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Archive for the 'Lansing' Category

Darn It!

Monday, October 14th, 2013

Tonight I teach a sock-darning class called “Darn that Sock!” It’s been a slow summer, I haven’t taught a single *knitting* class since May. I’ve taught other things, and spent a lot of time singing on stage… but I really love teaching and I’m ready for fall to click in. It’s too late to post tonight’s class (it starts in half an hour, I’m on my way out).

However, for those of you in the greater Lansing, Michigan area, here are a few more coming up soon (all at Sticks and Strings Lansing, in Old Town). These are my all-time most popular classes, and they are fun as well as incredibly informative. Please consider joining me.

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Buttons and Beads/Polymer for Fiberartists
Date:
Saturday, October 19 11:00 – 3:00
Cost:
$40.00
Material fees:
$10-15 for clay and optional slicing blade paid to the instructor.

Have you ever made a beautiful item by hand, and then had trouble finding the right buttons? Learn to make your own. Blend colors and make the perfect thing! Buttons, beads, tie-ons for baskets, and jewelry items, all can be made with polymer clay using simple tools found in most homes.

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Fix & Finesse
Date:
Tuesdays, October 22 & 29 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Costs: $30.00 plus materials

Do you panic when your needles fall out of your project? Do you rip out a project when you find a mistake, because you don’t know how to fix it? Learn about how stitches look, how they work, how to fix them. Make friends with your knitting, and learn to be the boss of your project!

We’ll cover picking up dropped stitches, tinking (unknitting one stitch at a time),  changing colors, weaving in ends, avoiding knots in knitted items, the  difference between DK, worsted and Aran yarn weights… and much more.   You get an illustrated handout to take home. ========================

Concert Thursday August 1

Thursday, August 1st, 2013

Tonight Brian and I will be singing as The Fabulous Heftones on the steps of the old courthouse in Charlotte, Michigan (100 W. Lawrence). We are sharing a show with our friend Wally Pleasant. We’ll go on at 6:30pm and Wally will take stage about 7:30.

It’s a great place for a concert… there is green grass and a few trees, where folks set up chairs and sometimes eat picnic meals while they enjoy the music.

Even better? The Yarn Garden, the local yarn shop, is across the street. We can see the door of the shop while we sing. If you knit in the Lansing area, it’s definitely worth the half-hour drive to come on down tonight.

Join us?

Mighty Uke Day, Lansing

Saturday, May 11th, 2013

Today, Saturday, May 11, is Mighty Uke Day III in Old Town Lansing, Michigan. It’s really great to have a ukulele festival here in Lansing (just a few blocks from Sticks & Strings yarn shop and Elderly Instruments).

Come on Out?
Brian and I (as The Fabulous Heftones) will be performing at the Creole Gallery Saturday at 4:45, as part of the Mighty Uke Day “Featured Performer” festivities. The James Hill concert later that night is sold out, but our earlier show is still open. The young lady who follows us, Magdalen Fossum, is a very fine performer as well. I look forward to hearing her.

Canadian Star on Stage
We look forward to seeing our colleague James Hill whose evening show has been sold out for about a week. This young man is a spectacular musician and a fine human being. We played on the same stage with James in Indianapolis, at the Midwest Ukefest, several years ago.

James is presenting some workshops at Elderly Instruments which still had a few slots open as of Friday, so you might still be able to spend time with him that way. If you play uke at all, it would be worth a try.

You May Be Surprised
If you think that Ukuleles are only for hippies, Hawaiians or 70’s performers who got married on the Johnny Carson Show, you may be pleasantly surprised at this event. The styles presented by the different acts are varied and maybe even surprising. We hope there will be warm enough weather to have a few jam sessions in the streets of Old Town. For the musicians, the jam sessions are perhaps the most fun of all the events!

Consider a visit to Old Town Lansing today/Saturday. (For those of you too far away or with conflicting schedules, you can see/hear us on YouTube. The videos were taken by other people but it will give you a feel of our style and the fun we have. (The videos by Bucqui are very well edited in particular, as is “Row Row Row” with Bosko and Honey.)

Goodbye Party for Yarn bOMb at MSU

Friday, May 3rd, 2013

Local Lansing, Michigan friends… it’s time to take the sweaters off the trees at Michigan State University. They are warm enough and want to grow again.

(If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go visit our ColorJoyful Yarn bOMb page and smile.

Will you join us tomorrow/Saturday, May 4? We will meet at the garden around 11am (stragglers welcome). Link to Map, for Horticultural Gardens (Children’s garden parking… free on weekends. We hope nobody will park there for graduation.)

We will un-sew the “ace bandages” around the trees so we can wash them and reuse them in later projects. I expect it willtake a few hours.

When we’re done I’m buying a round of tea/coffee at a local gathering place. We’ll either go to Chapelure (the closest), Wanderer’s Teahouse, or Gone Wired/The Avenue. They are all locally owned.

Cry not, because we have more Yarn bOMb projects in the wings. A semi-secret smaller one is planned for Memorial Day… stay tuned.

Let Us Eat Cake! (Gluten-Free/ Allergy Friendly)

Monday, March 11th, 2013

Last week, our Thursday night knit group had two members with a birthday. I figure if I don’t make the cake, I can’t eat it because of all my allergies/ sensitivities. Naturally, I volunteered.

In addition, one of the birthday girls is celiac, which means she can’t have even a speck of gluten. I can’t have xanthan gum (often made from fermented corn, which I can’t have on two counts). Most commercial gluten free baking mixes contain it.

In order to get a tasty cake which was not too fragile, I’ve had to tweak and experiment with flours and binding agents. This recipe has flaxseed meal, sweet white rice flour and oil to do the job.

This is my current rendition of chocolate cake for those with food restrictions. It has a lot of  ingredients in it, and most kitchens won’t have these flours in house (I use them often). This is the first cake I’ve made that was sturdy enough to stand up to having frosting spread upon it, and it is tasty as well. Yeah!

I put a standard old-fashioned buttercream frosting on this cake, reduced to about 1/4 of a standard frosting batch since I only needed to frost the top of one layer. The end result? This cake was fully devoured by the end of the night.

If you do want buttercream frosting, make sure to plan ahead and pull that butter out of the refrigerator so it can soften naturally to room temperature. The microwave will ruin the butter for this purpose.

Tough but Luscious Chocolate Cake for Everyone

(Make sure all flours say certified gluten free on bag, if for a Celiac person.)
Makes one 9″ layer, to be served in its baking pan.

Dry Ingredients:
1/4 c Sorghum Flour
1/4 c Baking Cocoa Powder
2 Tbsp Flaxseed Meal
3/4 c Buckwheat flour (only Arrowhead Mills is certified Gluten Free)
1/4 c Brown Rice Flour (Used Bob’s Red Mill)
1/4 c SWEET White Rice Flour (must say sweet or sticky)
3/4 c White Sugar
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
(can replace Soda+Tartar with 3/4 tsp of Baking Powder)
2-4 Shakes Salt

Wet Ingredients:
6 Tbsp Oil (I used Olive, you can’t taste it with the cocoa powder)
1 c Water

Preheat oven to 350F. If you will be making buttercream frosting, take butter out of refrigerator now.

Oil pan: I use a 9″ glass pie plate, or use a 9″ cake pan (if not glass it will have a different baking time).

Sift lumpy flours into baking pan: I put the sorghum, cocoa and flaxseed meal in a screen-type strainer and pressed them through with the back of a large spoon, to remove large bits & lumps (toss whole flax that won’t pass through the screen). This makes it mix more completely and eliminates dry-flour bubbles.

Add other dry ingredients to baking pan. Mix thoroughly with small wire whisk or fork.

Add wet ingredients and mix with fork in pan, checking corners for dry spots.

Shake pan *for a few seconds only* to bring larger bubbles to the top of the batter. Use dry fork tine or toothpick to break the bubbles. If you don’t do this, it will be fragile to frost.

Use paper towel to wipe up uneven splashes of batter on the edges of the pan. I just hold my right hand with the towel still, and spin the pan around with my left hand.

Bake for about 30 minutes. It is done when a toothpick at center pulls out clean. You can often smell the “toasty” baking smell when it’s done, usually just before the timer goes off.

Cool thoroughly. If it’s not room temperature when you go to frost it, you’ll have a fragile mess with crumbs in the frosting.

Serve without frosting if you wish, or add homemade buttercream frosting (not vegan because of the dairy products, but there is nothing more delicious).

Top-One-Layer Buttercream Frosting (for the corn-allergic & celiacs)

1/2 stick (1/4 c) Lightly Salted Butter, softened at room temperature – do not melt!
1 cup Corn-Free Confectioners/Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract (gluten free)
appx. 1 Tbsp. Milk

Place butter in mixing bowl. Use back of large spoon to stir butter until it softens up and is more creamy than resistant. Add sugar in several small batches, mixing until smooth by pressing and smoothing with the back of the spoon. It will feel at first as though there is far too much sugar for the butter, but slowly it will incorporate if you stay with it.

Add vanilla and a teaspoon or so of milk, and mix again until smooth. At this point, determine if the frosting needs more milk to be soft enough to spread without breaking apart the top of your cake layer. Keep adding milk a small bit at a time and mixing until the frosting looks not quite wet and seems spreadable. If necessary, you can add a little more sugar to bring it back to a proper texture.

Let the frosting sit for a few minutes to let the sugar melt and mellow with the liquid. Make sure your cake is fully cooled.

Use a soft rubber spatula and a very light hand to spread the frosting on your cake. Longer strokes often are more gentle to the top of the cake (which is fragile and will want to crumble and mix into your frosting). Worst case, let the crumbs just be there and consider adding mini-chocolate chips on the top as decoration. Make sure the chips are certified gluten free and don’t have corn syrup in them, if you go that route.

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If you are new to this sort of baking, many healthy-food groceries will carry all of these ingredients for you. If you have nothing like that near you, try Bob’s Red Mill online. It’s an employee-owned company with great customer service and fine quality.

Enjoy your cake! I’m sure you will.

A Happy Knit

Tuesday, February 5th, 2013

Well, after 3 posts in a row about wonderful people who are no longer alive, it’s time for a smile, yes? Thanks for hanging in there with me.

The Good Stuff
I’m working now with a hand-painted dyeing company called Twisted FiberArt. It’s based in Mason, Michigan (25 minutes from Lansing). The mastermind artist behind the dye is Meg Campbell-Crowley, who once was a calculus teacher and who now uses her math prowess to design amazing colorways.

Sprite Cowl Class & Pattern
I’m teaching my Sprite cowl tonight at Twisted. This pattern was originally published in Knit Circus Magazine which no longer is publishing. Of course, this means I had to publish my own version of the pattern in order to teach it. You can buy it on Ravelry.com in PDF format here.

Also, since Twisted has a shop which only sells yarns that Meg designed (no commercial yarns like Cascade or Classic Elite), I had to knit a shop sample. It was a lovely assignment.

About this Yarn
The standard skein at Twisted (at least for this colorway) is 70 grams. When she dyes yarn with one slow color change from beginning to end, it’s called an “Evolution.” In this case, I needed just short of 90 grams so I got a double skein, 140 grams all dyed at the same time in one continuous color change.

The yarn base I’m using here is called Queen. It’s an Aran-weight yarn (usually 4.5 st/inch for sweaters, just a step thicker than worsted weight). The fiber is washable soft wool. It’s spun sproingy and smooth, with 3 plies. I loved knitting with it. Even though I had a lot of decreases to perform, the yarn did not fight me and it gave easily when I needed it to.

So since the yarn is a double-length Queen yarn, dyed in one “rainbow” of color, it is called a Double Queen Evolution. Sounds mystical, doesn’t it?

The colorway here is called Ember. Since I didn’t use the whole skein, I’ve got an amazing 50gm ball of red to red-orange to apricot, as my leftovers. My brain is cranking, trying to decide what I should make it into.

How to Get the Yarn
Most of Twisted FiberArt’s business is via the internet. You can visit her website at TwistedFiberArt.com to learn more, and order from anywhere.

If you live in the Lansing area, you can drive to the lovely town of Mason. Her shop is in the basement of Kean’s, an adorable old-fashioned “dime” store which still has a huge old-fashioned candy counter.

Kean’s also has quilting fabrics, jewelry and gifts. In years past, the toy department was in the basement where Meg’s shop is now. There are a few toys down there even today.

On Wednesday nights, there is a knit-in at the shop space. She’s got a little kitchen space with a lovely fireplace-heater and comfy chairs. I dance on Wednesdays so I don’t go, but do consider it.

In Other News
I’ve got a lot on my schedule… work is good. Off to proofread my pattern. It’s going to be a wonderful, busy day!

No! A Tribute and Memories

Monday, January 28th, 2013

Noooooooo! Now John Pollard died.

I was John’s secretary for a while, and he treated me SO well, utmost respect. He was a man with many opinions, and you might well disagree but you never had to guess where he stood.

We worked together for about a year at the Black Child and Family Institute (I worked there 1989-1994), one of the most incredible jobs I ever had. I was the only “white” person on full time staff. I was interviewed by a panel of 5 staff members, so I knew when I was chosen that they really did choose me. I’d not felt that welcome at any job before.

I had short hair those days. My hair is naturally straight as a pin and I wanted it to have some energy. I went out one day for a long lunch to get my hair cut and permed. Came back with wavy hair and wet look Gel. Pollard took one look at me and said “Sister got a Jheri Curl!” I knew then that I really belonged.

When I knew John, I was coming out of a 16 year relationship which had turned both of us into our worst selves. I was emotionally beat up by the stress. John sensed this, and somehow decided to nickname me “Cool.” He’d call me into his office… “Hey, Cool, can you come here for a minute?” and the like. I needed that nickname just then. I’m still grateful.

Last time I saw John, it was just before a local election. He was at the corner of 496 and Saginaw at the empty gas station with a sign, asking people to honk if they agreed with him. I pulled up, rolled down the window and shouted “Hey Pollard!” He perked right up.

His grandma raised him to stand for his beliefs. To really put his life behind what he stood for. Agree or disagree, he did really live that way.

(He was a “regular” at Lansing City Council meetings. He had opinions and statistics to back them up. He was a powerhouse, or thorn in your side, depending on what opinion you had that day. He had the respect, though, of those who disagreed. I made the Pow! image here in his honor.)

Two deaths in a week, folks. I’m tired of crying.

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PostScript: MLive did a nice write up on John, here: http://ow.ly/hde72

PPS: Lansing State Journal wrote about John here: http://ow.ly/hdjbr

PPPS: Lansing City Pulse did a nice job 12/31 here: http://ow.ly/hjWWe

The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013

Lynn and Altu in Alexandria, EgyptI believe I live in an amazing time. Humans will always strive toward a utopia that is out of reach, but things are pretty good where I sit.

The Good Stuff
I’m an educated, white adult female who looks a way that society approves of. I have no visible handicaps. I have plentiful clean water, transportation, no need to walk for hours or days for medical care.

I have enough income to make a living with a computer and my good brain, and some determination. I can go places alone, make financial decisions for myself, even have a meal with a male friend without the permission of my husband.

I can be married for the reason that I love my spouse and not because I need a financial partner or caretaker. If my spouse dies, I will still be a financially viable person on my own.

Counting My Blessings with Open Eyes
I live in the USA, where women can own property (I purchased a house with my own signature in 1992). In other countries, women are still legally property of their fathers and/or husbands. There are places where women are allowed to study to become physicians and even practice medicine, but they are not allowed to drive themselves to work.

There are a lot of places where a single/widowed woman is reduced to begging to make a living. There are places where abusing a woman is legal, because she is your property.

We had a young woman die in India this month from group physical and sexual abuse. Her name was Jyoti Singh Pandey. Her father tells her story here. Not for the faint of heart. YES this relates to Dr. King’s legacy. Yes, it does. Equality is Equality.

History Must Not be Forgotten
When our country was founded, people with dark skin were property, too. “Blacks” were slaves. The history of our constitution and very early laws, can show how much this impacted and still impacts this country. We continue to grow and change, shift and wake up.

It’s a slow process, like evolution rather than a volcano. I am enough of an optimist to believe it will continue. Notice in the infographic below, the Voting Rights Act was instituted in merely 1965 (I remember that year), which put into place the right of Black citizens to vote. What? What? Incredible… that’s a crazy fact. Read more here…. about southern blacks in 1965 (and non-literate or non-English-speaking citizens) and how this changed their world.

Continuing Segregation
I find that when I visit cities in the south, the skin color of people on one side of Dr. Martin Luther King Drive is darker than those on the other side of the same street. In my neighborhood and my city, we are naturally integrated. One of my very best neighbors, who changed the quality of my block by moving in, has darker skin than me.

My City Rocks
My best friend was born in Ethiopia, in eastern Africa. She has dark skin and yet in this city (Lansing, Michigan) we can meet, become close friends, live near one another, go to the same church and hang at the same places without it being even noticed. It’s normal here. There are many cities, even in the USA, where there are parallel societies and people only integrate sometimes at school or work. (See me with friend Altu in Alexandria, Egypt, at the Mediterranean, in December 2004, upper right.)

I am grateful for what I have. I am grateful for Dr. King, who led a multi-racial, multi-gendered movement toward equality for ALL.

For all. Race equality is not fully reached yet, though it is legally in place. We still fight inequality in gender and marriage, which saddens me.

We are the Human Race. HUMAN Race.
We are ONE race. We are the HUMAN race. Whenever I have a chance to fill out a form which asks my race, I look hard for the “human” choice. My skin is not the crayon color “white.” My friend’s skin is not the crayon color “black.” Yes, those are convenient words to generalize as we speak. Still, there is no such thing as “white society” or “black society.” It’s far too general.

Dr. King’s Life and Legacy
I’ve written about my gratitude for the movement Dr. King led while he was alive, and which still continues without him. People continue to find my writings, after MLK Day has passed.

A few weeks ago, I received an email from Allison Morris of OnlineCollegeCourses.com. She offered to share an infographic about Dr. King’s life with my readers. I know nothing about her organization, but I do like the infographic and thought maybe you might, as well. (If you click it, you’ll find yourself on her website.)

Alison writes:

Though not affiliated with The King Center, I actually work with a small team of designers, and we build and design graphics for Internet resource sites. Our primary goal with these pieces is to be able to make a connection between visualization and learning. That said, in light of MLK day approaching, our most recent graphic chronicles Dr. King’s life and his personal achievements:

MLK Infographic

May we all appreciate what we do have, and keep our eyes open to those pieces of improvement, even utopia, which need more work to happen.

World, I love you. All of you. Go in peace.

More Yarn bOMb photos

Friday, November 30th, 2012

I have SO many photos of the Yarn bOMb at Michigan State University Horticultural Gardens! It’s quite a lot of visual input to sort through. I’ve had several folks request more… so here you go.

The parking lot, before you enter the main space. Some of the pennants were sewn from a sort of lining fabric by one very enthusiastic contributor, Maggie. They originally had large magnificent blue and sparkly silver bells hanging from their tips, but since these are easily reached the bells have since been “harvested” by passers by.

These pennants were carefully sewn on to the line by Brenda W. Many of the knitted and crocheted pennants in this space were made by my sis-in-love Diana /Otterwise and members of the Rae’s Yarn Boutique Thursday Night knit in group, as well as participants of the October Yarn Shop Hop who stopped by at Rae’s shop. Some of those names include Elizabeth, Rita B., Mari, Rae, Joanne and more. I definitely have not included them all.

Here is another longer view of the line in the parking area:

Here are a few close up images. Notice some of the flags got caught on the line. There had been some wild winds blowing, and the bells and trinkets hung from the tips of the triangles occasionally got caught on the line. I freed them up after I took these photos (almost 2 weeks ago, 2 weeks after the initial installation).

The trinket reminds me of a Boston subway token, but actually says “Thoughts.” The pennants with these word-tokens were crocheted by Diana.

Above: “Artful.” Below: “Genuine.”

Here is tree #1 inside the gardens:

If you click the photo above, you can see a larger version of it. Those lovely ladies looking at the tree are Cynthia B. and Becky, who both were contributors to the project.

Below is a detail from the same tree. After we sewed together all the pieces, there were yarn ends all over the place being a bit messy. Marlene C. got inspired to braid them together and then sew them on to the tree scarves, rather than cutting them off. Lovely, yes?

There are more photos… but it’s 4am and I give up. I’ll be back, I promise.

Love,

Lynn

You Gotta Vote! Be glad you can.

Monday, November 5th, 2012

My mother’s Aunt Lizzie (probably a great-aunt) worked for Susan B. Anthony before women could vote in the USA. Women died working toward the right to vote.

I find it sad and frightening, that there are US citizens who choose not to vote when we can. We in this country can speak our own conscience on our ballots without fearing retaliation.

I’ve been lucky to travel some in my 53 years. I’ve been to countries where residents must vote for whoever is already in power. They do go vote… but they know the powers that be will know if they voted against the current regime. Jimmy Carter could go and help count votes, and the victor would be the current leader. The people know it’s not safe to vote any other way.

EVERY VOTE COUNTS. Yes, really!

Here, we have people saying they don’t like the choices so they won’t vote at all. I say, if you have to vote “NO” (against a particular candidate, if you can’t feel strongly *for* any choice) you still must vote. It does make a difference.

Elections do actually get decided sometimes with just a handful of votes. (Don’t you dare complain about the leaders who *are* elected if you didn’t voice your own vote during their election.)

It’s a bit of a job to vote in a responsible way… districts change often and it’s really hard to figure out exactly who will be on our own particular ballot.

SO… here is some help for those who are at least in Michigan. You can find similar information in your own state if you aren’t here. The department where you register to vote should have this information.

Nonpartisan vote information:

Michigan friends, if you don’t know what your ballot will look like, you can go to the Secretary of State Michigan Voter Information Center here to get that information:
https://webapps.sos.state.mi.us/mivote/

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization (really) which has many resources to help you make an informed decision (this link is to the Michigan chapter):
http://www.lwvmi.org/

Keep your head.

All advertisements are biased by their nature. Remember to vote with your brain and your heart, and not because you heard an advertisement one way or the other.

Remember, anyone telling you that some political stance is being influenced by “Special Interests” is also a special interest. Remember that sometimes we get manipulated by ads or story lines that make us react with “Yeah! Yeah!” and they only tell part of the story.

The League of Women Voters has a link to the “Truth Squad” regarding the Michigan ballot Proposals. Make sure you take a look and reason things out before going to the polls.

Disclaimer of sorts

Yes, I have my own opinions. Probably anybody who knows me can guess where I tend to vote. However, not voting is the worst choice of all, followed by voting without good information.

We will resume with normal life on Wednesday. I hope.
Hugs, Lynn

ColorJoyful Yarn bOMb before/after

Monday, October 29th, 2012

The Yarn bOMb went in on Friday, and we celebrated Saturday. As we should!

It was FUN! I have to thank so many people I can never do it properly.

Here is the before photo:

The crew sometime in the morning (folks came and went all day as they needed to do other things).

Josh controlling the cherry picker while I installed pennants. He was SO into it. He has a toddler daughter who loves the gardens, and it was cool to him to contribute back. I love meeting guys who love being daddies! The best.

Brian (my husband) and friend Hanno preparing to play music under tree #2. This was at Saturday’s happening / celebration.

Brian and Hanno serenading tree #2

Becky enjoying the Bee Tree (#3). Most of the yellow yarn we had went here. It is near some bee hives (white boxes behind her at left of photo).

My friend Brenda knit something like a dozen bees for the project. Some are sewn to the tree scarves and some are hanging loose under the tree, “flying.”

Becky Enjoying Bee Tree #3

A long view of the final project. I will share more later.

Yarn bOMbing at MSU gardens, after.

Fun in the Yarn bOMbed Garden Today

Saturday, October 27th, 2012

It was fun. I’ll get up a bunch of photos tomorrow, but for now here is an overview:

 

If you are within the Lansing, Michigan driving area, I hope I can see you today.

Art Installation Opening Party in the ColorJoyful Yarn bOMbed MSU Horticultural Gardens today, 2-4pm. I’d love to have you stop by.

If you are a musician, bring fingerless gloves and an instrument. Anybody, if you want to dress in a Halloween costume, go for it!

Bring kids… there will be activities thanks to an enthusiastic MSU student organization. I’ll bring donuts and some sort of juice. Please come on out and say hi!

Here is where you can get directions (the RR tracks are wicked, don’t let them eat your vehicle):
http://www.hrt.msu.edu/directions-parking-maps/
No parking fee/token needed this weekend in the garden lot.

Google Map and GPS fans, there is a new street address for the garden:
1066 Bogue Street, East Lansing MI 48824

Please consider a visit!

PS, Brian and I sing as The Fabulous Heftones at Altu’s Ethiopian Cuisine tonight from 6:30 – 8:20 or so. Great food. Come there if you can’t make the garden?

This is Marlene Cameron putting finishing touches on tree #1. Children’s garden in the background. I sure had a lot of helpers yesterday, some for many hours. I’m very grateful.

 

Trees Need Scarves!

Wednesday, October 17th, 2012

Hi, friends. Happy autumn! The trees are gorgeous here, I hope they are in your neck of the woods, as well. (Unless you have spring, assuming you are in Australia or some other lovely place.)

CountDown!

Tomorrow night (Thursday) is the final Make-A-Long for our ColorJoyful Yarn bOMbing. (It’s 6-8pm at Rae’s Yarn Boutique in Lansing, Michigan.) I’m astounded at how many folks are participating. I’ve received wonderfully varied pieces thus far.

It seems that the pennants/triangles are a bit like potato chips. They are fast and easy and a lot of fun to crank out. Some knitters are making a dozen of them, which will make the trees very happy and festive during winter.

Tree Trunk Scarves Lagging Behind

However, the tree trunk scarves are lagging behind quite a bit. Perhaps you can help?

Yes, it’s not necessarily our favorite kind of handwork (acrylic yarn in long strips is not my favorite, either). But just think how wonderful it is to be part of a community project, adding color and joy to a cold winter garden.

Imagine being a student walking across campus and hearing the bells jingle in the wind, and then seeing all the color bursting forth from the garden. Don’t you want to be part of bringing a smile to that student?

Scarves should be made of acrylic, any color from yellow through green, blue and purple. About 4-5 inches wide, as long as you can stand to knit it. Even a square is helpful.

(Pennants can be any fiber, in the same colors, about 4-5 inches at the top and about 2-3 times longer than they are wide. This is a guideline… no pattern or standard is required. All triangles are good. Even quilting, feltmaking, and sewing are welcome for pennants.)

You can drop off at any of these shops: Rae’s Yarn Boutique, Woven Art, Sticks & Strings Lansing, and Yarn Garden Michigan. Or let me know if you want to mail things to me.

I will be picking up items from all the shops on Tuesday, October 23, during the daytime. If you have items after that, do let me know and I’ll do what I can to gather yours as well. The items actually go up that Friday.

I’ll post about the assembly process soon. I’ll need helpers next Monday morning, Tuesday night, and Friday daytime. Then the party/celebration will be on Saturday. Click the image below to read details. It will take you to a printable PDF, if you wish to print.

HUGS to everyone involved. Fiberarts are all about community. This project makes that element visible to outsiders. I appreciate every single stitch!

LynnH

Yarn bOMb Make-A-Longs Start Today

Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012

Hello, dear friends!

Update

Things are just humming along with this grand fun Yarn bOMb event. There are knitters in many places just having a good time making pieces for the trees. This will be a fine, colorful space in the wintertime, long after the opening reception is done.

Knit/Crochet/Stitch with Me?

I’ve got 4 scheduled Make-A-Long events in the Lansing area, each one at a different and wonderful local yarn shop. I’ve got yarn if you don’t. I’ll even bring needles and maybe a crochet hook or two.

The first one is today, Tuesday. Come on out? Let’s have a party!

Here is the schedule:

Tuesday, October 2, 4-6 pm
Woven Art
325 Grove St. #B, East Lansing
(Across from Grove Street Ramp)
www.yarnandfiberart.com

Thursday, October 11, 3:30-5:30 pm
Yarn Garden
111 W. Lawrence Ave., Charlotte
(Across from Old Courthouse)
www.yarngardenmichigan.com

Friday, October 12, 6-8 pm
Sticks & Strings
1107 N. Washington Ave., Lansing
(Old Town, across from Elderly Instruments)
www.sticksandstringslansing.com

Thursday, October 18 6-8 pm
Rae’s Yarn Boutique
2004 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing
(Near Emil’s and Green Door, west of Frandor)
www.raesyarnboutique.com

Pass the Word Along?

If you would like a poster/flier with key points (for knitters/crocheters/other fiberartists as well as opening party attenders), CLICK the image below to see a PDF. You may print these, distribute them, or just refer to it on your own machine.

MSU ColorJoyful Yarn bOMbing Flier

There will be other gatherings as well. I’ll need folks to help me make sense of the piles of wonderful contributions, before we get on the cherry picker to install the piece.

Organization/Preparation Events Coming

Tree scarves will need to be sewn together ahead of time. Other preparatory work will need to be done earlier in the week before going out to the garden.

I’m planning to add yarn ties to each pennant before going out to the garden, so that they can be tied on easily and quickly when we are on site. Also I’m hoping to add bells to many of the pennants for an added happy sensory experience. All of that can be handled before the install date.

It looks like one of the prep sessions will be on Monday, October 22, in the morning. I hope to have another session later in the week, hopefully in an afternoon or evening.

Party on October 27!

If you can’t make any of the other events, or you are not able to help out at the gatherings… you can still participate. The opening reception is October 27, a Saturday, from 2-4pm.

We are going to make it as festive as possible. Since it’s the weekend before Halloween, costumes are welcome (even encouraged) but not required.

It’s a great space for families. If you have a kid you can bring along, please do.

If you just want a little childlike joy in your life, come alone or with other grown-ups looking for a smile. There will be a lot of wonderful people there. It looks like we’ll have some children’s activities perhaps. It should be a wonderful time. Put it on your calendar, yes?

Thanks for being with me on this great adventure.

Hugs, Lynn