Demonstrate your Knit Wit

Libraries are as much places for building community and fostering creativity as for pursuing quiet study and reflection.  Join us for both when Steenbock Library hosts its 'production socials', Fridays, November 2-December 14, from noon until 1:00 PM.  During these socials, we will produce 7"x9" squares to be stitched together into blankets to be donated to recipients identified by Warm-Up America.

Bring your lunch and join us in Room 240 (Steenbock Library).  Our entire community of library-users is welcome. Should you not know how to knit or crochet, never fear!  We have staff available to teach you a basic stitch suitable for the project.

Then, head to the stacks.  Should you be looking for some additional, creative inspiration, consider a short skein of titles from the Steenbock collection.

Author:  Richard Rutt
Title:  A History of Hand Knitting

Author:  Anne L. MacDonald.
Title:  No Idle Hands: The Social Historyof American Knitting

Author:  Lela Nargi
Title:  Knitting around the World: AMultistranded History of a Time-Honored Tradition

Author: Susan M. Strawn and Melanie Falick
Title: Knitting America: A Glorious Heritage from Warm Socks to High Art

Be sure to speak with library staff to locate these and other titles from campus collections. Should titles from our campus collections be out to other users, do consider searching the UW System or Madison Public Library.

Exercise your Craftivism!

Knit (or crochet!) for a cause when Steenbock Library hosts a 'production social', Fridays, November 2-December 14, from noon until 1:00 PM.  During these socials, we will produce 7"x9" squares to be stitched together into blankets to be donated to recipients identified by Warm-Up America.

Bring your lunch and join us in Room 240 (Steenbock Library).  All students, staff and our community of library-users are welcome. Should you not know how to knit or crochet, never fear!  We have staff available to teach you a basic stitch suitable for the project.

The library has received yarn donations, hooks and needles from local knitting retailers and staff, but additional donations are also accepted!  We are asking for worsted or bulky weight yarn suitable for a blanket.  Acrylic, cotton or wool--we can work with it all!  Any donations that are not used for the blankets will be saved and used for other library-hosted knitting events and projects.  If you would like to donate yarn or blanket squares, please contact Ariel N.  The library will be accepting donations through mid-December and blanket squares through finals week.  Donations can be dropped off at Steenbock or Chemistry Libraries. 

When: Fridays, November 2 until December 14; noon-1:00 PM.

Where:  Room 240, Conference Room (second floor, entrance level).
The room will be open from 11:30 until 1:30 should your schedule require some variation.

Finals Week 12/17-12/21 Time-of-day to-be-determined: Blanket Making

Catch the CreativeBug!

DIY Crafters never fear--there are how-to videos for all of us!  The CreativeBug site has brought together a variety of craft artisans who share their inspiration, tips and tricks in video format so that you, at your own pace, may similarly craft a project.  While introductory chapter content can be viewed for free, subscribers to the site ($25.00 per month) enjoy unlimited access to all site workshops.  A percentage of monthly subscriptions are donated to a variety of non-profit arts programs.

But, if you are given to crafting among like-minded individuals, there are many venues in the Madison area (and some quite near to campus) where you can find supplies, take a workshop, or simply spark your creativity by browsing some fine examples.  See what these spaces have to offer:

Anthology

Glitter Workshop

LakeSide Fibers | Sow’s Ear (Verona)

Sewcial Lounge

What will you make today?  Reply to this post with your suggestions about other favorite crafting spots.

P. S. There are any number of titles from campus library collections (many to be found in Steenbock stacks) that can inform your creative endeavors. Run a search of the Library Catalog (try a "Words Anywhere" search) on your craft or hobby-of-interest or speak with your librarians for assistance. Should titles from our campus collections be out to other users, do consider searching the UW System or Madison Public Library.

A Cozy Shelter Yarn Bombing

The School of Human Ecology’s Design Gallery is sponsoring a "yarn bombing" of a bus shelter at the intersection of State and Johnson Streets.

This "cozy shelter" installation is slated to begin on September 30th and will be completed by October 1st, to coincide with the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Gallery Night. Members of Madison’s Knitters Guild have loaned their talents, in garter-stitched what-nots, to this installation, with yarn products distributed and collected by staff with the Sow’s Ear. This installation project has been coordinated by Professor Diane Sheehan and Lisa Frank, Interim Director of the Design Gallery.

See the Wisconsin Radio Network report!

Be sure to visit; it will leave you in stitches!

Knit Wit

I see them everywhere…on the bus, in the lecture hall, at the coffee shop…knitting. While there have always been aficionados of the craft, knitting has found a brave new audience of artists, crafters and do-it-yourself-ers who can appreciate some good ol’ lambswool (among other fibers) and the satisfaction to be found in producing one’s own clothing and decorative items. And, what’s more, there is a burgeoning marketplace of new texts, to add to the collected classics, to inspire the contemporary knitter.

A short skein from the Steenbock collection follows below. Be sure to speak with library staff to locate these and other titles from campus collections. Should titles from our campus collections be out to other users, do consider searching the UW System or Madison Public Library.

Author: Chin, Lily M.
Title: The urban knitter / Lily M. Chin.
Publisher: New York : Berkley Books, c2002.
Call Number: TT820 C48493 2002

Author: Gibson-Roberts, Priscilla A.
Title: Knitting in the old way : designs & techniques from ethnic sweaters / by Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts and Deborah Robson ; illustrations by Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts.
Publisher: Fort Collins, CO : Nomad Press, c2004.
Call Number: TT825 G52 2004

Author: Newton, Deborah.
Title: Designing knitwear / Deborah Newton.
Publisher: Newtown, CT : Taunton Press, c1992.
Call Number: TT820 N555 1992

Author: Righetti, Maggie.
Title: Knitting in plain English / Maggie Righetti.
Publisher: New York : Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Griffin, 2007.
Call Number: TT820 R54 2007

Title: Vogue knitting : the ultimate knitting book / by the editors of Vogue knitting magazine.
Publisher: New York : Sixth & Spring Books, c2002.
Description: 280 p. : col. ill. ; 27 cm.
Call Number: TT820 V624 2002