If you're anywhere near Sheboygan, Wisconsin, before the end of the year, make sure you visit the John Michael Kohler Arts Center to see Xenobia Bailey's crocheted art. Faythe Levine snapped these photos today. Oh, to be able to see the exhibit in person!

I'm in love with this series of crochet-covered sea stones by Margaret Oomen. It's such a lovely juxtaposition.

[Photos by knitalatte11; found via some stream of clicking beginning with a tweet from Sister Diane]

Flickr user Inger Carina's caption to this photo of her lace-crochet work is, "For the record; I don't like guns."

I love the juxtaposition of fine lace and firearms, and I imagine it's a meaningful one whether you're a fan of guns or not (I'm not).

Do you ever find yourself compelled to express your opinions through your crochet work? What's your take on Carina's?

Artist Kristina Wong needs our help, and it's help that should be pretty easy to give. Why? Because all she needs is for crocheters and knitters to send her an unfinished project we know we'll never finish. Here are the deets, in her words:

Your unfinished sweater, 5" scarf, or one-sided poncho can be famous for fifteen minutes or more if you donate it to Wong's set of "Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Don't be ashamed you never finished what you started. Donate now and feel good for letting your abandoned project transform into a live piece of art. All donators will receive "set construction" credit in the program wherever this show tours.

Why unfinished projects? "Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" explores the sky-high rates of mental illness and suicide among Asian Pacific Islander American Women. APIA women have the highest rates of suicide in the country in a statistic that seems to be widely unpublicized and often disregarded. The unfinished projects collection represents women's work, incomplete intentions, "spinning a yarn," and loneliness. During the show, Kristina uses the projects to represent "unravelling" women and even unravels some of them on stage. These knitted and crocheted pieces may also be displayed as part of an art installation later in the run.

Thanks to the popularity of Kristina's show, Vogue Knitting featured an article about it in their Spring/Summer 2007 issue. It is also being remounted in Los Angeles.

See Kristina Wong's "Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," from September 19, 2008 to October 5, 2008, Fridays to Saturdays, at the Santa Monica's Miles Memorial Playhouse (1130 Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403). Click here to buy tickets in advance.

Here's how you can participate:

1) We love yarn and knitting projects that come in any color OTHER than black and white.
2) Remove your needle or hook from the piece. If possible run some waste yarn through the loops. No need to bind off. I'd prefer if it wasn't!
3) Write a note describing yourself, why you knit, and what the project was supposed to be and why it never came to be.
4) Send your unfinished knitting projects by SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 to:

Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
C/O Kristina Wong
PO Box 251664
Los Angeles, CA  90025

No projects will be returned (you will probably be grateful for this). If you offer your name, I will credit you in the program.

For our LA run, it looks like we have just locked in donations of yarn from Artyarns and will be giving FREE SKEINS to knitters and crocheters who flash their hooks or sticks at the door!