View source for Tar Valon Crafters Unite!

Author: [[Nymala Ingasy]]
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[[file:TVT 09 2015 heading craftersunite.jpg]]<br><br>

The pleasure of meeting and speaking to someone who is a fellow crafter of the fiber arts never gets old to me. Whether it's walking into a yarn store and hearing the familiar clicking of needles or meeting with friends to sit in a knitters' and crafters' circle, that shared enthusiasm never goes away. It's the instant friendship and familiarity of meeting someone who has the same passions as yourself. This month, I got that feeling when I had the opportunity to speak to Polegnyn Nemeara of Team Ta'veren. I hadn't heard of the group, so I set aside the time to find out what it was. She and her team of crafters have some opportunities for those of us on Tar Valon who craft.<br>

'''Nymala Ingasy''': Please tell me about Team Ta’veren and what it does.<br>

'''Polegnyn Nemeara''': Team Ta’veren is a fiber arts and crafting team participating in the Nerdopolis crafting tournament at Ravelry.com. While based in an independent Knitters of the Wheel group, Team Ta’veren represents The Wheel of Time fandom among other fandom-based Nerdopolis teams such as Team Tardis (Dr. Who fandom), Team Precious (Tolkien’s world), or teams with broader scopes such as Team Shady Cells (anything related to comic books or anime) or Team Space Alliance (anything related to science fiction). As one can tell from those examples, scopes may overlap a little, but that gives people a lot of room to stretch if they are unable to decide on a single fandom.<br>

The name for Team Ta’veren was inspired by the Rand, Mat, and Perrin. These three, as every Wheel of Time fan knows, are considered ta’veren of considerable strength. As team captain, I currently use an avatar with the title “Amyrlin”. However, in reality, the team is structured more like The Kin of Ebou Dar. We do not have ranks among our team. The only purpose in my use of the title “Amyrlin” is to provide a WoT-inspired term to signify “leadership” and draw the attention of fellow Wheel of Time enthusiasts from the main Ravelry.com community.<br>

[[File:TVTCU1.jpg|400px|thumb|left|Polegnyn’s Mini Amyrlin Stole Bookmark for the Nerdopolis Wildcard: Love theme. Nerd Cred: "Though the series is written by a guy(s), the abundance of strong feminine roles in The Wheel of Time is what made me fall in love with this nerdery. The largest population of these strong women reside in the White Tower, home to the Aes Sedai faction in the series. They are generally trained to be calm, cool, and collected in every hectic situation (another thing I admire), insofar that it is even discouraged to use Saidar until they personally feel threatened or their fellow sisters or warders are threatened. Each Aes Sedai belongs to one of seven groups called Ajahs, and are represented by either blue (those devoted justice and righteous causes), green (the battle ajah), yellow (the healers), red (those that search for men who can Channel for fear of another Breaking), gray (the diplomats and mediators), white (those that study logic and philosophy), or brown (the historians or librarians of the White Tower library). Their leader is called the Amyrlin Seat. Typically female, she wears a striped stole made up of all seven Ajah colors. It is a symbol of unity as it is known the Amyrlin is “off all Ajahs but of none”. To represent all the strong feminine roles throughout the Wheel of Time series is why I made a bookmark version of the Amyrlin’s stole."]]

In addition to representing The Wheel of Time in Nerdopolis, Team Ta’veren also hosts intramural “quests” based on the series. One can earn badges by creating items based on your favorite moment in each book, something inspired by each thread of the One Power or Ajah, something inspired by the different factions throughout Randland, and various other ways that add Wheel of Time-inspired flair to personal projects.<br>

[[File:TVTCU2.jpg|200px|thumb|right|
VioletAmnesia’s Rainbow Jewelry for the Nerdopolis Lab: Medieval Art theme. Nerd Cred: “This set would be ideal for Egwene who is Amyrlin of all ajahs and none but feels a pull to the green ajah. Even if she never got to join officially, the extra green of the earrings could add that touch without too much offense.”]]

'''NI''': What types of crafters do you have on your team?<br>



'''PN''': Team Ta’veren is made up all types of crafters. We have knitters, crocheters, weavers, and spinners who also make buttons, pottery, books, bake, and sew while away from Ravelry. Nerdopolis provides a non-fiber related theme along with five other fiber related challenges. This challenge attracts a lot of non-fiber related hobbies such as illustration, pottery, leatherwork, cooking/baking, and even building robots. Basically, if it’s a tangible item then it will work for at least one Nerdopolis theme! Each team has a wide-range of overlapping talents and skills, and Nerdopolis does its best to encourage those interests while remaining focused on the fiber-related crafts Ravelry.com is structured around.<br>


[[File:TVTCU3.jpg|200px|thumb|center|kgregis’ Laundry Today x-stitch for the Nerdopolis Lab: Medieval Art theme. Nerd Cred: "After being Stilled and “kidnapping” Logain, Siuan’s mouth gets her into trouble, again, and she ends up being a servant to Gareth Bryne. In Path of Daggers, she complains about washing his smallclothes and polishing his boots.”]]

'''NI''': What is Nerdopolis?<br>

'''PN''': Nerdopolis is a group of self-described nerds and geeks located within the Ravelry.com community. We particularly enjoy relating our creations to our favorite fandoms or less mainstream interests.<br>

The Nerdopolis competition itself occurs three times a year and spans three-month periods (February through April, June through August, and November through December). Each month has seven unique themes as suggested and voted upon by Nerdopolis participants. Projects for any of theme are to be completed by each team member within that month in order to earn a star (or point) for your team. A single person can earn a single star or up to five stars for their team as determined by their desired level of participation or crafting preference. The team with the most stars wins a shiny badge for their group page or member’s individual profile pages. Projects requiring more than a month have their own category called “Summit Seekers”. These projects can earn a star for any progress within the month.<br>

[[File:TVTCU4.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Dragonstar’s Tweedy Leaves for the Nerdopolis Area 51: Reboot theme. Nerd Cred: "Shawls were worn by all Aes Sedai. This shawl is brown for the Brown Ajah, who constantly seek knowledge of the world around them. The shawl is edged with leaves as botany is one of the many subjects of interest.”]]

The rules for Nerdopolis above can be fairly overwhelming to beginners so I’ll also provide an example. One theme from July was “Farmers’ Market”. Participants crafted projects inspired by farmers’ markets or items found at farmers’ markets. Not all projects resembled stands, fruit, or vegetables. Projects also related to the theme through color, structure, or pattern.<br>

So where do the our fandoms come into play? We don’t stop at joining fandom-based teams for simple theme completion. Nerdopolis participants go one step further to relate projects to our team’s fandom which is referred to as “Nerd Cred”. One of Team Ta’veren’s members submitted a Mario Brothers-inspired piranha plant amigurumi for the Farmers’ Market theme. While seemingly unrelated to Wheel of Time, the team member referenced Nynaeve’s (and other village healers) use of herbs and other potted plants for remedies to common ailments. Or, if she were a member of Team Precious, she might have referenced Tauriel’s use of the Kingsfoil herb in the movie to aid in healing Kili during their journey through Laketown. Nerd Cred is also tracked and participants are entered to win various prizes through a random number generated drawing at the end of each three-month tournament.<br>

[[File:TVTCU5.jpg|200px|thumb|right|TheEvilPretty1’s Piranha Plant amigurumi for the Carousel Global Community: Farmer’s Market theme. Nerd Cred: "Wisdom is a term used in the Two Rivers region of Andor to describe a village healer, found in many names as you cross the world but fairly constant in terms of occupation. They practice mastery of herbal remedies and are adept at treating illnesses and such. My favorite character Nynaeve al’Meara was a village wisdom and I wonder what she would make of this guy. What properties do you think he would have?”]]



'''NI''': How can the crafters of Tar Valon help Team Ta’veren?<br>




'''PN''': Team Ta’veren is extending an invitation to those at TarValon.net to join Team Ta’veren (or Nerdopolis in general) as we provide another outlet for crafting ''Wheel of Time'' fans. We don’t want to remove their contributions from TarValon.Net, but maybe something beneficial could be worked out for both parties as in the books. Otherwise, it is safe to say we would simply love to connect with other Wheel of Time fans through the fiber arts, as well as to help support The ''Wheel of Time'' community as a whole in the best way possible.<br>

[[File:TVTCU6.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Siuan1’s Plants Vs. Zombie Cake for the Nerdopolis Lab: Fan Fiction. Nerd Cred: "Zombies are undead creatures. In the Wheel of Time books are Myrddraals, undead-like officers commanding the Trollocs."]]



'''NI''': Do you do Servant of All-type projects?<br>




'''PN''': Yes, Team Tavern participates in charitable projects within and outside of Nerdopolis on an individual basis. At least one monthly Nerdopolis theme is devoted to charitable acts whether it be monetary or physical donations. We are still able to apply Wheel of Time-related Nerd Cred to these donations when we post our submission in the relevant Nerdopolis category. Even during the Nerdopolis breaks, members continue to make such donations thanks to the resources fellow Nerdopolites post about throughout the tournaments. Personally speaking, I never knew about Charity Miles until a fellow Nerdopolite posted she was making her donation through them. I started using the service even during our break months because of her experience.<br>



[[File:TVTCU7.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Siuan1’s The Water Project Donation for the Nerdopolis Change the World: Water Water theme. Nerd Cred: "Water is one of the five elements used by the One Power in Wheel of Time."]]

Having said that, Team Ta’veren has yet to make a charitable contribution as a team. We’re only in our second-ever Nerdopolis tournament. Team Ta’veren’s founding members are still getting to know one another, but some day we can organize meetups and participate in a charity during said meetup. It would certainly abide by the “Servant of All” ethic Robert Jordan envisioned for the Aes Sedai.<br>

[[File:TVTCU8.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Jaedra’s Ceiling Cat Yarn for the Wildcard: Meme theme. Nerd Cred: "To become an Aes Sedai you must first become a Novice in the White Tower. To become a Novice is known as “put in white” as there is a strict all white dress code for Novices."]]



'''NI''': What more would you like us to know about you?<br>




'''PN''': While Nerdopolis is a competition, everyone is extremely relaxed, encouraging, and tolerant. Each participant agrees to abide by Wheaton’s Law before registering for each new Nerdopolis tournament. Everyone jumps in to help even if a person on another team is struggling with motivation or Nerd Cred. And sure, while you end up knowing your teammates best, overall it’s a very positive and supportive group that focuses more on setting and reaching goals rather than attaining stars at all costs.<br>

[[File:TVTCU9.jpg|200px|thumb|right|(Lepida’s Have a Cherry Pie Day! amigurumi for the Nerdopolis University: Pi Day theme. Nerd Cred: "There’s lots of food in the Wheel of Time series, so I bring you some WoT Pi(e)s: meat pies with beef from Ebou Dar, squash pie from Andor, brown crusted meat pie cooked on a charcoal grill with mutton from Far Madding, apple pie from Tar Valon We need more dessert pies imho! So I’m happy to give my recipe to the Wheel of Time people ^^"]]

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In speaking to Polegnyn, I not only saw a fellow crafter and Wheel of Time enthusiast, but also someone who is actively trying to bring the Servant of All philosophy into our world. If you are a crafter of any type and would like more information on the Team Ta'veren, please search for them on Ravelry under the main group of Nerdopolis, and then search for The Knitters of the Wheel. Thank you to Polegnyn and Team Ta'Veren for their time!<br<br>

[https://www.tarvalon.net/content.php?1540-Tar-Valon-Crafters-Unite!| Tar Valon Times Newsletter version]




[[Category:Tar Valon Times 2015|C ]]
[[Category:Crafts]]