Coral Reefs grow in the Winter Garden

shown here: Institute For Figuring's "Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef"
2007 exhibit at the Chicago Cultural Center.

The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef will be an exhibit at the World Financial Center Winter Garden beginning April 7 through August. In The Loop invites all interested parties in contributing their own coral pieces, to be incorporated into the exhibit beginning May 17. Patterns, samples and lessons will be available at the Brown Bag and After Work Socials listed in the Spring Season schedule. Click here for pattern instructions.

What is a Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef?

What began as an experiment in modeling mathematical space, The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef is an exquisite exhibit of handmade pieces made by hundreds of craftspeople from around the world. Previously shown at the Chicago Cultural Center, Andy Warhol Foundation Museum and other exhibit halls, the Coral Reef will be on display at our very own Winter Garden at the World Financial Center beginning April 7.

Curated by Margaret and Christine Wertheim of the Institute for Figuring, the exhibit will include parts of the Chicago Coral Reef and the Toxic Coral Reef (made of yarn from strips of plastic bags and other otherwise toxic materials).

Workshops hosted by NYU's Institute for Humanities, co-sponsors of the exhibit, have set the New York Crochet Guild and Harlem Knitting Group into creative work mode - making coral pieces that will be assembled for the first time in this exhibit.

The New York Coral Reef

The newest addition to the project will be the New York Coral Reef. In The Loop invites all interested parties in contributing their own coral pieces, to be incorporated into the exhibit beginning May 17. Patterns, samples and lessons will be available at the Brown Bag and After Work Socials listed in the Spring Season schedule.

For more information on the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef
visit the Institute for Figuring website
http://www.theiff.org/

Read the New York Times Article by Patricia Cohen
Want to Save a Coral Reef? Bring Along Your Crochet Hook.

The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef

Exhibit at the World Financial Center Winter Garden

"Crochet Coral and Anemone Garden" with sea slug

by Marianne Midelburg.

Photos by Alyssa Gorelick

Monday, April 7 - Sunday, August 31
7 am - 11 pm daily
World Financial Center Winter Garden (beside staircase)

Curated by
Margaret and Christine Wertheim
Institute For Figuring


Bursting forth in a colorful, crocheted panoply of loopy "kelps", curlicue "corals," and fringy "anemones," this wooly homage to Earth's endangered coral reefs is a beautiful marriage of traditional arts & crafts and hyperbolic geometry. This exhibition, featuring The Toxic Reef, New York Reef, and Chicago Reef, raises awareness about these disappearing marine treasures.

Visit the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef at New York University's Window on Broadway, located at Broadway and East 20th Street, April 5 - May 18.

Support provided by the New York Institute for the Humanities, the Humanities Initiative and the Sustainability Task Force of New York University. The New York Reef has been made under the auspices of the New York Crochet Guild and the Harlem Knitting Circle. The Crochet Reef Project has been funded in part by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

Please note that the Winter Garden may be closed to the public for private events.

Coral Shapes Patterns

How to make crochet coral pieces

Here are the basic instructions for crocheting the basic coral reef hyperbolic shapes.

Reef Crochet General Guidelines

Any basic crochet stitch - single, half double, double or triple - can be used in the patterns. Feel free to alternate stitches within a pattern. Feel free to change yarns as it strikes your fancy. Try using different hook sizes to achieve different looks. Work with a single strand of yarn or a combination of yarns worked together with a large hook. As long as you increase at a steady rate, you will achieve a hyperbolic form! Experiment with a variety of materials including: cut up old t-shirts, cassetter or video tape, cut up plastic bags, cut up old sweaters, use collected/discarded twine, or cut up plastic beverage bottles.

RUFFLE
Make a chain to any length. Crochet any stitch (single, half double, double or triple) back along chain increasing at a steady rate – increase one in every third stitch (stitch one in the first stitch, one in the second stitch and two in the third stitch and so on) or every fourth stitch or every ninth stitch. Increasing more frequently will make it a ruffle or “crenellate” faster, increasing less frequently will take a while for the piece to start to ruffle, but you can make a much larger piece.

Turn work at the end of the row. Make more rows as desired, changing yarns and stitches as desired, and working increased stitches as desired to shape piece.

Experimentation is encouraged!

CIRCLE
Chain about 4. Join chain with a slip stitch to form a ring. Work stitch of choice into the ring until it’s filled up. Join your last stitch to the first stitch with a slip stitch. End off, or make more rounds as desired. Make increases on subsequent rounds to shape piece. Increase at a steady rate of increase to see the piece ruffle faster.

CYLINDER
Make a chain to any length. Join chain with a slip stitch to form a ring. Work a stitch into each chain; join your last stitch to the first with a slip stitch. Continue to work in rounds, changing stitches and yarns as desired. You can alter the shape of the cylinder by occasionally working an increase (making 2 or more stitches into the same stitch) or a decrease (working 1 or more less stitches on a round).

CORKSCREW
Make a chain to any length. Crochet any stitch (single, half double, double or triple) back along chain - working 2 or more sets in each chain to make it curl. When you reach the beginning of the chain, chain again to same or different length and repeat to make additional corkscrews!

Experiment with different and multiple kinds of yarns.

Patterns provided by Institute for Figuring for Workshops held at
New York University Department of Art and Art Professions

ONE MORE MONTH

Last week we mailed two large boxes full of blankets, vests, booties, and hats. Afghans for Afghans will hand carry them to Afghanistan. We'll keep you posted on their trip. Thanks to everyone for their time and effort!

We have one more month in this season, and we have some wool left. So let's continue with these projects and we'll send one more shipment to AFA at the end of March.

If you need yarn, email us.

Our next meeting is March 12, 6-8 p.m. in the Winter Garden. See you there!