The excitement is building! I can hardly wait! The Yarnburners' piano, Tickled Pink, Tickling the Ivories, is about to make her outdoor debut! What will you play when you meet her?
Today's video features our newest Yarnburner, my best friend Kevin, who doesn't even knit (yet?)! He came along to the GO Ahead & Play workspace one day to help me (thank goodness!) and the next thing I knew he had a needle in hand and was miraculously, expertly stitching pieces to other pieces in contrasting yarn, which really makes for a fabulous finished look. Don't worry, this is not the last you'll see/hear of him!
This blog entry is meant not only to share an inside look at our process with you, lovely readers, but to tell Kev that his love, support, and humor throughout the years mean the world to me - especially his involvement in this crazy piano project (though he never once told me I was crazy for trying to cover a piano with yarn). I love you, Boy.
So, The Yarnburners' GO Ahead & Play piano is done! At least, that's what I've thought since the last work day (June 30). However, we hit a little snag. We stitched (very securely, I might add) over some parts that had to be opened for piano-tuning purposes! Silly me, I thought it was just the top that had to open! I should have paid attention when my childhood piano was tuned; failing that, I should have looked on YouTube just to make sure. I swear I have learned so many things from YouTube, I don't know why checking there didn't occur to me! Tim the Tuner sent me a link to this informative video - isn't it amazing?
I went and removed some of Kev's delightful seam stitches yesterday, and will go back tomorrow to alter the design ever-so-slightly, so "Betsy's" innards can be easily accessed for future tunings... we want her to sound her best! It's just a few minor adjustments; she's still going to be breathtaking when people in Indianapolis see her in public (August 1 through 18 - stay tuned for location specifics, coming soon!)
Keep your eyes peeled for it; my dentist's office got the new issue in the mail yesterday. On page 34 there's a little interview with Strick 9 and one of my photos (below), complete with photo credit! I'm so thrilled for "Ms. Stitchley" - the magazine chose this piece of hers from among about a hundred photos, and it's no wonder; this was the first thing I saw on installation day, and was one of my favorites, too. June 5: we're tagging - errrrr, yarnbombing - the outside of the Harrison Center with the Indy Craft Mafia... come on by!
If only people actually knew about this blog and read it, I would implore one of you to remind me to bring the following things tomorrow when I go to install my pieces in the Harrison Center (as it stands now, I could review this entry... unless I were to throw caution to the wind and write a list):
the actual knitted pieces - door handle covers, pipe cozy, and light switch cover
Have I mentioned yet that I am in a knit graffiti crew? Not likely, as this is only my second entry. Hey, kids, I'm in a knit graffiti crew!
We're called the Yarnburners, and the same person that came up with that name came up with my tag name, Stockannette (yes, the darling name stems from "subversive" knitting activities... I'm such a rebel). Sometime prior to 5/1/09, we are bombing the inside of the Harrison Center for the Arts for your viewing pleasure on May's First Friday. So the picture at right is a couple of the pieces I've made for the installation: they're going to be covering the handles of the main doors into the building! I'll take pictures so you can see how they end up looking in their intended spot. Last night at Mo'Joe, a photographer from Indianapolis Monthly came and took some pics of me knitting, even though I advised him he could get much more fun and interesting shots at the Harrison Center. Hopefully I'm out of focus, errr... incognito.
For more about knit graffiti (sometimes referred to as yarnbombing), and specifically about the people who inspired the Yarnburners, check out Knitta.
