Carnegie Library of McKeesport Saturday June 10th 2017
After receiving a nice email invitation, I returned to knit with this lovely group of women.
World Wid Knitting in Public Day -Founded by Astrid Salling, WWKIP Day
“Better Living Through Stitching Together”
Yarn is the Daily Prompt at WordPress. Not a photo challenge but Michelle W says “Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt.” YARN
Spin it, weave it, hook it,
graft it, embroider, wind it in a ball.
Hoard it, stash it, collect skeins to knit.
Knit and purl mittens, ribbed pumpkins, scarves
no one in your family or list of friends
ever asked to receive.
“Mom, I think we all have enough hats. ”
Create shawls of comfort, like hugs
striped socks and hooded baby sweaters
with duck buttons or monkeys.
Think of the recipient while you repeat
the motions of each stitch.
In, around, down through and off
In, around, down through and off
In, around, down through and off-
off the needles.
Tens of thousands stitches with strands of yarn
turn into garments, stave off the chill.
My son-in-law James saw a story about a yarn store on wheels. Here’s the clip on Columbus television. YARNBYRDS,LLC THE YARN TRUCK
James knows I like to knit and enjoy good yarn so this morning he sent me a link from the local paper aticle about Yarnbyrds Columbus Dispatch.
A converted RV is a yarn store? I’m in!
The Food Truck craze has inspired a gourmet Yarn Truck. What a wonderful idea.
Found the phone number and called Robin and this evening I was able to go and visit “Birdie” ( the mobile yarn store’s nickname) and make some wonderful gourmet yarn purchases, too.
Here’s Yarnbirds website for details on the delicious yarn and a calendar of where Birdie will be parked, so you can check it out, too! A terrific selection to choose from- I know I’ll be back.
What a cool idea. Here is the owner/ proprietor Robin Richey.
Exterior of Birdie
Robin’s husband Tom did all the LED lighting in the truck and so all the yarn shows in true color which is really important in a yarn store! He’s an electrical engineer.
Robin creates the project bags. There’s jewelry and Drunk Yarn kits for dying.
“Un Poquito de Todo”
We were shopping for spices. I photographed this wall of beautifully colored thread for crochet and embroidery. The owners showed me a religious blessing ornament made with the thread. I asked if it would be okay to take pictures and they said yes.
Mirror is the Weekly Photo Challenge so I’m interrupting the Northwest Vacation Series to post my favorite mirror photo. Maura is going to be eight come November- her baby photo makes me smile. Time passes at a rapid rate which is what old people always said to me but now I am understanding what they were advising me when I was young. The baby blanket belonged to her mother Erika when she was a baby. I always like the heirlooms passed on to another generation.
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.
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?
Thursday afternoon, my friend Barbara showed me a pretty pillow she had made at Alterations Express. She used fabric from her mother. her grandmother’s handmade lace and her special pillow.
When I saw the fabric I said,”Oh, my friend Joanne gave me a knitting bag made of something similar and it’s French and has pastoral scenes.” but I couldn’t remember the term and had to look it up-
(and here is a link to a blogpost about the history of toile)
Barbara went and got a box with beautiful pieces of lace, created by her grandmother, Josephine Cinquegranni DiGalbo (b. 1890) Notice the blue edge on the lace.
I looked at the lace with admiration. Such expert craftsmanship and beauty. I asked Barbara is she had a photograph of her grandmother.
Barbara’s Grandparents, Angelo and Josephine, on their wedding day.
Her grandmother’s town of origin was Castlebuono, Sicily. The photograph was taken on Butler Street in Lawrenceville, a Pittsburgh neighborhood.
And here is a photo of their daughter, Mary Ann, Barbara’s mother. I had the pleasure of knowing her and remember her for her kindness to my children.
And here are some of the lace specimens, her grandmother’s pattern books and crochet hook were in the box, too.
A note in Barbara’s mother’s hand about the lace.
Froo Froo Marlene has been crocheting for months. Hand work takes time
Her efforts paid off though cause the grandkids (who all swim for Ohio State Swim Club) were excited to receive their aquatic afghan sleeves. Marlene also created some photo books for each grandchild too, and I got a creative magnet and mug with all the grandchildren featured!
She made one for Baby Charlie, too. Here he is being swallowed up by his Jaws blanket!
PapPap picked out the wild and crazy SingTrix Karaoke Machine (as seen on Shark Tank, too) It provided a lot of entertainment and everyone wanted a turn. Pap Pap’s rendition of Elvis’ Love Me Tender is still at number one for the performances.
A very merry Christmas and I just read the Weekly Photo Challenge is NOW
Sometimes, we get caught up in nostalgia, future fantasy, or both, and we don’t embrace the “now.” For this week’s challenge, take a moment to notice your present, and share a photo of it.
If you are a crocheter and want the link to the patterns, I’ll get them from Grandma Marlene in the morning
