FRINGE
culturelife
CUSTOM FRAMING an d GALLERY
art scene
LONDON & AREA
4300 sq ft gallery of regional contemporary artists (519) 204-0404 www.fringecustomframingandgallery.com 1742 Hyde Park Road, London
Knot just for knitters SHOP OFFERS CREATIVE OUTLET By Beth Stewart
Walk through the door of this 1842 Heritage Home
You’ll find many of the best and most popular yarns, including several Canadian hand-dyed yarns, lots of great tools, notions, spinning wheels, looms, classes and lots of samples.
LITTLE RED MITTEN
86 Talbot St., St. Thomas, ON 519-207-2880 www.littleredmitten.ca • info@littleredmitten.ca 56 Lifestyle September/October 2017
“Open, airy, well laid out and informative,” is how loyal customer Heather Neveu describes the ambience at Little Red Mitten, which occupies a two-storey repurposed heritage house near the Jumbo statue in St. Thomas. Owner Joan Janes’ incredible array of yarns and notions make good use of the building’s original rooms. Community is a big part of knitting, and one of the rooms does double duty on Wednesday afternoons and Friday evenings when knitters gather to work and chat. “It’s one of the most important things about this place,” Janes says. Upstairs is an office, yarn storage and a classroom. Janes is certified as a Master Knitter with the Knitting Guild Association and has logged in over 1,600 hours of teaching time at Little Red Mitten. Staff member Linda Elkins teaches rigid heddle weaving. Knitting has many mental and physical benefits, and, says Janes, “it is definitely entertaining.” Janes has seen an upsurge in knitting since the late 1990s. She credits the internet with turning a younger generation on to it. Chat rooms and question sharing sites have caused an explosion in knitting knowledge. “Making is cool,” says Janes. “Contemporary knitters are rebelling against ready-made as they long for the fabulous feeling of accomplishment that comes from doing it yourself.” The texture and colour of yarns also gives one an incentive to knit. Janes sees similarities between knitting and pointillism as both employ distinct dots of colour to paint a picture. As to what her motivation is, Joan Janes says: “I wouldn’t be near as happy at a baseball game if I didn’t have my knitting.”
1 Image courtesy of tanya rIvard
2
1 THEATRE London Fringe: Nuit Blanche, September 30, 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Celebrate the city’s commitment to contemporary art. This indescribable, one-nightonly event takes over Downtown London at sunset with performance art, visual art, interactive displays and more. www.londonfringe.ca/ nuitblanche
2 FESTIVAL
scarecrow scavenger Hunt at taste of fall, ltvca pHoto
3 InsIde tHe moon Beam By tom dIetrIcH, oIl on panel, 24 By 24
Ska-Nah-Doht Village and Museum: Taste of Fall, Sunday, October 1, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., 8348 Longwoods Road, Mount Brydges. Celebrate the harvest season sampling corn soup and fried bread. Also on site: local artists, wagon rides and entertainment. Official opening of the new Canada 150 longhouse. www.ltvca.ca
3 VISUAL ART Illumine Gallery: Shift, September 29 to October 28 28, 364 Talbot Street, St Thomas. Eight regional artists explore the differences and similarities between abstract and non-representational art. Opening reception is September 29, 7 p.m. www.illuminegallery.com
Little Red Mitten • 86 Talbot Street, St. Thomas • 519-207-2880 • www.littleredmitten.com