Maker Faire Bay Area (US)

It’s been called The World’s Largest DIY Festival. And on May 30th and 31st Maker Faire 2009 is back in the US.

Brought to you by the creators of Make magazine, Makezine.com, and Craftzine.com, Maker Faire is a two-day, family-friendly event to MAKE, create, learn, invent, CRAFT, recycle, think, play and be inspired by celebrating arts, crafts, engineering, food, music, science and technology.

In March they were in the UK. Now Maker Faire returns to the US for the 4th Annual Maker Faire Bay Area: Re-Make America.

Following on President Obama’s call to “begin again the work of remaking America”, Maker Faire 2009 will be organized around the theme of Re-Make America. Held in the San Francisco Bay Area on May 30-31, Maker Faire celebrates what President Obama called “the risk takers, the doers, and the makers of things.” The fourth annual Maker Faire will showcase individual creativity and grassroots innovation in the largest festival devoted to DIY culture and technology in the country.

Creations from last year’s event included robots, costumes and cupcake-shaped electric cars, complete with icing and sprinkles. This event is definitely on the cutting edge–perfect for you indie crafters.

May 30 & 31, 2009

San Mateo County Expo Center

2495 S. Delaware St.

San Mateo, CA 94408

Onsite Ticket Pricing:

Adult – $25.00
Student (13-21, or with student photo ID) – $15.00
Youth (4-12) – $10.00
Children 3 and under are free

Online Discount Tickets:
Avoid lines onsite and save money by purchasing your tickets in advance.
Save $5-$20 per ticket!

Online tickets – discount pricing available through 5/20/2009. Online ticket purchases from 5/21/2009 – 5/28/2009 will be full price.

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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