About this project
The Plan: In a twist on tradition, crochet a functional yurt out of a continuous strand of felted wool (think: really huge yarn) to create a beautiful, self-supporting housing structure (visualize a woolly igloo).
Keeping it Local: Source the wool from friendly flocks in New Hampshire. Prep the fleece for felting by hand-cleaning and with the help of a nearby mill. Hand-felt and crochet the final project at Sunnycrest, our farm in New Hampshire!
Sustainable Design: Wool is a renewable resource and crochet is a strong, unique, regular system with which to built lasting products. The dome and arch shape has been used throughout time due to its lasting strength. We're hoping to apply this proof of concept further to other materials, shapes, sizes and uses including recycled, collapsible homeless shelters or winter plant covers, etc. The possibilities are endless!
Fund Use: Funds raised will go almost exclusively to getting the 500+ pounds of wool from the sheep's back to a feltable material and for the bubble wrap and soap needed for felting too.
**Note: In order to receive the funds pledged I need to raise up to or, even better, OVER the $5,500 by January 1st -- if the target's not met none of the money is transferred -- so let's blow this one out of the water**
More Project Info: www.yurtalert.com
Twitter: @theyurtalert (www.twitter.com/theyurtalert)
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pokate/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/yurtalert
Inspirational Crochet Video from the TED Conference: http://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_wertheim_crochets_the_coral_reef.html
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
101
Backers
$5,680
pledged of $5,500 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on January 1, 2010.
Pledge $1 or more
Photo of the sheep, finished yurt or an awesome part of the process -- your choice!
Pledge $10 or more
Photo of the sheep, finished yurt or an awesome part of the process + a "scale model" (mini-yurt) of the project crocheted out of locally spun yarn!
Pledge $25 or more
Photo of one particular sheep from our local flock with an information card and a sample of their wool + a "scale model" (mini-yurt) of the project crocheted out of locally spun yarn + a shout out on www.YurtAlert.com!
Pledge $50 or more
An awesome 15 piece crocheted mini-yurt work of wall art + photo of the sheep, finished yurt or an awesome part of the process + a shout out!
Pledge $100 or more
Personal yurt alerts by me (frequency is of your choosing) + a 30 piece crocheted mini-yurt work of wall art + a shout out in the Yurt Alert!
Pledge $250 or more
I’ll send you a package so you can felt a segment yourself (complete with everything you'll need and all instructions + return packaging) + a 40 piece crocheted mini-yurt work of wall art + a Yurt Alert shout out!
Pledge $500 or more
An invitation to come be a part of the process in New Hampshire, learn how to felt, and make a segment of cord to be included in the yurt + a 50 piece crocheted mini-yurt work of wall art + a Yurt Alert shout out!
Pledge $1,000 or more
An invitation to spend two nights in the yurt (or with it, depending on the weather) upon completion + personal yurt alerts by me (frequency is of your choosing) + a 60 piece crocheted mini-yurt work of wall art + a shout out in the Yurt Alert!
Project By
Has not connected their Facebook account.
I'm 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. This was further reinforced 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 -- now it's time to see what I can do with huge hand-felted cord.
By day I work in media relations for technology companies at Brew PR, by night I nurse my textile addiction.
