crochet – Ruth E. Hendricks Photography

McWalker Yarns in Millvale Celebrates First Anniversary

You might remember my post last April of McWalker Yarns opening in Millvale PA.

Click McWalker Yarns website for class schedules, hours and directions.

Today knitters and friends gathered in the LYS (Local Yarn Shop/Store) to celebrate the first anniversary.

Hospitable, knowledgeable and skilled staff on duty. Owner Amy Walker McCall second from left and Jess, Joanna and Lauren, Ready to welcome you to McWalker Yarns and assist you in choosing the perfect yarn for the projects you want to create, whether it be knitting, crochet or spinning.

Class schedules, Monthly Knit Alongs and Knitting Community gatherings and events are listed on the website. and on FB page here

It was a happy celebration with Chocolate cake and champagne. Congratulations McWalker Yarns and wishing you many more anniversaries to come.

April 28, 2019 by Ruth Categories: knittingTags: anniversary, anniversary celebration, champagne, chocolate cake, crochet, crocheters, knitters, knitting, knitting needles, knitting supplies, LYS, McWalker Yarns, Millvale PA, Pittsburgh, yarn 7 Comments

Who Remembers Bizarre Bazaar Items?

I have this old, approximately the 1960’s, PATONS 65 cents pamphlet with knitting patterns for Bazaar Items. Corn cob slippers, tea cozies, toilet roll covers and poodle bottle covers to name a few. I see that the same booklet can be purchased on Ebay for about four bucks now.

Not sure if anyone still has a dolly or poodle sitting on top of their toilet tank with a spare roll of toilet paper hidden underneath.

March 29, 2019March 29, 2019 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: beehive, church bazaar, corn, corn slippers, crafts, crochet, gift items, knitting, PATONS, photography, poodle, poodle bottle cover, postaday, retro, tea cozy, toilet roll cover, vintage, yarn 10 Comments

McWalker Yarns Hosted a Poetry Reading in Millvale

Thursday evening in Millvale, Amy McCall, owner of McWalker Yarns hosted poets Sheryl St. Germain and her former MFA student at Chatham U, Michael Bennett.

The yarn store was a wonderful backdrop for Sheryl St. Germain’s reading. Surrounded by skeins and skeins of colorful yarn, Sheryl read her powerful essay (from Stitching Resistance: Women, Creativity and Fiber Arts edited by Marjorie Agosin). She told of the role crochet has played in her life since childhood, but focusing on how crocheting with yarn helped her cope while parenting a son who was in trouble with alcohol, drugs and the law. She also read poems about her son’s dying of a heroin overdose from her book The Small Door of Your Death. Her words touched the audience as she described the helplessness and grief, her numbness, as she centered herself every evening after a long day- crocheting an afghan for her son. The repetition of hook into yarn loops as a meditation, an ease from depression and the stress of hopelessness. A healing.

Pittsburgh native Michael Bennett read his poetry first and opened for Ms. St. Germain. Michael has worked for three years with Words Without Walls program, teaching incarcerated Juvenile offenders, teenagers being tried as adults.

Cellist David Bennett and McWalker Yarns supporter introduces the poet and provided delicious desserts by Millvale Baker Jean-Marc Chatelier

New Orleans native Sheryl St. Germain has published six poetry books, two collections of essays, and co-edited two anthologies. The Small Door of Your Death, a collection of poems about the death of her son from a heroin overdose, appeared in 2018 with Autumn House Press. A forthcoming book, Fifty Miles, is a collection of essays about healing that include a couple of essays about working with yarn. Sheryl directs the MFA program in Creative Writing at Chatham University where she also teaches poetry and creative nonfiction, and is co-founder of the Words Without Walls Program . She was named Louisiana Writer of the year in 2018. Sheryl is an avid and accomplished crocheter, and a much less accomplished knitter. See: www.sheryl-stgermain.com/ for more information.

Desserts created by Jean-Marc Chatellier French Bakery

February 28, 2019February 28, 2019 by Ruth Categories: Crochet, Fiber Arts, poetryTags: afghan, books, creativity, crochet, desserts, Local Yarn Store, LYS, making, McWalker Yarns, Michael Bennett, Millvale, Millvale PA, Pittsburgh Poetry, poetry, poetry books, poetry reading, Sheryl St. Germain, stitching, yarn 6 Comments

Meet Squirrel The Angora Bunny

Look at this soft snuggly bunny rabbit who helped feature the vibrant “Dye Happy” colorway. A table display was overflowing with beautiful and colorful soft yarn. Steve and I popped over the river for a few minutes to see the trunk show, held at LYS McWalker Yarns in Millvale PA, Sunday afternoon. I needed some double pointed knitting needles, too for a new project.

Meet Squirrel, held by Marissa of The Spun Bunny.

I should have taken a video of his little nose twitching. So fluffy and Marissa said the scale tips between 4 and 5 pounds so the fur is light, even if it is long.

You have to see and touch the squishy and brilliantly colored yarn to see what Squirrel and his family can produce. (with a little help from spinner and owner Marissa of course) I asked how many rabbits and Marissa responded “12 2 are full english angoras (ember and cinnabun) and the rest are french x english.”

Can you find his pretty eyes?

And I lifted one of McWalker Yarns photos from Facebook Timeline (thanks Amy) so you can see the gorgeous yarn Didn’t think to photograph the yarn, as I was mesmerized by Squirrel and all his cuteness.

February 17, 2019February 18, 2019 by Ruth Categories: Fiber Art, knitting, PhotographyTags: angora rabbit, bunny, colorway, crochet, Dye Happy, Fiber Art, fiber arts, handspun yarn, knitting, Local Yarn Store, LYS, McWalker Yarns, spinner, spinning, The Spun Bunny, Trunk Show, yarn 9 Comments

Little Knit Cactus

When you get a request from your granddaughter for a knitted item, you try to oblige. Within reason of course. -I’m thinking “a hat, mittens, a scarf……”

“Could you make me a knitted cactus?” Anna asked.

Huh?

I didn’t know there was such a thing. Thanks to Pinterest spreading the word, succulents, knitted, crocheted and stitched are a trend.

Mine looks different from the pattern by Lucille Randall. (which is free on Ravelry)

Might need more stuffing. Also I need my friend Donna or FF Marlene to help crochet a better flower. I followed the directions but it seems knitting is my stronger skill for sure.

When I started. I used DPNs size one. When I was telling my knitting friend, I had a flashback to a knit cactus I saw a couple of years ago at Hill Country Weavers in Austin, Texas. We were in line to check out and there it sat. Never thought another thing about it until now and I’d taken a quick phone photo.

Thanks for the Dream in Color Handpainted yarn, Molly. AND for finding that skein of Kidsilk Haze in the Jelly color. Unbelievable.

February 3, 2018February 3, 2018 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: cacti, cactus, crochet, decoration, Dream in Color, family, granddaughter, Hill Country Weavers, knitting, knitting pattern, Lucille Randall, photography, postaday, Ravelry, Rowan Kid Silk Haze, sewing, succulent, yarn 21 Comments

Found in My Couch Cushions

An archeological dig in the couch cushions.

Here’s the find-

An crocheted antimacassar from the couch back, (decorative not functional). DPNs (double pointed knitting needles), a square of Origami paper, two sizes of paper clips, two Playmobil weapons, a plastic peg from a game, a weathered Scrabble piece, a rubber band, a few coins totaling 88 cents and a part of a yarn label telling of fiber content 70%/30% something.

The crumbs of Chex mix went up the vacuum cleaner hose.

Good thing no one sat on those needles.

What’s in your couch?

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/weathered/

January 16, 2018 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: cleaning, couch, crochet, home, knitting needles, photography, Pittsburgh PA, postaday, weekly photo challenge 28 Comments

E.T. on the Christmas Tree

I saw E.T. the Extra Terrestrial on Mark and Erika’s tree.

He’s a crocheted finger puppet from when my kids were young.

I have a fondness for this creature. Sewed a Halloween Costume in the 80’s and posed with a wax likeness out the Wax Museum on my recent Berlin trip.

November 2017 Berlin Germany in front of the Wax Museum

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Halloween Costume 1983 Mark and Matthew in Grafenwoehr Germany

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there’s a post of E.T. In Zagreb last Spring

December 28, 2017 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: 1980's, available light, Berlin, childhood, Christmas Ornament, Columbus OH, crochet, E.T., Extra Terrestrial, family, finger puppet, Halloween Costume, movie, photography, postaday, travel 7 Comments

Crocheted Tree Blankets on Christopher Street

When we arrived in the city Tuesday evening after the long train ride from Pittsburgh we walked down to the Hudson River after supper. It was dark so I didn’t see the colorful crocheted blankets on the trees.
Then yesterday we were on Hudson Street and WHOA- there they were brightening up the landscape.
Here’s an article about the creator of the project – Holly Boardman owner of Musée Lingerie on Christopher says ” It takes about one hour to crochet a single square, and we have over 1,880 squares on our Christopher Street block. That took about 80 days!”

A total transformation of ordinary tree trunks into colorful street art

Here’s the first one I spotted on Hudson Street and then we rounded the corner on Christopher…