Memories and dreams too

Several years ago I received a big box with yarns and some unfinished projects. The box was sent to me by a caretaker of 92 year old Latvian woman who came to US at the end of WWII. All her life she had worked as a nurse, often taking night shifts since she didn't have a family of her own. During those long nights at the hospital she was knitting and crocheting. As many of us know - we dream up of the project, buy yarns, start it, then something interrupts us, and we put our handiwork aside to finish later. At the old age the woman was losing her eyesight and realizing that she is never going to finish to go through that box. She asked it to be sent to me. I found a beautiful soft white yarn in the box, and the first thing I did was to knit a shawl for her. She loved it. And when she passed away few years later her wish was to take that shawl with her. I have used yarns from the box over the years. And what was left now were six neatly crocheted strips. I put them all together - her dreams, my memories...
Let me know how you are doing with your projects...

This is description of the project (instructions are in the previous blog post)

Dreams and Memories

If we have a dream it can’t get lost. Could be that some dream just turns into a memory but nonetheless had made us more secure and stronger in order to move forward. What was a dream yesterday may turn into a reality tomorrow. As Albert Einstein once said: “A person with big dreams is stronger than that who has only facts.”

And it’s okay if some dreams are not fulfilled but instead are turned into memories. Memories are the collection of our life experience. They hold our successes and losses, joy and sorrow. They, like glue, hold our lifeline together. With years passing by, our memories might fade but they never age.
We cannot always express our dreams to others with words. It may be easier to give our dream or memory some tactile form through crochet - to re-purpose a scarf that still keeps the loving memory of a beautiful moment or some hidden tears; from old tape we used to listen when we were happy or sad, some T-shirt, plastic bag, or whatever.

We will join this all together – each piece in a single color. In the spring I will sort them by color, then we will see which is the most popular. But for sure they will all make one big collective blooming work at Riga Biennale of Contemporary Art.

Dreams and memories - for RiBoCa 2

I am happy and proud to announced that I have been invited to participate in 

The 2nd Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art

and suddenly it all blossoms

16 May – 11 October 2020

Curated by Rebecca Lamarche-Vadel

Please consider joining me in my project Dreams and Memories by crocheting hyperbolic plane using whatever material - preferably something recycled. In one color only! (The reason for this is to be able to incorporate your creation in the whole installation.) Your name will be included in a list of contributors. However, you should know that there will be no way for me to return your contribution after the exhibit. It will stay permanently with the installation. Contact me when your submission is ready daina.taimina@gmail.com

You may crochet hyperbolic plane as you have done before or you can follow more relaxed directions (see previous post) by starting with a larger circle or initially crocheting around some curtain ring or something like that and using double crochet stitches. Like this:

If you still have plastic bags, you can use them (one color please)

You can use old audio tapes -first I used single tape

But then I found that using two at a time works better

I will try to use some old VHS tapes which I have digitized first to save memories recorded on them.

There is no rush to crochet right now - end of the year, everybody busy. I will wait for your contributions until March 31, 2020. 

Why Dreams and Memories

crocheting makes our fingers to move but our thoughts can travel from memories to dreams. Those thoughts are invisible but they follow the thread we are using creating something that grows and that is why the form which grows - crocheted hyperbolic plane. For me this is project is very personal - crocheted hyperbolic plane was created at the workshop led by my late husband and it will always remind me our time together. Crocheted hyperbolic plane has connected me with many people around the world and that has been unforgettable experience. Dreams? There are dreams which now are memories and there are dreams which may happen. 

Invitation to "Dreams and Memories"

In 2014 for the exhibit as part of Riga 2014-European Culture Capital we (that is – me and my 235 helpers from all corners of Latvia, Italy, USA) created an installation White Cloud. I am inviting you to participate in continuing our collaboration by creating a new installation Dreams and Memories (working title).

For your creation to be included please crochet one or several hyperbolic/negatively curved/crenelated pieces following suggested instructions bellow. I strongly encourage you to re-use yarns from old sweaters or scarves, socks etc., could be various recycled materials such as yarn made of plastic bags or worn T-shirts, sheets and so on. In example above you can see crochet using old audio tape.  

VERY IMPORTANT! – you can choose any color for your piece but only one color in the same piece. Do not mix colors! (In some cases, different shades of the same color could be used, for example, if your material is in light blue and dark blue). Size of your piece will depend on the amount of the material you have and there is no size restrictions, preferably no less than 10 cm diameter. If you want to be creative - please be with the shape! If you want to combine knitting and crochet - that is also fine. 

This is a simplified version of crocheted hyperbolic plane. Crochet 20-30 chains, join in circle. Crochet around this circle as many single crochet stitches as you fit. This will make strong edge for the circle and will be a start for your further crochet which follows simple pattern – 2 chains to raise to the next row, then *1 double crochet in first stitch, 2 double crochet in the next*. Repeat until you get around, join with the beginning of the row. Then again 2 chains to start the next row and repeat *1 double crochet in first stitch, 2 double crochet in the next*.

If you have some ring you can crochet around (as in this example) you can start with single crochet around this ring. Otherwise you can start as in the previous example. In the next row crochet 2 single crochet in each loop. Continue for several rows and you will see how the disc will become curvier. It is about the time to make holes – one double crochet, two chain, one double crochet, two chain, etc. When the row with holes is completed, in the next row crochet two double crochet in first hole, three double crochet in the next, again two double crochet, then three double crochet…Next row – one single crochet, in the next one two single crochet – that is increase. Continue varying rows with holes, rows with double crochet and rows with single crochet. If disc is not wavy enough, do two rows with single crochet, increasing after every other stitch. You can be creative with your shape.

These hyperbolic planes are made from plastic bags and combining them you can notice the problem if there are many different colors in the same piece.

I am looking forward to seeing your creations! Thank you for your participation!