3 things: Talking About Knitting

1) Martinique Shawl in Liana from Berroco Yarn.
This from a photo shoot last September, when we soldiered through dozens of spring yarn designs in autumn, and tried to give a summery feel. At the time, with fall winds whipping, I wasn't sure we hit the mark fully. 
Months later I go online and see the release, and I fool even myself!  Summmmerrrrrrr. I am so ready for summer beach life, even 6 feet away from my friends. We did a trial last weekend and it worked .
 This yarn is a water-color-y linen in  dk weight, this is exactly how I'd want to use it.
Also, I adore the model, Frances.

2) I've left this MDK Field Guide coin project as my Zoom knitting. That's a category I never thought I'd need!  I don't do a tremendous amount of Zooms, thankfully, maybe 1-4 a week.  And when I do, this is  my happy-inducing companion.  I look forward to the end of quarantine-based Zoom calls but I do not look forward to ending this addictive tubular scarf......it may be really really long by next winter. That's all I'm saying. 

 3) That ShannaJean Cowlette is fini!   In the home stretch I surprised myself with two realizations. First, I was not tired of making bobbles*. Not even in the very long bobbled bindoff.  Something about the stabbiness of creating them matches my mood during Covid stay-at-home in a lovely stitch-to-moment ratio. Enough said on that topic, eh? 

The second realization? It's so not my style! I don't know when/where/if  I'll wear this.**  Somewhere along the last third of it, still enjoying the process, I had the cold clear light of day realization that it isn't me, at all. I love the colors and the yarn.  I have no regrets about the making.  Maybe for teaching at a knitting event?  I'll let you know....

* bobbles: I knit backward to make them, if I had to turn the work around, that'd be the dealbreaker.
** Above, I tried styling it in the only way I can imagine wearing it, with  a denim or chambray top. I didn't notice that I flipped the edging in every shot. I am never too professional to make rookie mistakes!

a happy week for knitters: rifton, rhinebeck and sweater weather

So much to revel in this week! I suspect you've heard of Mason Dixon Knitting but on the teeny tiny chance that you haven't, or if you haven't checked out their space lately, let me point out it is reason to rejoice. They have turned their longtime inspirational and entertaining pretty-much-daily blog into a ...I dunno...blog plus web-zine plus shop. And still daily. And still funny and clever and inspiring.  It's a bonanza. And wow the shop. The latest offering is killing me, it is so good:

 A CUSTOM COLORWAY of Jill Draper Makes Stuff Rifton. Swoon. 

One cake of it makes a STUNNING version of the Grand Central Scarf from Drop Dead Easy Knits.  For example. 

with CUSTOM semi-solids to coordinate.  It's too good.

I am a Jill- and a Rifton fan from the moment  I saw it a couple of years ago, and made my Wingfeather Shawl in the winter colorway. 

 A new cake of it, in a colorway with natural brown, and pinks/raspberry came home with me from a photo shoot at Jill's last month, it'll no doubt be cast on any moment for the Grand Central Scarf, as I mentioned above, instead of two colors, use the inner and outer ends of the same cake.  (as beautifully executed by Mary Lou Egan, I'll add a photo here when I can)...and I am eyeing some of the semi solids when I visit her open studio this weekend. (Saturday night, Kingston NY, the Mason Dixon Knitting ladies will be there too, info on her etsy page link above)

So even if you are a summer loving knitter like me, it is a happy week for working with wool  (can I have an uh-huh) and suddenly there are new patterns and books popping up temptingly, daily,  and... if all that isn't jolly enough, this weekend is the NY Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck , NY, which is the State Fair for Knitters. (But better.)

 You can find the Mason Dixon Knitting ladies, Kay and Ann, signing their new Field Guides in the booksigning barn - along with me and my Drop Dead Easy Knits co-authors and a slew of folks you'd like to blab with. Full schedule here. Get your sweater on and say hi!

new year print round up; vogue knitting

When we last spoke, I was up to my elbows, wrists  in Trip Mitts. How about a bulleted catch up?

•  Work in print! As the year turned, my office filled with work shot a while back, coming home to roost in the form of books,  magazines and booklets.  I'm thrilled with the spreads-and cover--of the new Vogue Knitting. Note to self: share some of the other recently released work in future posts.  Like the adorable Finger Knitting book in the back here. And the  Faerie magazine pieces. (Don't raise that eyebrow over Faerie.  Read what The NY Times says- raves, really- about it)

• Another view inside the Vogue Knitting. I shot two stories--one on Modern Bohus knits, and one is winter whites.  Normally I'm all about the colors and contrasts but the whites one?  All about texture and avoiding color.  I like turning things upside down like that- makes me see/ think differently. Sort of like how we're supposed to brush our teeth with the opposite hand than normal every so often, to stretch our little brains.

•  If you are at Vogue Knitting Live this weekend in NYC and you happen by the Vogue Knitting booth, let them know how smashing this issue looks. It's been re-designed, looks quite wonderful and fresh. Yes, I'm biased but it's still true :-)

• And-- a  super dorky me with the cover.

• Let the record show that I am at Level 5 Handknits here: an unreleased Mary Lou Egan sweater that is drop dead easy to knit, Honey cowl with my Aristida shawl on top, L'Arbre hat and Trip Mitts.  Yes, I actually did meet my friends looking like that and we  were not at a fiber festival.  I forgot I was wearing the cowl when I added the shawl over it. That's my story.

• I'm missing Vogue Knitting Live this weekend, due to a family trip. I'm the one who scheduled it on the same dates as what is always a fun knitting party time.  I am so annoyed at myself, increasingly with each IG post and photo of friends yucking it up on Broadway. I plan to, at the very least, take advantage of car knitting time and finish a shawl. Maybe start a sweater. Who knows? Caution to the wind! Maybe more mitts. 

 If you're going to VK Live in NYC , here're my recommendations:

- Hit the Marketplace and go straight ot Jill Draper Makes Stuff . Snag some Rifton before it is gone. Love that yarn, and she has some new colorways. Also, the Dragonfly Fibers ladies will be there with their brilliant colorways. Say hi from me.

- While you're hitting the marketplace, check out the Knitty City booth and their special guests schedule. Lars Rains will be there with his new book, Modern Lopi..It's lopapeysa weather. So get on it.  Say hi from me there, too.   The same booth is also hosting Kay and Ann from Mason-Dixon knitting, with their popular coloring book. A knitting coloring book. I bet they'll sign it in crayon.  And...say hi from me.

- I'd also recommend joining Ann & Kay  of Mason Dixon Knitting on their trot through Central Park on Sunday morning. Because  this is something you can't do at any other VKLive.  Seize the day. Might be my 2016 motto.

and on we go...

I am sparing you a long, gushy, name-droppy* review of VogueKnitting Live in NY.   It was a joy to teach at it -and it was a joy to be an attendee. Amazing teachers, fun marketplace, and my fave: exhibits  in the lobbies of artists who work with yarn & fiber, including my friend Ruth Marshall. 
Meanwhile, me? I'm here & there, knitting.

exhibit a: the week ahead

phonecam shot of Shepherds Wool, click to see colors, ready to go!

Skeins with names that take me to another season. To make a Monster Cowl. Because new neckwear is so welcome in February.  I'm teaching & attending at Inspire, a photogapher's conference this week. My hope is for  a) lots of knitting time while I listen and b) get inspired.  I will likely be the lone knitter (or maybe the lone knitter-in-public).

exhibit b: this weekend

more phonecam : handspun and some yarn I impulse bought at Madison Wool

A new Kremlin. I misplaced my go-to winter hat. Bad timing, as it is a Hat-Required Month.  I recall putting this  fave hat somewhere about a week ago,  thinking "this isn't where I usually keep my hat but I can remember it here".... Um, no.  Although I whipped out my last Kremlin in 2012 with no problem, I am oddly confused by the pattern this time.

exhibit c1: gift knitting sent in January

 Valdai!  Before I sent it off to my sister, my neighbor Peg posed quickly.  Keep in mind it was less then 10 F (thats for Fahrenheit but it may as well be for Freakin') so no dawdling for Fancy Fotos.  As for the shawl, oh this was a fun one, and oh this Cirrus yarn is delicious to work with, 2 strands together. I used every last inch of the 4 skeins, shortening one of the ends. Sylishly assymetrical that way.  (Do not blame the pattern, blame me for not swatching, I am sure my gauge was looser than called for). My sister Marla loves it, I love being appreciated....

exhibit c2: when handknits are appreciated cont'd

 

Another gift, the hat for  bro-in-law LaMar. yes, that Lamar). Yes my sister Marla is married to LaMar, we call them LaMarLa. He endeared himself to me forever-even before this text- by reciting & reviewing every hat I've ever knit him, leading up to this gift.  He asked for something lighterweight, soft, with some slouch, and not too loudly colored because he wants to wear it at work.  I have to admit I struggled letting go of this one. It's Hissu, one of the charming  hats by this Finnish designer.   Road to China Light and stripes in handspun (thanks Archiknist) . More Road to China hats, definitely on the to-do list.

*reserving the right to do a long name droppy post soon....

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.

july. you gotta love july.

That's right, it's that bigass granny square getting another few rounds. I'd put it aside once the allure of having a mountain of wool in my lap faded.  But we had a chilly evening, so it got back in action. Here's the thing: I'd almost run out of odd skeins to use, when my enabler friend Mary Lou surprised me with a big box of almost-full skeins in just the kind of colors I use. And get this: she herself does not feel the granny square thing. That's a friend. So I kept on going and now  it's about 5 feet square and might  be close to just right. At first I felt compelled  to use all the yarn on it but a 15 foot square lap blanket is....a LOT of lap. I mean, I can use some of the yarn on another project, right? 

Meanwhile the colors at the farmers market have been inspiring, I'm thinking maybe a garlic scape sweater next?

may most colorful

Still at it. I love how the overall color vibe shifts when each new round is added. *It is just enough to get me around it, one more time. * repeat from * No end in sight.

Borscht with the works: cold beet soup with a boiled potato, hard boiled egg, diced red onion, plain greek yogurt and a bit of parsley.*Prepare, admire, eat for lunch* Repeat from *  at least 2-3 times per week.

and, why, yes, that is a Mason Dixon Knitting warshrag, knit by Kay herself. Are you wondering what it's like to hang with Kay while working on your photo skills? Yeah, I thought you were. Join me in Southampton NY on July 9th and find out . Info here.

Gaia shawl in Taiyo. Almost done. Noro..Loving it.

Strawberry-apple-kale-ginger juice. While looking for my gardening tools in the basement , I came across a juicer I'd snagged at a tag sale and never used.  Norma's juice lists  earlier this year and how they appealed in a really odd way popped into my brain... now, we're all smitten. Yo, yarn companies: juiced kale could be a colorway.Neighborhood Cinco de Mayo potluck. We had the tables on her lawn till a downpour forced us up on the porch...But it passed, so we spread back out on the lawn.

And had this for our view.

What colors are rocking your boat?