Craftimism at CalAcademy Nightlife

Craftimism (and friends) will be having a display and some knitting/crocheting/embroidery/charting tutorials at the California Academy of Science's Nightlife on May 4th. I will post photos after the event, so stay tuned.

Website: http://www.calacademy.org/nightlife/how-to-maker-nightlife
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/116034162286953/



This will be a resource for all of the activities at our display, but this will also prove a useful resource for those not in attendance as well.

Activities:

Yarn up close! 

We will have a light microscope at our display so that you can look at various different types of yarn under the microscope. (Blog post with these images coming soon!)

I can't move our fancier microscopes, but I will take some photos of the different types of yarn at higher magnification before the event and bring photos to display. (Blog post with these images coming soon!)

Embroider and felt your own pin/magnet

Unfelted (left) and felted (right) crochet circles

We will provide knit and crochet wool samples for folks to embroider with wool yarn and take home to felt. 

Wool is a yarn with slight barbs along the length of the fiber (see microscope images here (coming soon)). When heated and friction is applied these fibers will relax and fuse into each other making a fabric (see image to the left). 

You can felt your item in a top loading washing machine (simply throw it in with towels or denim and wash with a detergent with hot water). If the machine felting does not work, you can also felt by hand using this tutorial by Rebecca of Chemknits (uncut version here).

Learn to knit/Learn to crochet

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We will have knitting and crochet experts on hand to teach folks to knit and crochet. My favorite learn to knit diagrams are found here and my favorite crochet diagrams are here. 

For those who know how to knit or crochet - make a yarn lab item

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Patterns for knitting Erlenmeyer flask pins are here.

Patterns for crochet labware are here.

Design your own knitting chart

Use graph paper to design your own 2-color colorwork knit chart. Submit the designs to Craftimism and we will pick a winner and Heidi will make you a hat or other item based on your chart.

Want to make your own Resistor Hat or other science hat?

See this post for all of my March for Science knit designs. 

Still want more? 

Join our Facebook group (March for Science Knitting and Crafting group) and follow Craftimism on Facebook and instagram. Please contact me if you have any ideas for other science or knitting outreach opportunities.

If you live in the SF Bay area, the Silicon Valley Craftivists meet every few weeks in Menlo Park or Mountain View as our schedules permit to knit, crochet, and craft together. Follow Craftimism on Facebook to stay up-to-date on upcoming meetings.