Yurt Alert

Well no words might be a bit of an exaggeration…I have words but they’d all end up in capital letters if I had my druthers! Today was a huge day for the yurt! I woke up this morning at my parent’s house in Boston prepared for a day of last minute shopping and seeing Avatar in 3D when I began emailing and answering queries on the yurt — low and behold, Ready Made magazine posted on their blog about the project by none other than the Editor-in-Chief. So exciting to say the very least especially as there are only 9 days left to fundraise [we’re at 82% and I have faith we will make it]!

We come home, make a big family dinner, we open our allotted one early present each, we hang out around the tree, which is Tim Burton-esque this year…the usual. My Blackberry gave me the dreaded “battery too low for radio use” sign and for the first time in years I thought, oh well, and put it away. Of course, karmically, CRAFT: then posts about the yurt too! Beyond.

I can’t believe the amazing, outpouring of support for this project — it invigorates me and my love of the yurt — I can’t wait to make it reality with everyone’s help. So humbling. Thanks to everyone and Happy Holidays!

Today I was humbled by my largest donation to date that brought the yurt to 70% completion on Kickstarter — so we’re getting there! 18 days to go. It’s interesting — I’ve watched countless other projects on the site grow over time — especially those that launched around the same time mine did. Some have been recommended by the site itself, others have gotten similarly amazing press, others are being conducted by previously established artists, authors, etc. who have online followings already — each one grows with its own style and pattern: really fast and successful off the bat, all at once and then ultimately unsuccessful, slow and steady and successful, or gradual without success. I like to think that my project will be slow and steady AND successful. I have 18 days left to raise just under $1,800 and I’m hopeful that the spirit of the holidays will motivate lovers of the yurt to pledge their support. By far the best thing I’m doing, which is actually motivating a lot of great conversations, is writing people one at a time and seeing what they think of the project and if they’d be willing to support, impressing upon everyone that every dollar helps, no donation is too small. That said, I wanted to post a little picture of one of the rewards, a little mini yurt that I made this afternoon in the monsoon that was New York 🙂

Isn’t it so cute! I know it sort of looks like a medieval helmet in this picture — I’ve been asking for a nicer camera for Christmas every year for 3 years…but it gets the point across. It’s a crochet little house — with a door! Imagine this guy 10 feet tall — how could anyone resist supporting the yurt 🙂 Tell your friends — lets make it a reality! Also, check out a great article on the project from Dornob Design today!

I’ve been looking at various ways of being able to light the inside and outside of the yurt when it’s complete (yes, I know I’m getting a little ahead of myself). I’ve reached out to a few companies, groups, and artists that work with solar and electro-luminescent materials. One option that I find intriguing is the solar harvesting textiles of KVA’s Soft House — picture below.

This fabric would act as a solar panel for the yurt and could power things on the inside with ease! The other material I recently discovered was electro-luminescent wire, which is flexible and, unlike neon, doesn’t get hot while it’s on. One of the women involved in the Institute of Figuring’s crochet coral reef project, Eleanor Kent, uses it to crochet jewelry and coral pieces so I’m thinking I can weave it into the inside of the yurt and have a few rows of light towards the oculus on the inside!A few of Eleanor’s works are below.

Another piece of her jewelry made out of the wire is below.

Thoughts? Suggestions on how to make this work? Ways to light up the outside?