Sunday, May 19 | 1:00-3:00pm | Downtown MPR | Grades 6th-Adult

Help us yarn bomb the garden at the downtown library! What is yarn bombing? It’s a form of knit graffiti and public art. We will be adding a coat of knitted color to our luscious outdoor garden.

At the program you’ll learn how to knit a small piece with our knit-cam and an instructor to help guide you. At the end of the program we'll use the pieces we created to yarn bomb the exterior garden by attaching them to trees and the like. We'd love your help with this art collaboration! The knitting instruction starts at 1pm, and it’s not an easy program to arrive late to if you plan to knit for the first time.

We highly encourage experienced knitters and crocheters to also join us. Or if you have a piece already made, bring it to the program and we’ll direct you to the garden yarn bomb zone!

We have a ton of yarn on hand, but ask that you bring size 8 or 9 needles if you have them.

For more info on yarn bombing see this great website, and check out the book Yarn bombing: The art of crochet and knit graffiti.

What better way to celebrate the return of warm weather than hopping on your bike and going somewhere? May is National Bike Month, so get your tires checked and peddle away!

Not sure where to go? Check out Washtenaw County Bike Rides : A Guide to Road Rides In and Around Ann Arbor for local trips. If you're a bicycle commuter, it's important to keep up with maintenance for those daily treks. Essential Bicycle Maintenance & Repair or The Urban Biking Handbook : The DIY Guide to Building, Rebuilding, Tinkering with, and Repairing Your Bicycle for City Living can help you with that. Looking for something comprehensive, covering maintenance, skill, and rules of the road? Try Effective Cycling. For the serious cyclist, take a look at Fifty Places to Bike Before You Die : Biking Experts Share the World's Greatest Destinations.

Commuters, don't forget to get involved with Ann Arbor's getDowntown program!

Sunday May 12, 2013: 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm OR 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Learn how to make delicate and creative mosaic pieces to be worn as jewelry! Shannon Kuchera of mosaicgeek.com will share her talent at this unique workshop. All supplies will be provided.

This event (which is repeated at 3:30 pm - please attend only one of these sessions) is for adults and teens (grade 6 and up)

TinkerHub Webcast: Backyard Brains
Tinkerhub is a webcast collaboration between Ann Arbor District Library and All Hands Active, Ann Arbor’s Makerspace. Recorded in Downtown Ann Arbor, TinkerHub webcasts connect learning, technology, and the Ann Arbor community.

In this episode of Tinkerhub, Josh and Terence talk to Tim Marzullo about his company Backyard Brains. Co-founded here in Ann Arbor, Backyard Brains helps make tangible how electricity helps control the body, all using inventions that can then be carried around in their pockets! Tune in as Josh watches the messages that he sends to make his muscles twitch.

Links mentioned in the episode:

• All Hands Active website
• Backyard Brains
• Backyard Brains TED talk
• Instructables

Library resources mentioned:

• Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants by Peter D'Amato
• Makers by Cory Doctorow
• Rapture of the Nerds by Cory Doctorow
• The Boy Mechanic by the editors of Popular Mechanics

Past AADL-All Hands Active Events

• 3d Printing
• Introduction to Game Programming
• Seeing Electricity
• Maker Music
• Line-Following Robots

Wednesday, April 17 | 7:00-8:00pm | Pittsfield Branch | 6th - Adult

It's National Library Week! Let's celebrate the DIY way.

Stencil up a plain canvas tote bag any way you’d like! We'll have the totes, the paint, and stencil supplies, you bring the design ideas. We'll be exploring freezer paper and contact paper methods. It’ll be totes fun. (Feel free to bring a drawing or a print of a design you think would work as a stencil to put on a tote.)

Friday, April 5 | 1 - 2 pm | Downtown Library | Grade 3 - 8

Learn how to make musical instruments out of household items, such as a Bee Buzzer out of popsicle sticks and rubber bands and a Brazilian Laughing Cup (aka Cuica) out of a paper cup and a paper clip. Also try making a didgeridoo, a sound sandwich, and a straw oboe!

There will be several items from the AADL's new Music Tools collection available for playing as well as for checkout.

This event is for grades 3 - 8.

If the bleak winter so far hasn't already had you dusting off your knitting needles or roaming the local craft stores looking for something to do, now's a good time to start! March is National Craft Month, and the Ann Arbor District Library is a great resource for books on sewing, crocheting, scrapbooking, woodworking, and a whole lot more. Dive deeper into your favorite craft or pick up a new one!

Here's some titles from our collection to get you started:
Sewn By Hand: Two Dozen Projects Stitched with Needle and Thread
Knitting Off the Axis: Projects & Techniques for Sideways Knitting
The Weekend Woodworker's Project Collection : 40 Projects for the Time-Challenged Craftsman
Weekend Handmade : More than 40 Projects + Ideas for Inspired Crafting
Home, Paper, Scissors: Decorative Paper Accessories for the Home

It's the debut of AADL's Logo Remix Contest! Make your own video-animated "remix" of the AADL logo and enter it to win prizes! We'll host open workshops in early March with our computers and software available for you to get started building your entry! A few selected animations will be projected above AADL's activity area during the Ann Arbor FoolMoon event. Get the contest guidelines starting Friday, February 22nd at aadl.org or have staff print them out for you.

Workshops will be held on Thursday, March 7, 2013 at 7:00pm - 8:30pm and Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 10:00am - 12:00pm in the Downtown Library, Training Center on the 3rd Floor. The contest entry deadline is Monday, March 25.

Click on the links to get a copy of the AADL logo image file in both PNG and JPEG formats!

Have questions? Call the Downtown Youth Desk, visit our contests page, or send an email to remix@aadl.org! Want to know more about FoolMoon? Go to festifools.org.

Sunday, March 3 | 2:30 - 4 pm | Pittsfield Branch Program Room | Teen to Adult

Looking for new craft ideas? How about ribbon crafts!

Come learn how to make beautiful bows and flowers out of ribbon. We’ll be trying four crafts out of The Complete Photo Guide to Ribbon Crafts, including a ribbon rose and a five-pedaled flower. They're perfect for hair accessories or brooches or even decorating gifts. All materials will be provided. Some crafts will require simple sewing.
ribbon rose

Wednesday, February 20 | 1 - 2 pm | Downtown Library Multi-Purpose Room | Grade 3 - Adult

Washi tape is a popular, decorative, Japanese paper tape used in craft projects. We have a variety of colors and patterns of washi tape, along with various colors of card stock and other patterned paper available for you to make greeting card images and other inspired crafts.

If you have never heard of washi tape, check out this Pinterest pinboard for great project ideas. You could also bring an item from home to decorate, and feel free to bring a your own roll(s) of washi tape to use along with ours to create your greeting card, if you like!

This event is for youth (Grade 3 and up), teens, and adults.