on the bright side, tho the weather wasn't

With a fab pink sweater for us the photograph, we didn't let the grey wet weather slow us at the Photography for Knitters Workshop today. 

There wasn't much in the way of playing around reflecting and diffusing sunlight (like..not.at.all.) But we did get to see how flat grey light was perfect for the mixed texture of a beaded shawl. And how a rain streaked cement wall makes an excellent abstract background.
 

Wearing a wool hood in light drizzle was no hardship at all. 

What a great group of students, again! Down to every detail.

Thanks to everyone who came to the class today, and to my friends at Knit NewHaven for hosting us.

 details for Southampton LI class here

 and for the Rehoboth Beach class here

If this looks like fun to you, here's where else I'm teaching . Classes are always limited so sign up soon.

classing up mothers day

Forgive me for another self-promotional post here, but I really do think getting a class in something you are interested in, say, photography and knitting? would be a most excellent gift for Mothers Day. So would giving it. Obviously. Maybe with skein of some nice yarn..or a new camera?  Photography for Knitters classes.That's what I'm talking about.

 

Here's a full list of all the classes and workshops coming up. The soonest is next Sunday May 15th in New Haven , the rest are scattered over the following months. To say I'm excited about them is waaaay understatement. I've yet to teach a class that wasn't full of great people, it is always fun, as everyone gets excited about seeing their skills grow and their photos improve.

But I need to blab about one workshop in particular, because it's unique: Saturday July 9th, I'll be teaching 12:30-6:30 workshop at a private home in beautiful Southampton NY,  in eastern LI (about 2 hours from NYC by car or train). I've used this house and grounds as a photo location for shooting, and I can tell you it is, literally,  picture perfect. Comfy & relaxing.  But you know what will make this day truly a unique class? If I say log cabin, does that give you a hint? We'll have a special student,  Kay Gardiner of Mason Dixon Knitting  in the class. (Let the record show she suggested the phrase Special Student. I think it sounds, well, I just always hear the Church Lady ).  I am pretty sure this means we will have a chance to wallow in log cabin afghans and blankets and god-knows-what-else, all waiting to be photographed. Class is limited to 12, so if this appeals, start dropping some hints big time, right now, so you can get a seat in the class as  your Mothers Day gift. Why not? 11th hour rules! Link with all the details, here . 

Or you can just sign up right from this handy button:

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BTW? The little cuties in this post were all photographed  on location at the house in Southampton, modeling Blu , for Mason Dixon Knitting:Outside the Lines. I wonder if anyone has knit them in an adult size?That'd be fun to shoot.

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So, what're you up to for Mother's Day? Myself ,I'm planning  to split the day between domination over nature in the backyard, and brunch with  champagne drinks at the neighborhood cafe. Maybe a little knitting, once the weeds have been beaten back and the raised beds built. Or....... the champagne kicks in.

 
My guys a couple of weekends ago. 

sprung!

Anyone else feel like they've been in a holding pattern for a coupla months? Well, I'm busting out. First course of action:

NEW CLASSES  PHOTOGRAPHY FOR KNITTERS

I'll be listing a bunch of them, but for starters

• the "my own backyard"  day workshop May 15th, 10:30-4:30 at Knit New Haven in Connecticut, info and signup here

• Fiber College in Searsport Maine, September 8-11th, you must go check out the classes. Seriously cool, like  knitting with Mary Jane Mucklestone , dyeing with natural materials, spinning, woodworking,  hooping (!)  and of course, photography with moi. I'm teaching 3 separate classes. This is the first time I'll be offering a more advanced lighting class, in which we'll get all geeky over adding artificial light sources into the mix.

More dates, locations & classes will be up soon. Class size is always limited to keep it personal, so don't hesitate too long if these appeal.

OK, now I have to go outside . Did I mention it's spring ??!!!!!

the obvious choice

My skein of Noro Taiyo Sock traveled to Chicago with me this morning It's going to be a Gaia (rav link) shawl, for me. I've wanted one ever since the first I knit for my sister , in Silk Garden. This has more yardage ,so will be that much shawlier. Perfect project for  this weekend, while attending a professional conference. When I chose this colorway, it was pointed out it'd definitely be one I liked--because it matched ,exactly, fabric wound around my neck. They're the scarves in the background here as proof. I like to think of it as a cosmic convergence rather than being in a rut.

hue & me

 

It's getting bigger. Still not tired of it.

 

but it's starting to take a while to get fully around the square.

 

There's no real plan. I alternate contrast or cool/warm tones. Sometimes there are little runs of colors I particularly like. My other project right now is a  Cadence in Cascade Eco wool, in the satisfyingly sturdy & very plain natural brown/grey you can see on the the left next to the yellow (single crochet row). I cheated a little out of that sweater for this . Excellent alternatives to work on.

. 

I've run out of some of my leftovers in really odd colors. I'm hoping the outer edges won't be too boring, I have a lot of yellow, goldish yellow, brown & light dull blue.

 

Bobo and the Bigass Granny Square

denial

 

Dave finally got his sweater.  Cobblestone, knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca and Potosi Sheep Farm hand dyed Blue Faced Leicester.

 

It was finished a month ago. The thing is, Dave doesn't like posing or the attention one gets in front of the camera. I know! cruel irony! Spending his life with a photographer. To make matters worse, I never feel Dave looks like himself when I shoot him, so I say, nah, not quite right, I didn't get you.  Who's this dude with a white beard who's showing up in my pixels.

 

This is the Dave I think will  appear in the photos.  I realized the problem is not with Dave's posing  but with my brain,  two weeks ago, when dear friends showed this photo of us in 1981.  Delusion! such a grand way to face the world.( Also: denim, such a wardrobe builder.)

 

FYI, I knit the Potosi Sheep Farm yarn every other row on the garter yoke, to mute contrast with the solid blue. I crisped up the detail in this image to talk about it, but it's a softer effect to the naked eye. What I didn't think hard enough about was the the short row areas.  You can see stripes by the lower yoke on the arm, and  in arm pits as blue wedges. I don't mind them much, though.  And in person? It's kinda like the beard color, you really just don't see it.

smarter by proximity

Photographing Your FO's class (taught by yours truly) Fiber Camp 2011

I'm pretty sure I have more brain power than I did yesterday morning.  

Saturday at Fiber Camp, this year at MIT. When I sat down in one of the classrooms, this is what was on the board. Do you love it? In the photo above, see  the lower right, in particular.

 

It seemed smaller than last year, but with a nice assortment of classes on the board Saturday. The MIT hallway of rooms was a different vibe than the big party feeling at last year's venue. This did not stop the spinners from settling in one bit. That's Guido Stein, Common Cod knitting community impressario on the left.

 

My class was full of awesome students (as usual). I mean truly, I am blessed with having a great group every single time. I taught a quickie 1 hour class.

 

We ditched the classroom in favor of a foyer, to work with light. I like teaching in the round for a demo rather than to a rows of seats.

 

Special thanks to my niece Ariana, who was shooting some footage for her senior project documentary film (Tufts 2011) nearby, so stopped in to see me. She wound up being the class model. For anyone who was there: this is a photo about her, not about the knitwear.

 

Knitting with beads class. I learned 3 ways to put beads into my knitting.

 

Until now, I only knew zero ways.

See? Smarter. Although just spending the day in a building with this kind of entrance grew me some new synapses. Or at least I felt that way.

 

Much thanks to the Common Cod Fiber Guild. Nice work !

blockhead

 

I didn't know I wanted to crochet a giant alternative granny square using my leftover partial skeins until I spied this one on Pinterest, where I invest  my primo procrastination efforts lately.

 

Fueled also by my utter admiration of Chawne's scrappy color quilting and improvisational knit blankets.

The presence of these books = final kicker. The softcover Jan Eaton 200 Crochet Blocks has the motif for my square, called Chocolate Box. If you're even vaguely considering the best swap around, this is the book you want.

The other title, Knitting Block by Block by Nicky Epstein is a hardcover worthy of inclusion in every knitting library. Like all her books, it's beautifully layed out, with well-lit detailed photos of each square, and clear instructions & charts.

 

The range is pretty amazing, from simple stockinette & ribs  through fussy sculptural features you might place on a purse, pocket or blanket. There're some patterns included, but I say get it as a reference resource & for  inspiration. Many of the blocks can be repeated along a scarf or garment, and she includes beaded squares, modular techniques, textural imagery, unusual cables, and fun colorwork, too.

 

See what I mean?

 

Whew, that might be the longest I've gone in days not thinking about my square. ahem.  I've added a few rounds since I made the top photo yesterday, and now realize that my smaller partial skeins are quickly eaten up in the growing square. These three, for example, are history.

 

These I have a pretty good amount of. I'd planned to only use skeins sitting here, leftovers from other projects. Solids only, thankyouverymuch.  But I already caved today, purchasing a skein of Cascade 220 in an orangely hue,9465,  to liven things up as my options get more limited. I also have a lot of red, from all the red scarf activity in recent years, and a good amount of  yellowy gold, dark brown and a greyish blue.

So, to sum up: no need to call me a block head, but obsessed might not be too far from the truth.

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official disclaimer: Knitting Block by Block by Nicky Epstein was sent to me for review by PotterCraft (my publisher, too).  I don't say nice things about a book unless they are 100% true.

bangled

 

You probably know someone like my sister Lulu. She loves fashion and design and trends. If it's cool and hip and cute and handcrafted, she has either seen it, owns it,  or bought it professionally to sell in the  gift shop she runs. What to do for her birthday ?

Despite an iffy felting track  record, I decided  Bevy of Bangles was worthy.

If you know how to knit backwards,  the whole knitting part is effortless as well as mindless. Which is to say knitting strips  goes very well with The Wire.  The slate blue are Brown Sheep Lambs Pride worsted, the brown is Valley Yarns Berkshire worsted, and the white is Cascade Magnum, super bulky. The pattern calls for bulky but you know, whatevs. It's felted. Relax.

Before I started, I had my favorite kind of conversation with Archinknist , in which we deconstruct a pattern.  Why knit strips of stockinette, and 3 needle bind them off to form a circle pre-felting, rather than knitting iCord? We also considered knitting short tubes in the round, but realized that'd deprive the piece of its bangleness -  strips curl in upon themselves when felted.  So,  the white is a 3 stitch icord on size 15 needles, the others are strips 7 stitches wide on size us 10 needles. I knit loosely though, if you're keeping score.

Unfelted, I was laying bets on the icord to come out best , with the brown Berskshire least likely to bangle nicely. So wrong. The Valley Yarns Berkshire came out smoothest. This is why felting and I will never be BFFs. So unpredictable.

The wraps are crewel thread. I wanted to try some thin leather strips, or thick waxed linen but I was out of both. I may still yet with 2 leftover felted rounds. Epilogue: sister Lulu happy, felting faith rehabilitated, bangle gifting successful.

P.S. added 2/24 Since I posted this I discovered these  versions of the bangles. Love. (its a Ravelry link, I'm guessing you can access it, right?) Knit from Noro Kureyon, a yarn I have some scrappage of.  Also , MaryLou's comment that white yarn doesn't felt as well was news to me, and the icord approach is worth revisiting in a color. Looks like I may be back in the basement hovering over the washer again sometime soon.

spaces

 I often find myself photographing at public schools. I'm almost always there because of  people and programs going on, and I love the subject of education.  But there is something about the settings that get me. Maybe because they're so timeless and often (economically) classless. I mean, look at the velvet curtain, the construction paper chains and winter decoration. This could be last week in Fair Haven , a working class  neighborhood of  Latino new immigrants in New Haven , or it could have been my elementary school, a few hundred miles and a couple, few decades um, lifetime, ago.

Thanks for all the blogiversary comments. This whole blogging scene, and the connections we make, and the things that happen next, are really truly amazing.

I thought I'd be showing you the finished Cobblestone sweater but you know that garter stitch yoke? A time (and yarn) gobbler. We've been on a bender of watching The Wire on DVD,  this week obsessed with Season 2.  So caught up in the plots and dialogue that I sometimes stop knitting to concentrate on the characters. I know ? Whats up with that? Unthinkable. But the sweater is  blocking now and so is another little project. FO's next post.

 

Meanwhile, play fair, OK?

six years and 455 posts

This week is my blogiversary.  My sixth. Pretty funny to go back to my first posts. Turns out I was talking about casting on a sweater for Dave,  I hadn't knit one for him in a while. Guess what ? The more things change, the more they stay the same. I'm still trying to get a sweater done for him. That's the yarn up above.

 

Only this year it's almost finished.

Each winter since 2005 I started a sweater for Dave, and each year it was abandoned by March and then frogged the following fall. This one was no exception; last winter I started a cabley manly sweater, only to find myself never wanting to pay the kind of attention it required to get the cables and textures right. This November I frogged the 12" completed and  cast on for a nice simple Cobblestone in the blue yarn. All was going smoothly.

Until I ran into these adorable indie dyers at Rhinebeck

 

Amy of Spunky Eclectic, David of Southern Cross Fibre and Adrian of Hello Yarn. 

and I knew I needed something hand dyed in the mix.  Actually I was coveting their hand dyed and handspun yarn. Is it not to love? Since I was conveniently at Rhinebeck , I picked up a skein from Potosi Sheep Farm to mix in the Cobblestone yoke. It should be finished, that's right,  finished, this weekend. 

When I started this blog I told no one. I thought it was kind of dorky and narcissistic. (Turns out it is kinda dorky and narcissistic but, well, whatever!)  I even purposefully used small photos shot with a crappy point & shoot,  to keep the blog separate from my professional work. Once I got over myself and mashed up the commercial and editorial work and the knitting world,  did a couple of books of the yarny nature, it all gelled pretty well.  

Which is a huge understatement, what I really mean is I have met (virtually and in real life, too)  more smart and funny and warm and interesting , not to mention talented and creative and thoroughly inspiring people because of this blog, I feel so lucky . Not to mention, it keeps me  from talking myself silly about knitting to an under- appreciative audience here at Testosterone Central home.

I could end with an artful photo of  delicate ice covered marsh grass, or snow on the beach against a steely sky but I'm really really really weary of seeing snow. How 'bout something juicy? 

 

Pike Place market, Seattle last June