Stitches East: Part III - The Haul

I never showed you the haul.

Malabrigo

100% Baby Merino Wool lace

"Purple Mystery" #30

Jade Sapphire

100% Mongolian Cashmere

Blueberries and Plums #36

Tess

Super Socks and Baby 80% wool/20% nylon

Linie 60 - Tondo

100% wool

10 red and 10 peach

Brown Sheep Burly Spun - 100% wool

Storm Moon Knits Celestial Bulky

Rip Her To Shreds

100% Merino Wool

Storm Moon Knits Celestial Worsted

Let There Be Lips

100% Merino Wool

Storm Moon Knits Whirlwind Mohair

I put a spell on you

78% mohair /13%wool/9%nylon

Brooks Farm

Mascero

55% Superwash wool /30%silk/15%vicose

Stitches East: Part II

Things I'd do different:

• Attend the Student Banquet - It shouldn't be hard next year to create a Ravelry area. If not, I'll talk to anybody. I'm like that.

• Attend the Fashion Show - Again, gathering with a few friends? Doing something new? What's not to like?

• Less Marketplace - Go on Thursday for sure and probably limit myself to one other day. Do not go to the marketplace every single day because it is there - I was a woman obsessed. I had my list. I shopped for what and where I wanted to buy and made my purchases after careful consideration. I made a few unplanned goodie buys. I made a few more. I got a sneak deal on the hush hush for my charity work. But the rest of the time I just rolled around and stared. For four days until closing, talking to friends or acquaintances I've met here on Ravelry. Wheels are a dangerous thing. I like to killed myself with exhaustion every day - a rather stupid thing to do considering I was 3 weeks post brain surgery and supposed to be taking it easy. But the happiness and sheer exhilaration of it all was better medicine :D Thank heavens Bobby picked my exhausted heap out front every night with food in hand.

• Buy Earlier - With all my shopping and despite all the warnings about sellouts, I didn't buy most of my yarn until Sunday. I am very happy with my selection on colors except I would have liked one more skein of the Brooks Farm I got. I missed out on my one skein of Noro from Stitches East to start my Lizard Ridge Memory Blankie - my fault. Still, more colors? Cool.

• Better Classes - Fewer and wiser. I went from two 6 hour classes my first year(exhausting - no shopping) to 3 hour classes each day this year(plus shopping -exhausted). NEXT YEAR One or two things I really want to learn, not just a goal of picking one 3 hour class from what ever hasn't been sold out. I enjoyed 3 out of 4 of mine, but two of them really were just fluff. Fun, but tiring. I'd rather spend some time knitting in a Ravelry den with some friends.

• Remember that food + drink = energy

• Take more than one picture of a friend

Things I did this year and would do again:

• Attend Keynote Speaker - It was free and Kaffe Fassett was a good speaker, his work was fascinating

• Wear Ravelry ID - :D I was approached by more people than I care to count because of the little flag I made with Ravelry/tinkknitz. I found myself a regular ambassador to some of the vendors. I wish I had cards with the website on it - for the advertising opportunities for Casey and Jess. A guy from either Malabrigo or SWTC asked me a lot about the advertising. Now that we have tee shirts and buttons - next year should be crawling with Ravelers who didn't notice or join this group

• Go over the floorplan and vendor list and mark a few things I do not want to miss - like where Ravelry friends work!

• Bring address labels for contest entries - I didn't win, but there's always next year.

• Attend Ravelry Meetup - it sure was fun to see everyone. I like the idea of an all-day hangout, but a real Gathering of the Clan is great fun.

Stitches: Chapter 1

I've been avoiding posting about Stitches East. Four days of classes, browsing, shopping, and meeting local knitting and Ravelry friends was quite exhausting. Oh, and throw my great-niece's birthday into that mix. Through the week it's been physical therapy, doctor appointment, Thursday night knitting, a bazillion phone calls . . . I think I'm finally caught up on sleep now though. I've fondled my yarn and re-arranged it several times. I've looked over my other purchases and been very pleased with them. I've realized I took two, exactly two, yes two pictures that didn't even turn out. I hit Ravelry only once since last weekend I believe, and then it was briefly.

What's wrong with me?

Okay! Shake it off!

I didn't knit Thursday night although I did manage to ball up my kusakizome mohair loop from habu. Dang! I wish I had taken a picture before I balled them. All that yarn was compacted into two little yarn bricks 1"x1"x3". What a space saver for the vendors. The yarn fluffed right up too. One thing I didn't know until I looked it up on their website was that kusakizome is a Japanese natural dye technique. I had worried about the yarn when my fingers had a bit of pink dye on them after I finished winding it up on my nostepinne. It looked like I had eaten just a few pistachios. Good grief! Now I have to completely test my swatch to check the color fastness. After my hat is finished I use hot water to finish it by hand fulling.

habu has the most amazing yarns. Did I say yarns? I should say fibers. Heck, some of their materials don't even classify as such with stainless steel wire, silver(sold at market price!), copper, pine, paper, bamboo, pineapple, and for the very adventurous - silk cocoons from Indonesia. You can buy cashmere for 26.95 per ounce or as little as 1/2 ounce for the pricier items. For instance:

$19.4o will get you 1/2 oz (311 yards) of 31% stainless steel core wrapped in 69% silk. It's a lace weight yarn that is recommended for two strand knitting on US 2-3 needles. This stuff had its humble origins as the guts of oil filters (makes me want to pry one open). It has memory they say, and will hold it's shape unless reshaped or smoothed out.

Gee, I just had my oil changed. But when I was gawking at all the bizarre fibers at habu, I thought of my most recent obsession - Stirling Cloche by Cirilia Rose. I was looking for a little boucle to use as a hat band. I think a knit-in band will look great and avoid the problems of many flexible hats with bands - the smash factor. habu had the sweetest boucle building blocks in four colors. One spoke to me and into the bag it went.

I'll catch up with more Stitches East adventures another day. Lately I'd rather tell a good tale than scroll you to death.

STITCHES

Need I say more?

Stitches East

I got my letter confirming my first choice for all four of my classes for Stitches East in October.

Thursday Techniques and Tips

Class Title: Round Up
Teacher: Beth Whiteside
Description: There’s more than two ways to knit a round and a round! Cover the old standbys, circular and double-points, plus try out two circulars and the Magic Loop. Get warmed up on a neckwarmer, then test drive the techniques on the small diameter of a fingerless glove.

I need some help with purling when I change needles on DPNs and want to learn Magic Loop and two circulars too. I'm also starting my first socks soon and I've heard the horrors of ladders and such. This class was right up my alley. As a bonus I can use the two projects as gifts like I did last year.

Friday Color and Creativity

Class Title: Free-form Potpourri
Teacher: Colleen Davis
Description: This freeform technique is one among many that will open up a whole new world of fun knitting, let you break a few rules, use partial skeins of yarn and stretch your creativity Knitting will go in different directions and an assortment of shapes will be made by picking up stitches from previous shapes.

This stuff fascinates me, and I’d like to try it even if I never use it. Besides, I hate left over partial balls and can take all of mine with me.

Saturday Projects and More Projects

Class Title: Off the Cuff Beaded Wrist Warmers
Teacher: Susanna Hansson
Description: Accessory or jewelry? Hard to say. Either way, these sweet pulse warmers knit up quickly, make great gifts and are a fun addition to your winter wardrobe. Or wear a sparkly pair with a plain black top and you will be dressed for a night on the town.

From the materials list, it is beading without stringing all the beads first by using a tool. Now THAT I can get into. It also makes a little gifty item – probably for my nephew’s wife in California.

Sunday Techniques and Tips

Class Title: Switch to Continental Style Knitting
Teacher: Leslye Solomon
Description: It doesn’t matter how old you were when you learned to knit, Leslye will help you quickly and easily change your style to knit a more even fabric. Begin to fly through and love ribbing and seed stitch, and finally stop knitting too tight or loose. Aches and pains caused by your present method might be greatly reduced. Enjoy renewed knitting confidence.

I have a little trouble with my right hand dexterity so I’m really looking forward to this one. I tried it on vacation while doing some FairIsle and just wasn't sure where to put all those fingers. It was sloooow going but satisfying. I hope I’m not too beat after four days to get the hang of this one.

I had back up classes chosen for each time slot, and would have been equally happy with any of my alternates. I decided to not take any of the all day classes. Last year I did that two days in a row and nearly killed myself. Of course, I was a fairly new knitter and knit and purl was the extent of my arsenal of stitches. Still, by taking only half days and spreading the classes out over the whole run of the show, I'll have more time to shop and perhaps see some of the other exhibits. Last time I had to knit my project through lunch in miniature and re-knit it later. I was fuzzy headed and bushed! This way I can choose to go in early - or not. Stay late - or not. What a smart knitter I am.

I hope.

My Punkin Hat

I thought I would take some pictures of my other Stitches East project yesterday. I'm so proud of the way it turned out. The class was my first using dpn and a bit of a struggle at first 'cause it was a hat knit top down - beginning with I-cord. That was another first for me. Such close work first thing in the morning? By plunging in, and with the calm reassurance of our instructor, it began to take shape. Slowly. Verrrrry slowly. Then ooooh aaaah, the increases made such a pretty swirl on the top. The other hats I've made were all bottoms up and the only said "decrease 1" so I knit 2 together. God bless beginner patterns! Since I am a methodical (read slooow) knitter, my Stitches hat ended up in miniature as I started each step when she began them, except the cables. I was in the middle of changing colors and couldn't keep up. No biggie I told her, I learned so many things - I was content with all the new skills I DID learn.

About two weeks ago I had frogged it back to the color change. With the help of a book I bought at the Marketplace there at Stitches and listening with one ear while I was still changing colors, I made some rather impressive cables for a beginner (applause gratefully accepted). I did goof a bit at first when I mis-read the pattern, but it was late at night. With fresh eyes, brain and hands though it was a different ball of wax (errr. . . yarn). I may look for a different cable needle though. Mine seemed a bit short.

Then it was on to the Fair Isle, another section I sort of missed. This one I did a short piece of on a new swatch first. It wasn't that tough though, and switching to the the other color was okay. Until that needle change. Arrrgggghhhhh! I still am not happy with doing that. I think I changed my fingers each time I turned a corner. I just couldn't get a flow for that "slide one needle out -reposition hands - rewrap yarn and insert". But it did turn out nice and even. The raised row of K1P1 before and after it obscure it a bit which I would change were I to use the pattern again. Perhaps two rows of diamonds or another row of straight knitting above and below would keep the Fair Isle from being obscured.

After a quick rolled brim, I was finished the little hat as written. It's amazing! So many new things in one project yet they seem to go together. I thought of donating my hat for chemo - there are some pretty little kids with cancer. But from what I understand wool is uncomfortable for them. This Saturday I have a family breakfast up in Baltimore County. We gather once a month at a buffet place. There are usually 30 or so relatives but December always draws a few more. I hear we have a new baby less than a year old. (Tammy is a grandmother??? I used to babysit her.) It'll be cool to make a gift for someone not expecting it.

Right now, I'm busy making Christmas scarves. I already gave one to my nephew Thomas who was visiting from California. He was freezing the day he got here, so I gave him his present early the next day. I made it long so he could double it and do that loop thing in the front. He was most impressed with my knitting prowess, even if it was a simple garter stitch.

And now a note about my blog. Editing those pictures so they appear where I want them is a bear. Appreciate them.

::note to self - learn to make linked pictures not so freaking HUGE::

The Felt and I

See, I started this oven mitt as a project in one of my Stitches East classes. Since I'm a sloooow knitter, I made a miniature and just recently completed the full-sized project. I learned how to use dpn, create a gusset for the thumb while using two stitch markers, transfer to a stitch holder, increase and decrease for mirrored slants, bind off with three needles, pick up stitches and finally (drumroll please) FELT.

• Before 12.5 x 9.5 inches
• After 9.75 x 6.75 inches

My secret to success?? I turned up the hot water tank 30 minutes prior and ran the tap at the sink in the bathroom past the washer to bring the hottest water to the load. I used a zippered pillow case, two shoes and a pair of Bobby's jeans with some Tide and Oxyclean. I kept the water level low. I heard from everyone how you had to wash several times so I automatically washed twice before checking. If anything, I believe I should have washed only once with my secret (shhhhhh!) method ‘cause the oven mitt is too small to give to my husband now. Oh well, next time it's once and done. It was even a little over felted and required a bit of separating. I used a big 'ol 15 wooden needle and scraped along the inside of the matted fold with the point. Sometimes I slid the point under the stretched fibers and worked them free.

With the left over yarn, I made a cute coaster based on a pattern from Frugal Knitting Haus which recycles an old CD. The original pattern wasn't intended for felting and uses plain worsted weight yarn while I used Lambs Pride bulky, but I thought the modification would work. Oh I am a clever girl. I need to email them with my results.

• Prefelting 5.5"
• Postfelting 4.75"

It looks like a snowflake and lays nice and flat. I took both projects to show off at K1P2 on Thursday and got many oohs and aahs. I also picked up a cute little sweater shaver this weekend to trim some of the fuzz - especially for the oven mitt which had been frogged and re-knit. I am a genius, it tamed those Albert Einstein eyebrows in no time!

I now feel I can put the felting notch in my knitting belt. What's next? I wonders does I.

Okay, okay

It’s been a long time since I touched tinkknitz. Not that I haven’t thought about it, you see. My attention span is short and I’ve been focused on a non-knitting issue in my life. Now that I’m free to be all knitting- all the time, I’d like to get back to it. I enjoy the creative aspects of my life and have missed exercising that side (which side?) of my brain (oh, maybe it was THAT side). I just visited my 43 things site. That's one I HAVE kept up with. If keeping track of two diary type thingies proves to be a bit overboard - one of 'em can go. I really like 43 things. Simple goals, simple results. Simple. It organizes my thoughts by following the progress of each goal which is waaaay cool.

Now then. I have been busy. Here's a sampling

• K1P2 Knit-A-Thon K1P2 sponsored a great day at The Lakeside Cafe. As the gods would have it, my Mother was discharged to home just the day before. Bobby insisted I still go. His argument was - my mental health. He stayed home with the caregiver and called me when the visiting nurse was on her way. It did the trick for me and I was ready to tackle all the paperwork, schedule therapy, and order equipment and supplies. Huzzah for knitting for charity.

• Finished Objects (turned in at the Knit-A-Thon) My first chemo cap (pitiful, but made with love). Also the other pink chemo hat I made on vacation - nice and big for prednisone patients. Several Warm Up Americas blocks. And finally . . . drumroll please . . . my damned apple cloth. I got the yarn from Margaret and the pattern from knittingknonsense. It was for a women's shelter that Holly Anne donates to. It was fun, and very cute. However, the last four rows refused to die. Thank you, Margaret, for helping me murder them. I had been working on that thing for, say 3 months now? It was so filthy, I had to bring it home to wash it (No, Bonnie, block it, said Holly Anne). When I did, soo much red dye came out of the yarn, I was glad the recipient wasn't going to think her face was bleeding! The yarn just looks mushed to me now, but I learned a valuable lesson. Don't try to do complicated patterns while trying to care for your mother in a nursing home!

• Christmas presents I made Kevin a great scarf, and have enough yarn to make another short one with the hole at the neck I think. I made a coaster for Mr.Mike at K1P2 and will be finishing another tonight. Made a terrific Pot Holder at Stitches but haven't decided on the recipient.

• STITCHES EAST After all the buzz at K1P2, I signed up for two all day classes at the four day knit-fest that is Stitches East. Whew. I learned soooooo much. The biggest thing was DPNs. Both classes taught dpn and I feel pretty comfortable now. There was also I-cord, increasing left and right, using a stitch holder, using two stitch markers, binding off with three needles and (ta-daa) one project is (get this) felted. Then there are cables and a little bit of Fair Isle but I barely remember them. They were on my first dpn day, and I had to content myself with learning the process, not finishing the project. I did an abbreviated version to be able to try the techniques, but eeek! I was slow. I am working on finishing that little hat now however, and am about to tackle that little matter of the cables . . .

• Project Bags I've been collecting enough knitting supplies to have basic kits in each project bag. I'm doing pretty good. Three are almost done. I wasn't going to put everyTHING in every KIT, but it's been easy to collect. Recent additions: I got some measuring tapes at Savage Mill Saturday that are very amusing. The pig has a curly tail to pull etc... I had a handful of free letter openers with an edge that cuts yarn like a dream. Some empty flat pill bottles (Target) stash stitch markers, tapestry needles, row counter and a knit picker.

• Little Red Book I got this to keep as a literal knitting diary - tracking gauge for patterns and needle size/yarn type. You know, something I can scribble in. It's red cloth with three sections. There are little pockets to tuck in labels from yarn or other terribly important notes. I took it to Stitches an already have a few "purls" in it (ouch, did I use that?). No creative space here, just the facts.

So here I am. Family responsibilities were in the forefront for the last six months or so. I don’t think I was doing much actual knitting in the last two months – mostly talking about knitting. Reading about knitting. Planning my knitting. Browsing for and stroking the yarn I may-or-may-not-be knitting. But as I look up at that list, I haven’t been doing as bad as I thought. I readily acknowledge that I am a slow, methodical, perfectionistic knitter. It is not my destiny to be The Queen of the Knitting Universe. Hmmm. Life just changed gears for me.