some good things

I am posting from  Little Rock, Arkansas  where I'm a guest of the Arkansas Literary Festival. I've had the privilege of being in all kinds interesting, unusual, challenging, quirky and beautiful places for my work but this? This is different. I'm not reporting on it with my camera, I am actually IN it. I am not yet having those dreams where I get up to talk and realize I forgot to put on pants and instead  am naked yet covered with yarnbombing....but yeah, kind of like that. So when words fail, I'll show instead, what else has been making me happy this week.

 

 Borscht. Cold beet soup. For lunch, with chopped hard boiled egg, boiled potato, fresh green onion , a little plain yogurt and a good shake of pepper. It tastes like Spring.

The most wonderful new knitting book, Wear with All. Yes, that is my name smack dab on the cover, so take this as a biased opinion.  I was working on this in Minneapolis in November. So far you can get it in Minnesota at. the Yarnery, and Unicorn will be distributing it later this month, so tell your LYS to hop on it. You WILL want to own it. 

My Flying Home shawl in the last stage of cast off. It was soaked, blocked, and I wove the ends in on the plane.  I am planning to make sure it gets used as a practice piece when I'm teaching at Hank of Yarn this evening and at Yarn Mart on Sunday-- hehe lazy way to get some project photos to share, let the students do the work, right? 

Bobo, who is now officially heartworm free.

So, what's making you happy this week?

taking it to the street

Still seats left in  Photo for Knitters  THIS WEEK at Hank of Yarn in Southaven MS - home turf of The Knit Girllls , doncha know- on Thursday eve April 12, and at YarnMart in Little Rock AR on Sunday April 15. Tempted? Or make it a weekend because...On a Craft Activism note, I'll be speaking and  helping  lead a yarnbombing at the Central Arkansas Library as part of the Arkansas Literary Festival on Saturday April 14th, at 11 (slideshow talk) and noon (hands on crafting). I am honored and quite amazed to be part of this. I can't wait to share what my book is about with the other truly literary authors on Friday at the cocktail reception and watch them struggle for composure. Ian Frazier, a writer I admire to bits, will be there. I wish I fit into the Tongue in Chic skirt from the book. That'd be just the thing. Or, at least a spectacle.

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I taught a new class, Photo Safari for Knitter/Crafters while in California. It's street photography meets handcrafting. We spend most of our time out & about. First, there are photographic calisthenics to warm up. For example, above. Limited amount of time, a limited space--in this case, the city block we were on-  and each person must shoot only versions of a single color.  Bossy, yes? I've got a ton of these visual squat-thrusts. They break you out of your box a little before we move on to subjects  like FO's in the streets and posing and action and choosing dfferent backgrounds....

Celeste Varner, Loop & Leaf owner, designer/author  & knitter extraordinaire with her beaded Girasole.

Karin & Sandy testing backgrounds & posing in an alley in Santa Barbara CA. Check out Karin's link for the photos--and also, her designs are pretty great. Sandy had to leave class, flying off for a work emergency in Mexico. She's a seismologist. Stressful for her--but fascinating to us all. And definitely a first in a knits' class.

Lori models her shawl on a borrowed downtown porch. Go to her link--she has such a wonderful blog, and scrolling down, you can see the images Mirna & Celeste are shooting.  Super talented group, they are. I get so seriously inspired in the classes that I don't know what to knit next... although, ahem, finishing something might be the way to go, right?

class acts

Slackerly blogging , I know! Before I touch another airplane bag of weird tasting crackers, let's get back to March and some  Photography for Knitters classes, all over the place. 

If this looks like fun and you happen to be in Little Rock Arkansas or Southaven MS , right by Memphis, then you could  join me at Yarn Mart or Hank of Yarn, respectively--next week! I'll also be showing slides & telling and leading some yarn bombing/making at the Arkansas Literary Festival, it's Craft Activism on Saturday afternoon, April 14th. Very cool--I am looking forward to every single minute of this adventure.

Jill and a display at the Wildfiber counter in Santa Monica CA. If I was one of those people who can decisively grab a skein or ten quickly, I would have- it's a very happy making yarn store. And I should have.True to my indecisive retail-challenged nature, not a single skein joined me. Fail!

The class, though, was win. Looking at the clothing & lack of sun, you'd think I was faking this as Santa Monica, right? Such an interesting & talented group, from beginner knitters to experienced designers. I wanted to add a happy hour segment to the class so we could all get better acquainted and look at each other's work.Maybe with a nice fruity cocktail. Return visit, on the to-do list.

Closer to home , last Saturday at Katonah Yarn in Katonah NY.  A sympatico group, we could have happily sat there, out of the gray drizzle surrounded by the welcoming yarniness, and chatted till midnight. (In fact, at times  we sounded like that was the plan.)  We were blessed with a mid-class driveby modeling by Carrie, full reportage with photos, here . Thanks to Kay's indoctrination good parenting , Carrie knows not to question the gleam in knitters' eyes when they are holding cameras and she is in a fabulous bulky cowl. Katonah's own Liz Kaplan is shown here with the traveling trio. Betsy brought her Fussy Cuts blanket (from Craft Activism) -brilliantly knit from Silk Garden Chunky. Why couldn't I have thought of that? Chunky=done faster yet still all the fun of the Noro.

Houseboat in Santa Barbara, back to Cali. Note lace curtains in porthole windows and brushed metal handmade chairs on sundeck. If I disappear and you hear about an incident at the Santa Barbara Marina where a woman shows up and commandeers one of the smallest vessels docked there, muttering something about just wanting a quiet place to knit.....well, no, I wouldn't know anything about that.

California travels: the unexpected

The thing about travel is, you just never know. The dry, sunny city can be chilly and rainy. <cough, LA> The little inexpensive motel a friend arranged near work can be charming beyond belief. A cheerful home away from home.

 

 Especially if, like me, you want to pretend your home is in Brazil.  Lunch with a client can be a delicious adventure and rev up a new project. (Thanks Craig!). A quick work errand can land you at an inspiring exhibit at the Craft and Folk Art Museum (CAFAM)

where artist Maximo Gonzalez  uses devalued currency-- money or materials like aluminum-  to make playful art that provokes. That tree on the upper right is a small detail in an amazing full wall collage from tiny cuts of devalued paper bills. The gift shop ? Need to return is all I am saying. There's a yarnbombing group meeting there monthly. (go! join!) They did a fabulous front window  installation that I failed to get a good image of (see rainy and chilly, above).

The El Segundo Slipt Stitchers Knitting Guild were as numerous, fun and opinionated as I was told in advance, but I didn't expect my carefully programmed pizzazzy talk to have technical issues 

while all 80+ of them waited.  Stress!  Not that they looked too concerned, right? It worked shortly after these photos by Ellen Bloom. (and yes, of course it ran flawlessly at 1 am for the test) . What an impressive group they are.

 

 I sat next to uber talented Ana Petrova for a while.  Her knitting, dyeing, spinning and freestyle designing combined with her sense of color wow me. See the knitted and beaded cuff jewelry, for instance. BTW check out her link for classes. It'll give you a creative kick in the butt. No doubt.

The smaller hands-on workshop with the Slipt Stitchers the next day was lively, heading straight into rowdy at times.  In fact, all three of the California workshops were awesome--but, that is very expected, so I'm saving it for my next post.

Lastly, unexpected and defeating: the needle cable that detached from the join (not the changeable tip but the join), releasing well over 300 stitches on my almost finished lovely Flying Home shawl. Glued back in, spent well over an hour of catching all the stitches and YO's--and then the other end join did the same. On a plane. Still to be restored.

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As of today there are 2 seats left ion the Katonah Yarn class this  Saturday 3/31  in Katonah NY, 12-3. And, other upcoming events, on my workshops page:  in Little Rock AR, Southaven MS , Minnnesota & New England. 

we are what we make?

Head up, lenses up SoCal , there're Photography for Knitter workshops heading your way mid March. If you're a member of the El Segundo Slipt Stitchers Knitting Guild, I am honored to be your March program and hope you'll sign up for the workshop (march 17/18). If you're not a member , find me at Wildfiber in Santa Monica on march 18th (call them to register) and at Loop & Leaf in Santa Barbara  for a Photo Safari on March 20. We're working on some Craft Activism booksignings, too, stay tuned

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About a year ago, under the influence of Ellen, Maryse  and a massive quantity of partial skeins, I started crocheting my Big Ass Granny Square afghan.

 

Little did I know that by the time I finally finished the last long round of edging last week....

 

I would actually BE one.

   

The Big Ass Granny Square afghan is one continuous square of worsted weight, natural fiber yarn -mostly wool with some alpaca and silk blends in there. It's the Chocolate Box Square in Jan Eaton's 200 Crochet Blocks . Awesome resource. It's an alternative to your basic granny square--I like that the little tiles of color line up instead of being  staggered.

There's no sequence or repeats or plan - I chose colors  by contrast or by varying warms and colds. I ended up buying 3 skeins, when I ran out of their colors but thought I'd miss having them in the mix: orange,  grey and a green. Other than that, I love that I can see bits of sweaters and hats I knit,  yarns from gifts for loved ones, yarn for test knitting projects for both Shear Spirit and Craft Activism, yarn I dyed myself , and yarn my dear knitting friends enabler, Mary Lou,  sent me when I worried I might be running low.

I've already put Bobo on notice that he is NOT allowed to cozy up on this one. And I'm  plotting another, for a gift request.

Credit to my friend & colleague Edwina Stevensonhttp://www.edwinastevenson.com, she photographed me in my afghan  at The Inn at Montpelier, where we stayed while working on a photo shoot for a client up in Vermont last week. I wonder if the inn staff thought we were crazy, dancing around in an afghan on a chilly VT back porch?

 

recent acquisitions

Heads up: workshops coming up soon, limited spaces, more listings here 

• March 2 Tarrytown NY Photo Bootcamp for Crafters & Etsians 10-1

• March 17th Photo for Knitters at Wildfiber in Santa Monica/LA 2:30-5:30

• March 20th Photo Safari for Knitters in Santa Barbara CA at Loop & Leaf, 10-1

• and if you're a member of the El Segundo Slipt Stitchers, March 17 & 18

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When I packed up after the fun Craft Activism show & tell  & booksigning at the library in Madison CT last weekend (such a great knitting crowd they have there), I was invited to pop by the LYS around the corner. Since I have good manners, and, um, it's a yarn store? I said yes. I'd been there before, it was a sweet little shop.

 I didn't know it had changed hands a few months ago and now Madison Wool is MadWool,

 

owned by Dayna, aka The Crafty Scientist, an artyarn spinner, crafter and purveyor of the handmade, handspun, handdyed, and excellently curated commercial yarns too. The little cottage has a newly added room for classes , and is bursting with Things I Want to Touch and Make. I recommend a visit or three, they are open on Sundays. Do I hear field trip from you?

 

I broke one of my personal yarn rules: absolutely no single souvenir skeins. See this stunning Shalimar Breathless ? It's fingering weight wool, silk & cashmere.  I reversed some of my rule-breaking damage by winding and casting on immediately for Kat Coyle's new shawl Flying Home.

Yes, you can judge a shop by its sign. Yarnbombing!!!

  I feel so spoiled. I have Knit New Haven as my wonderful clubhouse LYS and now,  slightly further but still handy, a shop to revel in the handspun. Must get busy with them needles!

in the pink

I used to love the color pink. Powder pink, dusty pink, rose. I stopped wearing it when I was a newspaper photojournalist stringing for the NY Times & news mags. I  found I was patronized when I wore the girly colors. Sad, but true. I simply got out of the pink habit.

 

when oh when will I stop this silly addiction to gimmicky photo apps? when??? 

project: Bunny Blanket Buddy

pattern: a mash up of several but mostly this one from Lion Brand

yarn: less than one skein of MinnowMerino

needles: us7 for the "body" and ears, us4 for the head

notes: as usual, I didn't read through the pattern until I was working on that head. I wondered about the choice of stitch pattern....and then realized what the what? I am DOUBLE KNITTING! I do not know why I have avoided it all my life, I thought it sounded confusing and super tedious. It is neither. It is a fabulous way to create a head to be stuffed.
Also, love this yarn. Super lofty, superwash. 

 

(no shortage of sweet pink around here now)

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I'm setting up a pretty brisk schedule of talks and teaching. Can't wait!
Listing of those so far confirmed are all at the Photo for Knitters page .

First up, not too far from home:

• Sunday Feb 19th 2 pm a slide talk & booksigning about Craft Activism :  Celebrating Handmade at the Scranton Library in Madison CT. I'll have books for sale. Bring your knitting or crafting. You know about idle hands and the devil, right?

• Friday March 2 , Photography Bootcamp for Bloggers & Etsians (and those who aspire to be) , a hands on digital photography workshop at the  fabulous Pretty Funny Vintage in Tarrytown NY. Turn us loose in restored victorian house full of vintage, handcrafted and collectible treasures, cameras in our paws? No prob! Register now, space limited. Going to be big fun.

ariana cowl

Now that the best FO of the year is here, some of the non-human wips cluttering the joint are starting to  deliver as well. Like this cowl, designed & knit for niece Ariana who came up last weekend.

 

She is my favorite niece to hang out with. (Easy to say since she's my only niece.) Aside from her brainy & artistic accomplishments, she knits and likes to make things too. Win.

 

This is when it's double wrapped,and you are imitating models in Japanese pattern books. Here's my inspiration, something I saw that was not handknit. Now that I am returning to  it---they look nothing alike. I guess that's what "inspired by" not "knocked off" means, right? . It;s a long loops with two  textures but when wrapped together had a nice interplay of the different pattern stitches as if one was wearing two matching but yet not-matching scarves.

Looped over only once you can clearly see the two different stitches and yarns weights. I'd like to play around with another loopy cowly thing,  with one stitch pattern knit the long way, join it into a loop then pick up and knit the second stitch pattern part 90 degrees from the first. (Yes, I do know there are patterns like this, I just have one I haven't seen yet in my brain).

Mistake rib in Peruvia Quick on size 13 US needles. 

A reversing lace stitch on size 10.5 US needles in Peruvia.

 

This is an easy fun knit: only one skein of each yarn. Peruvia is a single spun yarn, and Peruvia Quick is the bulkier plied version of it . It's soft and lofty and the colors have a little bit of subtle contrasting halo; this nice green has lots of gold shot through it. Not as in "spots of color that'll pool" but as in" in the late afternoon sun it gets a nice glow going". 

 

PS It also looks most excellent worn for getting to know your new cousin Zoe.(Like how I snuck her in? Can.not.resist.)

a psa or three

 It's just about the 1st Saturday in February again. 

Hello!  International Ice Cream for Breakfast Day

  

which as you know has 3 simple rules: 1) eat ice cream 2) for breakfast 3) before noon on the 1st Saturday in Feb. We'll have a spread simliar past years, like this or this. You? 

And, as long as I am being helpful, can I warn you against googling "cute booties"? I had something like these not those in mind, thankyouverymuch.

 

Pattern: The Better Baby Booties

Needles: US 3 

Yarn: Cascade 220, a little Plymouth Worsted Merino in white and some deliscious white angora for the trim

Notes: A quickie knit if you aren't having a lot of distractions going on like...a super cute newborn baby in the house.  Which, I think, explains why the stripes are placed differently and the variance wasn't noticed till they were blocking. Whatev! You think a 10 day old will care? Or her sleepy parents will notice?

These are V.2. Thanks to bad row gauge, the first pair came out too long. I modified the pattern: the bottoms are only 20 rows long, and the cuffs only 28 stitches. I picked up 10 instead of 15 stitches along the sides when switching from flat to circular. (it'll make sensewhen you're in the pattern).

 

So we're set for 1 year old foot coverage, too.

oh, one more warning: definitely don't google "BigAss Granny " . Because I didn't get my own blog with my very large granny square in progress. Nuh uh, I got an eyeful.

(You're welcome.)

oh baby what a week

If you're the kind of person who procrastinates by perusing Friends' Activity on Ravelry (um, not I can be found doing that, like daily, or anything) , you might also be the person who makes up little stories based on what's faved & queued.  And if you are that person, and you're my Friend, you might be thinking "what's up with the  spike in  queuing baby knits?!"

 

An Aviatrix Hat for a neighbor last week. I LOVE this pattern. It's a 3 hour knit.

Baby sweaters&baby booties &little hats & blankets ? Me with the 18 and 21 yr old sons? What's the deal?

 

Meet Zoe Valentina, born last Saturday 1-21-12, my....wait for it...granddaughter ! To answer the questions possibly crossing your mind: yes, she is amazing. yes, I am very young to be a granny. The older one.  With us.  Nope, they get up, not us.  Have I knit a mountain of adorable tiny things for her? um..wellll.... 

Not exactly. I finished this hat. The adorable coordinating booties came out  sized for a 1 year old. While they (the parents, not the too-big-booties) were in labor, I knit a newborn size booty but not yet its mate. There are 2 partially finished blankets, and plans for much much more. I don't know what happened-partly too many other knitting commitments, partly not as much knitting time as usual, partly superstition.

 

Fortunately her great grandma, my mom, came through with beautiful knits: sweaters and hats and this fabulous and already much used cocoon. It is going to become my go-to baby gift knit, it's just so useful and sweet.

. 

Pretty sure this is the pattern she used, and though I was with her when she bought the yarn, I can't remember anything except we were at Kitschy Stiches and it's superwash.  The matching hat is too big....but she'll get there.

 

 Late night with uncle and slightly sulking American Bulldog.

looking into 2012

Have I ever mentioned that I like to look back over the past year to see if any themes emerged, and set an intention for the new one?

 

 2011's was Embrace the Unexpected. On New Year's eve 12 months ago,  I thought I was downing a tumbler or two of organic cranberry juice but it turned out to be evenly mixed with tequila. whooooeeee! The year followed, rolling out in unexpected and often delightful ways, though sometimes with a slightly painful hangover.
(Awkward segue warning)  F'rinstance I didn't plan to get into a blogging groove and then suddenly drop it.  I'm jumping back in with a Wednesday Wip. On Thursday. Because, guess what? I finished That Reindeer Hat.  And in Tangerine Tango, the color of the year, no less.*

 

About the Fornicating Reindeer pattern:  first, it's a chart. BYOP(attern).** I went with a generic 96 stitch hat, 2x2 ribbing over the ears ,  squared off top, so there'd be some slouch. I improvised  a checked bottom section and diagonals on the crown. The rest was the chart. It's been ages since I knit colorwork. I totally enjoyed it. Note to self: move Sleight of Hands mittens and Muckle Mitts up the queue.

 

Second thing is Reindeer can't Fornicate ***. On the bright side, your reindeer can be randy, screwing, mating, making whoopy, f*cking ... whatever the verb, you'll want to block the hat so the graphics look nice, and not puckery off the needles.

 

It turns out Leo wanted a closer fitting hat, and put it on his head like this. I offered to redo the top  and make it shorter.

 

But he said he's happy as is.

This is one of those zen moments of being a knitter and a parent.  He'd just said 'I really like how the yarn going across looks".  Of course I wanted to grab it and say " you can't wear it with stranding peeking out like that."  But I replied "yay glad you like it". 

I mean, here is a loved one appreciating a handknit, and it's got reindeer doing it, is anyone going to notice how it's folded up?

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* Isn't this aggressive  selling us  a color of the year ridiculous? Google the color and Pantone's flacking it all over the intertubes. What a weird consumer world we live in. (still, it's a shade of orange and I do like orange)

**If you too want to knit a version of this hat, I belatedly found a very nice (and undoubtedly warm)  pattern to go with the chart.  It's  reversible , so you can flash the reindeer or keep them close to your brain while revealing a SFW handknit. I can only imagine its usefulness in a dating situation.

***Thanks Kay for catching the ignorant use of the word. I had no idea it had legal connotations. I was sorely tempted to thank you for being my friend who knows a thing or two about fornication but that just seems tacky. Um, kinda like the hat.....

Check here for more WIP WEDNESDAY