Shana Broderick, Wisconsin, United States

This piece has wonderful details that I couldn't quite capture in the photos.  Shana writes:

I am working on a BFA in fibers/book arts and was excited to return to crocheting for The Milkweed Project.  I have knit and crocheted for a number of years, but both were put on the back burner due to art classes.  I was especially excited about this project because it is a community effort as well as the idea of the pod form.  I have worked in coiling and weaving as well as drawing and ink in response to the pod form.  I am drawn to the protective outer shell and shape of the milkweed pod and the vulnerable, expansive insides (the seeds).  I tried to create a piece of work that had the elements of softness and lace as well as sturdiness and solidity. I wanted to create the feeling of the pod bursting with possibilities.  I used organic cottons and a few yarns with a wool/mohair/nylon mix.  The piece measures aprox. 10 X 80 in.

Thanks, Shana!

Christy Sully, Wisconsin, United States

This very sculptural, tactile piece is about 1 yard long.  Christy writes:

I live in Door County, Wisconsin.  I have been knitting for over 30 years.  Knitting is a creative outlet for me and, most times, a good way to relax after a hectic day.  I need to know who I'm knitting an item for so I can think about them while completing the project.  Generally, my projects reflect my love of bright colors and creativity.  The Milkweed Project sounds really unique and creative, which is why I wanted to be involved with it.  

I'm glad you are, Christy.  Thank you.

Paula Faye Edmiston, Alabama, United States

   This whimsical piece is around 16 feet long.  Paula's signature is on the little round piece you see in the photo.  She writes:

I grew up playing amongst the milkweed, imagining intricate, delicate worlds, all composed of fine, silky strands.  I'm in a far different land now, but the memory of hot sun on milkweed leads me on to new horizons.  My databases and web constructions begin as tentative, silky potential before they take root and grow into begin.  My piece of this milkweed is like a database, like the World Wide Web of links and connections:  each strand exists in relation to another.

This is exactly how I feel about the project.  Thanks, Paula.                   

Kara Hicks, Inverness, United Kingdom

This soft and ethereal piece is about 5 feet long.  I love the way the different yarns gradate seamlessly together. 

Rosalie Dittmann, Wisconsin, United States

This wonderful piece was made by my friend Rosie who spun the fiber of the milkweed plant into yarn! It is the shiny yarn you can see in the detail photo, wrapped around the fringe-like strands.  She writes:

I knit, spin, weave and felt as a part-time profession so, needless to say, this project appealed to me.  The piece is knit from handspun merino wool and the "Blowing in the Wind" fringe is handspun wool, mohair and milkweed pod silk.  My initial plan was to spin just the milkweed silk from the pod.  But it is a short, very slippery fiber so I blended it with a fine strand of silk to enhance the shine of the milkweed. 

Trinity Muller, Minnesota, United States

This gorgeous, tactile piece is about five feet long.  Trinity writes:

Milkweed plants were abundant on the 10 acre piece of land in rural Wisconsin where I spent the earliest part of my life.  My family and I frequently entertained ourselves without the aid of manufactured toys.  I would often spend my time playing with my imagination, the earth and what was growing from it, including trees, flowers, berries, mushrooms, ferns and milkweed.  From the fresh leaves that could be snapped off the plant to reveal the seeping, sticky, milky liquid to the opened pods with their silky white threads and their brown seeds, this plant held many wonders for me as it progressed through its life cycle.  From my contribution to The Milkweed Project, I translated the shape that the pairs of pods make when they grow on the plant into a lace pattern.  The silky threads of the pod are alluded to by the tufts of cotton roving coming from the lace work pods.

Kathryn Camosy, Wisconsin, United States

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Another Wisconsin neighbor!  Kathryn contributed two lovely, sculptural pieces.  The top piece is approximately 4 feet in length and the second piece is about six feet.  Thank you!

Patricia Geary, Wisconsin, United States

Patricia, who has been knitting since she was twelve years old, contributed five pieces to The Milkweed Project, each wonderful in its own way.  I'm especially partial to the piece in the second image which is as soft as milkweed fiber.  

Annette and Alexander Maass, Backnang, Germany

All I can say is--wow!  This piece is nearly 20 feet long, with an amazing variety of techniques.  It is actually a giant tube and has beads, rosettes, cords, a variety of materials and many other details.  It was completed by a "knitting couple."  As with many of the pieces, my photos do not do it justice.  Thanks, Annette and Alexander!

Jacqueline Fee, Massachusetts, United States

This wonderful, chunky, tactile piece is about one yard long.  Jacqueline is the author of The Sweater Workshop--the book that has inspired and guided thousands of knitters through the process of working seam free sweaters--the welcome alternative to working in pieces. In print for over twenty-six years, the book has enabled knitters to enjoy complete freedom to work to their "own" gauge with any yarn, handspun or millspun to create sweaters of their own design with the emphasis on a perfect fit. 

She has taught and lectured throughout New England, including classes at the Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education and, as a collector of old knittings and needles, she is currently working on articles for Piecework Magazine. 

New England is her home base, as she splits her time between Hingham, MA and Deer Isle, ME--both sweater weather locales for a good part of the year. 

As Wisconsin is also a sweater weather locale for much of the year, The Sweater Workshop is going on my wish list.  Thanks, Jacqueline, for sharing your rich experience with The Milkweed Project.