Author: Alisa

I sew and bead to fundraise for charity. I have two spinning wheels and three sewing machines, and more knitting needles than I probably really need.

Stained Glass Windows Collaborative Kit

Alisa of KnitSpinQuilt and Debbie of Murky Depths Dyeworks have teamed up again to create another exclusive, limited edition yarn and bag collaboration.

We were both drawn to this rainbow stained glass windows print, which reminded Alisa of the medieval cathedrals she visits on her dissertation research trips to Europe. Debbie dyed the yarn to reflect the fabric, with pops of vibrant stained glass color set off by the black window framing.

This kit is being launched at Indie Untangled Everywhere, and will first be available that weekend in Debbie’s Etsy Shop — but if you miss Indie Untangled, don’t worry! We will open pre-orders from October 23-29 in both of our respective Etsy shops.

Don’t be late! This kit is available in limited quantities: Alisa is teaching full-time this semester, and can’t make as many bags as usual!

Say it with me: Black Lives Matter

If you disagree, if you’re putting property over people, leave.

If you think Black people should be polite, consider that they did. Kaepernick took a knee and lost his job. This is what happens when decades of politeness don’t save lives.

I’m boosting Black voices on twitter and donating what I can. I made the shop donations to the Ali Forney Center early. That’s $535 for homeless queer youth in New York City.

Screen cap of donation confirmation screen from the Ali Forney Center

What concrete actions are YOU taking to dismantle white supremacy and the racist roots and vines of American society?

Covid-19 Shop Update

Hello to everyone. I hope you and your loved ones are holding up in these trying circumstances. I won’t tell you to be chipper or keep your chin up: I will tell you that I wish you all the best.

Things have been exciting here: I am holed up out of NYC with a dear friend. Since the shop is my only form of income, and most of it is in Brooklyn, I have been scrambling to get ducks in a row. I am safe: I am sheltering in place at home. I have arranged mail pick-up once a week, and I sew in my bedroom, so I am able to keep going for the time being.

Five rectangular cloth DPN cases arranged in a fan against an ironing boardI will be focusing on drawstring bags and DPN cases at first. If you have a particular request, PLEASE tell me. My contact form, Instagram DMs, Twitter DMs and email are all open to you, dear customers. If I have access to the fabric in question, I will be happy to sew up a custom bag at no additional cost. (I do hope you’ll understand that my access to fabric is limited at the moment, due to circumstances beyond my control.)

Because I believe strongly in putting my money where my mouth is, KnitSpinQuilt will continue to donate 15% of item prices to charity. In 2020, I have chosen the Ali Forney Center, a charity that works to alleviate homelessness in LGBTQ youth in New  York City. The Ali Forney Center cannot close under current circumstances, because it provides housing to at-risk youth, and is in need of support now more than ever.A drawstring bag with a black top and a green, yellow and red print of butterflies and tulips sits on an ironing board

Please keep safe, keep indoors, and keep on keeping on. This is going to be hard, but the only way forward is through.

2019 Donations & Wrap-Up

Hello, everyone! It’s been quiet here for a while, because I’ve been keeping very busy.

I had a lovely three months in England from February 2019 to May 2019, and after coming back to the USA, I re-opened the shop, and was honored to share a booth with 1 Geek 2 Craft All at Indie Untangled.

In 2019, thanks to income from KnitSpinQuilt’s Etsy shop and show sales, I was able to donate $775 to RAICES Texas and $100 to Planned Parenthood.

Screenshot from PayPal confirming a $100 donation to Planned Parenthood from KnitSpinQuilt

 

Screenshot from RAICES confirming a $27

It’s incredibly important to me to be able to put my money where my mouth is: supporting issues of justice and equity for all persons, including and focusing on those who are marginalized by and victimized by our current administration’s policies and institutionalized racism in America, where I happen to live. So 2019 was the year I donated to migrant and refugee justice and to reproductive justice.

I’ll post again soon with plans for 2020, because my donations will be going to a new charity.

Best wishes to all as we move onwards into the future, no matter what it may bring.

News & Upcoming Shop Hiatus

Thank you to everyone who came by to say hello at Vogue Knitting Live in New York City! It was a whirlwind of a weekend, and great fun, even if it was a bit overwhelming at times. If I was distracted, I apologize: there was an awful lot going on!

It’s been a busy winter here in Brooklyn! I have received funding from my graduate program to go abroad for three months to do research on medieval libraries!

This means that I’m going to have to shut down the shop from February 22 to June 1, 2019 — there’s no way for me to fulfill orders from the archives in London, and as a one-woman operation, I don’t have anyone to do it for me.

If you’ve been on the fence, now is your chance to get something before the shop closes for three months. (While I’m gone, those of you in New York can still find my bags and stitch markers at Knitty City and Woolyn in New York City, and at The Endless Skein in Cold Spring, when it opens!)

Before I go, though, I am excited to have some box bags back in stock. These bags are fully lined in white or low-volume print fabrics, have a handle long enough to loop over your wrist or (my favorite) to attach to a clip and hang from another bag, and use long-pull zippers with broad blunt teeth, the better to not snag your yarn.

There are also a variety of sock-size drawstring bags and shawl/sweater-sized drawstring bags: the medium (sock) bags will hold two skeins of yarn, but are most often used for socks; the larger bags are good for larger projects (though perhaps not your bulky sweater-coat, as they top out at about four skeins of yarn unless you shove).

Two drawstring bags and a box bag on a quilting cutting mat

There are also new rainbow llama stitch markers. Do you love coffee? Tea? Wine? There are stitch markers for those interests too.

Four sets of knitting stitch markers featuring silver charms themed around tea, coffee, llamas, and wine

I’m excited about archival research, and can’t wait to share pictures of England with you on my Instagram while I’m gone: @knitspinquilt

Remember — the last day to place an order before I leave is February 22!

Down to the Wire — in the best way!

I’m prepping up a storm right now, because I’m delighted to announce (belatedly!) that I will be a vendor at the Indie Untangled Trunk Show in (eeek) less than three weeks.

Find me at booth 23 with One Geek To Craft Them All!

I’ll have DPN cases and box bags:

Pile of fabric double pointed needle cases in several prints

Photograph of stacked box bags in a variety of fabrics

I’ll also have a lot of drawstring bags, which I’m still frantically sewing up:

Stack of drawstring bags inside out half-sewn with coral fabric and rotary cutter

Come by and say hi! And watch this space later this week for a very exciting announcement!