European Fiber Network

Call for Submissions

klozter — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:22:31 +0000

We’re excited to announce EFN’s Spring Call for Submissions. As with all EFN calls, we’re focusing on promoting European Designers. If you consider yourself European (by birth, current address, heritage or for any other reason), we do too.

Spring: Capture that bubble of joy when you see the first signs that the long cold winter is coming to an end. Maybe it’s the little tips of crocuses pushing out from beneath the snow, or the almost black of wet bark as seen through a thick, soft fog.

Throughout Europe and our varied climates the signs of Spring may be different, but that excitement of birds and buds waking after the cold and the light carefree feeling of going outside without a heavy coat; that’s what we’re after.

Tell us what excites you, what brings you joy. Let us see it in your inspiration for your design. Think of small knits appropriate for Spring and its transitional temperatures; often chilly mornings and the hope of warmer days. Light wraps and layers, accessories, novelties, whimsies. Mini mitts? Scarflettes? Small bags? Perhaps something frivolous? Certainly joyful. Spring greens? Purple? Yellow? Show us an unusual color combination or a unique construction. Be playful, have fun and be courageous.

90% of individual pattern proceeds will go to the designer. The remaining 10% will help EFN to further promote European knitting and related fiber arts and education. EFN will be sponsoring a monthly Knit-a-long for each of the selected patterns. When the monthly KAL kicks off, the individual pattern for that month will be available as a pdf download. Beginning in December 2012, the entire collection of 12 patterns will be available as a bound calendar with photographs of the winning knits complete with the written pattern. 90% of collection sales will be split evenly among the 12 designers. Designers will be paid monthly to their personal Paypal account.

Details:
Submit a sketch, clear picture of the swatch and written description of your pattern by email to erica@patberg.net by December 10, 2011.

Please be sure to include the country you represent and tell us about the inspiration for your design as well as your mailing address, telephone number and email address. A winning submission will be attractive and have a compelling story.

Submissions are due by 10 December 10. We will reply via email to all designers during the following week.

Finished projects and completed patterns are due by 15 January. If English is not your first language, not to worry. We will provide proofreading and tech editing of the final pattern.

All pattern rights revert back to the designer six months after publication, though EFN will continue to make the pattern available within the collection and as an individual pattern with 90% of proceeds of collection sales split evenly between designers and 90% of individual pattern sales being paid monthly to the individual designer.

EFN goes on a field trip

klozter — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:22:26 +0000

Yesterday a small group of enthusiastic knitters set off from Amsterdam to attend “Ontrafel,” an exhibition on knitwear in fashion. The exhibition was on show in Antwerp for several months and when it came to the Museum Twentse Welle in Enschede, this was a great opportunity for those of us who had missed it.

There were some real beauties as well as a few ~~duds~~ unusual objects. For a full and detailed report, please check out Part I and Part II.

Join us in our new venture!

klozter — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:13:33 +0000

We’re incredibly excited to announce the beginning of a project that has been many months in the works: An EFN KAL whose goal is to promote new European designers and raise funds to promote education in knitting and related crafts throughout Europe.

Our November designer lives in a sleepy little German town. People here are friendly, the cityscape dotted with trees and parks, and life meanders at a gentle pace. Once it was the bustling capital, but now Bonn is best known for its congeniality, past glory and one very famous inhabitant. Every heart in Bonn swells with pride at the mention of his name; Ludwig van Beethoven.

To the bewilderment of tourists, shops in the city center may not open until almost noon, but come rain or shine they will find an imposing statue of this most famous resident dominating the center of the town square.

This statue has always held special significance for Melanie. It’s a touchstone; something that represents home. In the summer people sit at his feet, chatting, relaxing, enjoying the sun. But when winter’s chilly winds and snow drive the city dwellers inside, the big guy stands there alone, steadfast, braving the elements.

This image of Beethoven in the winter; a coat of soft, thick snow on his shoulders, was the inspiration for our November design. Snow upon stone. Light grey upon dark. The tracks of pigeons in the snow at his feet. You’ll find all of these elements in the design of these charming mitts. Embark on a trip to Bonn with EFN as you knit the Beethoven Mitts.



About the Designer

In the midst of being a wife, devoted mother of two (soon to be three), homemaker, shop-owner, and working fulltime, Melanie somehow manages to find a little time to relax and knit for a while.

She started knitting when her first daughter was born, crafting fancy caps and shirts but soon discovered her love for accessories like mittens and shawls and her passion for design. You can read more about her life and struggles on her blog.  This is her first submitted design!



Expert Exchange on Colorwork in Knitting, now updated!
klozter — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:36:30 +0000
We have some great news! The Masterclass on Colorwork in Knitting is now open to all international participants; you don’t have to be in Amsterdam to participate. If you have a computer and an internet connection you can join us in this technicolor adventure!
We’ll investigate the subject together online, posting our progress and questions as we go and we’re really excited to include a much larger community. You can join us for the entire series or pick and choose the subjects most interesting to you.
How will it work exactly? We will be using The Essential Guide to Color Knitting Techniques by Margaret Radcliffe as our guide and inspiration. Each month we will tackle a new chapter and work through it together, posting our questions/ideas/results on the EFN group in Ravelry.

How much does it cost? Participation is absolutely free. Join us now!
How do I register? Sign-up is simple; just join the EFN group on Ravelry. You can participate at your own speed, doing as many or as few of the chapters as you wish. Every chapter will take about a month to complete and we will post suggestions and hints in advance about how to approach each subject. Post pictures of your swatches or projects with the appropriate tags so we can learn from each other.
There is no deadline for sharing your swatches, but outstanding swatches will be lauded exuberantly when the next chapter begins.
Schedule: (Date given is the start-date of the new chapter but of course you can start whenever you want.)

Oct 15: Color Basics

Nov 15: Stripes

Dec 15: Free, go work on your gift-knitting!

Jan 15: Pattern Stitches

Feb 15: Multicolor Yarns

March 15: Stranded Knitting

April 15: Intarsia

May 15: Other Techniques

June 15: Finishing Touches
Materials:

The Essential Guide to Color Knitting Techniques by Margaret Radcliffe. Available at Book Depository (free shipping!).

About 15-20 small balls (10g) of assorted colors of yarn in a similar weight. DK or Sport weight is recommended.

3-4 small (10g) balls of variegated yarn. How much variegation is up to you.

Very important! If you don’t happen to have 15-20 colors of the same weight yarn, don’t despair. Jamieson and Smith offers a Lucky Dip with 12 assorted 25g balls for 21.40GBP. 

         


KIP-day coming up!
klozter — Sat, 28 May 2011 11:19:43 +0000
Why did the kip cross the road?  Because it knew its day was coming.
Sorry, silly silly.

(English below)

Wij zijn trots jullie, ter gelegenheid van KIP-dag (Knit In Public-dag) uit te nodigen voor het nieuwste brei-avontuur: een zoektocht naar schatten door Amsterdam op zondag 12 juni. Natuurlijk zijn alle schatten brei- en fiber gerelateerd. KIP-day is een internationaal georganiseerde dag om iedereen uit te nodigen als stoere breier/breister uit de kast te komen en in het openbaar je breiwerk tevoorschijn te halen. 
Wat heb je nodig? Een fototoestel en natuurlijk jouw breiwerk. Een zeker gevoel voor avontuur is noodzakelijk. We sturen je met opdrachten op zoektocht door Amsterdam en eindigen samen met een brei-evenement op een (tijdens de wedstrijd bekend gemaakte) plek. 
De prijzen zijn ter beschikking gesteld door onze sponsors  Penelope Craft en ‘t Huis van Anna. Voor meer informatie over de jacht naar breischatten kun je ook bij hen in de winkel en galerie terecht (adressen hieronder).
Wat; Knit in Public-dag zoektocht naar schatten

Waar; Cafe de Jaren (Nieuwe Doelenstraat 20, 1012 CP Amsterdam). Hier ontvang je de eerste aanwijzing.

Datum; zondag 12 juni

Tijd; vanaf 14.00 tot ….

Meenemen; fototoestel en breiwerk.

Kosten; Helemaal niets, behalve als je voor aanvang of na afloop nog iets wilt blijven drinken of eten in het cafe.

Organisatie; European Fiber Network
Wij vinden het fijn vooraf te weten of je mee wilt doen. Stuur ons daarom even een mailtje (europeanfibernetwork@gmail.com) met jouw of jullie namen zodat we weten dat je er zult zijn. We hopen jullie allemaal te zien op 12 juni!
****************************
We’re happy to announce EFN’s next Knitting Adventure: a Treasure Hunt through the streets of Amsterdam.  Bring your knitting, a camera and a sense of adventure and we’ll send you off to explore our fair city, documenting your discoveries along the way, and we’ll finish up by knitting in a gezellig spot (location to be announced during the game).  Take your chance to win one of our lovely prizes donated by our sponsors Penelope Craft and ‘t Huis van Anna!
Here’s the nitty-gritty:
Date:  Sunday, 12 June

Time: 2 PM till ???

Place: We’ll meet in De Jaren (Nieuwe Doelenstraat 20, 1012 CP Amsterdam) and tell you where to go from there!  Please don’t be late, we don’t want to leave without you.

To bring: Your WIP, a camera (phone is fine), camera cable if you can.

Cost: Absolutely nothing or whatever you want to spend for drinks after the Hunt is over.
If you’d like to come, drop us an email: europeanfibernetwork@gmail.com.  No obligation, but it’s easier to plan if we have an estimate of the numbers!

Hope to see you on 12 June!
Addresses:

Cafe de Jaren

Nieuwe Doelenstraat 20

1012 CP Amsterdam
Penelope Craft

Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 99

Amsterdam
‘t Huis van Anna

Jozef Israëlskade 95 hs

1073 RD Amsterdam

         


Don’t be shy, come on by!
klozter — Sun, 08 May 2011 13:47:28 +0000
Announcing our next Great Yarn Swap Party!

Date: Sunday, 15 May

Time: 2-5 PM

Place: Westerpark, Amsterdam (good parking and public transport).  Leave a comment or send us an email for the exact address.

Cost: None! Except digging through your stash to find something to swap. We will be providing drinks and snacks, however, and will put out a hat for any donations you’d like to contribute.
The Rules

• Everyone must bring at least two packages. One package should consist of something you want to get rid of and the second package should be a high-quality product/s worth more than 10 euros. (This can be yarn, books, needles, etc.)

• The packages must be knitting-related.

• Both packages must be wrapped so that the contents don’t show.

• No one will go home empty-handed (unless they want to). The game will have a time limit and if at the end of the game someone is left with nothing, they will be allowed to select one item of their choice from the person who has the most packages.

• We will be playing a game of chance so remember some of us will lose, but some will win and we will all have a good time.
This year will be a bit different from last year in that if there’s something languishing in your stash that you just can’t stand the sight of anymore, please consider donating that as well.  At the end of the afternoon, if there are any unclaimed/unloved skeins left, we’ll take them and sell them to raise funds for upcoming EFN events.  So this can be seen not only as a serious stash enhancement possibility, but also as donating to a good cause.  Knitting is a good cause, right?

It would be great if you let us know if you’re coming, so we can plan for the right numbers!  And don’t worry if it’s beautiful weather, there’s a huge park nearby which would love to host swapping knitters, I’m sure.
We hope to see you next week!

         


A winner is announced…
klozter — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 10:58:31 +0000
We have a winner!

Congratulations, Tien!  We’re delighted to have you join us and what a welcome you get!  Why don’t you pop over to Yarnissima‘s site and let us know which kit you’d like.  We’ll send it your way as soon as possible!
And in other news, we have a brand-spanking new group over on Ravelry.  It’s quite exciting; we’re building a truly international group and I hope we can find ways to create events in other countries.  Any ideas or suggestions are very welcome.  Come and join us!

         


Win a Sock Kit!
klozter — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:14:23 +0000
The EFN is waking up from its winter hibernation and shaking off the dust.  We’re looking forward to a spring/summer filled with activities and events*.  To kick it all off, we’re offering a free sock kit from Yarnissima (your choice!) just for signing up for our mailing list!  If you’re already on the list, just drop us a line to tell us if you’re still interested in receiving our mailings and would like to be considered for this lottery.
The details:
What: Your choice of sock pattern + yarn (Wollmeise) from the inimitable Yarnissima!

How: Either drop us a comment here with your email or send an email to the address on the sidebar.

Who: Everyone, but sadly we won’t be able to post to any addresses outside Europe or the UK.

When: Drawing will be held on 15 April.  Just make sure you’ve signed up by midnight, 14 April (GMT+1).  
Good luck!
* You can find all details on the Pages listed above: “Current Flyer” and “Komende Events,” depending on your language of choice!

         


Upcoming Movie Night and Yarn Acquisition Possibilities
klozter — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 19:36:12 +0000
The European Fiber Network and Yarns Apart invite you to join us for a fun-filled day of acquisition and learning!

Yarns Apart is having another Open House, this time near the Westerpark in Amsterdam. Come check out the latest selection of Madelinetosh, Possum, and lots of other great yarns.

Then stick around for some educational (and fun!) knitting videos from two amazing designers sharing tips and tricks. You can practice your new techniques on your new yarns and enjoy popcorn and beer (or anything else you’d like from the treats pantry) while learning from the masters. Bring a friend and stay for an hour or all day!
Details:
Date: Saturday, 9 October

Time: YA Open House 11-4; EFN Videos 4-6.30

Address: Van Hallstraat 79hs, Amsterdam (bus 21, tram 10)

Cost: Free! Contributions gladly accepted.
Do drop us a line if you think you may be interested, so we can plan for numbers and send you the exact address.  
European Fiber Network en Yarns Apart nodigen jou uit voor een dag gevuld met wol aanbiedingen en wetenswaardigheden!

Yarns Apart heeft opnieuw een Open Huis georganiseerd, deze keer vlakbij het Westerpark in Amsterdam. Kom de laatste selectie Madelinetosh, Possum en andere prachtige wol bekijken en voelen. Blijf vervolgens wat langer om aan het eind van de middag een paar informatieve (en leuke) video’s te bekijken met handige brei tips en trucs. Vervolgens kun je de net geleerde technieke uitproberen met je net aangeschafte wol. Dit alles onder het genot van wat popcorn en bier (of wat anders wat je kunt vinden in onze borrelpantry).

Kom samen met vrienden en blijf een uurtje of de hele dag!
Details:
Wanneer: Zaterdag, 9 Oktober

Hoe laat: YA Open Huis 11-4; EFN Videos 4-6.30

Waar: Van Hallstraat, Amsterdam

Kosten: Gratis! Een vrijwillige bijdrage zal zeer gewaardeerd worden.

         


Yarnissima’s back in town!
klozter — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 13:34:04 +0000
Yes, you read that right; our own Dutch sock designer extraordinaire, Marjan Hammink, is offering her special toe-up sock class again.  Marjan is just back from teaching at a resoundingly successful weekend at Knit Nation in London and in 2009 she was the only Dutch designer invited to teach at the famous Sock Summit in Portland.  If you don’t know her work yet, quick, rush over to Knitty, Ravelry or her own website to see her beautiful work.  Her exquisite sock designs are exclusively toe-up, so if you’d like to get more comfortable with the techniques or would just like to soak up her incredibly creative design sensibility, this is a great chance to learn from a great teacher.  

We still have a few spots left but it’s coming up soon so hurry to reserve your place now! The good news is it’s in a convenient location for everyone; Amsterdam South for the locals, yet near the highway and the train station for those who will travel. The bad news?  None, except it would be a shame to miss it. So send us an email to receive registration details at europeanfibernetwork at gmail dot com and come join in the fun!
The details:

Spice Baby, a toe-up sock class by Yarnissima, Marjan Hammink.

Date: Sunday, 19 September

Time: 10-17u

Cost: only 69 euros for the class and lunch.

Hope to see you there!