Begone with you

Got an email a few days ago about a call for unfinished knitting projects, to be used as set pieces for a play.

So I dug up my first attempt at a scarf.







Yes, it does have a cable down the middle. But, it also has crossed stitches, new yarn joined in the middle of a row, and I thought two skeins would be enough for a scarf.

I briefly considered keeping it for sentimental reasons, but seeing as I don't actually remember knitting it, that excuse wouldn't work. Plus, I'm genetically predisposed to hord crap, and although I'm doing pretty good at the moment in terms of stuffage, this scarf just might be the gateway garment. Next thing you know, I'm 70 years old and still holding on to my gauge swatches afghan squares.

If anyone wants to share postage, bring your knitting to the store, affixed with all the necessary info.

________________

Dear Knitters,

Got an old knitting project that you don’t plan to
ever finish?
Half done socks?
Five inches of a scarf?
Now they can be part of a touring theater piece!

Help performer Kristina Wong demystify the
knitting circle and unravel the deep psyche of the
master crafter in her new solo show “Wong Flew Over
the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Your donations of unfinished
knitting pieces from around the world will be included
as part of the set for a live serio-comic exploration
of maintaining sanity in times that seem almost
fictitious.

All contributors will receive “set construction”
program credit for the life of the show. (Please
forward this notice to all the knitters you know)

Your friends in crafting,
The Cuckoo’s Nest

WHY UNFINISHED KNITTING?
“Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” originally
set out to explore the sky-high rates of mental
illness and suicide among Asian Pacific Islander
Women. Asian Pacific Islander American women have the
highest rates of suicide in the country in a statistic
that seems to be widely unpublicized and often
disregarded. The unfinished knitting collected
represent incomplete intentions, women’s work,“spinning a yarn,” and loneliness. During the show,
Kristina uses the knitting pieces to represent
“unravelling” women and even unravels some of the
pieces during the show. These knit pieces may also be
displayed as part of an art installation later in the
run.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING:
Please include the skein of yarn (if there is one)
attached to your unfinished knitting. Include the
knitting needle it’s sitting on, or if you want to
keep you needles, pull some waste yarn through the
loops so that your piece doesn’t unravel in the mail.

On a sheet of paper please include the following
information. This information is all optional as it
may be displayed as part of a public installation of
this work.

Name (or alias)
Gender
Age
Ethnic identification
Where do you live/ Where are you from?
What was the original intention when you cast on
this piece?
What reasons do you have for not finishing it?
Any information about this piece that is pertinent
to its history or to your history.
If you are interested in knowing where “Wong Flew
Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is touring to, please include
your email address.

Note: Your name and hometown must be included if
you want to be credited for “set construction.”


DO SEND:
Unfinished knitting, all different shapes and
colors that can be unraveled if pulled at the string.
This could be the sleeve of a sweater you never
finished, the first scarf you started, or any other
piece of knitting that for some reason or another you
have not managed to finish nor do you anticipate will
represent incomplete intentions, women’s work,
“spinning a yarn,” and loneliness. During the show,
Kristina uses the knitting pieces to represent
“unravelling” women and even unravels some of the
pieces during the show. These knit pieces may also be
displayed as part of an art installation later in the
run.


YOUR KNITTING WILL NOT BE RETURNED!
At the end of the run of “Wong Flew Over the
Cuckoo’s Nest,” the remaining pieces will be stitched
together to create blankets for charity. Any attached
skeins of yarn will be cut and also given to charity.

TIMELINE:
* Knitting received by December 1, 2006 will
appear in the Berkeley premiere of WFOTCN on December
9 and the run at MACLA in San Jose December 15-16.
* Knitting received by March 15, 2006 will appear
in the East Coast premiere of WFOTCN March 23-24 at
the Painted Bride in Philadelphia, PA.
* Knitting may also appear in other national
performances of this show.

MAIL YOUR KNITTING TO:
KRISTINA WONG
WONG FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST
PO BOX 251664
LOS ANGELES, CA 90025 USA

Please do not send anything COD.

QUESTIONS/ PRESS INQUIRIES?
Http://www.kristinawong.com
k@kristinasherylwong.com