Knit Out 2007: a needlework community in action

How exciting it was to have participated in the 2007 Philadelphia Area Knit (and Crochet) at the Convention Center yesterday afternoon. Hundreds of area needleworkers of all ages, from all neighborhoods of the city and the surrounding suburbs, came together for an afternoon of teaching, sharing, modelling, and community. My double knit bear joined the small mountain of soft toys, blankets and scarves collected for the Urban Genesis project for child victims of domestic violence in the city.

Along with others, I spent the afternoon helping others learn to basics crochet and knitting skills, work on stranded knitting and intarsia. A number of small children shared in the learning; I had a special treat teaching an eager four-year-old to fingerknit.

Many thanks to Knit Out organizer Gwen Agard for including me in the pool of volunteer-teachers. And thanks to the many people who participated in my table’s teach-in - it was a pleasure to share some of my knitted fruits and vegetables, the techniques I’ve gathered for making and using recycled plastic yarn knitting,

and the “double knitting” techniques for circular knitting “inside out” on straight needles. You’ll find more information about these techniques on these websites, but don’t hesitate to contact me with questions by leaving them in the comment box below.

Happy making!