"While the spirit of neighborliness was important on the frontier
because neighbors were so few, it is even more important now
because our neighbors are so many." -- Lady Bird Johnson
Mary K. Lawrie and I are leading a yarn bombing of the handrail along the southern side of Addison St. Bridge. We will be knitting stripes of color to cover the handrail along the southern side of the Addison Bridge adding a whimsical dash to the grey expanse. Knit and crocheted by the community in colors taken from the mural, this temporary installation, reminiscent of one giant Dr. Who scarf covering the handrail, is designed to bring all ages of the community together, both in the act of making the installation and in the enjoyment of it.
Participants will receive a yarn packet with basic stitch patterns to be used, gauge requirements, and basic striping requests included, otherwise the participants’ creativity will determine the ultimate outcome of the striping sequences. A limited number of these packets will include knitting needles or crochet hooks and tapestry needles for sewing in ends.
Join us at one of our two workshops!
- August 11 at 10am at Multilingual Chicago, 2934 N. Milwaukee.
- August 16 at 6:30pm at the Athletic Field Park, 3546 W. Addison.
For more check out
facebook.com/pages/Mural-at-Addison-Avondale
--> A donation of $10-$20 is requested.
If you can't make it to either event, but want to participate, please leave me a message. I will send you the yarn.
Now for the specifics:
Your kit will include Lion Brand Yarn – Vanna’s Choice® in colors to coordinate with the new mural. There is enough to make one scarf approximately 7 x 60 inches. Please cast on or chain for 7 inches and not wider as the handrail is narrow.
We chose this yarn for its color range, durability and for the reason that Lion Brand donates a portion of its profit from Vanna's Choice® to St. Jude’s Research Hospital.
Note that crochet and knitting looms typically use more yarn as do cable and garter stitches. If you are knitting on a loom or crocheting your scarf, your end result may be a few inches less than 60.
There isn’t a particular pattern to follow, so have fun exploring different stitches and color combinations!
There are a limited number of kits, so it’s on a first-come-first serve basis.
Gauge:
Knit: 16 stitches x 22 rows = 4" (10 cm) on size 9 (5.5 mm) needles
Crochet: 12 sc + 15 rows = 4" (10 cm) on size J-10 (6 mm) hook
Knitting Loom Directions
If you are knitting using a knitting loom, please follow the directions for the one-over-three stitch not the directions that come with the loom.
http://www.macphersoncrafts.com/loomknitting.asp
The yarn is worsted weight, so the result will be lacy if done following the directions that typically come with the knitting looms. You will want to also keep in mind that you will be working back and forth on your loom and not knit in the round.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xe8vx7_how-to-knit-a-flat-panel-on-a-loom_creation
When you have completed your scarf, please message me or contact me through my website. You will be given drop off instructions at that time. We ask that all scarves be completed by September 30th. Please have all tails woven into the fabric and all knots secured. Remember, this will be installed outdoors for 2 months and we hope they remain in good condition for the duration of the installation.
The scarves will be stitched together by Lindsay and Mary. Installation will occur in mid-October. Everyone is welcome to assist us with the installation. The exact date and time will be announced here and on Facebook in early October.
Our hope is that enough of the scarves will be in good condition so we may cut them apart and donate them to a local charity. We will need volunteers to help us deinstall, disconnect and wash all scarves.
We would like thank Lion Brand® for donating three of the colors used in this project and to Clover USA for donating the knitting and crocheting equipment. And of course, we thank you for taking the time to join us in this creative community adventure.
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