Knitting News: Karen Allen Fiber Arts

Actress Karen Allen is also knitting artist Karen Allen. A few weeks ago, she was featured on CBS Sunday Morning, not for her acting, but for her fiber arts business, which is located in western Massachusetts. I got curious, and found her website, and was treated to an avalanche of color and texture. She works primarily is cashmere, and combines hand and machine knitting, designing gorgeous garments that are inspired by ancient and modern textiles from around the world. She also has a retail shop, but her products are pretty pricey. But it doesn’t cost a thing to look, so check out her website, full of beautiful creations.

Word is, Karen owes Harrison Ford a scarf!

http://www.karenallen-fiberarts.com/home.php

Knitting, Crocheting, Science, and Math

This morning Yahoo posted a very interesting article about ways in which scientists and mathematicians have recently begun using knitting and crochet to figure out and illustrate problems in math and science.

Coral reefs can be crocheted. http://danceswithwool.wordpress.com/2008/03/07/the-amazing-hyperbolic-crochet-coral-reef/

The atmosphere can be knit. And a stop sign can be folded into a pair of pants.

Welcome to the intersection of math and handicraft. Unexpectedly, handicraft in general, and yarn work in particular, has started to help provide answers to a wide range of mathematical problems. From the way the atmosphere generates weather to the shape of the human brain, knit and crocheted models have provided new insight into the geometry of the natural world.

link to rest of article:
http://tinyurl.com/5svygj

Knitting Patterns and Copyrights: Dr. Who?

The issue of copyright infringement is a hot topic in today’s knitting world. Current laws make it illegal to sell items made from someone else’s pattern. Recently, a spate of patterns for making little Dr Who character dolls has appeared in various places on the internet. Well, BBC has taken umbrage, and has now taken action to protect its copyright.

Story from the Post Chronicle, May 14, 2008:

Fan Knits Tribute To ‘Dr. Who,’ BBC Irked

A British fan of the long-running BBC show Doctor Who was threatened with legal action for creating knitted versions of the show’s monsters.

The 26-year-old woman — who wants to be known only by her work name, Mazzmatazz — told The Times of London she is just an ordinary person who likes knitting. She created knitting patterns for Ood, a squid-faced creature, and Adipose, a monster made out of human fat , and posted them on her Web site.

rest of article:

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/strange/article_212147487.shtml

Hmmm, a monster made of human fat - how cute.

What do you think about this issue?

The Amazing Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef

1) I know what crochet is, but what does “hyperbolic” mean? I’ll tell you. I don’t know. It has something to do with geometry and space. For the purposes of this article, that’s all I need to know.

2) Why crochet a coral reef? This is an easy question. The Institute For Figuring is an educational organization dedicated to enhancing the public understanding of figures and figuring techniques. From the physics of snowflakes and the hyperbolic geometry of sea slugs, to the mathematics of paper folding and graphical models of the human mind, the Institute takes as its purview a complex ecology of figuring. These scientists and mathematicians recognized that the forms of the organisms that make up a coral reef are hyperbolic in structure. They also recognize the ecological hazards that are killing the reefs. A small scale project, to crochet a reef of wool to pay homage and draw attention to the plight of the corals and other reef creatures, has blossomed into a worldwide movement.

“Crochet Coral and Anemone Garden” with sea slug by Marianne Midelburg.
Photos by Alyssa Gorelick.

3) The crocheted reef, at the beginning of March, covers more than 3000 square feet. It is now a traveling exhibit, and everywhere it goes on display, local crocheters are invited to attend workshops where they can make and contribute their own hyperbolic creations. The reef will visit New York City in April.

4) I’m seriously thinking of going.

Visit the site of the Institute for Figuring for more information on hyperbolic figures and their applications, and on the Coral Reef project.

http://www.theiff.org/reef/index.html