News of the Big Kind

Hi, Knitters,

The winners of the two prizes, a copy of the book Up Down All Around, and the steamer (thank you very much!) filled with Infinite Twist mini-cakes of yarn, are..... 

Grannyslove (rav id) ~ won the book!

WordLily (rav id) ~ won the yarn!

Congratulations to both of you. I have contacted the winners via Ravelry. I have stacks of books and other things to review and giveaway so there will be more and soon. 

Well, the last few weeks have been some of the fullest of my life. There has been lots of big news around here, some life-changing. In between graduation for Peachy, college road-trips, graduation party hosting, party attending, TC's birthday, swim meets, loads of yarn, knitting, deadlines, new ventures, and some fireworks, we had some even bigger news. This is the kind of news that tops everything.

Our oldest son got engaged to our Miss Molly!

We are thrilled and blessed by this good news. We love Miss Molly! I might have to change her name to Mrs. Molly after the wedding. I'm sure there will be more to come and share on these two beautiful young people as they start their new life together as an engaged and eventually a young married couple. What a fun and exciting time ahead for all of us.

The other bit of big news is that tomorrow I am celebrating my 25th wedding anniversary with my beloved husband. It seems hard to believe. To look back at our lives and all that's happened and changed and then to see, thank goodness, that so much has stayed the same is all pretty amazing and a bit overwhelming at the same time. It's been a lot of living packed into the last 25 years. The saying that life works in mysterious ways is definitely true. Time works in mysterious ways, sometimes it flies by, sometimes it is like slow-motion. To look around and see all of our children, now young adults, surrounding my husband and me seems nothing short of a miracle. 

There have been many milestones this year for the Anderson family and it all seems to have been crammed into a couple of short months. Isn't that how life goes sometimes? I have said this so many times but I'll say it again. When your kids are little you think things will be so much calmer and easier when they get older. The exact opposite happens. When your kids get older it is busier, bigger, more out of your control, more fun, more difficult, happier, sadder, more serious, more uncertain, more exciting, more emotional.... just more and more of everything. I love all of it and I wouldn't change a thing. Okay, well, maybe I'd change a couple of things, but for the most part I wouldn't change a thing.

Have a lovely week ahead. We have Peachy's birthday this week, the day after the Fourth of July, and she's 18 years old people! When did that happen? This falls into the time flying by category. Why stop now with all of the action around here? 

If it were quiet and calm we wouldn't know what to do with ourselves.  

Here's to some exciting times ahead! I hope you'll join me.

best, susie

Episode 8 ~ The Summer of Paula

Hi, Knitters,
The winner of the Duck Duck Wool fingering weight yarn is...... zytigg (rav id) or Debra! Congratulations. Thank you for entering everyone and I actually have two new giveaways today. I talk about them in the video podcast, but even if you don't watch please feel free to enter on this blog post by leaving a comment. I'll describe the prizes at the end of the post.

If you are receiving this post via email subscription, please watch the video directly on YouTube!

Subscribe to the podcast on either iTunes (click here) or on YouTube (click here). And thank you if you do!

Today I talk about:

Quaerie Fibre in the Patchwork colorway
How I make my socks free pattern
Signature double-pointed needles

Leftie Shawl by Martina Behm
Miss Babs Leftie kit in the Slate and Reds colorway

Mary, Millie & Morgan ebook! (the dolls)
Quince & Co.

The summer of Paula Emons-Fuessle!
Paula's Knitting Pipeline podcast and website
Paula's designs on Ravelry
I've knit the Piper's Journey and the Lullaby Rain shawls and I am wearing the Magic Cake Ruffle Shawl. In the pipeline all set to go, I have the Gill's Rock, Ellison Bay and the Hyla Brook.
I'm knitting all three of the shawls in the called for Quince & Co. yarns.

LoveSockWool project bag with the piggy fabric

Infinite Twist ~ I shared the mini-cakes of beautiful yarn. This is the yarn I am giving away today!

Wendy Bernard's website Knit and Tonic

Up, Down and All Around by Wendy Bernard ~ this is the book I am giving away!

Please leave a comment on this blog post if you'd like to win either a copy of Up Down All-Around Stitch Dictionary or the mini-cakes of Infinite Twist yarns. Please leave one comment that includes either your Ravelry ID or your email address. Please be patient for your comment to appear on the blog, it takes some time for me to approve the comments.

Good luck! Thanks for joining me.

I'll be back soon in a couple of days with the randomly selected winners, there will be two winners this time, one for the yarn and one for the book.

Good luck if you enter to win the book or the yarns!
best, susie

Duck Duck Wool ~ yarn giveaway!

Hi, Knitters,

I have a fun little Etsy shop to chat about this morning. I was looking around and came across Duck Duck Wool. The name of the shop is enough to pull you in on its own, clever and cute. The tagline for the shop is "color worth chasing." I agree! The dyer and shop creator is Sandra from Northern Virginia.

Click here to visit Duck Duck Wool on Etsy!

I ordered this skein of beauty called, MCN Aran in the Art Smock colorway. I love the name Art Smock for a yarn, too, splatters of this and that all over a creamy white background. It's a very sweet yarn. So sweet, in fact, that I am designing a sweet new baby hat using Art Smock as we speak.

Here is the information on this squishy, colorful, spirited skein of yarn:

80% super wash Merino

10% Cashmere

10% Nylon

180 yards/100 grams

I am knitting it on US 8s at 4.5 sts per inch in stockinette stitch. It's truly adorable.

I don't see the yarn in Sandra's Duck Duck Wool shop right now but maybe you could contact her if you'd like to try a skein of her Aran MCN or something else!

Click here for Duck Duck Wool!

Sandra's tags are even colorful and eye-catching. I love everything about this yarn and shop. The new baby hat pattern will be available very soon. If you're interested, the baby hat has a girl-y detail and can also be made in a bulky weight yarn. I will have two versions available, aran and bulky weight.

You may have come to realize through the years that I have a serious love for speckled yarn. I love the speckles and the fun it brings to the knitted fabric. Dashes and spots and freckles and dips and dots..... it's all good in my book.

Well, when I placed my order of Duck Duck Wool Aran yarn, that generous Sandra included an extra skein in my package. She wrote me a sweet note and said she enjoys my work and was surprised to see my name pop up in her orders. She said she had to pinch herself (once again, she's super cute!). 

Here is the information on the lovely extra skein above:

SOTA Sock in the Speckled Stone colorway (it's a light pink/peach with soft gray, rust, blue, and orange speckles)

80% super wash Merino

20% Nylon

425 yards/115 grams

Fingering Weight

Sandra said I could either keep this skein or if it didn't suit me, give it away to my blog readers. It totally suits me and I would knit it up in a flash. Speckled Stone could be a toy, socks, a lovely shawl, mittens, a scarf, baby items, a hat, a cowl, etc.  The subtle color and gorgeous speckles makes it very versatile. But instead of keeping the yarn for myself I thought what better way to introduce you to this wonderful new to me Etsy shop by giving this skein away to one of you! I think you will love it.

Duck Duck Wool ~ click here to visit Sandra's Etsy shop!

Are you in to win this luscious, soft and squishy speckled fingering weight skein of fun? 

Here's how:

Please leave one and only one comment on this blog post. Please leave your Ravelry ID or your email  in the comment. I will need to contact the winner to gather the mailing address so I can send out the yarn. Please do not email me to enter, you have to go to the blog and enter a comment (this happens a lot with email subscribers, they hit reply to enter). Please be patient for your comment to appear, sometimes it takes awhile for me to approve the comments. It will appear, I promise! Thanks for entering.

Thank you to Sandra of Duck Duck Wool for the giveaway opportunity!

I have been working my tail off with my knitting. I have lots and lots of good stuff in the hopper and it has been a very exciting time lately. I can't wait to share in the future and you may even be a bit surprised. What would I do without a huge block of post-it notes nearby. I actually number them like little pages while I'm designing.

So much to do, so little time. Don't we all feel that way?

Good luck on the yarn giveaway! I'll be back in a couple of days with a randomly selected winner.

Let the comments begin!

best, susie

p.s. I recently reconnected with someone I knew and adored from my childhood, her name is Leslie. I've known her for around 40 years. Our girls were on the same soccer team this spring so we sat through many a game together reminiscing and chatting (and watching the game, of course). My friend is living through some health issues and when she heard I have a blog she was inspired to start her own blog. She told me she is ready for me to share her blog on my blog! Please go give her some love and support if you are able, it would mean a lot to me. Plus, not only did she start a blog, she started knitting socks! I helped her get started. She couldn't resist the socks after watching me knit sock after sock at the games. She's very smart, warm and personable, plus she is a knitter. Click here for Leslie Rethinks Health!

Fait Accompli

Hi, Knitters,

I have a quick update on my From Batts to Socks post. I have now finished both socks from my handspun yarn spun from two Knit Spin Farm Gradient Batts! 

Click here for the KnitSpinFarm shop on Etsy! And here for the Knit Spin Farm Podcast!

I used Knit Picks US size 1 or 2.5mm dpns, and the How I Make My Socks free pattern (casting on 60 stitches due to the larger gauge of the yarn). 

I am thoroughly in love with my new handspun socks and couldn't wait to share them with you.

Have a beautiful Sunday, friends. I'll be back soon with much more.
best, susie

From Batts to Socks

(photo from KnitSpinFarm on Etsy)

Hi, Knitters,

First, the winners of the Tan House Brook Shawl are Melsparks, sweetsticks, and mamamustknit (all rav ids)! I've given BostonJen (rav id) your Ravelry names and she will send you your new shawl patterns. Congratulations! Thank you, Jen, for the opportunity. I will host another giveaway very soon.

Now for the beautiful batts I recently finished spinning..... I love the resulting yarn. The batts are from JoAnna's Etsy shop called KnitSpinFarm.

Click here for KnitSpinFarm on Etsy!

Click here for the KnitSpinFarm podcast! This is one of my favorite podcasts.

(photo from KnitSpinFarm on Etsy)

Here is JoAnna's description of the batts:

Victorian Lilac batts contain: Alpaca, Angelina, Angora, Blue Faced Leicester, Cormo, Merino, Romney, Sari Silk, Silk, Silk Noil. A gradient from white to deep purple with hints of yellow throughout. Total weight: 5.5 oz 

I started spinning with the white end of the batts. I spun each batt separately. When I spin from a batt I pull off strips of the fiber and then I spin onto the wheel right from the end of the strip. White is on the inside of the bobbin above. It is such a lovely gradation of color.

Here you can see how the batt is filled with little treasures of silk and angelina. It's so pretty.

The white bobbin has been Navajo plied and the lower purple bobbin is still waiting to be plied.

It was an incredibly windy and warm day so I hung the yarn outside to dry and it dried so quickly.

Here are the two gradient skeins all washed and dried! They are gorgeous.

One skein had 218 yards and the other had about 180 yards. I really had my mind set on socks. With almost 400 yards of a three ply I knew it was possible. The yarn was heavier than fingering weight, no question, so I cast on 60 stitches instead of my usual 64. I used US size 1 or 2.5mm dpns and literally willed the yarn to become socks. The fabric is very dense but that will serve the socks well in the end.

Here is the first finished sock! I love it so much. You can see I had quite a bit left over. Unfortunately some of the darkest purple was left out but I really don't mind. What a great and useful knit to do with handspun. I love knitting handspun socks and I love wearing handspun socks even more. You should try it if you haven't yet.

Here is another photo of the finished sock. You can see the bits of yellow throughout the sock. It is a really good fit, too. I went down to 28 stitches on the toe decreases, instead of my usual 32 stitches, due to the heavier gauge.

I used the How I make my socks (free pattern) for the sock recipe, only slightly changing the numbers along the way.

You can see my progress on the second sock here. It is just adorable and fun. These are some of the most fun socks I've knit. I am a couple of rounds away from starting the heel flap. 

My project bag is from JoAnna of KnitSpinFarm, too! Click here to see this shop (there are a couple of adorable project bags and a few batts in the shop right now ~ go quick!)

Yum!

I love the confetti throughout the yarn, little sprinkles of interesting bits and bobs. These handspun socks will quickly become some of my favorites, I can tell already. The spinning of the yarn was such a treat, the plying relieved all of my graduation stress and provided a good distraction, and the knitting of the socks is delightful. It's all good stuff.

Now for a real treat for all of you hopeful sock models out there. I gave my son his Regia Super Jacquard socks that I recently finished. He wore them all weekend (he wore them to the graduation ceremony even and it was warm!). I washed them for him before he left back for school.  

I know that I probably find his modeling antics way funnier than anyone else, but really it is pretty funny even if you don't know him. He is really a kid full of humor. 

For these shots I kind of thought he was joking but when I showed him the photo he said, "Oh, maybe I should have put my legs closer together." I thought that was even funnier because I guess he was more serious than I thought. Yes, probably the legs and feet should have been closer together. Most likely yes. The flip-flops maybe not the best choice either.

They fit perfectly! That was exciting to see.

And the final modeling pose, the behind-the-leg-cross-back-toe. I feel a new trend coming on in the sock modeling world. The hairy legs make the dainty pose even better.

Okay, enough for today. I am slowly making my way back into my work after the graduation weekend. We have a college orientation at the end of the week and TC's birthday this weekend. It never ends and I am very thankful for that fact.

I hope you are well! Whatcha been knitting? I'd love to hear about it.
best, susie

a little pattern giveaway for you

(photo by J. Lassonde)

Hi, Knitters,

It is a busy time of year for everyone right about now with school and sports finishing up, banquets, music concerts, gardening, etc. It is all fun stuff but just a lot of everything. We have a daughter, our beloved Peachy, graduating from high school this weekend. Things have been quite hectic. We are hosting a graduation party for Peachy and her good friend at our house to celebrate their achievements. 

We are very proud of her.

In the meantime, while I am getting ready for the festivities, I thought I would share this beautiful new shawl pattern I received from Jennifer Lassonde. The shawl is called Tan House Brook.

Click here for more information on the Tan House Brook Shawl.

Jennifer is the host of the wonderful Down Cellar Studio Podcast. I love her podcast.

Jennifer or BostonJen on Ravelry has recently released this lovely simple triangular shawl with elongated ends. She kindly sent me a copy for my library and she has generously offered one copy for each of 3 winners!

(photo by J. Lassonde)

I think this is a lovely shawl, simple but with some texture and detail. What a fun pattern to show off some beautiful yarns. The pattern can be made in fingering weight or worsted weight yarn. This just looks like the perfect summer knit. I've been hearing good things about this pattern so I think you will love it!

It looks like it takes 400 - 420 yards of a fingering weight knit on a US 7.

Here is a little information from Jennifer's Ravelry Project Page for the Tan House Brook Shawl:

This top-down, elongated triangular shawl is a great project for new and experienced knitters alike.

The simple stockinette section at the beginning helps you learn the increase pattern. Then we add in some fun texture in short bursts which should keep you interested throughout the project!

The result is a very wearable shawl that has a bit of lace without being too fancy for everyday use. Wear it over your shoulders or bandana style to add some warmth and fun to your look!

Finished Size
Fingering Weight: 56 inches wide. 18 inches deep
Worsted Weight: 64 inches wide. 22 inches deep

Please Note If your gauge is different than that listed, I highly recommend having more yarn available. Nearly all test knitters used very close to 400 yards. Instructions are available in the pattern for how to make pattern longer if you have more yarn and would like to use it up.

Suggested needles for Worsted Weight Version: US 9 (5.5 mm) with a gauge of 14 stitches over 4 inches in stockinette

Please leave a comment if you would like a free pdf copy of the Tan House Brook Shawl pattern! Please leave your Ravelry ID or email address in your comment so Jennifer can get your pattern to you if you win. Please only leave one comment on this blog post, there will be a delay before it will appear on the blog. 

Wish us luck this weekend. I am trying to keep my emotions in check. These milestones with my kids really get to me.

I'll be back soon to randomly select 3 lucky winners. Thank you to Jennifer for the opportunity. Good luck and let the comments begin!

best, susie

Sunday Leftie Knitting

Hi, Knitters,
I finally found a little bit of time earlier today to work a few more leaves on my Leftie shawl by Martina Behm. This is one fun shawl.  I have seven leaves done to be exact. I am weaving in the ends as I go, as that works better for me in the end.

Leftie is just so much fun. If you are even thinking about it, you should give it a go. What a great pattern. Leftie is more compelling than the Hitchhiker for me, maybe it's the color changes. Who knows.

Leftie by Martina Behm

Leftie Kit from Miss Babs (mine is the Slate and Reds kit colorway)

I am using a US size 1 or 2.5mm needle. The shawl is one where a slightly tighter gauge looks good. It shows off the beautiful garter stitch and leaves better. I probably won't block this too strenuously in the end because I love the way it looks now.

That's it for today. The photo isn't the best as the sun is going down but I was too excited not to share.

I'll be back soon with more! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. The weather around here has been beautiful lately.
best, susie

How to make your own Everlasting Gobstopper Yarn Ball!

Hi, Knitters,

The other day I posted this photo to Instagram and Facebook sharing the hand wound 50 gram balls I made from the skein of Quaere Fibre self-striping sock yarn in the Patchwork colorway. I have done this winding technique with lots of other striping sock yarn skeins. I think they always look like candy in the end, kind of like the Willy Wonka Everlasting Gobstoppers. The Patchwork versions are especially eye-catching due to the beauty and colors of the yarn.

Click here to visit the Quaere Fibre Etsy shop!

I had quite a few people ask if I would share how I wound the balls this way. Of course I will!

Here is my wordless video on winding. I will write out the simple steps below the video.

Click here to see the video on YouTube!

How to create an Everlasting Gobstopper yarn ball:

Note: The yarn in the video is Vesper Sock Yarn in the Rainbow Love colorway.

1.  I usually just drape the yarn over the back of a chair for winding but you could wind it on a ball winder first or place it on your swift to start. For video purposes today I pre-wound the ball on the ball winder so I could keep my range of motion small. I don't usually take this extra step.

2.  Wrap the end and yarn around several fingers until you have a good amount. Remove the yarn and make a sort of figure eight with it and fold it in half to make the start of your ball.

3. Begin wrapping the yarn around this tiny ball in all directions until it is about the size of a walnut or quarter.

4. Now start paying attention to the spot where the color changes in the yarn. Each time the yarn changes stop winding at that spot.

5. *Place your thumb on the color change spot and turn the ball to start winding in a different direction. Wind each stripe of color in the same direction/spot until you reach the next color. Then repeat from *

Keep working in this way until all of the yarn is wound! If you want two 50g balls for socks you'll have to weigh as you go. Also, make sure you wind the yarn in different directions, side to side, up and down, and diagonally. This will help the ball end up more even.

Here is the finished result!! I wound the 100g skein in one ball this time.

The yarn is Vesper from KnitterlyThings, one of my longtime favorites.

Click here for the Knitterly Things shop!

Enjoy!

I'd love to see your Everlasting Gobstoppers if you make some.

best, susie
p.s. #everlastinggobstopper    maybe? let me know. i'm in if you are.

Sock Report including a Formula for Men's Socks

Hi, Knitters,

I hope you all had a good weekend. We sure did.

I am focusing on a Sock Report on this first Monday of June. The photo above is a newer photo of my sock drawers. There is a small basket of socks waiting to be washed that aren't included in this gathering of socks. These drawers are double-stacked both underneath and going back. There is a third drawer on the top that I am starting to fill. That makes me happy.

What is it about socks, mainly simple stockinette stitch socks, that continues to pull me in with such love and diligence? Well, I'll give answering this question a shot.

10 things I love about sock knitting:

1. the actual knitting of the socks (for me nothing is more pleasurable, fast and simple to knit)

2. the joy of wearing the finished socks (socks are my most worn knit item by far)

3. the yarn ~ endlessly new and fascinating and fun

4. the portability of the project (the easiest knitting project to tote along anywhere)

5. the easy care (machine or hand wash)

6. darning when they wear a hole (yes, I actually enjoy this)

7. the way your socks can be wild and crazy stripes and colors when you mainly wear black and neutrals 

8. the fun of knitting a small project and finishing in not too much time

9. the joy of flying around the small circumference on my beloved double-pointed needles

10. the fact that the pattern is so easy to memorize

There are many more reasons to love sock knitting. Do you have any to add to my list? I'd love to hear what you love about knitting socks.

I am going to share the information about the following socks, some partially finished and some finished. At the end of the post I asked permission to share a very sweet email I received from a knitter, so you will see it at the bottom.

Yarn: Gale's Art Graffiti & Asphalt Wonder Sock

Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A

Needles: 2.5mm Signature Needle Arts dpns

Progress: One done, one to go!

Yarn: Opal Hundertwassers Winterbild with sparkle (I'm not sure where to purchase this yarn)

Needles: US 1s, 2.25mm Signature Needle Arts dpns
Pattern: How I make my socks (free pattern from me!)
Click here for the Ravelry page for How I Make My Socks.
Progress: Finished!
Sock blockers: from The Loopy Ewe

Yarn: Regia Super Jacquard (search on Etsy and Ebay to find this yarn!)

Needles: US 1s, Knit Picks dpns

Pattern: How I make my socks (free pattern by me! modified for men)

Click here for the Ravelry page for How I Make My Socks.

Progress: Finished! 

Note: These are for my son who has US men's shoe size 11.  He is coming home next week so I will have these waiting for him. I've been asked how I knit these socks for men using my How I make my socks pattern.

Here is what I did differently from the women's directions to make men's socks: 

Cast on 72 sts (24 sts on each of 3 dpns)

k2, p2 rib for 15 rounds 

Worked an 8 inch cuff (my boys like long cuffs)

Worked the heel flap using 36 sts, working 18 slip stitch rows

Worked the heel turn starting with purling 20 sts across

Picked up 18 sts on the sides of the heel flap

Decreased the gusset down to 72 sts

Worked the foot to 9-inches in length measured from the back of the heel (specific for a US men's shoe size 11) - this can be knit to any length, about 2-inches shorter than the finished desired length. 

Worked the toe, decreasing down to 32 sts (16 on the top of the foot and 16 on the bottom of the foot)

Grafted the toe closed!

Oh, and see that tiny ball of yarn to the right of the socks? That's how much I had left from the 100 gram ball of Regia! Phew! It is about the size of a quarter.

Yarn: Kristin Nicholas' Best Foot Forward (discontinued)

Needles: US size 1 dpns from Knit Picks

Pattern: How I make my socks for Men! (see above)

Click here for the Ravelry page for How I Make My Socks.

Progress: On the cuff of the first sock.

These socks are for my other son so I cast on 72 stitches to start. He loves the yarn.

Project bag: lovesockwool on Etsy (beautifully made, I want that piggy one in her shop right now!)

I've been making these little handmade notebooks lately and keeping them in my project bags. I stuff the pages full with fun paper clips, sticky notes, washi tape, tags, tea envelopes, family photos, stickers, and more. I leave many of the pages blank for notes, too. 

Eyeglasses Project Bag: lovesockwool on Etsy

Here on this page I have a doodle and I jotted down the formula for the number of repeats I use in the Monkey socks. I use different colors and kinds of paper in these little treasure books, too. It's really fun.

Yarn: Abi Grasso's Watermelon Sock Yarn 
Needles: US size 1s, Knit Picks dpns (I always get the 6-inch length for all of my dpns)
Pattern: How I make my socks (free pattern by me!)
Click here for the Ravelry page for How I Make My Socks.
Progress: One done, one to go! On the rib of the second sock.
Project Bag: from Sew Bendy on Etsy (one of my long-time faves)

I hand-wound the ball like that. It comes in a regular skein from the shop.

Okay, now for a sweet letter from Beverly. Beverly gave me permission to share her email on my blog.

Thank you, Beverly, for inspiring me and bringing a tear to my eye. And yes, I will be putting together a post with all of my upcoming teaching dates that I can link permanently on the sidebar and update as needed. That is long overdue. Thank you for writing, dear Beverly.

I hope to meet you soon!
best, susie

Hi Susie,

I may be too late for the two giveaways (STASH t-shirt which is very clever with its military appearance)and the yarn and project bag kit by Anne Vally, but I wanted to write to you anyway.  I recently retired after 36 years of teaching elementary school in the city of Buffalo, New York. I was taught to knit at the age of seven by an elderly neighbor and have LOVED knitting ever since.  

During my last three years of teaching, I taught knitting to 5th - 8th grade inner-city youth in an after-school program.  I took the job to earn extra money to help pay college tuition for the last of our three daughters; however, it turned out to be the best time of my teaching career.  When I suggested the enrichment activity of knitting, I was met with both excitement and opposition.  Some of the adults wanted to join in while others couldn't believe that I would actually let "these children" take knitting needles home.  I forged ahead and was amazed at how popular my "knitting class" became.  

Before long, I would walk into the cafeteria during the school day to see an entire table of students knitting as they ate their lunch.  One of my favorite memories was the day one of the teacher's aides approached me to tell me (in a not so nice tone) that two of my girls were knitting in music class.  I responded with a very enthusiastic "Two of my girls were knitting during music class?  I knew then that I was truly making a difference in the lives of children.  

One more student story and then I'll stop.  Two years ago we got a 7th grade student from Iran who had been in a car when it was bombed (she was nine at the time). Her father was killed and she lost both of her eyes (among other injuries).  She came to us with an incredible spirit and much determination to be independent.  One day I walked in to find a note on my desk.  It said that Ruah needed me to teach her how to bind off her knitting.  I was very confused.  How could she be a knitter?  After all, she had NO eyes.  She wasn't part of our after school program and I had no idea that she was a knitter.  I was very curious yet apprehensive about teaching a blind child how to bind off her knitting.  I went to her lunchroom and sure enough, she had knitted a scarf for her brother.  I sat down with her and took her hands.  She learned (by feel) in approximately five minutes, how to bind off her knitting.  Talk about inspiration.  

Now, the reason I'm writing to you is to thank you for all you have taught me and will teach me about knitting.  People asked me what I was going to do when I retired and I kept saying that I was going to knit.  Then they'd ask me again - "but what are you going to do?"  Anyway, I started taking books out of the library and one of the first ones I borrowed was "The Knitter's Life List by Gwen Steege.  What a great springboard.  That book introduced me to the world of knitting and knitters.  I found you through this book and went on to purchase all of your books.  I also purchased my very first class on CRAFTSY which was your class.  Last week I made the elephant while in a hotel room in Washington, DC.  

This leads me to the reason why I'm writing to you at this time.  Is there somewhere that I can go on-line to find out where you will be teaching in the future.  I would love to try to take some of your classes if you're going to be somewhere on the East Coast (not too far from me).  I spend time visiting my sister in Cape Cod and my daughter in Washington, DC.  I was in Cape Cod when I read that you were going to be at Fiber Space in Alexandria but there wasn't enough time for me to get everything together to get to DC on a few day's notice.  I have been so inspired by your patterns and your enthusiasm.  I love the links on your blog and have discovered such a large knitting world through these.  I visit all of the knitting shops that I can when I travel and because of your "Sock Drawer" I now purchase sock yarn (at least) at each shop that I visit.  I always have a pair on my needles. Thanks again for all of the inspiration and HAPPY KNITTING!
Sincerely,  
Beverly Szen