Upcoming events

There's a lot coming up this fall (aka I got a couple of fall catalogs not long ago). This is so I can try to keep track of things that seemed interesting.

The fall lineup of World Music starts September 10. There are lots of concerts with overseas groups, plus some dance performances; it's worth checking out the whole lineup to see what appeals. Some highlights: whirling dervishes (October 7), a couple of fado singers, some African singing groups, the Alloy Orchestra playing for a screening of the old silent Phantom of the Opera movie (October 28), Chinese acrobats (November 6), Japanese drummers (November 18), the UnPossessed (based on Don Quixote, and the picture reminding me of a performace at Brandeis a couple of years ago, which was wonderful. Aha, it's by the same group.)(November 16-20), and a showcase of local contemporary dance (December 9-10).

Sunday, September 11, Ma'ayan is hosting a morning of learning, preparing for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. 9:15 am -12:30 pm, at Maimonides, $8 in advance, $10 at the door.

September 24 and 25 is the Three Apples Storytelling Festival, out in Harvard (the town, not the university). The schedule has changed from previous years, with performances Saturday, and master classes Sunday. Prices range, with an early-bird discount through September 22). I might go Saturday night, but that's the only time that works for me.
(Note that there are some free earlier preview performances at a number of public libraries.)

Sunday, October 2, there's going to be a mushroom walk (through CCAE), somewhere out in Lincoln/Concord. 1 pm - 5 pm, $65.
There's also a slide show and lecture the Thursday evening before; the description includes the fascinating phrase "how they may be crucial in solving several global problems." $15, 8 pm - 10 pm, 56 Brattle Street.

Harvard Square's Oktoberfest is also October 2.

Most Mondays this fall, starting October 17, CCAE has poetry readings, by a variety of different poets. 8 pm, 56 Brattle Street, almost all are $3.

Wednesday, October 19, CCAE is having a free talk by Candelaria Silva, directo of ACT Roxbury. 8 pm, 56 Brattle Street, advance reservations recommended.

Saturday, October 29, there is a storytelling by Jennifer Justice. 8 pm - 10 pm, 56 Brattle Street, $13 in advance, $15 at the door.

Wednesday, November 9, CCAE is having a free panel discussion about William Lloyd Garrison, a leading abolitionist. 8 pm - 10 pm, 56 Brattle Street.

Clasping

I've been using different clasps for the jewelry I've been crocheting. I started trying to crochet a thick piece at one end (with a loop to go over it at the other), but that didn't work at all well. Next I tried using crocheted hyperbolic 'flowers' (rather like the fifth one in the top row), which works well as a clasp and is pretty, but is also labor intensive, and a bit too much for some of the simpler bracelets, unless the clasp becomes the focal point.

The only kind of clasp I've tried where I haven't crocheted a loop to go over something is using metal findings, which have the advantage of being already designed for the job, but the disadvantages of having to be put on the thread before the beginning of the project, and not being decorative (read: not as interesting to me). Also, those with metal allergies might not be able to wear it.

A couple of weeks ago I realized I could use buttons with large shanks that I can crochet through. I like this, despite the fact that the buttons with large enough shanks tend to be metal, because they're pretty, and I can put multiple stitches through them, which not only makes them more securely fastened, but wraps them enough that metal-allergic people might be able to wear them.

Unfortunately, I haven't yet found beads with large enough holes that I can crochet through them, rather than stringing them on at the beginning (this applies also to shells with holes, too, for the most part). When I was on the bead quest, I did find jingle bells are just large enough to crochet through, which lead to the thought of making bell anklets, for dancing in.

This morning I had another idea: making a monkey fist knot from slightly larger thread, and crocheting through it before it's fully tightened. I haven't made a monkey's fist in a long time, but the diagrams are pretty clear.