Posts Tagged ‘lace making’

Recently TNNA sponsored an award-winning Needlearts Stitch Zone at the San Mateo Maker Faire event.  We were there last year, and taught more than 1000 new fiber enthusiasts.  The theme was “recycling” and so we incorporated yarn made of grocery bags into the kids programming and the display.

This year, the theme of the event was “children,” so we were even more tuned in to the kids.  Again, we spent time knitting, crocheting and stitching (needlepoint) with the kids on our oversized needles, hooks and canvas.  You can get a glimpse of what it was like at http://tnna.org/Outreach/tabid/100/Default.aspx.  And, again, we estimate we taught over 1000 new stitchers . . . this time, even more appeared to be under the age of 12.

Ada Lai shows a young boy how to crochet!

Now you might think, ok . . . these kids really aren’t going to go home and knit or crochet . . . but we also know most of the fiber lovers of today first learned when they were younger than 12.  So, today’s play will eventually turn into tomorrow’s passion.  We also know, many of the parents who were watching will go home and get out their old projects, left unfinished years ago and just waiting for the moment they’ll be picked up again.

Even the young ones are able to pick up this lace making technique.

Recently, Jules Kliot (Lacis and the Museum of Lace) sent me some picture of an event at the Exploratorium in San Francisco in early July.  They demonstrated lace making to young and old . . . These picture really tell the story.  Even the young ones were enthralled, and obviously were able to pick up the techniques themselves.

The children were enthralled with the lace making demonstration by Lacis at the Exploratorium in SanFrancisco

If you have pictures of young stitchers, send them to us so we can show the world the stitchers of tomorrow.  (Of course, get their parents’ permission first!)