do not miss: fiber college

Don't you hate misuse of the word unique? It means one-of-a-kind, nothing else just like it on the planet. Snowflakes? Unique! Beautiful handcrafted quilts like this one? Unique!  A shirt at a chain store? nu-UH! I rarely use the word. When I say it, I mean it.  Fiber College in Maine, next week: wonderfully unique.

 Sept 6-9th. Searsport, Maine. Here's why you should join us:

One of the teaching spaces, an art studio. I'm teaching 3 classes.

Put aside the amazing teachers, consider the setting. On the ocean. In Maine. In September, at a campground resort with a beach and acres of award winning gardens with fiber art installed amongst nature. You can't beat the warm, friendly & artful vibe, starting with Astrig Tanguay, her husband Steve and the staff who run the whole shebang.

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Students in one of my classes last year. That's fellow teacher Ellen Mason modeling one of her sweaters. Look what she is doing this year, drop-in dyeing. My dream activity!

Now, consider  the options.( full list here.) You can stay at the grounds, or at reasonably priced housing nearby, and take amazing workshops.  Everything from indigo vat dyeing, latvian mittens, broom making, spinning, knitting techniques, stitching, quilting, wood carving, paper marbling, making a shawl pin. This year instructors include Katharine Cobey , Kirsten Kapur/Through the Loops, and Mary Lou Egan, of the WearWithAll designers .That's just a teeny snippet of knit possibilities. Crazy!

  

If your time or budget isn't free, you don't need to take classes at all.. There are daypasses for $8. to  hang out with your tribe, visit the vendors, and  the open demonstrations, and art. Or just sit and knit in beauty. Potluck dinners, a fashion show, a yarnswap...options, baby, options. Saturday night takes place in the center of Searsport, with an outdoor cocktail party and impromptu show & tell, followed by a sitdown delish dinner and a slidetalk presentation. This year the presenter is ME. I'm doing a fun 1 hour slide talk about photographing knitwear, 99% jargon free. It's the talk I last did in LA for the Slipt Stitchers Guild.I guess it's a bi-coastal presentation! .

Another from last year's class, we were playing with backgrounds.

A czech glass button demonstration talk I wandered into last year. So cool!  

Eating local: lobster stew, fresh corn, brew  and blueberry pie to follow. 

Penobscot Bay: view from my tent. I camped last year. It was lovely but I am afraid of pushing my luck with the weather, in my ancient tent. This year I'm sharing cottages with friends. 

Will I see you there?

ps if you live nearby or are attendng but not in a class on Friday afternoon or Sunday morning: I need a couple of models to pose in knitwear for a photo class. It'd be best if you are OK in front of a camera, and if you fit within the S-M-L spectrum of sweater comfortably. You'll probably learn a photo trick or two, get some photos to keep , not to mention have my gratitude forever. (and I'll pay for your day pass).  Shoot me an email if you can help ezisusATsnetDOTnet .

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Here're other places I am teaching in coming months, I just updated my info.

kntting on the high seas

The 1st ever knitting cruise of the Thimble Islands  was a rocking good time. Literally.

  

Winds picked up as 26 of us boarded the Volsunga  at the end of (another) sticky day.  

 

Thanks to the fabulous Tambira  we wined & dined in style.

1st skein of yarn ever wound on board. I think Capt Bob was suitably impressed.  

 The waters might have been a bit choppier than usual around the Thimbles but it was so. much. fun. New friends, old friends, knitting friends. Cool breezes and awesome views. We will sail again next summer. Be there.  

 

More photos here. Not sure how we'll top this one but I think someone mentioned a fieldtrip to Iceland?
This just in: a couple of the islands are up for sale. If you buy one,invite to your porch to knit, OK?
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* Fiber College in Maine is VERY soon  Sept 6-9! Go sign up before it's too late.  I'm teaching.  So is Kirsten Kapur, Mary Lou Egan, Alice Seeger, MaryJane Mucklestone....and a slew of people you've been wanting to meet . There are vendors, and demos, and potlluck dinners and fiber/craftbook swaps, all in the most splendid setting on the water.  More in my next post .*   

a knit with no subtitles

* Fiber College in Maine is soon: Sept 6-9! Go sign up before it's too late.  I'm teaching.  So is Kirsten Kapur, Mary Lou Egan, Alice Seeger, MaryJane Mucklestone....and a slew of people you've been wanting to meet . More in my next post .*   

It's an odd summer, and I'm not just referencing the weather. I've been working & traveling a lot, on brain challenging photo shoots. When I get a chance to knit , it's on older languishing projects. I somehow slipped down the slope into being an unfinished-projects-in-every-nook-and-cranny type. Moi? Love the process but revel in the gratification of finishing a piece.

whoa. I am on an old laptop and can't get the colors right. yikes.
 I'd kind of forgotten this. About a year ago, I learned a baby would be joining the family,so I cast on for a blanket, inspired by this one. I decided on eight skeins of colors, and wider stripes, to be economical.

Here's a  join, with 2 rows of K1P1 ribbing in the new color. A little texture pop. The yarn is Cleckheaton Country.  Soft, wooly, super easy to work with and superwash DK . . and seems to be discontinued.  (sorry).  You know what'd work well in its place? Kristin Nicholas' Julia yarn  if you don't mind handwashing it, or for superwash,  the slightly thicker MinnowMerino would be great.

I cast on, fighting my superstition against knitting for a not-yet-here babe. The supersititon won.  And to be honest, it is kind of a boring knit.  I put it aside in the second color. And forgot about it totally till last month.

I also forgot what order I intended for the colors. I think this is it, above. Can I just say, I am loving this project now? Perfect for the baby, now that she's here and has a personality.

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Option 2 for color order. Any opinions? And don't say lose the yellow. I love the yellow in there. I think it's rather Noro-esque of me.

 It is just what I want in knitting now: relaxing on the brain, rewarding to see it grow quickly. Good old stockinette! Part of the reason my brain's getting such a workout is a big project I'm on in Vermont, at  a language institute.
I've been shooting here off & on all summer.

Speaking English is forbidden, including for me. It is harder than you'd think to interact with several hundred people in 8 different languages, most of which I don't speak at all, and none of which I speak well. . Chinese, Russian, Italian German & Portugese? Fuhgeddabout it.  My  Hebrew is rusty but sort of functional, Spanish --ugh , how humbling to realize  my Spanish is really SPANGLISH. And French? My leftover high school vocab centers around excuses for not having homework done (my head hurts my stomach hurts, I forgot my notebook, I am tired, I am hungry. Pitiful, non?)

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FYI: The Thimble Islands knitting cruise leaves the dock at Stony Creek promptly on Tuesday evening at 7:15, if you've paid for a ticket, be there at 7. If you don't have a ticket, there are only 2 left. So email me, or you're staying ashore. Matey.

YO-ho ho and a bottle of eucalan

Before we get into the real story here, a quick look at my shawl.  I am in the final decrease section of this sizable mohair wrap--and I think, final color. I went rogue on the striping sequence .

Anyway, here's what I really want to tell you about:As you know if you've had a glance here in the past 7 years, I live by the beach, and I live for the beach.

 If I am in, by or on the water, all is good. Add my other must-have lifestyle-enhancing activity, knitting, and this is a no-brainer:

 1st annual Thimble Islands Charter Knitting Cruise

Tuesday evening August 14th,   7 - 9:15pm

Stony Creek (Branford) CT 

If you wish to join us from near or far, we still have some seats, see below*

I swear this is the conversation, verbatim, regarding this event.

( my phone ringing)

Capt Bob:  Hey, Gale? This is Capt Bob, got yer message. We're all set for the Thimble Islands charter on August 14th. Be at the dock with your people at 7 pm.

Me: Oh good, we're pretty psyched. I just realized it's getting dark earlier now,  do you have lights under the boat awning?

Capt Bob: Yeah, no problem, we 've got lights up.

Me: Oh I'm so glad. Otherwise it'd be hard to see our knitting,  I don't want anyone getting aggravated if they can't see their stitches after sunset.

Capt Bob: (silence for a little longer than normal in a conversation) Knitting? Did you say......knitting? You're all going to be on the boat....KNITTING??!!

Me: I thought I told you, this is a knitting cruise. We'll all be knitting, That's what we do on Tuesday nights.

Capt Bob: (little guffaw, and  sarcastic tone follows) so.. . you'll drink beer and knit?

Me: Of course. Or wine. But we were also talking mojitos and maybe margaritas...and snacks...

Capt. Bob: (silence, that I think we can interpret as...wtf ??)

Me: what? did you think knitters are a bunch of old ladies?

Capt Bob: Um,,well.ummm yah..heh heh.   THIS is a first on the Volsunga. (mutttering) A knitters cruise! Definitely a first. See you on the dock on 14th....

Thimble Islands sunset, view from the dock 

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Come school Captain Bob in the ways of knitters.  We have about ten seats left. Lots of friendly knitters from the area will be on board.

Tuesday August 14th , meet at the Stony Creek docks at 7 pm, boat departs at 7:15 sharp, tootles around the Thimble Islands just  off the coast,   and returns at 9:15. We'll be sailing on the Volsunga.

Tickets are $ 25. in advance, by paypal to me (gzuckerATsnet.net) or message me (ezisusATsnet.net) and I'll tell you where to send a check. We'll sell tickets until we are full--or the boat leaves the dock, whichever comes first.

BYOB, BYOK(nitting) and some snacks to share, there's a large table in the center of the boat. Capt Bob provides the ice, the sound system and a guided tour.

three cheers for the red, white and blue (large)

Browsing around on the internets, as one does when one is sitting in one's office avoiding large deadlined projects, I ran into the huge knit US flag art piece by Dave Cole,  quite a few times. Then, I read Lori's post on it, on her VersaciKnits blog.  She mentioned that her dad, an art collector, has the artist's model of the piece. 

Which prompted my memory of photographing Dave Cole while the piece was installed, up at MassMOCA in 2005.  Back when my blog had 15 readers, on a good day. These are a couple of the images.  If you want to see more of the piece itself and about Dave's work (at least 7 years ago) , take a look at my July 9, 2005 post. Including the model, that's now at Lori's dad's house. (I just love knowing where things end up, don't you?) 

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The funniest thing is, I can't recall what magazine I shot him for.  He continues to incorporate knitting and handsewing and materials that are waaaay outside the box to make his art. Take a look.

weekend index

Disclaimer: the Hipstamatically presented images below are from 2 weekends ago--not  from the weekend under scrutiny in the text. Me running around working non-stop for two days looks nothing like this.  Have you not heard of artistic license? 

This summer I'm shooting for an institute in Vermont. It's not  crafts or knitting related, in case you were about to ask.  I'm back from the first of four trips up there there in the Green Mountains, getting it underway. It is a fabulous client to work with.  Wanna know how it went?

# of knitting projects I brought along: 1 (I am serious about finishing this shawl)

# of degrees hot , in F,  or more, almost the whole time: 90  (hello? Vermont? wtf? )

# of % humidity: 99.9999

# of times I thought maybe fine mohair wasn't that attractive to handle : 0 (Can you tell I really really want to finish the shawl)

# of people attending this institute: 1100

# of languages being spoken: 8

# of conversations or interactions I am allowed to have in English: 0

(by the end of the summer I will be able to say "No worries! I am the photographer! Please make believe I am not here and continue what you were doing!" in all eight languages.)

# of these languages I can sort of communicate in: 2

# of times I stood looking at people dumbly, waving my hands saying um, uh, ummmm , AGGHHHHH : how high can you count?

 

# of stitches I knit: zero

# of pages I read before falling asleep, exhausted from trying to think in many languages while also concentrating on the photo shoot: : 1.5 (Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. Highly recommend! *)

# of days before I head back up there: 4

* Curiously this is the second book I've read in a row in which a flooded southern city is the major force in the action. This one is non-fiction, and in New Orleans but in some ways feels less real than Ann Shayne's engaging novel Bowling Avenue. Go figure!  But read them both.

and on and on and on

Several times this spring I was fretting about my clothes. It boiled down to " If only I had a light frothy springy kinda wrap, I'd be all put together". I know this reveals I think putting a handknit wrap on yourself is "pulling your outfit together.  Just go with me here. 

 

Then I remembered starting this shawl way back, on an impulse.

You can see me showing off its early stages on Ellen Bloom's blog, in Los Angeles in 2010. Uh, huh, two years ago, put it aside shortly after the trip. At the time I thought it was a boring knit, plus I had mucho test knitting for Craft Activism, with deadlines.

 I worked on it briefly a year ago,  I hardly remember doing so.  Horrifyingly, I started that post almost the same way as this one. (I lack brain cells as well as gossamer shawls, apparently.)

It is not too boring for me this summer, although I find the loopy fine Be Sweet mohair not quite mindless. Is high maintenance mindless a project category?  If I knit quickly without looking, I stick my points through the little loopies that are halo fibers rather than the stitches.  Also, not great beach knitting, although the colors work for the setting.

Whatever. This summer, I am sticking with it till it's done. Come next spring 2013, watch out: I will be utterly put together.

 

It matched the yard pretty well last week, didn't it?

ways to use up yarn

This is one pretty charming way. Especially if you are on the receiving end.  I like how she braided strands together instead of just wrapping it round and round.

From my friend Julie. She said she thought of consulting  Shear Spirit and making a Navajo Braid with the yarn. Her saying that, and actually referencing the book? A gift, too.

Navajo braid from churro sheep roving  on Jay Begay's ranch, on the rez in Arizona 

Here's a link from our photo shoot there.

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ps inside was the novel Swamplandia by Karen Russell. 

I do frou-frou, do you do frou-frou too?

About time I blabbed about some actual knits, doncha think? I intended to start blogging daily this month but..wow. It feels like time is an out of control ball of yarn, unwinding so fast you can barely grab it as it unspools.

 

Months ago, on a wet winter day, I ducked into my LYS with Zoe and her mama along. I offered to knit something of their choosing, and pointed Giuliana at patterns using worsted weight yarn. Lazy? Perhaps. I like knitting worsted yarns, what can I say?  We both fell in love with the book 60 Quick Baby Knits,* designed to use Cascade 220 in all kinds of sweet & speedy ways.

  

See what I mean by sweet? Knit applique & ruffles. I am such a freakin' granny. 

We chose a tunic & pants ensemble, and Spud & Chloe Sweater for the yarn, because it felt so awesome to touch, and is machine washable, too. (50/50 cotton wool). It's a little heavier than the Cascade 220. I followed the basic instructions for proportion & structure but changed the numbers, so it didn't come out huge and way too bulky. It took up almost every inch of the yellow skein (Firefly), plus 1.5 skeins of the pink (Watermelon).

  

This right here is just about my  frou-frou-enough level. I crocheted the neck and armhole edges all around instead of picking up & knitting garter rows, and left off the pants hem ruffles. I would love to show it to you modeled, but my model is still a bit too small. I adore the tunic and suspect she'll wear it like crazy, with a shirt under it. The pants are a little bulky--sort of like baby sweats- but we'll see. It's got a short row tush. I loved that part of the design, to make room for diapers.And the picot waist,with elastic inside. I think she'll rock the style. Don't you?

So, about that daily blogging. I may still give it a try.

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* there are at least 4 other knits I may make from that book soon--but now that Wear With All is out , I am dying to knit the baby tunic dress. It is too adorable!

yarnbombing with all the ingredients

Dateline New Haven, June 9th 2012:  International Yarnbombing Day recognized in the only way possible.  We had everything necessary for success.

Even a few raindops, so we could feel valiant as we carried on. 

 Julia-of Julia, June & Linda, our Knit New Haven hosts.

Stacey Fresh Stitches, flower provocateur. 

tools & fuel

Note the refreshed door handle.
500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7221/7177099305_2141ca7e3c.jpg" width="355" />

That's Ruth Anne at work.
My main contribution? This recycled mitten fella. I like its provenance: the yarn was in this batch, the mitten, a reject from this project.  Turning it into a wooly face , instigated by the sidewalk chorus on Saturday after I pointed out the way I was hanging it, unadorned,  looked a little....suggestive. (see? I told you I'd have some of my knitting on this post).
Cathy's working on the little heart, knit in the round. Metaphor alert!

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 If this piques your interest, check out the yarnbombing in Craft Activism. And get going. There're plenty of surfaces left to cover.

shepherds harvest weekend

 I was invited to judge the photo contest and teach at Shepherds Harvest 2012, held last month in Minnesota. I jumped at the chance.  I've been hearing about this annual wooly festival for years.

So there I was. I judged.  It was not easy. A thirteen year old named Rachel made this image. Talent!

 

Minnesota's a forcefield in the fiberarts world. Shepherds Harvest is a truly vibrant, lively festival with 5+ barns of vendors and an equal number full of livestock. You could learn saori weaving, dyeing, knitting techniques or how to breed colored fleeces and build a flock. Anyway, it was just a flawlessly wonderful two days, unless you count that the Scandanavian food truck ran out of lefse  before I had some. (Got my walleye chunks though, so no worries.)

I booksigned, alone for Craft Activism and Shear Spirit (missed you, Joan Tapper!) and with my Minnesota knit author posse from WearWithAll. Here I am with Scott Rohr and Mary Lou Egan. And that stole. (I want to steal that stole).

Here are Theresa Gaffey and Shelly Sheehan. Shelly's working on the stole in an alternative colorway. In front? Those are stole kits. I still want to steal the stole, but perhaps I should just knit one? Speaking of WearWithAll, did you see this review from Clara Parkes? And, this one over at Mason Dixon Knitting? :-)))

I taught a large and diverse group for the Photo Safari class .  Knitwear designers, alpaca farmers, a dude who's photo hobby matched up with my class while his wife and daughters' indulged their knitting  jones, an Adobe PhotoShop engineer, someone who mostly knit & crocheted in all white, some friends...and a bustling festival to explore. I hadn't calculated how our group of photographers in action would draw a crowd, who seemed convinced they'd found a celebrity at the festival beyond all the lenses. (does Prince knit? That would be the local celeb sighting I'd be all over). So, what did we shoot on safari? All kinds of backgrounds, above.

Sheep, of course. Isn't this one's fleece magnificent? I want a sweater in just those gradations.

My exhortations to get close and try unusual angles were heard!-Here's Ellen Silva photographing in the reenactors tent. She may have gone home with some spinning wheel burn marks on her forehead. But excellent images. All in the line of duty.

On Sunday,  I strolled the festival as a civilian with Ellen, who mostly stayed  upright. It was so much fun--first off, Ellen seems to know everyone in the upper midwest fiber world. And,  she's a decisive shopper, with great taste in yarn/fiber. That makes for a satisfying festival buddy right there.

One of my favorite booths, from Great Wool. Can't wait till Zoe is old enough for wooly tutus and felted fox ears. Also soft squishy Rambouillet yarn.

More felting! My friends Judy & Tom MacDowell from Misty Meadows Icelandics were there. I hadn't seen them since I invaded their farm with the photo shoot for Shear Spirit. Judy is a felting artist, and had a wall display of these narrow scarves, I think she called them centipedes. One came home with me.

I said I wouldn't buy yarn,  I do not need any yarn right now.  And I don't do souvenir yarn. At least not until Ellen introduced me to this very cool fundraiser. See these bags? They contain fluff from all the vendors, who donate handfuls of their fibers. A committee divides it into bags (or, sometimes layers them into fiber sandwiches),  

and a swat team of volunteer spinners turn each bag into a skein or two of yarn which is auctioned silently. All of the money goes to Heifer International.  So--do you get it? It's not shopping for yarn. It's supporting a good cause! (Yup, the cause clause).

  

I'm thinking new mittens for next winter,  I will be so happy knowing where the yarn came from.

And, a hat from this skein. I am slightly ashamed to admit I was bidding against the spinner who so beautifully spun the mix into a fat single, and plied it with a single laceweight strand of turquoise silk. I won't tell you how little I paid, even so.  As a non-spinner with a longing for handspun  , this is heaven.  So to sum up: Shepherds Harvest= good. Go if you can, next year.

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 Next post--I'm going to show knitting. It's been awhile , hasn't it?