Minne-Faire at the Hack Factory!

The event starts at 2pm with local makers exhibiting and playing in the group’s new space. Later, join the makers for an art show, party, and refreshments.

ADMISSION IS FREE! And maker-related prizes will be raffled all afternoon.

A sexy new mural will be up by Sat., but to quote Mike’s directions:
“The address is 3119 E 26th St, Minneapolis. It’s poorly labeled, but the front of the building says ‘Broadband America’ and there’s a large garage door. The entry for the Hack Factory is through a side door to the right of the garage door, which faces E 26th St.”

In other words, it’s located here, a few blocks east of Hexagon Bar on 26th.

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!

I’ll be in back, on a blanket, my work hanging behind me on a chain linked fence. Look for a mannequin bust wearing an ugly purple necklace. The uglier it is, the better…

AND YOU CAN HELP!

Learn how to make felted beads and baubles to add to the necklace throughout the day. At the end of the night, the self-proclaimed ugliest volunteer will be photographed wearing the necklace, and the photo will be submitted to Land of Odds 8th Annual Ugly Necklace Contest.

If we win, our makerly prize will be donated to Twin Cities Makers!

(Above 2007 winner Hillary Schmeichel’s necklace really does it for me, inspiration-wise…)

Hope to see you there!



Knitters Without Borders Beams the Knit Signal for Haiti

The Knit Signal

Though the organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) is typically among the first to respond in the event of a disaster, its Haitian hospital has been shut down due to the damage sustained in Tuesday’s Port au Prince earthquake.

While MSF’s sister sites in other countries are working to send aide and resources, Haiti’s facilities have been relocated to tent sites in their former courtyard.  The situation is grim.

Knitters: here’s how you can help.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee of the Yarn Harlot knit blog asks you to take the Knitters Without Borderes Challenge. This week, every time you make a purchase, ask yourself: Is this a need (food, water, shelter, medicine, or safety) or a want?  For crafters, this is an exercise in putting our hobbies on hold for the sake of those without such privileges.

In my case, the Knitters Without Borders Challenge will mean donating 50% of January’s Spinhandspun Etsy profits to MSF International.

If you would like to make a contribution, MSF recommends donating to them in the form of an “undirected” gift, for example by selecting “Greatest Needs” or “Emergency Relief” in the website’s drop-down menu. This will allow MSF to continue to responding to all international crises while the world has its magnifying glass on Haiti.

Finally, to encourage relief, Stephanie has started a Knitters Without Borders Tally for knitters who donate. After making your gift, e-mail her at kwb@yarnharlot.ca with your name and e-mail address, and she will register you to win knit-related prizes.

For more information, visit the MSF website, and Stephanie’s blog at Yarnharlot.com

To learn about “The Knit Signal,” see Bookishgirl’s post at: Throwing up the Bat Signal.



Subversive Yarn.ning : Social Networking Site for Yarn Artists

Attention yarn artists! Looking for ways to share your work and gain inspiration from other like-minded folk? Rachel Elwell of the fabulous Art Yarn blog has created the social networking site Subversive Yarn . Ning for knitters and crocheters alike! Members have access to event promotion, portfolio sharing, forums, group discussion boards, and more. Below are just a few examples of member work:

Word on the Street, Vancouver. September 27, 2009.

Photo courtesy of Leanne Prain & Mandy Moore
http://www.yarnbombing.com

Zoe’s Cover of the Sculpture

Jade on Her Park-Bench-Couch

Photos courtesy Matthew Venables via Michelle McCosker

Knit a Poem

Crime Scene Do Not Cross

Photos courtesy of Molli the Woodtagger
http://www.myspace.com/mollithewoodtagger

Knitted Plastic Bags

Photo courtesy of Denise Litchfield
http://dneese.blogspot.com/

The Shed Jumper Project

Self Assembly: Crocheting Ikea Curtains

Photos courtesy of Rachel Elwell
http://www.artyarn.blogspot.com

Plastic Jellyfish

Handspun Plastics

Photos courtesy of Rockpool Candy
http://www.rockpoolcandy.typepad.com/

Again, check it all out at: http://www.subversiveyarn.ning.com !



Call For Entries: 500 Felt Objects!
January 4, 2010, 1:35 PM
Filed under: opportunities | Tags: , , , , ,


Open Call for Book Entries: 500 Felt Objects

500 Felt Objects
Juror: Susan Brown
Entry deadline: March 6th, 2010

Lark Books seeks images from artists/designers across the globe for publication in a juried collection showcasing felt objects. Categories in the book will include Garments, Jewelry, Furniture, Bags, Art Pieces, Headwear, Functional Items/Home Décor, Floor and Wall Coverings, and more. Felt must be the focus of all work, but other materials are allowed. While Lark usually features hand-made work, for this book, innovative designs in industrial felt are acceptable. For more information and a downloadable detail guideline, click here.



“We Knit Graffiti” Knittaplease Book Submission Extended!
January 4, 2010, 12:25 PM
Filed under: opportunities | Tags: , , ,


Knittaplease Book Submission Deadline Extended

This just in from Madga Sayeg of Knittaplease: The submission deadline for their new book, “We Knit Graffiti” has been extended to January 31st, 2010.

For more information on how to become part of it, click here!



Fiberarts Valentines Day Card Contest


Fiberarts Valentine’s Day Card Contest

Fiberarts magazine, published in Loveland, CO, announces its annual “Send Us Your Love” Valentine’s Day card-designing competition. Since 1947, the Loveland post office has been re-mailing valentines day cards from around the world, adding its own poem and cancellation marks to the design. Fiberarts asks you to submit a handmade postcard to the cause using the following template to allow room for both the poem and the cancellation mark (postcards must meet U.S. Postal Service Requirements).

Submissions will be photographed, and some will be featured in future magazine and website articles. Prizes and challenges are listed on the website.

Send your entries to:
Fiberarts Valentines
201 East Fourth Street
Loveland, CO 80537-5655

Entries must be postmarked by January 15th, 2010. For full contest details, visit: http://www.fiberarts.com/back_issues/January-February-2010/valentine-postcard.asp And for examples of a few already-submitted cards, click here.



Threadknits Threadless Competition


Threadknits Threadless Competition

Chris Cardinal of threadknits.com has announced an open call for individuals and group submissions of Threadless inspired yarn-creations.

Prizes are awarded weekly in the categories of knitting and crochet, and include: $250 cash money, inclusion on the custom threadless art panel, goodies from ReadyMade Magazine, and free knitting schwag.

Submissions must be completed by Monday, March 1st, 2010


Octodecapus
David Creighton-Pester

Octodecapus
Rachel Thompson

For official rules, visit: http://www.threadknits.com/rules/



Open Call for Submissions to New Book by KnittaPlease
December 2, 2009, 3:01 PM
Filed under: opportunities | Tags: , , , ,


Open Call for Submissions to New Book by KnittaPlease

Attention urban yarnbombers! Magda Sayeg of Knitta Please has announced an open call for submissions to their new book:

The Knitta Book
Hello knitters,

We’re making a book!

From Knitta’s beginning, we have tried to focus on the community aspect of yarnbombing – how art brings people together across generational, national, and political lines. One of our main motivations is to inspire continued growth for the movement around the world. As Knitta has traveled to create our own tags during the last few years, we have met countless knitters and yarnbombers who are also participating in the movement. Out of our desire to document this global community, Magda is curating a gallery style book on yarnbombing which will illustrate the international extent of the yarnbombing movement. The plan is to include approximately 275 images from knitters [and crocheters] around the world that represent unique interactions with our urban environments, innovation in textile design, and an overall sense of integration between art and craft. We would love to have you contribute. Photos can be from past, completed projects or from projects specifically designed for the purpose.

Email to request further information on digital image submission specification and photo/project guidelines. Also – please pass this information on to anyone who might be interested! The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2009.

Thanks! I hope to hear from you!
Best,
Karen McClellan
Assistant, KnittaPlease

Update! As of January 4th, the deadline for submission has been extended to January 31st, 2010, so make it a New Years resolution to take advantage of this great opportunity! E-mail Magda at: contact@knittaplease.com




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