Yarn Corner Stitches Up City Square

Part of my contribution to the project

Not long after Yarn Corner had formed last year, and we'd been bitten by the bug of yarn bombing in groups and how fun it can be and how much you can get done, we were sitting around at a cafe and someone had the idea of doing a tree, but I wanted to go further and do lots of trees! I wanted IMPACT! So why couldn't we yarn bomb all the trees in City Square? Surely it couldn't be that hard? Oh my, I had no idea!

That's me sewing up the first tree. You wouldn't think from this angle, but I'm seriously high up!

I think ducks might be becoming my signature yarn bomb as everyone loved them last year and they were a hit again this year.

6 months in the making became Yarn Corner Stitches Up City Square. It was about 4 months of asking the City of Melbourne Council if this type of idea was even possible and waiting for them to go to different departments to get permission for a whole range of things. Then submitting examples of other trees that had been yarn bombed and how they weren't damaged. And a meeting with the Tree Planning department about their Urban Forest Strategy. Then a mountain of paperwork to get through, and all this was even before they accepted our proposal! Then of course we had to find yarn bombers that were interested in our project.

When we realised just how much yarn we were going to need and how much money it would take to put on such a massive event, I knew we would need sponsorship. So I sent emails around to yarn stores/suppliers and to my surprise the donations came flooding in! Lots of yarn donations, but the one that took the cake was $15,000 worth of yarn from a very small family run business in Coburg called Yarn Barn. We were over the moon!

 We had to hire a scissor lift so that we could get to the tops of the trees as they were so high! 

Nice job Grace!

Pebble hugging her awesome hexagon tree.

While it was nice to get yarn donations we knew we needed money aswell. Australian Country Spinners came on board with $1200 and combined with some fundraising between YC members, we managed to get what we needed for the installation day and workshop day.

 We've had a small film crew running around after us for a few weeks now, filming how we've put together this event. 

That's Louis our camera man, Tracy, Jacqui, Lyndel and Grace working on tree 11.

Everyone had such different pieces. Our only theme/color guide was that it had to be rainbow - but rainbow means something different to everyone. This is Lyndel's tree.

Installation Day came and went with out too much trouble. We had more than enough material [too much in actual fact] and helping hands. We got done an hour before the scissor lift needed to be picked up. And apart from a few burnt noses [it's Summer in Australia] we all did really well. I was so proud of everyone pitching in together to get such a large event installed.

 Me mucking around in front of Jaguar's tree with the cute clouds and pot of gold.

Yarn Corner is made up of 207 members worldwide. This tree piece was done by Stacie from Yarn Revolt in the US who has been a part of every YC project so far even though she lives a world away.

The next day was the workshop day where we held classes for Kids Learn To Knit, [Adults] Learn To Knit, Learn To Crochet and Learn To Yarn Bomb. The lovely Andrea from CCCK yarn store came down to help with the workshops and Spotlight kindly provided the contents needed for the Learn To Yarn Bomb kits. [If you are interested in a kit, then we have some left. You need to join Yarn Corner on facebook - search under facebook groups - and reserve your kit.] 

Again, it's interesting to see what kind of pieces people came up with. That's Grace's on the bottom and Katie's on the top.

Back up on the lift. I think we overestimated exactly how much material we would end up with. I guess we were all eager to yarn bomb!

Sunday morning we also had a photo shoot for Moreland Leader who continue to support Yarn Corner and our yarn bombing efforts.

 Photo from the Moreland Leader newspaper article

Pebble, myself, Jaguar, Emilienne and Jacqui.

http://moreland-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/brunswick-craft-group-shares-a-yarn/ 

 Overall this event has been a resounding success and I'm extremely proud of all the Yarn Corner members and what we've managed to do.

Lots more photos can be seen on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/yarncorner
or flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/twilight_taggers/sets/72157627243779461/

Luv Bali.

2012 for Twilight Taggers and Yarn Corner

So... 24 days into the New Year and I finally have a moment to sit down, rearrange the blog and post something worthy of reading. This year I will try to update this thing more often than I did last year.

YARN CORNER...

Things got very busy very quickly after International Yarn Bombing Day and the formation of Yarn Corner. To date, in less than 8 months, we went from starting the group with 3 whole people, to 207 members from all over the world! I just wanted a stitch and bitch group for yarn bombers in Melbourne. I had no idea what was in store for me. I didn't know that I would end up working 4 days with 10 hour shifts at my "professional job", so it meant I have three days off a week to manage YC. I didn't think that we'd be needing four admins to make sure YC ran smoothly. And I certainly didn't think we'd be pulling off such amazing projects like we have so far. Every day I'm pleasantly surprised by how well the group is doing, the recognition it's getting but mostly how much fun everyone is having with their yarn bombing.

If you want to join Yarn Corner, then please go here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/157893757611209/ and request to join. We'll accept your request generally within a few hours. Or to see what we've been up to then go here: http://www.facebook.com/yarncorner .

TWILIGHT TAGGERS...

My own yarn bombing works [Twilight Taggers] got put on the back foot while we were establishing Yarn Corner but in February I'll be taking holidays from work and traveling to Sydney and Brisbane to do some personal yarn bombing for an event I'm calling the East Coast Yarn Storm. You'll be able to follow my progress here on my blog or on my Twilight Taggers facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/twilighttaggers and you can see the event details here: http://www.facebook.com/events/208579362554405/ .

So bring on 2012! It's going to be a stellar year!

Luv Bali.

Yarn Corner Stitches Up City Square

Not long to go people! And Yarn Corner will have all the trees in City Square covered in yarn bombing.

Make sure you get in quick for a place at one of the free workshops by emailing me at twilighttaggers@gmail.com. All materials supplied. We will also have Learn To Yarn Bomb kits for give aways.

The installation will be up for one month.

Make sure you get on down for a look.

How To Guide on Yarn Bombing [revised edition]

Today I finally got around to revising my HOW TO GUIDE ON YARN BOMBING. The original one I wrote quite a long time ago. So now I've tidied it up and it's all good to go. I even made it into a PDF. Feel free to distribute it as you wish, or post links back to here.

Click on this link and it will take you to the PDF.
http://freepdfhosting.com/b3a876cdf8.pdf

[Please note the website that I have the PDF uploaded at only keeps uploads for 30 days. So if the link doesn't work please email me [twilighttaggers@gmail.com] and I'll upload it again.]

Happy yarn bombing!

Bali.

Learning to Loom Knit - Round Looms

Since learning to knit with a loom some months ago, I've been asked many times to give a run down on how to do it. So finally here it is...

POINTS TO REMEMBER

- I am not a professional. I've only been looming a few months but I do pick things up very quickly.

- Everyone has their own style. As with knitting and crochet, everyone has their own way of doing it. Don't like how you're meant to do it? Switch it up to suit yourself. If you think I'm doing something wrong, don't tell me. I don't care. I'm doing it to suit me. You can do it your own way.

- I don't know all the different stitches and I probably don't care to learn. I pretty much only want to know how to do versions of flat panels. There are a million things you can learn on looms , like hats, socks, scarves etc, but I won't be doing them.

- I do looming for yarn bombing as it's much quicker than normaly knitting and crochet. I hate how slow normal knitting is and crochet is my first love but I wanted something quicker.

- Don't just take my word for it. Check out other resources; other websites/blogs; other youtube videos.

I find that most people learn far more quickly and with less stress if they can see steps first hand, so youtube is a wonderful tool for learning. This blog will refer to youtube learning only, except for one "How To" manual. If you want written instructions then you can happily google them yourself.

This blog entry is about looming on "round" or "circle" looms.

There are also "long" or "straight" looms but we'll deal with them another time. You can still do flat panels on round looms.

 

Please be aware that different kits have different colors for their sizing. For example, the Knifty Knitter kit in America has the second smallest loom as red, whereas the kit sold in Spotlight in Australia is green. For nearly all my yarn bombing panels, I use the smallest round loom, which is generally a blue color.

A note about the youtube videos: I have picked the ones I like. You may find others that suit you better. I prefer to go with Kristen from GoodKnitKisses as I find her videos are much more clear and "learner" friendly.

INTRODUCTION
Here is the only written reference I'm giving you. It covers a lot and is good to keep referring back to.
http://isela.typepad.com/instructions/LoomKnittingBasics.pdf

PART 1 - INTRODUCING THE LOOMS - http://youtu.be/7u43wfnmb3M
PART 2 - YARNS TO USE & IDEAS ON WHAT TO MAKE - http://youtu.be/WxPRjXBbs28

There are two main ways to cast on the round loom. The e-wrap is the easiest but can leave a loose edge, and the crochet hook or chain method is a little harder but gives a more classier and tighter edge. It's up to you which one you want to use.

E-WRAP CAST ON  

FOR TUBE OR HAT - http://youtu.be/NVJBi6MS0Jo [I use a slip stitcerh on the anchor peg or on the first peg. I don't wrap the yarn around the anchor peg as I find it falls off.] 

FOR FLAT PANEL - http://youtu.be/HgNMT727w5M [I know this is on a long loom but it's the best that I can find for a flat panel. It's exactly the same process when you wrap a round loom.]

CROCHET HOOK/CHAIN METHOD CAST ON
- http://youtu.be/XBZKk9wAgbA
- http://youtu.be/Njr2h4aZ240 

WITH GARTER STITCH EDGE TO PREVENT CURLING, ON A STOCKINGETTE STITCH PANEL
http://youtu.be/w7kEzyQJBiw

The most common stitch on a loom is the twisted knit stitch and it's the one I use all the time for yarn bombing as it's the easiest. You can use either one strand or two stands of yarn, depending on the thickness of the yarn you have.

TWISTED KNIT STITCH OR SINGLE STITCH [MOST COMMON STITCH]
ONE STRAND - http://youtu.be/pIdNuGMa438
TWO STRANDS - http://youtu.be/3Uzx2SbK8oA [Don't worry about him talking about where to stop and start unless you are doing the hat pattern - it doesn't apply to a flat panel.]

KNIT STITCH [YARN ON TOP] 

ON A STRAIGHT LOOM - http://youtu.be/pq-24nX4QRE [Again it's on a straight loom but everything is exactly the same for a round loom.]

PURL STITCH [YARN UNDERNEATH] 

ON A STRAIGHT LOOM - http://youtu.be/kr5zOVRt9eI [Again it's on a straight loom but everything is exactly the same for a round loom.]

GARTER STITCH [K1 P1] 

ON A STRAIGHT LOOM - http://youtu.be/s5JbEyr5fNk [Again it's on a straight loom but everything is exactly the same for a round loom.]

There are many different versions of cables on looms as there are with knitting and crochet. You can youtube all the different kinds.
CABLES
- http://youtu.be/a9nIuCMyrzA

I like the skip stitch but can't seem to find any good videos for it. You basically skip a peg - so don't wrap it and it ends up leaving a groove in the work. Here's a video for a scarf that has skipped pegs in it.
SKIP STITCH [SKIP A PEG]
- http://youtu.be/vn1QkSdrGbs

Just like casting on, there are two main ways to cast off with looming. The knit off method is easiest but there's also the crochet bind off method. It's up to you what you use.

CAST OFF
KNIT OFF METHOD
- http://youtu.be/2eMhEPb1TQY [The lady in this vid holds her loom a different way than me but hopefully you still get the idea of how to cast off.]
- http://youtu.be/kX1xZtFdXYM 

CROCHET BIND OFF METHOD
- http://youtu.be/vl8GVnyUgTU

FLAT PANEL COMPLETE VIDS
PART 1 - http://youtu.be/PPpewf8zgoQ
PART 2 [HAS CROCHET CAST OFF METHOD] - http://youtu.be/cCY-Zq62G_E

INTERESTING PATTERNS
DROP STITCH SCARF OR PANEL - http://youtu.be/-uQFukKClrs
2 HOUR SCARF - http://youtu.be/vn1QkSdrGbs

SKIP STITCH LANTERN - http://youtu.be/X0lxE7HTQM0

WEBSITE REFERENCES
http://www.loomknitting.com/
BOOKLET - http://isela.typepad.com/instructions/LoomKnittingBasics.pdf
LOTS OF VIDEO LINKS - http://isela.typepad.com/loomknitting/videos.html

Of course there are many many videos on youtube, as well as communities and pages on facebook and websites out there to help you.

Here are a few things I've made with a round loom:

Parking meter using two strands [bright pink and a multicolor] and rainbow fuzzy yarn.

Pole piece using two strands of black and crochet flowers sewn on top.

Pole piece with one strand of red yarn and crochet flowers sewn on.

So I hope this has helped those that are wanting to start looming. Give it a try and see how fast you can knit a piece up. You'll be very surprised! Have fun.

Luv Bali.

Light Heart Installation Contributions

Well it's the night before the start of the Light In Winter festival in Federation Square, Melbourne and we're all madly trying to get everything in order. I've just been on a three day bender, trying to get the lighting frame all covered and finished. Here is the finished product:

I don't think the photos really give you the best idea of how big this thing is. It's HUGE! Hence it took us so long to finish it. A massive thanks goes to my awesome yarn bombing friends JK and Mr Anonymous for their contributions, especially JK who just killed it with making panels and flowers for this.

I must also say a big thanks to everyone that contributed flowers to the frame. I believe that would be the following people: Grace, Sophie, Bethel, Mairi, Celicia, Kat and Crochet/Knit Bomb Appreciation. If I have left anyone out, please let me know. I still have a few of your flowers left over as I didn't want to overload the frame, so those will be added to the rest of the installation.

Of course the biggest thanks goes to my supervisor Mish, who you can see chilling out on the bean bag after three days of watching my progress. :p

Now on to the important stuff... I have had confirmation that you will be able to continue to contribute to the installation through out June. So if you're thinking of making something to attach to the structure, then go for it! If you're international or can't get into Melbourne, then send the pieces to me and I'll attach them in your honor and take photos for you. Remember the info for requirements is here:

http://twilighttaggers.blogspot.com/2011/04/lights-in-winter-information.html 

If you're in Melbourne, then why not save it up and bring it along on International Yarn Bombing Day on June 11 where we'll have a get together at noon. Bring your yarn and hook/needle/loom and some lunch and we'll have a grand old time. :)

Also a reminder that if you are in the Melbourne area and have children, then Fed Square is holding Lantern making workshops every Saturday specifically aimed at children. Each lantern made will then be hung up on the installation so the children can be a part of it. This is a free event. There are many many events taking place for the festival, so come check it out.

I'll be going down tomorrow at 10am to put up my yarn bombing tags and the ones sent in for contribution. Of course I'll take photos so stay tuned for those.

Luv Bali.

The Yarn Corner Group

The Yarn Corner

The Yarn Corner is a stitch and bitch group of people meeting every two weeks on a Sunday afternoon to have a knit/crochet/loom, a bite to eat and have a chat about yarn bombing in Melbourne.

This is an open group and anyone is welcome to attend. Just make sure you're a part of the facebook group and let us know when you're coming. Join the group here:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_157893757611209

We meet at 1000 Pound Bend cafe at 361 Little Lonsdale Street Melbourne from 2pm-4pm. Our first meet is on June 5th, 2011. This will be the first meet before International Yarn Bombing day and Worldwide Knit in Public day. See the facebook event here:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_157893757611209

Feel free to pass this info along to anyone else that you think would like to attend and have a natter about yarn bombing.

Luv Bali.