BoF: Crafty Drupal

UPDATE: The knitting charts have been uploaded to the internets! Finally! More info at: Drupal Knitting Charts.

Crafters, show thyself! I'm sure there are lots of crafters in the Drupal community. Pack your crafts and bring them to DrupalCon! Want to learn how to knit? Of course you do! Want to learn how to knit The Drupal Socks?! zOMG YES! This BoF will teach craft wannabes how to embellish just about any piece of fabric with simple hand stitching techniques. It will also be useful to knitters and crocheters who want to know the secret of The Socks. No experience required!

Y'know...The Drupal Socks:

(now walkah's socks.)

Ask the group about:
- colour-work in knitting (useful for making socks)
- colour-work in crochet (useful for making Drupal toys)
- applique (cut and sew fabric)
- duplicate stitching, cross stitch and embroidery (stitching colour onto fabric)

The materials, as requested by a craft newbie...

The simple list of materials:
Szeged has 180,000 people. It will have at least one yarn shop. Bring money, we will find you materials and support the local economy. It will be a beautiful thing.

Complicated list of materials:
Yarn is good for knitting and crochet. You will also need pointy things to expertly tie the yarn into intentional knot^H^H^H stitches. If you want to knit you will need "needles" if you want to crochet you will need "a hook." Go to the place where they sell yarn. Choose the right colours (suggestions below). Look at the paper wrapper on the yarn. It will tell you the size of pointy things you need for that particular yarn. If you want to start with a simple scarf or toque* project, choose thicker yarn and corresponding thicker needles. If you're ready to launch into socks choose a thinner yarn (fingering or sport for normal socks; or worsted for super thick bed socks). Socks are typically knit as tubes. You will need "double pointed needles" or "circular needles." Ask your local yarn shop for suggestions.

Internet-solutions
If you (think you) don't have a local yarn store, here is information for purchasing yarn on-line. The Original Drupal Socks were made from three different yarns: "Gems Sport Weight" by Louet in Cream, Caribbean Blue and Neptune. You will need one of each (I had less than 5 yards left of the Carribean Blue, you might want to buy two units of the darker blue to be on the safe side). These can be ordered on-line from:
http://www.shopatron.com/index/378.0.10974.20411.0.0.0
If the price of yarn makes you very afraid, you should also try Knit Picks. It looks like their Swish Worsted Yarn in Deep Ocean and Capri might be a good match. Don't forget the natural white too! You will also need to get needles. This can be overwhelming. I knit The Drupal Socks on 3mm (US size 2) double pointed needles. If you are buying worsted weight yarn you probably want 4mm needles (US size 6). Ping me if you need more help choosing needles.

If you are interested in cross stitch and cuss words, I recommend getting one of the deluxe kits from: http://www.subversivecrossstitch.com/ You will not get the right shades of blue from this Web site. Chances are very good there is somewhere in your town to buy "embroidery floss." I will also bring some extra with me if you ask nicely.

If you are interested in embroidery (a little more free-form than cross stitch): http://sublimestitching.com/lapetitekit.html Also buy up some t-shirt stabilizer if you want to embroider Druplicon onto a t-shirt. http://sublimestitching.com/tools.html You will not get the right shades of blue from this Web site. Chances are very good there is somewhere in your town to buy "embroidery floss." I will also bring some extra with me if you ask nicely.

Interested in quilting? Me too. If you're even remotely interested in sewing the chances are good you already know where you can buy fabric supplies....ping me if you need more help on this one.

If you are flying (especially from North America): DO NOT PUT SCISSORS IN YOUR CARRY-ON! They will be taken from you. Knitting needles and crochet hooks are fine within North America, but I don't know about Hungary. Please check with your airline.

* toque: a Canadian winter hat

PS I make no apologies for the amount of craft supplies you will purchase over the rest of your lifetime now that you're addicted to crafts. While I'm pretty sure it is slightly cheaper than buying crack, I can't actually confirm this is true.