Well, we pulled it off. Two-and-a-half weeks before the show, Spinrite (the new owner of Caron) marketing exec Sara Arblaster and I decided that I should yarn bomb a 10 ft’ fake tree, live from the show floor. Normally, plans like these take months of planning. We however, like to live on the edge.
Thanks to the powers that be for approving it, the design wizardry of artist (and art director on Knitty Gritty) Dave Lowe who built us a tree, and to the knitting machine that helped me whip out the pieces to cover it lickety-split–our zany idea came to yarn-y life!
“Yarn Bombing” (aka knit tagging, knit graffiti) is a phenomena that saw a rise 5-7 years ago in the indie scene and has since gained popularity in the mainstream. Its purpose can be anything from making a statement against the stereotypical purpose of knitting/crochet, to challenge the modern perception of art, to offering a fun way to make a bright (but harmless) mark on an otherwise ordinary object.
I made most of the tree pieces on the Ultimate Sweater Machine. Here they are, finished and ready to be packed for the trip!
Screenshot of live streaming from the show floor. Now that I know how to do it, maybe I’ll do more live events (only that aren’t 4 hours long!)
Be-cozying in progress.
Final touch: fabric tree “carving”.
Fabric hanging: hand embroidered and machine sewn.
CHA Floor Much like every convention in any industry, the CHA convention is wall to wall carpeting and booths. What makes this one different though, is an unusual amount of glitter, paint and yarn. Oh, and these guys.
Every year before the show doors open, a bag pipe procession plays through the aisles. Random.
Andrea from A.C. Moore, kindly let me cover her cast in Sheep(ish).
My friend Hope Perkins, painting a live model from the I Love to Create booth.
Last minute lampshade cover, made on the USM the night before the show to fill space. Most of our stuff didn’t make it, so we had to do a wee bit of scrambling.
CYC Reception
White at CHA, I attended the annual Craft Yarn Council reception. This is the meeting where the council presents to industry types, the data obtained through researching customer’s yarn habits for the previous year. I always walk away with some interesting facts so this time, I thought I’d share a few. All information is based on the results of surveying 5,175 knitters and crocheters found via the web.
Out of the stitchers surveyed:
63% both knit and crochet (This was a happy surprise to me! I’m so glad to see that the majority are bi-craftual. That keeps things interesting for us in the the design world.)
In 2011, 87% of knitters/crocheters said that they’ve taught at least one other person to stitch. (Recruiters!)
Hats and scarves are the most made projects (70-77% respectively)
Knitters and crocheters each averaged 33.4 projects in 2011. (This number blew me away! I suppose this speaks to the popularity of small projects. I’d also wager that many of these are charity projects.)
98% of the stitchers surveyed, said they plan to make at least as many projects in 2012 as they did in 2011. (This is great news for local yarn stores, big box retailers, independent designers, publishers, and anyone else who’s in the industry or simply, loves the craft!)
When I came across this Knitting Needle Patent greeting card by @patentpress , I couldn’t resist selecting it as one of the items for the YarnYAY! September box! (Link in @vickiehowell bio or got to YarnYAY.com)
What looks like part circular knitting needle, part Tunisian crochet hook is illustrated as the patent drawing for flexible knitting needles. This greeting card memorializes the creation of tools that we stitchers can now, not do without!...
The sample yarn for both palettes of this year’s 12 Days of YAY! Advent Box have arrived. I cannot wait for stitchers to open up a new color everyday!
I don’t want to spoil the shade surprises, but I can share just how much yarn we’re sending you this year — FIFTEEN mini hanks of beautifully hand dyed yarn, by two rad boss-lady dyers.
Historically, we have sold out of these so I’d you’re prone to FOMO, be sure to pre-order tour 12 Days of YAY!
Nineteen years into this knitting career, it’s crazy-pants that I’ve never had Learn to Knit or Learn to Crochet kits before. So, I finally made it happen. If you know someone, or ARE someone that wants to learn — while also making something wearable— check out our new hats and scarves kits in the YarnYAY! Shop!
This is so fabulous! Congratulations on an amazing project come to life!