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!

AFGHANS FOR AFGHANS ANNOUNCES DEADLINE

Afghans for Afghans has announced the next deadline for receiving much needed blankets, hats and vests. The charity in San Francisco must receive all finished items by February 29. In the Loop will collect the items on FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22 in order to prepare for shipping on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26.

After two working sessions there are probably 1-15 blankets in process, a few hats and several vests. Feel free to email us if you've finished an item and would like to drop it off early.

Hope to see you at the next After Work Social on Tuesday, February 12, 6-8 pm.

OFF TO A GREAT START

We're off to an amazing start--7 blankets and 2 vests were started last night at the season's first After Five Social!

Our crocheters and knitters are racing to meet the mysterious February deadline (still unannounced by afghans for Afghans).

Remember there is yarn available. If you'd like to start a project--hats, blanks or vests--before the next event, send us an email and we'll arrange to meet you with the yarn and the In the Loop pattern booklet.

For the next After Five Social, February 12, bring you tools!!! We have measuring tapes, finishing needles and a few crochet hooks, but no knitting needles.

And our official IN THE LOOP CRAFTING EXPERT, Ina Braun of Tante Sophie Fiber Studio, will be in the house for the first Brown Bag Social of the season, January 25 , to help with the patterns.

NEW YEAR NEW PROJECTS

Happy New Year! Our first season was an incredible success with our enthusiastic group knitting and crocheting over 100 premie caps for Project Sunshine and 15 knitted "helmets" for Christmas-at-Sea.

In the Winter '08 season we are focusing on a variety of projects for one charity, afghans for Afghans, who have urgently called for blankets, hats and socks for Afghan newborns at The Cure Hospital in Kabul, one of the few hospitals to treat very sick babies in their neonatal unit. We have also added a child's vest for older Afghan children. All Afghans face a brutally cold winter this year.

ABOUT AFGHANS FOR AFGHANS
afghans for Afghans is a humanitarian and educational people-to-people project that sends hand-knit and crocheted blankets and sweaters, vests, hats, mittens, and socks to the beleaguered people of Afghanistan.

AFA works with reputable, experienced relief agencies to securely transport and distribute our hand-knit and crocheted blankets and garments to suffering Afghans. Their partners have included World Concern, Afghans 4 Tomorrow, Airline Ambassadors, International Orphan Care, Afghan Relief Organization, CURE Hospital, Church World Sevice, and Mobile Mini Circus for Children. This project is a partnership with the American Friends Service Committee, which has organized humanitarian missions for more than 80 years.

Visit afghans for Afghans for more information.

DEADLINES
Items for newborns will be sent to Afghanistan in February (exact date to be announced soon). In the Loop will send items for the group when the deadline is announced. We will send the remainder of items in March at the end of our season.

PROJECT PATTERNS & YARN
Patterns for vests, hats, and blankets have been posted on this blog (see left bar for links). We encourage you to use yarn from our stash, we have beautiful wool yarn in a variety of colors for these projects.

If anyone would like to start a project now, and would like yarn from the In the Loop stash, please email us and we'll make arrangements for you to pick up yarn from our offices.

RULES
afghans for Afghans has very strict rules. Visit their website for details, but here is a synopsis:

BLANKETS ARE URGENTLY NEEDED. THEY MUST BE A MINIMUM OF 40" X 30" (NOT SMALLER).
AFA HAS ASKED CROCHETERS TO FOCUS ON BLANKETS, AS THE FABRIC IS DENSER AND THE CROCHETING FASTER!
AVOID LACY OR AIRY PATTERNS.
FOR HATS, HEAD CIRCUMFERENCE IS 10" T0 15". CAPS NEED TO COVER EARS. EAR FLAPS AND UNDER-CHIN TIES ARE ACCEPTABLE. HATS NEED SOME STRETCH FOR COMFORT OVER FOREHEAD.
AFA DOES NOT NEED ITEMS FOR PREMIE BABIES.
USE WOOL (OR OTHER ANIMAL FIBER) TO PROVIDE MAXIMUM WARMTH IN HARSH WEATHER. SEE AFA'S WEBSITE FOR MEMO ON WOOL AND FIBER CONTENT.
AVOID WHITE AND VERY LIGHT COLORS THAT SOIL EASILY.
DO NOT INCORPORATE REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGES SUCH AS FACES AND ANIMALS IN YOUR DESIGN. ISLAM PROHIBITS DEPICTING SUCH LIKENESSES.
DO NOT INCORPORATE RELIGIOUS OR NATIONAL SYMBOLS.

FIRST AFTER WORK SOCIAL
Join us on Thursday, January 17 from 6-8 pm for our first After Work Social of the season. Remember, we'll bring the patterns and yarn, you bring the tools! Meet at the Winter Garden's marble tables near the glass wall.