Gathering of Knitters

Hi, Knitters,
Last Sunday I had a rare chance to meet up with a small gathering of knitters from our Ravelry group, Itty-Bitty Knits. There were five of us in total and we met at the Verona yarn and coffee shop, The Sow's Ear. We had such a great time, chatting, sharing our knitting, having coffee and quiche.... the time flew by.

Three of the knitters are from Illinois, which doesn't make them any less special, but one of the knitters, Mel, came all of the way from Australia to meet up with Itty-Bitty Knitters all over the country and Canada. That's right, Mel is a wonderful moderator for my Ravelry group and she has spent the last month, starting with Rhinebeck, traveling around and being hosted by members of the group. This group of hosts have been incredibly generous as they opened their homes to Mel along the way.

I felt so lucky to have this group make the effort to come all the way to Madison so I could meet them in person. It was a huge treat and the time spent together is something I'll never forget. Thank you!

Mel was so sweet, she knit me the cabled hat I am holding in the photo above. I love it.

The group from left to right consisted of Jo Ann (NrsMoo - rav id), Mel (womaninashoe - rav id), me, Kathy (Kally - rav id) and in the back row is Pat (plynn - rav id). I have been lucky enough to meet Pat a few times in person now at various places and I really enjoy her. She has a good sense of humor.

What a lovely bunch and the Sow's Ear is really the best place to be. We got our own room to hang out in which made it even better. The food and the coffee is wonderful there as well.

A few days before this Itty-Bitty meet up, I had the chance to meet up with another visiting friend from Maryland at the Sow's Ear for coffee and a chat. You may know her.

What a week!

Now with a brief bit of knitting news, I have the pattern finished for my Waiting for Winter Mittens. I am having a bunch of people test knit them before I release the pattern. It will be published very soon.

The mittens use from 100 to 200 yards of worsted weight yarn depending on the size. There are three sizes available small, medium and large and there are fingerless mitt instructions included as well.

I knit the mittens in the size medium and they fit my average size hand perfectly. The lengths are easily adjusted for a custom fit and the pattern points out the places that are good for modifying.

Easy-peasy would be the best way to describe this pattern! The fastest knit in the west would be another way.

I'll keep you posted and in the meantime, have a good end to your week.
best, susie