Hello, Vance

Hi Knitters,

Lacy sent me these photos of her little sweetheart, Vance. With Lacy's permission, I just had to share them with you. In the above shot, Vance is wearing the Cotton Stria Stripes. He is 3 months old today and it looks like he has a real talent for smiling already:) What a fantastic smile, it makes you melt.Vance is sporting a manly version of the Chocolate Blues bonnet and scarf combo here. He is doing his over the shoulder pose, it's a killer. Cheeks like that need to be cherished for sure. Awesome.

Thanks for sharing, Lacy, he is excellent and so is your knitting. Both hat patterns are found in Itty-Bitty Hats.

My personal knitting has been lacking lately so it is fun to see other people having fun with their knitting. It never gets old for me to see babies in knitted hats. I still love it every time. I have a huge manuscript deadline coming up way too fast so most all of my time and energy has been focused on writing. The baby viewing brightened my day.

I am dreaming of knitting, though. Today I organized my next podcast episode. I pulled out my favorite projects for gift knitting, my top 20. I have some new projects and some old to share. I will record this weekend while my boys are home and then chances are way better it will get up and running quickly. I am switching to a different podcast host for this episode. We will get it figured out soon. If I didn't have those teenage boys to help me I don't know what I'd do. Oh yeah, I'd have to learn it on my own. 

Have a good Friday night, Knitters.

best, susie

A Little Tree-t

Hi Knitters,

The Collector picked out this wool felt tree kit when I dropped in a yarn shop by my house to pick up some knitting needles I needed. Isn't it cute? Pop on over here to see some adorable felt kits for the holidays. They look fun for adults or kids.
She isn't done yet but I love the way she pulled out matching thread and a sewing needle and fabric glue and went to work. I didn't help her one stitch. Her stitches are so sweet and messy. The best way to learn sometimes is to figure it out on your own. 
While I was taking a picture of the felt tree I took one of my kitchen. I have a funny little kitchen. My house was built in the late '70's and the style is typical of that era. About 8 years ago I did a mini-update of the kitchen on my own. The work area is the typical u-shape style kitchen. I'd love to open it up and get rid of the stove/cupboard part someday. It makes a very cramped space when more than one person is in there. The table space is cramped, too. Someday....

Anyway, one thing I added to the kitchen is a big chalkboard that fit perfectly on the backside of the stove section. The table is right behind the chalkboard so the kids can turn around and draw. It has been a fun addition over the years. This chalkboard is from Pottery Barn if anyone is interested. I need to get some of that chalkboard paint because some parts of the chalkboard don't work well anymore, the chalk doesn't show up. I think that paint would work to fix it.

Have a good Wednesday, Knitters.

best, susie

Funnies

Hi Knitters,

My kids love the Sunday Comics. I did, too, when I was young. I grew up with 3 older siblings and every one of us read the funnies on Sunday morning. I would get them last but that was okay by me because it would take me forever to read them. I guess I studied the pictures as I went along. My kids pass around the comics section just like I used to with my brothers and sister. It makes me feel nostalgic for a time when there weren't computers and video games. It's a simple pleasure, I guess.

My mom's favorite comic was always The Family Circus. When I was little we used to read it together every Sunday and giggle. I am pretty sure it used to be in one of her ladies' magazines, too, maybe Family Circle? 

Yesterday, The Collector asked me if I had read The Family Circus yet and I hadn't. She told me it was a really nice one. She brought it over to me to read and it caught me off-guard. I won't say too much more about it. It made me tear up because I know that feeling very well. I may frame it. If you need to see it bigger just click on the photo to enlarge it. Could any comic ever be any sweeter?
The Collector also brought this comic home from school to show me. I'll save this one, too. She has a soft spot, that girl.
Continuing on with snow-people, The Collector and I made homemade playdough yesterday while the older kids were at a swim meet. I drew the lucky straw and got to stay home with her instead of going to the meet. Her friend came over later and they collaborated on this old snow lady complete with spectacles, a straw cane and an apron that ties in the back. We are letting her dry to keep. We also made goop. I haven't made either of these for a long time and I forgot how much fun it is for a little one to have the good homemade stuff.

Here are the recipes I used:

Playdough

Cook together in a saucepan on medium heat:

2 cups water

2 tblsp. oil

1 cup salt

food coloring

Add:

2 cups flour

4 tsp. cream of tartar

Keep cooking and stirring until the dough breaks away from the side of the saucepan. Take out of the pan and place on a cutting board and continue to knead until it is cool. Store in an air-tight container.

Goop:

1 box cornstarch

water to mix

food coloring

Place cornstarch in a plastic container big enough to get your hands in. Mix in enough water to make a goopy mix. This is a tactile, texture-y substance. Dig your hands in and feel it melt. Scoop some into your hands and watch it ooze away.

Easy and fun! Can't beat that. 
Time for some show and tell. I subscribe to Parents magazine since I have been contributing projects for them here and there. I like to keep up on the contents. In the December issue I got a nice surprise.
A few of the knitted toys from Itty-Bitty Nursery showed up on page 107. It is a funny feeling when you see something you made in a magazine and you don't know it is coming. It is like you have to rub your eyes and look again. Here we have an adorable smiley baby holding the Grumpy Ol' Bear, the Dotted Chicken is on the side and the Bunny Rattle is in the front. I love seeing knitted stuff out in the wild. This made my day.
This is the cutest ad ever. Sweetness rules.
Back to this book briefly. If you look here you can still see the old cover with my bunnies on it. That's kind of funny, right?
Here are the Organic Bunnies, pg. 28, inside the book. It is funny because the book is organized in chapters by the weight of the yarn. I used a heavy worsted weight Blue Sky Organic Cotton for the bunnies but they are in the chapter for Lightweight yarn. I know why they did this because when I knit toys I knit at a tighter gauge to get a dense fabric. That way you don't see the stuffing and the shape is held better. The gauge I used falls into the lightweight category but the yarn is definitely a worsted weight.

I think the bunnies should have been in the other chapter for medium weight. It is a bit confusing. If I had a skein of worsted weight and I wanted a one skein project I wouldn't look in the lightweight chapter to get ideas. Oh well, whatcha gonna do?

Here is a great baby project for some sport weight yarn. I have to make some of these for sure.

Have a great Monday and start of your week, Knitters.

best, susie

Sweet Surprise

Hi Knitters,

I had just returned from a tired trip to FedEx, where I shipped off some final projects to Minneapolis for photography and another package filled with a project for Parents magazine, when I heard my husband calling me. He called out, "There is a surprise here for you." It was all I could do to drag my knit-weary bones out to the living room. But to my surprise there was a month-old baby wearing a sweet pea hat I had knit for her. I got to hold her for a long time and it felt so good. I can't even say how much it made my hectic day to hold a newborn in a sweet pea hat. The. Best. Ever.
Isn't she a beauty? My next door neighbor's daughter is the mother and she and her husband have moved in with them for awhile. It is pretty exciting to have a new baby next door. What you can't see in these photos is the 5 little girls circling around drooling over the baby. That was the best. My daughters had 3 neighbor friends over and they could not get enough of the little sweet pea. They all had a chance to hold her and they were so excited. Girls love a baby, always.
I have had many emails from friendly knitters wanting to share some sort of tidbit or link lately. This photo was sent to me from Kathleen Ruttum. She sized up the Inca Snowflake hat from Itty-Bitty Hats for her daughter, Mary and her friend Katrina. These two beautiful young women are students at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. Every winter break they go skiing and they wear these hats. Kathleen told me that they constantly get asked where they got their hats. How fun for Mary to be able to say, "My mom made it." Thanks for the photo and note, Kathleen. What a perfect example of how you can size up a pattern from itty-bitty.

Carla sent me this link, too cute. Thank you.

Renee sent me this link, love it. Thank you.

Craig sent me this link, love Craig and Viv, love his shop and I want to go back and stay there.

I am sending you this link. Store this one away for future reference to her free pattern. Here is another one I love. I still have that same feeling.

My podcast, The Itty Bitty Podcast, is available now in a couple of places. You can download it here or you can just listen on your computer. Also, it is up now on itunes under Itty Bitty Podcast or you can search for susanbanderson. Subscribe if you'd like, I'll have more coming soon. I will put up this new link at the top of my sidebar, too.

Now I have to hit the pattern writing road. Row 1: knit...Row 2: purl...Row 3: where's my candy?

best, susie

Hey, It's Up!

Hi Knitters,

I added this part on Tuesday due to some difficulties we encountered with the links and the itunes account.

However, my first podcast episode is up and sort of running! 

It is not available on itunes yet. We had a little snafu so we will be working on it. I will send out a new post when we get it fixed. My computer technician has a band concert and homework tonight so we'll see when he gets a chance to help me. Homework has to come before podcasts, I guess.

The new link is here: Itty Bitty Podcast. You can listen to it through podbean for now. This is temporary until we get things settled on itunes. For the first episode I kept it very simple. I did a book review of one of my favorites from the not so far past. It took me a few minutes to warm up so be patient with me: )

I hope you enjoy the episode. My girls say the introduction and my oldest son composed the music and both of my sons helped get the podcast up and running. My husband did the dinner dishes and kitchen clean up so we could work on the podcast together last night.

Okay, have a good night.

best, susie 

#1 Question

Hi Knitters,

I should have done this a long time ago. Last week I received several emails from knitters asking how to make the patterns from Itty-Bitty Hats fit larger size heads. That is pretty typical. Sizing up these hat patterns has been a pretty constant request since Itty-Bitty Hats came out in 2006. 

On ravelry you can look here to see 2,150 hats posted as of today from Itty-Bitty Hats. It is fun to see the hats on babies and toddlers and it is even more fun to see the creativity of all of the great knitters out there. 

Today I am going to write out the steps to make the patterns in Itty-Bitty Hats larger and I will link this post on my sidebar under "tutorials" for future reference.

First, I want to share average head sizes. I reviewed and compared various sources and combined that along with my many years of hat making and fitting to come up with my own chart. I think the following suggestions are pretty accurate. With this being said, head sizes vary a lot in every age category so just be aware.

Please check out this link for a head sizing chart in inches and centimeters from the Standards and Guidelines for Crochet and Knitting. In my opinion these measurements may be slightly on the small side. YarnStandards has any body measurement you could ever hope to find so check it out as a good resource.

Susan Anderson's suggested head circumference measurements in inches:

Preemie:  12 inches

Newborn (at the hospital to 8 weeks): 14 inches

0-6 months: 15 inches

6-12 months: 16 inches

12-24 months: 18 inches

2-5 years: 20 inches

5 years to teen years: 21 inches

General Adult Sizes for men and women:

Adult extra-small: 20 inches

Adult small: 21 inches

Adult medium: 22 inches

Adult large: 23 inches

Adult extra-large: 24 inches

The Itty-Bitty Hats patterns all make stretchy hats. I prefer a snug-fitting hat so I always subtract about 2 inches, give or take, from the head measurement to figure out the number of stitches to cast on. If you don't prefer a snug-fitting hat you may not want to subtract any inches or maybe only 1 inch from the head measurement to get the cast on number of stitches.

My 9-year-old daughter comfortably wears the largest size (cast on 72 sts) of the Stripey Stocking Hat in Itty-Bitty Hats made in Manos Del Uruguay wool.

Steps to make a hat from Itty-Bitty Hats larger:

1. If possible take the actual head measurement in inches of the person you are knitting for. If not, use the chart above to estimate the head circumference. Place the tape measure just above the eyebrows and right above the ear to measure.

2. Mutliply the number of inches from the head measurement by the number of stitches per inch (gauge). For example, let’s say my head is 22 inches and the gauge is 5 stitches per inch. Multiply those two numbers together to get the number of stitches to cast on. 

5 x 22 = 110. 

3. Now, I usually subtract at least one inch and sometimes two inches worth of stitches off of the number from step 2, depending how snug you would like your hat to fit. Remember that the example gauge is 5 stitches per inch. I like a snug hat so I would minus 2 inches worth of stitches or 10 stitches leaving 100 stitches. I would begin by casting on 100 stitches to make an adult medium size hat.

Another route is to minus the inches before you multiply the head circumference by the number of stitches per inch. If my head is 22 inches I would subtract 2 inches getting 20 inches. 

5 x 20 = 100.

4. The next thing is that most hats for older children and adults are about 7 inches long, measuring from the cast on edge, before the decrease rounds begin. If you want the hat to cover the ears measure from the bottom of the ear to the beginning of the crown of your head. If you lay your hand on the top of your head with your fingers extended, measure from the bottom of your ear to your fingers. 

When I do this I get exactly 7 inches. You can make the hat shorter or longer to suit your preference before you start the decrease rounds.

5. The decrease rounds in Itty-Bitty Hats are based on numbers divisible by 8. You need to have a number of stitches on the needles that is divisible by 8 stitches for the decrease rounds in Itty-Bitty Hats to work. So on the round before you start the decrease rounds, decrease the number of stitches needed to get to the nearest multiple of 8. 

For example, if I cast on 100 stitches on the round before the first decrease round I would decrease 4 stitches. I would do this by knitting two stitches together 4 times evenly across the round to get to 96 stitches. Now I am all set to start the decrease rounds.

6. To finish the hat I usually like to have not any more than 9 stitches remaining to close up the hole at the top of the hat. If you end up with more than 9 stitches on the last round you can knit one more round to decrease the number of stitches. It can also work with a few more or less stitches so don't worry too much about this ending number.

There it is. I hope this helps anyone wanting to size up a pattern from Itty-Bitty Hats.

My hope is that in the future I will have the chance to write a hat book for older children and larger size heads. That would be really fun.

best, susie

Presto Change-o

Hi Knitters,

When you end up with a lemon make lemonade. That's what I did with this golden moment.
Can you guess what the knitted golden piece was before I turned it into a pear?
All I did to change it was to turn it, add an I-cord stem and a green wool felt leaf.
Maybe if you see it turned this way you can tell. It was the head of a giraffe toy for the book I made that didn't turn out to be the right size. I kept looking at it, thinking I should rip it back or throw it out but then I turned the nose up and suddenly it looked just like a pear. Lemons to lemonade or giraffe heads to pears in this case. I think it will make a cute new pincushion for my table. 
Speaking of tables, I'd like to set mine with this flatware dishtowel. I bought this wonderfully sweet dishtowel at the ever-fantastic anthropologie. You can't go wrong when you shop there for a gift or two. I need to wrap this up and send it off, I am already late.
Each spoon, fork and knife is appliqued on with contrasting fabric which makes it feel homey and handmade. That is the quality I love from anthropologie, things look handmade in there. What a great spot. You know, if I ever get around to all of that sewing I'd like to do this is exactly the type of thing I would like to make, little, fun useful items for the home.
This is another presto change-o item my daughter picked out for me for mother's day. They are measuring cups made out of a silicone like rubber. They lay flat and then...
...you pop them up to form the cups. These are a great invention because my measuring cups always get stuck in my drawer when I try to open it. Does that happen to  you? Plus they are super colorful, kind rainbow-like.

You know what I did the other night? I am excited to say that I recorded a knitting podcast of my own. It needs some work before it is ready to post so I can't promise when it will be ready. At some point in the near future I will be doing some podcasting. I think it is the perfect extension of the blog.

What do you like to hear in your favorite knitting podcasts? I know what I enjoy and I'd love to hear what you enjoy in knitting podcasts. Let me know if you get a chance.

Did you hear that this favorite of mine is expecting her sixth baby? That's impressive and fun.

Okay, that's it for today. Take care, knitters.

best, susie

And Goodnight

Hi Knitters,

It's over. Another Halloween has past and this year it was a little different. Our night involved a lot of kids in and out of the house, big groups of kids in physical size and numbers, pizza, second rounds of trick-or-treating, late night burritos, sleep-overs, drop-offs and pick-ups. Phew. My kids are getting older and it just gets busier and busier. I love every minute of it. It was close to 70 degrees out during the day, unheard of, the kids didn't have to bundle up for trick-or-treating which was perfect. 
Here is the designated goo scooper. She is a good sport, her brothers don't enjoy the cleaning out part of pumpkin carving so she does it for them. That's pretty good service with a smile.

I have no fun knitting projects of my own to share today. I am still furiously working away on a few last book projects that were added. However, I do have some great knitting links to share. 
Here they are:

Another use for the Pear-Apple Cozy, I love this one.

Here are some really cool mittens made by a fantastic knitter.

Check out this version. I will get back to my version very soon.

She is a great knitter. I loooove this.

Have a good, restful weekend. The rest of mine will be filled with trying to finish up these last projects for the book. I think I can finish one more project by Monday, that's my goal at least. We'll see.

best, susie 

Indulge

Hi Knitters,

Indulge me a bit, if you can. I have a few more fall pictures. I love it when I pick up my camera and there are pictures on it that my son took. He took the first few shots I am posting. Here is one of our pumpkins waiting to be carved. Tomorrow is the day for that. My kids don't have school on Thursday and Friday of this week. I always look forward to the October break.
Our neighbor sets up a graveyard and scattered creepy characters in his front yard. The Collector has made some new friends apparently. Oh I have to tell you about the brown hoodie with the sherpa. I rarely shop for clothes, not for me or the kids. The Collector wears a ton of hand-me-downs from my generous sister who does like to shop. She gets the cutest stuff from my sister's girls. She does a way better job than I would anyway.

Anyway, new clothes were really needed around here for everyone. Those legs are growing. I have been busy with work stuff so I had a catalog that came from Mini-Boden. I ordered a few items for The Collector that we picked out together and everything is a big success. I recommend this company, all of the clothes are fantastic, cute, fun and high quality. Most importantly, The Collector loves them. I will be a repeat customer. Check it out if you are looking for easy, successful shopping for your kids.

Pumpkin carving and raking are in order over the next couple of days. We have lots of big trees in our yard and it is a ton of work in the fall. The kids love raking and jumping in the piles.

Oh, I have so much to share I can't even remember it all. I made this applesauce (it is excellent) and I am making these pumpkin seeds after we carve. Now I just saw Betz's new book is up for pre-order. Wow, what a cover, I am so excited for this one. What a fun surprise for the day.
Now on to some pattern indulgence. I have to order this pattern and make these right away. I have a thing for two separates that become one. I think it is clever every time. The flower mittens are in the Webs' catalog and are designed by Kirsten Hipsky. Good work, Kirsten. You can get the pattern here.  The mittens use bulky yarn and 10.5 dpns. I'm definitely knitting these mittens when I get a break from work. The Plum Blossom Mittens would make a perfect and fast gift.
How cute is this pin cushion? I think it is so sweet. Talk about a perfect gift, nothing is better than a pear pin cushion in my book. You can get the pattern here. I can't wait to whip some of these up. The pattern includes a pear, a tomato, an apple and a strawberry. I love them all but the pear is my favorite.
My fall Knitscene has been permanently creased and opened to this page. What a great sweater. It is called the Nubby Cardigan and is designed by Deborah Newton.  The sample is knit in Nashua Handknits Natural Ecologie Wool. Gorgeous and snuggly and I want to knit one. I wouldn't knit it in yellow but I have nothing better in mind yet.

I have plans, people. My lists are growing fast. I know I am dreaming.

Here is another one I have to make and another one you might have to make.

Have a good Wednesday, Knitters.

best, susie

Boo

Hi Knitters,

Every Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas I pull out stacks of my kids' seasonal artwork I have saved throughout the years. I plaster these works of art all over my front entryway, covering every inch in the holiday spirit. I love seeing things they made at school and home year after year.

The Collector made this paper bag pumpkin when she was 3 at nursery school. We laugh about her pumpkin every single year. She thinks it is so funny. I tell her that she was completely serious and proud of her jack-o-lantern art. I will always set this out, forever.
Teeth seems to be the theme here. I have many versions of jack-o-lanterns and witches and haunted houses.
The skeleton painting is about 3 feet long, my oldest son painted it about 12 years ago. I love the million lines on the pumpkin above and you can't find better sketching of a witch race on broomsticks.
I especially like the creeping skeleton with big eyeballs and the spider moon.
And who wouldn't want to swing on a tree that hovers over a graveyard? Scary.

Halloween is coming soon and we are busy getting ready, well, mainly we have been eating lots of candy corn but we try.

Off to the weekend.

best, susie

p.s. On the topic of kids and art, I have to get these and these. I found this tip from her, I adore her work and simple style and she is expecting her fourth child. Brave. Do you have her book? I don't yet but I need to check it out.

Little Waves

Hi Knitters,

I had so many emails and questions about my new Clapotis that I thought I would share my old Clapotis with you. If you look at the pattern link on Knitty, you can see that I used the same colorway of Lorna's Laces Lion and Lamb called Bittersweet. It has a bit of orange in it and you know I like that. It is a bright, happy colorway and it looks great with my black peacoat. 
You know what's kind of funny is that when I have it laying out like that I can see some pooling action of the colors. I usually can't stand pooling but in this case when I am wearing it I don't notice it at all. Kate Gilbert named it after the French word for little waves. Her intention was that the purl side was the right side of the wrap and the dropped stitches gave the appearance of little waves running down.
The way I twist it up around my neck makes the right and wrong side a non-issue. This is exactly how I wear my Clapotis. I double wrap it with a tie at the front. It's cold and windy where I live and this is the perfect warm yet stylish wrap wrap for me.

I had a couple of questions about the Lion and Lamb yarn and how well it stands up. I made mine several years ago and it still looks like new to me and I have worn it a ton. It has traveled with me all over and I have not been gentle at all. There is no pilling to speak of, which was one of the concerns.

Look here (ravelry link) to see over 8,000 posted versions on ravelry, about 670 pages. Unbelievable. There are 4,000 more in queues.  Guess I'm not the only one.

Kristin has a new shop and it looks good. There are some great holiday gift ideas here.

Here is another scarf I love. I have Malabrigo just sitting around. Gotta add this pattern to my list.

One last note, I have had several requests for information about my friend, Dianne's, handspun. She emailed me today and said that she is hoping to open up an online shop to sell her beautiful handmade yarns. I'll keep you posted but only after I order first: )

Take care, Knitters.

best, susie

In the Loop

Hi Knitters,

Good Monday morning to you all. A few months back I was contacted on Ravelry by Katie, a student and staff member at the Loop Yarn Shop in Milwaukee. The Loop was hosting the Itty-Bitty Nursery trunk show in October and she wanted to see if I would come for a visit while the trunk show was at her shop. Considering Milwaukee is only about an hour and a half away from my house in Madison I said sure. I am so glad I went. 

What a wonderful yarn shop. I especially noticed the sleek, stylishly customized layout of the shop. The owner, Katelyn, designed the shop and had many of the display pieces custom built and you can really tell. I was impressed, plus I have a huge thing for concrete floors. I love them, I guess it is the contrast of the cool concrete with the warm yarn and knits. It looks great together.
The shop's walls are almost all floor to ceiling windows and best of all right next door is an Alterra coffee shop. Alterra is the best coffee shop around and it fits perfectly with the Loop. The shop has knitted samples in every corner, window and shelf. Everything is displayed beautifully. I brought some extra hats, toys and sweaters from Itty-Bitty Nursery, Itty-Bitty Hats and samples from my blog.
Here is Katie and the fantastic cake she made for me. It was so cute, it even had my name on it, and everyone loved eating a piece, especially my kids. My whole family came along to the event and they had a great time at the shop and in Milwaukee. Isn't Katie cute? She is enthusiastic, warm and friendly and welcoming. She is a senior in college in textile design and will be heading off to spend the second semester in Peru visiting and studying fabric and knit manufacturing and design companies. Katie has a bright future and I hope she keeps me posted along the way.
Katelyn had these large storage/display units made for her shop and they are an incredible asset. Even the height is perfect and they allow easy access to display items, yarn, books, tools, etc. The other side held Habu yarn in open-top pullout drawers. That was fun to see.
One of these large islands was dedicated to the Itty-Bitty Nursery trunk show. I was happy to see that all of the items are looking fresh and well-kept and really like brand new. With all of the traveling the samples are doing I thought they might look a little worse for wear. Thank you to all of the previous yarn shops that have hosted the show for taking good care of the samples.
I couldn't get a great shot of the display due to the sunlight coming in the huge windows but you can get the picture. There were levels and access and books. It looked better than I could ever have imagined.
The tea set seems to be one of the biggest hits. The kids all love it and one of the staff members, who has 5 kids, Joan, now has to make the set for her girls after they saw it in person. I think she was only planning on making a few pieces but now she is in for all of it. Her kids and husband came to shop and they were so cute and friendly.

I signed a lot of books, the shop sold a lot of books and yarn while I was there and they did a great job getting people into the shop. It was a beautiful fall day so I wasn't sure what the turn out would be but it was amazingly good. There was a steady stream of enthusiastic knitters and crocheters and I loved meeting all of them.
We had a raffle for 2 hat kits, 2 Itty-Bitty books and 6 Itty-Bitty Nursery tape measures. Katie put all of the entries in the Rosebud Wreath hat and we all got to pull out the winning names. That was fun. Some of the winners were still in the shop at the time of the drawing. It is fun to see someone win in person.
At the end of the day, Katie gave me a gift that I adore. She is an avid reader of this blog and she had seen some of my mosaic work. The mosaic fruit I did quite awhile ago inspired her to do some of her own mosaic work. She made me a pair of mosaic knitting needles, size 50! I love them and I appreciate the thoughtful work that went into this gift. I will cherish them, Katie. Thank you for making the entire day a treat.
Left to right: Katie, me, Patricia and Katelyn.

Patricia is Katelyn's mom and I really enjoyed her. She is a prolific knitter and crocheter and has had patterns published in both of the the first two One-Skein Wonder books. She had a crocheted hat and a wonderful caterpillar toy published and I think there is a wrap in there, too. Patricia owns an apple farm, is a former teacher and current teacher educator and she and her family have lived and taught in many different countries around the world. What a wonderful, smart, lovely woman with so much to offer. I always love the mother/daughter teams.

The Loop Yarn Shop is a treat and a stop that is a must for Milwaukee knitters and visiting knitters. Thanks for a fun Sunday and for letting my family mill about in your store, they had good time, too.

best, susie