I’ve been a longtime felter but I didn’t have the space to make the soapy mess required for the process after I moved to New York City in 2006. I experimented with needle felting and came upon crochet, which, to me, seemed like something you could make anything out of. I was further inspired when I watched Margaret Wertheim’s TED Talk and saw how crochet can be used to represent hyperbolic space and coral reefs.
I became very interested in oversized knit and crochet work by artists like Kwangho Lee, Claudy Jongstra, and Christien Meindertsma.
I started crocheting a lot, and was making many small domes when I realized that the same form could be made much larger into a crocheted yurt. Historically, Mongolian nomads made felt for their yurts via a labor intensive process that still required an internal structure at the end of the day.
My project is to take that design a step further and make a locally-sourced (local to New Hampshire), self-supporting crocheted yurt out of hand-felted cording approximately 1.5 – 2 inches thick. I’m fundraising for the materials currently so that I can purchase the 500 lbs of wool and all of the cleaning and processing necessary.
I hope that when this proof of concept is complete I’ll be able to experiment with the dome form by using different materials that could be used as reusable, transportable shelters. All ideas and questions are welcome!
Thanks so much for checking the yurt out!
Kate Pokorny
Yurt Alert 
Look for a post on the Garden Club site on Sept. 20.
Thanks so much, Francine! That’s terrific!
That´s a cool project you got going! Guess you never have to worry about getting dry hands. Good luck!
Petter
So, how did you ever get the urge to start felting in the first place?
Hi Poverty Dieter!
I started felting in college in a textiles and surface design class. I’ve been hooked ever since! At the time I didn’t know how to weave and felting is sort of like a prelude to weaving.
Kate
Will post about your Crocheted Yurt Project on my blog! I have a lot of yarn, but unfortunately it’s acrylic which won’t felt! DOH!
Heard about this through your great uncle-in-law (???) Barry E.
Fiber on!!!
[…] are old friends of my parents friends. She is giving away mini Yurts to people who donate to her project. Have a great […]
[…] too, but a full-size make up which will await itself and yield shelter. Her project’s called Yurt Alert, and you can get concerned at Kate’s website and await her by Kickstarter, where […]
[…] too, but a full-size make up which will await itself and yield shelter. Her project’s called Yurt Alert, and you can get concerned at Kate’s website and await her by Kickstarter, where […]
Your project is amazing!
It combines several of my favorite things: crochet, natural fibers, indigenous materials, and, of course, YURTS.
Wow!
[…] Yurt Alert: A felter decides to take on a large project with local materials, crocheting a yurt with hand […]
I’ve got Icelandic sheep. Their wool felts really nicely, and I’m right here in NH. I can make you a really good deal! What a cool project.
[…] Ambitious Project: Artist Crochets a Yurt Posted by Published in Arts/Creativity/Design // I started crocheting at Thanksgiving and have learned that this is a terrific art form that you can use to make almost anything. However, it would not occur to me to crochet a yurt. It did, however, occur to artist Kate Pokorny who is planning to do exactly that and detailing the project on her blog, Yurt Alert. […]
[…] the box was a gift pack from Yurt Alert. A while back I found a listing on the kickstarter web site for a Crochet Yurt Project. Kate […]
Vermont Shepherd Farm, Post Oil Solutions & Windham Farm Bureau Sponsor Community Wool Fest & Free Wool Giveaway
Vermont Shepherd farmers, David and Yesenia Major, have between 1500-2000 pounds of wool that they would love to give bags of away for FREE. Post Oil Solutions recognizes an opportunity to perhaps strike a creative spark in the community for the development of a local industry. The Windham Farm Bureau (of which both Vermont Shepherd and POS are members) is interested in doing whatever it can to support local agriculture.
Together, the three are co-sponsoring a Community Wool Fest & Free Wool Giveaway on Sunday, April 11, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, at David and Yesenia’s farm, 268 Patch Farm Road, Westminster, Vermont. Admission is free, refreshments will be available, and Lerna (an area spinner) will be providing music on her hammered dulcimer.
Several fiber arts guests will join us for the day to help showcase the possibilities of this wool. They include Alison Shontz, head of the River Spinners Guild who will be demonstrating carding, and various methods of spinning wool. Alison’s favorite thing is to teach people of any age who might be interested in trying their hand at these skills. We expect other members of the River Spinners Guild to join us for some spinning.
Cheryl Flett will be demonstrating the art and myriad of possibilities in the world of traditional wet and needle felting, ranging from decorative items to practical bags and warm boots. We also hope to be joined by an area Waldorf school, or two, with an assortment of the toys and crafts that they make with wool, perhaps to teach their skill to any interested attendee.
In addition, Green Mountain Spinnery of Putney will also be present with custom processing information, catalogs of their products and information about the Spinnery, as well as copies their new book, “99 Yarns and Counting.”
And everyone gets to take home a FREE bag of raw wool. This is of excellent quality, hi luster, 2″-4″ staple, medium fiber wool. What a great idea!
“Wool is a wonderful resource,” says David, “and I don’t want to throw it away.” It could make wonderful insulation or mulch for garden paths, as well as blankets, rugs and more. Lovers of knitting, crocheting, dyeing, spinning and weaving should find this event to be a great opportunity.
Additionally, local, potential entrepreneurs could begin exploring with us possible ideas on how one might begin a new business with this wool, converting what is presently nothing more than a waste product into a valuable resource for a locally-based enterprise.
150 years ago, wool was a big business in this part of the world. Even as recently as 20 years ago, it sold for $1.50/lb. But then the industry collapsed to 9 cents (and less) per pound when our country’s clothing industry went to China, South America, and other places where labor is cheap.
Thus, shepherds, like David and Yesenia Major, are left with a potentially valuable local resource that they can’t do much with other than throw it on the compost pile. This event is meant to engage the creative energy of the community to reverse this trend and put this great resource to good use. Please join us to explore the possibilities.
For further information, contact us at 802.869.2141 or info@postoilsolutions.org.
I’ll be adding this to my list of book marks.
[…] again, turn away from the computer and iPhone screen and work on my personal project, crocheting a yurt! Using that creativity in my free time helps me bring more creative to clients everyday and a […]
[…] and meet in the sunny courtyard. I’m sitting there with my legs up on a chair when Rebecca, Kate and the boys find me. We have one more day of leisure in Marrakesh before our entire group arrives […]
[…] and help carry our luggage out to the cab line. Our cab drops us off at our hotel, and while Kate, Rebecca and I check in to the hotel, the boys stand outside shouting back and forth with the cab […]