No matter how early I start
or how fast I knit,
my projects and Christmas
never seem to be on the same schedule.
Blessings for Your Holidays
20 Monday Dec 2010
Category Archives: Knitting
Jacobsburg Mittens
21 Tuesday Sep 2010
Posted in Knitting, Knitting Sites, Other Favorite Sites
We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act
but a habit.
[Aristotle]
Last weekend, I led a one-day knitting workshop in the lovely hills of eastern Ohio. I designed mittens for the occasion. Eleven knitters worked from the eight-page pattern leaflet.
The child-size pair (left in photo) were knitted using Plymouth Encore worsted weight yarn and US #2 needles. The adult-size pair (right) were knitted using Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride yarn and US #3 needles.
This pattern was designed for beginning through intermediate level knitters. Knitters could choose to knit a ribbed cuff in one color and focus upon the basic texture-stitch techniques, or knit a two-color, stranded cuff with a one color, textured hand.
Connie King of the Pleasant Home Woolen Company organized the event with a delicious carry-in lunch. She also shared her home with me for the weekend—a delightful farm home with breath-taking views of the Ohio hill country. Thank you Connie.
Generational Sandwich
03 Friday Sep 2010
Posted in Knitting, Knitting Sites, My Client's Sites, Thoughts
Sometimes I feel like a generational sandwich.
I’m an often-exhausted knitter positioned
in between two energetic, prolific, talented fiber artists—
my mother and my daughter.
Wonder if that makes me bologna or peanut butter?
[KMM]
My daughter, Ellen Roberts (Shepherd’s Moon), emailed me photos of her latest projects. She spun tie-dyed (grape and cherry kool aid) merino plied with tussah silk then knit the pinkish lace shawl. The pattern is based on Marianne Kinzel’s Azeala pattern, but Ellen took out one repeat, and knitted back and forth so it is a broken pentagon. She writes that she has now started on a scarf that is Bluefaced Leicester, tie-dyed green, plied with tussah silk. The pattern is Mosaic in the Marianne Kinzel book. I am tired just thinking about her flurry of work.
(The new masthead is cropped from another Jim Miller (Willowgreen Publishing) photograph. When I install a new masthead photo, I retire the old ones to the Masthead Page—see the tab above.)
Teamwork
25 Friday Jun 2010
Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.
[Ryunosuke Satoro]
This photo was taken at TNNA 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. Therese Chynoweth, on the right, is author of the book, Norwegian Sweater Techniques for Today’s Knitter. She was the technical pattern editor for Andrea Wong’s new book, Portuguese Style Knitting. Andrea is in the middle and I am on the left.
P.S. The quote on this post could be paraphrased to read, Individually it is a stitch. Together they are a sweater.
Fall Knitting Classes
24 Thursday Jun 2010
Posted in Knitting, Knitting Sites, teaching classes
Mentor: Someone whose hindsight can become your foresight
[Author Unknown]
If raveling out almost as much as I knit qualifies me to facilitate knitting classes, then I’m over qualified. Sometimes I think I ravel more than I knit. You should see my box of learned-the-hard-way projects.
Here is the list of classes I’m leading at Sarah Jane’s Yarn Shoppe this fall:
Unfinished Knitting Projects: October 5, 2010 (5:00 – 7:00) October 23, 2010 (10:00 – 12:00)
Have you lost your place in a pattern so you can’t go on? Are you frustrated by a difficulty in your knitting? Do you need help with fitting, construction or some other dreaded task? These sessions are planned to help knitters solve challenges that are keeping them from finishing projects.
Bring: A project, pattern, needles, and whatever else you’d need to ask questions and find solutions to specific problems.
Gansey Socks: October 9 & 16 (12:30 – 2:30)
Learn the basics of gansey knitting. In her book, Knitting Ganseys, Beth Brown-Reinsel discusses the details that makes sweater construction identifiably Gansey — welts, plain area, definition ridge, patterning, seam stitches, gusset. This sock pattern includes all those features. The gusset for the heel is even worked like an underarm gusset, then turned with a short-row technique.
Bring: DK-weight yarn (plain color and light enough to see a texture pattern), US Size 1 or 2 needles (5-needle sock set, two circulars or magic loop will all work), tapestry needle, scissors, stitch markers.
Mouse Tracks Shawl: October 9, 16 & November 20, 2010 (10:00 – 12:00)
This garter-stitch shawl features shaping so that it hangs comfortably, simple Russian-style lace accents, and double-ribbed closure. Learn the basics of chart reading, eyelet lace, short rows, increases and decreases.
Bring: 750 yards of sock or sport weight yarn, US size 2 or 3 circular (or pair of long straight) needles, tapestry needle, scissors, stitch markers.
Texture + Color Mitten: October 12 & 19, 2010 (5:00 – 7:00)
This pattern was written in a child’s size so it could be completed in about 4 hours with the intent of providing practice in both texture and two-color (stranded) knitting. An adult size pattern will also be provided. Learn chart reading, two-color knitting, texture knitting, and shaping.
Bring: Two colors of DK-weight yarn (a light color and a dark color), US Size 2 or 3 needles, tapestry needle, scissors, stitch markers. Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride and US Size 3 needles will work for adult mittens.
Colorful Counterpane: November 2 & 16, 2010 (5:00 – 7:00)
Learn long-tail cast on, increases, decreases, stranded color knitting, selvage preparation for seam, seam sewing, pattern and chart reading. This projects includes most of the basic knitting skills and produces four afghan squares that are sewn together.
Bring: four colors of DK weight wool yarn: 1 ball green, 2 balls light neutral color, 1 ball dark and 1 ball light flower color. 5-needle sock set in size appropriate for yarn weight. 20-inch circular needle at least two sizes smaller than sock set.
TNNA 2010
15 Tuesday Jun 2010
Posted in Favorite Things, Knitting, Knitting Sites, Other Favorite Sites, teaching classes, Thoughts, Writing
Don’t waste time learning the tricks of the trade.
Instead, learn the trade.
[Author Unknown]
Remember the story about the blind men and the elephant? Each described only the part they could feel—be it the tail, trunk or leg. Writing about the summer trade show that The National Needlearts Association just hosted in Columbus, OH is like describing only part of an elephant. My highlights would be different than others.
Andrea Wong taught classes and introduced her new book, Portuguese Style Knitting at the show. I helped in Helen Hamann’s booth and spent the day drooling over her colorful design and Alpaca yarns. I also took a couple of quick trips around the floor. Kramer Yarns of Nazareth, Pennsylvania caught my eye since I enjoy using their products. Durango Button Company of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma sparked my imagination as well. I think buttons can make or break a handmade garment. Not only were there endless varieties of yarn and needlework items, but notions, publications, and accessories were bountiful as well.
I usually have little contact with the enterprise end of the needleart industry so this was an end-to-end learning experience for me.
Glass Knitting Needles
05 Wednesday May 2010
Posted in Favorite Things, Knitting, Knitting Sites, teaching classes, Thoughts
People are like stained-glass windows.
They sparkle and shine when the sun is out,
but when the darkness sets in,
their true beauty is revealed only if
there is a light from within.
[Elisabeth Kubler-Ross]
During my recent trip to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, I caved in and bought something to go with the yarn that I also bought—colbalt-blue, circular, glass knitting needles from ERNST finely crafted glass. Not only do these needles knit with greater ease than any needles I’ve tried, I feel like I’m using a piece of art. I’m one of those people who write better with a pretty pen and draw better with a special pencil (at least I feel like I do). Just thought I’d share that.
Bookmaking Revisited
05 Wednesday May 2010
Posted in Favorite Things, Knitting, Thoughts, Writing
Live to live and you will learn to live
[Portuguese Proverb]
… not that kind of bookmaking. I’m talking about making books. Printed books. Electronic books. In this case, a knitting book.
I’ve been working as a graphic designer for twenty five years and still learn many new skills with each job. I haven’t kept track of how many printed pieces and publications I’ve produced over the years, but I’ve created most of them with one Adobe product or another. I recently wrote a short post about upgrading to CS4 and studying the courses on Lynda.com to update my knowledge. I have learned a lot and have been doing it while I’ve been helping Andrea Wong produce her new book, Portuguese Style of Knitting.
I’ve included these topics in recent posts, but wanted to share a comp of the cover design. We are getting close to finishing the layout and will send the book to print after the proofing and revision processes are complete—this spring. We have sent Andrea’s book to print, and it is due back from the printers in early June.
I do most of my traveling through books. I especially enjoy books that record history and cultural aspects of regions all over the world, and apply that to the work of people’s hands. Andrea’s book does that for me.
NOTE: This post was originally published in January, 2010 with a different cover design. We revised it to show more of the fisherman’s sweater that she has included in the pattern section of her book.
Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival
29 Thursday Apr 2010
Posted in Knitting, Knitting Sites, Sock Workshop, Thoughts
True wisdom lies in
gathering the precious things
out of each day as it goes by.
I wish I could share the delight with everyone. Last weekend I enjoyed the company of 70 knitters at the Dayton Knitting Guild Retreat at Bergamo. Sally Melville shared interesting and enlightening knitting tidbits with us. Now I am in Maryland facilitating pre-festival workshops in knitting. Yesterday, we explored steeks, and today we start on Gansey knitting. My friend, Barbara Richardson is with me. It makes it so much more fun when there is someone else with whom to share the Ooohs and Aaahs, isn’t it?
Workshop A-8: Replaceable or Peasant Heel
18 Sunday Apr 2010
Posted in Knitting, Knitting Sites, teaching classes
What breaks in a moment may take years to mend.
[Swedish Proverb]
Sock mending is almost a forgotten skill, but hand-knit socks deserve mending. The socks in the photo above have heels that can be raveled and re-knit if necessary. They are for another class I’m facilitating at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. It is half a day (Sunday, 1:00-4:00 pm) so I have a small project planned that gives the knitter detailed experience making a replaceable or peasant heel. I have printed copies of the August sock (watermelon) from my CD book for each participant as well.
Knitting, writing and other joys 