community – Ruth E. Hendricks Photography

Attention Knitters: Tree of Life Afghan Project

Pittsburgh at Night

Although I took the above photo in July. I read that our beautiful city is bathed in blue light tonight, remembering the eleven victims of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting. The city is grateful to the first responders and everyone who gathered in to help.

Tonight there was an Interfaith Memorial Service. There aren’t words to describe the emotions experienced in response to this horrific tragedy. Many friends and family around the globe have written or called to express sympathy and concern. Lighting candles, praying, keeping us in their hearts.

Attention Knitters –

Reposted from Yarns by Design-

“In the aftermath of the horrors at Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh many of you are wondering how you can help.

Our instructor Vanessa has started a Tree of Life Afghan Project. Over the next several weeks, she will be knitting and collecting squares to assemble into an afghan (or 2, or 20) to give to the Tree of Life Synagogue.”

click link for Tree of Life Pattern to knit a square “To make the square, I took one of the tree twins from Nikki Epstein’s Tree of Life Afghan and framed it in seed/moss stitch. I will include the chart here and the pattern errata I encountered. That said, feel free to do your own thing. There are plenty of tree of life designs available on Ravelry. Leaves, hearts, or expressions of the Jewish faith would also be lovely. If you are a beginning knitter, plain squares in a color that speaks to you would also be very welcome. The only restrictions are the square size mentioned above and the yarn weight, so the afghan forms a consistent fabric. Each square needs to be 9 in horizontally and 8.5 in vertically. Check your gauge!

Yarns by Design, local knitting store, in Oakmont is sponsoring a Tree of Life Afghan Project (Click for link to pattern) It is posted in the Forum tab – Yarns by Design Group on Ravelry.

Drop off or mail to store
Yarns by Design 622 Allegheny River Blvd
Oakmont PA 15139

Local yarn store Yarns by Design has generously agreed to host this effort and will be collecting squares and donating their time and experience to help assemble the afghans. You are more than welcome to drop your squares off there, as well.

If you have any questions, please let me know;
Attn: Vanessa
instructors@yarnsbydesignpa.com

October 29, 2018October 29, 2018 by Ruth Categories: Photography, Pittsburgh PhotographyTags: Afghan Porject, city, community, knitters, knitting, night photography, Oakmont PA, photography, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA, postaday, Tree of Life, Tree of Life Synagogue, Yarns by Design 7 Comments

Tiny Libraries

Little Free Library purpose:

Building Community
Sparking Creativity
Inspiring Readers

AND they are all around my daughter’s neighborhood. In fact there is one at the end of their street.

I was fascinated to see so many in just a few blocks as we drove to the playground. Today I made a run to buy knitting needles on Indianola and wound around the tree lined streets and came across of few more. Thought they would be good for the weekly photo challenge=

Tiny

Continue reading →

November 17, 2016November 18, 2016 by Ruth Categories: books, PhotographyTags: books, Clintonville OH, Columbus OH, community, creativity, Library, little free library, Little library, photography, postaday, tiny, weekly photo challenge, woodcraft 18 Comments

Loonies and Toonies -Canadian Dollar Store

Lundenburg Nova Scotia

There were two messages from my friend Joanne but I was so excited about the beach glass yarn she sent a surprise a gift, I missed the second.

Here’s what she said –

“Where else would the dollar store be the Loonies & Toonies Store? Canada has one dollar coins (Loonies) and two dollar coins (Toonies). No paper ones or twos.

And the puzzle is set up in a gift/coffee shop where guests are invited to sit a while and puzzle.”

October 28, 2016October 28, 2016 by Ruth Categories: Guest Blog, PhotographyTags: community, Dollar store, friendship, jigsaw puzzle, loonies, Lundenburg, Nova Scotia, photography, postaday, toonies, travel 6 Comments

Burning Basket – Homer, Alaska

Artist Mavis Muller Art Click for link to artist’s website ( see excerpt below )

Our friends drove us down to the beach on the Spit.

No ones spirit was dampened by the rain.

Earlier people had clipped notes and intentions to the woven basket. There were some fireworks that illuminated the sky, sh0t out from the basket.

“2004 Mavis began the Burning Basket Project as an experience of interactive, impermanent art. Gathered from her background in creating baskets and woven with the desire to engage the public in a unique, living art form, Mavis has facilitated burning baskets in many communities. The large, intricate basket is given as a gft to the people, infused with decoration and spirit by willing participants, and finally burned, dramatically and upwardly releasing positive messages and heartfelt sentiments.”- From the artist’s website

Two different short videos (with the same name) A jumpy little phone video I shot during the Burning Basket ceremony and after the basket their were individuals who lit hula hoops and twirled fire around

September 12, 2016September 12, 2016 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: beach, Burning Basket, community, fire, fireworks, friends, Homer Alaska, Hula hoops, impermanent art, Mavis Muller, photography, postaday, youtube 9 Comments

McKeesport Library -Knit in Public

World Wide Knit in Public Day–Better living through stitching together!

McKeesport Library hosted a Knitting in Public event Saturday June 18th and I drove over the Monongahela River and back to attend. I’m so glad I did. Everyone was so welcoming. It was a perfect summer day though sitting under the tree in the shade was just right.

I was invited to join the group for a picnic lunch, which was delicious and generous of them to include me.

Jody, visiting family in McKeesport but now living in Gainesville FL, reads the history of World Wide Knit in Public Day telling the group how it was started in 2005 by Danielle Landes with just 25 events and now it’s over 850 around the world.”

Jody’s daughter Ellie, going into Fifth grade, was the youngest member of the Knit in Public Event.

Many of the women knit hats, blankets and or shawls for Chemotherapy patients and donate them to several hospitals including Magee and Veterans.They get together throughout the year on Thursdays.

Another Ruth just started knitting but she has crocheted beautiful Butterfly shawls and blankets. Some of the women knit at the Magee Hospital group which hosted a KIP event today, too. There were events at Mt. Lebanon Library and Steel City Fiber, too. And if you go to the site, you will see there was KIP in the Arctic Circle, too.

Kim’s two color knitted hat matched both her shirt and pants!

Weaving by Judith G, hostessing the KIP event. The weaving is for a class she’s going to be teaching this summer.

Picnic Lunch- BBQ chipped ham is a Pittsburgh specialty

The library was built in 1902

Architect was William J. East and is a National Historic Landmark

from the front- what a lawn to mow!

One of the women, Pat, mentioned she was on her way to the McKeesport Heritage Center for another event.

Screen Shot 2016-06-18 at 11.30.25 PM

June 18, 2016June 18, 2016 by Ruth Categories: knitting, PhotographyTags: architecture, community, crochet, family, knitting, Library, McKeesport Library, McKeesport PA, Monongahela River, National Historic Landmark, photography, picnic lunch, Pittsburgh, postaday, travel, weaving, World Wide Knitting in Public Day 13 Comments

Acquiring Art from Art All Night

To say Art All Night in Lawrenceville is a happening, would be an understatement. Over a thousand pieces of art are hung and displayed for 24 hours.

No jury, any medium- just ONE piece per artist. No exceptions.

It takes a ton of volunteers to organize, create and support this community event. Check all the art in, check all the art out. Make sure the artists get back their artwork.

There’s lots of music, comedy, yoga, mosaic making, live art, children’s activities and T-shirts for sale to wear until next year which will be the twentieth year.

Here’s the great part- thousands of people attend the show. This year Steve and I went on the peaceful Sunday morning instead of the wild and crazy and heavily populated Saturday night. An artist friend had taken in my Mill at Night photograph along with his painting. He’d encouraged me to participate again this year.

When I saw the piece below on one of the panels, it spoke to me. I got the contact information off the tag and called the artist right away. This afternoon we met at the bookstore in the Waterfront and check out how she packaged her art.

Thanks Jill. I am thrilled to have your “Corona” in my home.

We exchanged email and contact information and hope to knit together sometime soon.

A gallery from Art All Night so you can get the feel for the event. Remember my visit was early Sunday morning so it was sparse as far as viewers go but there were plenty of volunteers.

Yep I Impressed My Mom’s Quilting Group by Wendy Coester

Weaving by Maya Goldman

TABLE BY ALEX BOTKIN

What we saw when we left the exhibit

April 25, 2016April 25, 2016 by Ruth Categories: Art, PhotographyTags: art, Art All Night, community, Corona Typewriter, Lawrenceville, music, neighborhood, photography, Pittsburgh PA, postaday, quilting, sculpture, volunteers 19 Comments

Pop des Fleurs -Pittsburgh- Guest Blog

My friend Roberta saw this colorful display in front of the Carnegie Library in Oakland and sent me these photos. I didn’t get to see them in person but I’m pretty sure I saw some blooms being created at the Knit and Crochet Festival.

Pop, is right! Although the real flowers are beginning to come up, this art installation brightens up the city.

Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh says, “Pop des Fleurs is an outdoor installation planned for the winters of 2015 and 2016, designed to bring delight and color during the dark season through handmade, pop-up flower gardens”

Thanks for sharing Pop des Fleurs on the blog today.

How about the close-up of these gorgeous sunflowers?

March 17, 2016 by Ruth Categories: ArtTags: art installation, Carnegie Library, community, crafts, crochet, Fiberarts Guild Pittsburgh, garden, Knit the Bridge, knitting, Pittsburgh PA, Pop des Fleurs 19 Comments

Joan Used to Teach at Larimer School- Slated to Become Affordable Housing

The school has been closed since 1980. Joan taught art there.

Built in 1896 and two additions- 1904 and 1931 for the auditorium.

My friend Joan drove me over to Larimer neighborhood to see it Sunday morning. Here she’s looking out the driver’s window at the property.

Joan emailed me an article about the future development of Larimer School.

Larimer School is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Although it seems next to impossible, it is slated to be developed into affordable housing.

We spoke with a neighbor who lives across the street from the property and her niece went to Kindergarten there.

Watching it be restored will please her greatly, as she is tired of looking at the heaps of trash and old tires that have accumulated.

Joan is an artist and is using her iPad to catch images – maybe she will paint from them later

The bas relief is very beautiful

Joan taught in the Art Room on the second floor. You could see an open window around the corner,

Detail of stone faces

When Joan dropped me off at home, I was glad to see the Eastern Redbud tree in bloom in my backyard.

(Thanks Ginny for planting this beautiful tree in memory of my parents, Roy and Marian,)

April 28, 2014 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: affordable housing, architecture, community, development, neighborhood, old school, Pittsburgh PA, REdbud in Bloom, urban decay, urban scene 15 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Community

Community.

Communities.

Swim Team Community- Columbus Ohio

Bocce Community in Bloomfield, Pittsburgh

Baseball Community- PNC Park

Zion Apostolic Community- Christmas dinner Monroeville PA

Softball Community in Etna PA

River City Brass Band (Community) at Carnegie Music Hall- Pittsburgh PA

Knit the Bridge Community- (and Crochet) Warhol Bridge- Pittsburgh PA

High School Culinary Class Community Gingerbread Houses- Each kitchen created one together as a group effort

Football Community- Steelers Fans- Pittsburgh PA

St Patrick’s Church Community- Columbus Ohio

Art Community Panza Gallery Millvale PA

Guitar Community. Bleecker Street New York City

Army Community- Grafenwoehr Germany I am the one holding the camera! Thirty years ago.

December 14, 2013 by Ruth Categories: Photography, Weekly Photo ChallengeTags: art, Baseball, Bocce, community, crochet, culinary, football, knitting, music, photography, Pittsburgh, postaday, sports, swimming, weekly photo challenge 23 Comments

Knit the Bridge is All Over the News

I went to a Knit-In this morning.

You might have seen the Knit the Bridge project on or in the news. Start time was at 6AM and was to go to at least 6PM.

I got some coffee and grabbed a chair and a blanket to pad the wooden seat. The group was on the North Side of the Bridge stitching while the teams who were trained ( insurance requirement) donned hard hats and sore fingers, using zip ties and floss like string to attach the pieces.

One hundred twenty more black railing covers were needed (12×75″) to cover the bottom rails in black, too.

It was fun and I met some nice knitters, crocheters and encouragers who came down to check it all out. The organizers headed by Amanda Gross and her team are working long and hard hours to get all the colorful panels installed on the Seventh Street Bridge AKA the Andy Warhol Bridge. I did hear someone say they were feeling a bit frazzled. I can only imagine.

There were boxes of bagels and supportive and interesting conversation as we stitched. A woman next to me, Sue, has made 35 afghans this year for soldiers in Afghanistan. There was a PR team documenting the project on film. They interviewed her and she showed them photos of her work. That’s a lot of stitching.

Then Veronica arrived. Told me she had been crocheting for 80 years. No kidding!! She made two panels for the bridge and lots of railing covers, too. Christina showed me how to double crochet so I could get finished faster. She was patient and a good teacher so I zipped along until I had to leave.

Thanks Leah for inviting me down, getting the word out!

Bringing people together from many communities- the Knit-In in progress on the North Side of the Bridge

the Bridge is closed to traffic except for these riggers arriving.

Sue( sporting her son’s old bicycle shirt) being interviewed by the PR team filming a documentary about the Knit the Bridge project

Installing one of the panels. Note the black railing covers and the zip ties. And the volunteer workers!

August 11, 2013August 11, 2013 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: arts, bicycles, community, crochet, Knit In, Knit the Bridge, knitting, photography, Pittsburgh PA, Pittsburgh RIgging Co., postaday, Yarn bombing 18 Comments

Tag: community

Attention Knitters: Tree of Life Afghan Project

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