WWW: Bridges, Knitting Reality Show mark II, G8 Yarnbombers

Color us intrigued…
The very clever JC Briar has just launched her latest project: Stitch Maps. A totally different way of presenting knitting charts, they are gridless, so that you can not only represent the stitches, but also the shape and flow of the fabric…

Not strictly knitting, but tremendous: a very elegant yarnbomb under a bridge in Bristol. Although they get the details wrong, there’s a nice close up photo of the work in this article.

Mr. Warhol would be proud to see his namesake bridge decked out so beautifully

Speaking of bridges, a group in Pittsburgh wants to yarnbomb the Andy Warhol Bridge. The “Knit the Bridge” team has applied for city council permission for the project – after all, a full bridge is not something that can be blanketed in secret. If successful, the project is due to be completed in August, and will be on display for about four weeks.

“Purl 6”, a yarnbomber from Newcastle

The Guardian has a slideshow of the yarmbombing crew planning to yarnbomb the G8 meetings that took place in Ireland. I love the “thug life” quality of the portraits: the juxtaposition of their stances and the details of children, dogs, chickens and knitting.

Cooperative Press, publisher of Kate’s two books, is hosting a multi-book Knit Along this summer, with the authors. Knitting! Fun! Prizes!

Apparently, the Norwegians love boring… err… meditative TV. Although this piece on the Wall Street Journal feels like an April Fool’s joke, I checked the calendar, and it’s definitely not. The genre, known as “slow” television, is embraced as a break from “the crazy media world”. The first hit show of the genre ran in 2009 – a full live stream of a 7-hour train ride from Oslo to Bergen, as viewed from a camera on the top of a train. In the planning for the upcoming season includes a show watching ‘experts’ knit.

I love the outtakes as much as the “good” photos.

Helen Stewart, the designer of this issue’s lovely “Glitz at the Ritz shawl” talks on her blog about the setting for her beautiful photographs, and the photo session.

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5 thoughts on “WWW: Bridges, Knitting Reality Show mark II, G8 Yarnbombers”

  2. Nancy

    The stitch map is not a new idea, although it may be new to knitting. Crochet charts have been done this way for a long time, with different symbols to represent the stitches in crochet, of course. (In crochet this type of chart is usually referred to as a “stitch diagram.”)

    I’m both a crocheter and a knitter, and have no problem reading both kinds of charts, but I think the “stitch map” type of chart used in crochet is more intuitive to read. I really hope this catches on for knitting patterns!

    For examples of crochet stitch diagrams see:

    http://dorischancrochet.com/2008/06/20/all-shawl-stitch-diagrams/

    http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-follow-a-stitch-diagram-in-crochet.navId-380591.html

    http://www.craftyminx.com/2011/11/crochet-school-lesson-21-reading-crochet-charts.html

  3. Leigh

    I have to say that my first reaction to the stitch maps was, “Holy mother of cats!! Now I have to learn a whole ‘nother way of reading a pattern!?! I am NOT DOING THAT.” And then I mumbled something to myself about just knitting for once and not having to have ‘learning experiences’ all the time… and… then it looked kind of interesting. As a lace designer, it seems like they ‘d be really hard to write up, but possibly more expressive. And yet potentially harder for a knitter to read – I use highlighter tape, which is straight, no curvy. I am not sure how one would delineate the “repeat area”. Looks like some experimenting is in order. Interesting concept!

  4. sylvie

    As a knitter and not a designer, I tried one of the chart (vortex) on the stitch maps site and I found it so much easier to read than usual grids that some grey squares when a new stitch appears… I loved it. Thank you for introducing this site!

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