Sunday, September 30, 2012

Catching Up - Live and Let Dye


Okay, I’m way behind in the blog posts. I missed the last AKG meeting and have absolutely had no idea what to write.   In fairness, I didn’t miss the meeting because of a conflict or an overwhelming desire to eat bon bons and watch Oprah reruns.  My sick husband had volunteered to watch our kids, but he wasn’t in any condition to do anything that required more effort than lifting the remote control.  Thus, given the choice between attending the meeting and sparing my husband the antics of our three boys, I opted to spare my husband.  After all, he knows where I live.

Apparently, this was not the meeting to miss.  The meeting topic – Live and Let Dye - and speaker, Judy Forster of Mama Jude’s Plant Dyed Stuff (www.mamajudes.com), were phenomenal.  You could hear a pin drop during her presentation, which covered everything from different dying techniques, what natural materials to use for dying, where you can purchase these materials, and guidelines for safe dying (my favorite is to not drink while dying because you could pick up the wrong container).  Be sure to go to the link and check out the yarn and other products at her Etsy.com store.

Judy also was kind enough to relay her favorite dying resources:

Colors from Nature by Bobbi A. McRae

Nature’s Colors by Ida Grae



Wild Color by Jenny Dean

A Passion for Color by Sarah Burnett (also available at the AKG Library)

A Weaver’s Garden by Rita Buchanan. 


At the end of the impressive lecture, the AKG was able to shine with its own impressive display of our member’s work:
















I can’t wait to see what we have to share with our upcoming superstar speaker, Kathy Zimmerman, this Thursday.  

Monday, September 3, 2012

The Controversy that is Yarn Bombing


I have to admit that I have mixed feelings about yarn bombing.  On one hand, I appreciate the need for artistic expression.  Seeing a hotel decorated in yarn, as recently described by the Yarn Harlot, has to be quite a sight.  On the other hand, I’m not sure I find a lot of value in using scraps of yarn to cover random objects simply because it can be done.

There have been some great examples of yarn bombing used to decorate utilitarian objects.  For example, the AKG has a member who “yarn bombed” an old chair, giving it new character and life:




In another instance of decorative yarn bombing, a group of senior citizens from the West Flamingo Active Adult Center in Las Vegas and the local Boy Scout Troup 238 decided to “yarn bomb” a utilitarian pedestrian bridge over a local parkway. http://bit.ly/OGfLWi  The group created a sun motif designed to complement the work of nearby Sunrise Hospital. 



Anyone who knows me also knows that I can’t resist good social or political commentary.  So imagine my delight when I found this juicy piece of yarn bombing:


You guessed it!  That would be a naked Prince Harry (or nekked, for those true Southerners) guarding the family jewels that were otherwise publically displayed recently in Las Vegas.  What makes this yarn bombing especially delicious is that this irreverent display sits near the very proper the Royal crown and other decorations that were crafted for the recent Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. 

So let the controversy begin:  Yarn Bombing – creative expression or a poor use for perfectly good yarn.  Please be sure to leave your comments below.  And all posters are encouraged to use the term “family jewels” in their posts.  I look forward to reading your thoughts on this pressing topic.