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Guild NewsDesk

Powerhouse Museum International Lace Award:
Love Lace – Call for expressions of interest

The Powerhouse Museum, Sydney has launched its call for expressions of interest for this award on the web.

The award seeks to challenge conventional notions of lace and its application in the areas of fashion, the built environment and digital multi media. At a time when innovation in textiles and materials is at the forefront of international design trends, we encourage the design of openwork structures in materials limited only by the artist’s imagination. We expect this brief will lead to experimentation with a wide range of materials and techniques and that we will gather work ranging from large spatial pieces to exquisitely delicate designs.

Each entry submission will be judged by a panel of Australian and International judges with reference to visual impact, originality and creativity, skill in execution and innovation in design, materials and technique. The work must be original and reflect the artist’s identity and cultural origins. The overall winner will be presented with $20,000 and there are five other prizes of $4,000 including an Australian and New Zealand student prize.

29 March 2010: Closing date for Expressions of Interest strictly by 5.00pm AEST.

12 May 2010: Successful finalists announced

25 November 2010: Finalists’ completed works delivered to the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney

July/August 2011: Finalists’ work will be displayed in an exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney

Visit: www.powerhousemuseum.com/lace/  
Email: lace@phm.gov.au

Please pass this information on to any colleagues or contacts that you feel may be interested in this very broad design award for openwork structures which encompasses fashion and the built environment.

Lindie Ward • Curator, Design and Society
Powerhouse Museum, PO Box K346, Haymarket, NSW 1238, Australia

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Knit Expo 2010, Exeter, Devon – Saturday 17 April

Knit Expo Poster

"KNIT expo will be a pioneering experiential knitting event", say the organisers, "where knitters and non-knitters come together to celebrate the wealth of creativity in this ever-growing and exciting 'art-form'. We hope to attract people from all over the South West (and further a-field), calling all knit-wear designers, makers and/or creators to showcase and sell their work. KNIT expo brings to life the creative art forms of knitted textiles (including film, text and sound) – using knitting as inspiration.

"We are looking for exhibitors, creators, designers, companies and people connected with knitting and the yarn industries (including spinners and dyers) to come and share this amazing event.

"We are keeping the cost down for people who want to be present on the day; we are trying to make this event as inclusive (as well as being exclusive!) and supportive as possible. So we are asking all exhibitors/sellers to pay £20 for being part of this event; for this we will give you a table space of 5' x 3' and also add your company name to the list of participants (which will go on all our publicity). If you would like to book a table please download and complete the Booking Form"

For more information please visit our Google site and also the BBC Devon article

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Calling all languishing or redundant knitting machines!

Do you want to be put to use in a very good cause? WORKAID is a self-help charity based in Chesham, Buckinghamshire which was set up to help tackle poverty in developing countries in a practical way. They collect donated tools and equipment from all over the UK through a network of 91 area organisers. The items are refurbished by a team of around 170 volunteers at their workshop in Chesham, then packed and shipped to approved training projects, mostly in East Africa.

In 2008, WORKAID sent out 782 sewing machines, 381 typewriters, 155 knitting machines, 490 tool kits and 190 miscellaneous items to 129 projects. One of their latest project is the Getare Youth Project, Nyamira, in Kenya, which concentrates on education for orphans and schoolleavers. Work is focusing on training in carpentry, secretarial skills, tailoring, knitting and dress-making.

So, if you (and all the other surplus unused tools and machines) are fed up with just sitting around doing nothing, or getting fluffY under a bed, get your owners to contact the great people at WORKAID as soon as possible at: The Old Boot Factory, 71 Townsend Road, Chesham, Bucks, HP52AA • 01494775220 • www.workaid.org

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The Walker Treasury Project

Barbara Walker's Treasuries are renowned as being the perfect resource for anyone who wants to experiment with stitch patterns. Copies have been known to change hands at eye-watering prices and at least one knitter has written hers into her will, to avoid unseemly fighting amongst her nieces. Nevertheless some knitters have expressed their disappointment that many of the illustrations in these books are rather small and (often) in black and white

Now knitters from all over the world have joined an online project to provide a gallery of large, knitted, coloued swathces of each pattern. Head over to:

thewalkertreasury.wordpress.com

to see the stitch patterns in all their glory and to find out how you can take part

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Hyperbolic Crochet and the Coral Reef Project

Where cutting-edge mathematics meets creative crochet meets green issues in a worldwide project … here are some links:

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K&CG Members' Yahoo Group

Want to have more contact with K&CG members? Want to have a say in how your Guild develops? Well you can by joining the K&CG online Yahoo Group – just email Yvonne Davies for details, quoting your name, membership number and annual subscription renewal date.

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