Demeter's Shawlette

Hi Knitters,

Meet my new favorite neckwear. I have become slightly shawl-obsessed over the last few weeks.

In honor of my new interest I knit up a shawlette this weekend in Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn. I've had this ball of earthy yarn for several years and I just ran across it again last week. Let me tell you, I love this yarn but it had 5 knots in it. 5. That's a lot of knots. I was lucky because the knots all came in the middle of a color and didn't jump to a new color which would have created an unnatural progression in the striping pattern.

The best thing about the Noro is how the colors change gradually. I love how you are knitting along and then you start seeing little flecks of the upcoming stripe color. It never get old. So yes to the yarn, no to the knots. I'd use it again in a heartbeat.
I used the wonderful Laura Linneman's (of the Knit Girllls video podcast) Demeter's Shawlette pattern. Click here to see the free pattern for Demeter's Shawlette. Laura's pattern calls for a beaded edge but I chose to work 6 rows in garter stitch and bind off. I considered adding beads but the simplicity of the project is really what appealed to me most so I opted out.
My Demeter's Shawl blocked out to be about 60 inches long and 23 inches top to bottom on the center line. It is a nice size. Perfect.

I also recently knit up the Baktus shawl out of Zauberball. The Baktus is another good and simple shawl pattern. There is something so quick and fun about using up an entire ball of sock yarn and also ending up with a gorgeous lightweight knitted piece to wear around your neck. I love that.

Oh, I have to give you notice that I am teaching at the Kentucky Fiber Festival (lol. I just clicked on the link and there I was! I didn't even know this was up.) This will be my first sheep and wool and fiber festival ever and I get to see my friend Dianne who I have known for a few years now. She is a good one and she is also running the festival along with many, many others. I will be in good hands. Dianne is hosting a Spud & Chloë at the Farm book and Spud & Chloë yarn giveaway which I will let you know about as soon as it is up.

Click here to jump over to the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival to find out the dates and how to sign up for my class!

Also, later this week I am hosting a really wonderful giveaway that I am very happy about. Be sure to check back for that.

best, susie

Spud & Chloë at the Farm is here!

(photo by Liz Banfield)

Hi Knitters,

Yesterday my new book became available! That's an exciting day. Your local yarns shops, book shops and the bigger chain book stores and online booksellers have books either available or on the way right now. Thanks to everyone who pre-ordered and thanks to those who are picking up a copy now that it is available.

Click here to find out about Spud & Chloë at the Farm.

Click here to see all of the projects in the book.

Click here to see the Mother Hen and Chicks project in the photo.

(photo by Liz Banfield)

The Mother Hen and Chicks project is one of my favorites in the book. The mama hen lifts up and nests the little chicks right underneath her feathers. Her body is like a hat, it is hollow inside. The eggshells are removable, too. This little chicken set has a lot of interactive options which I love. I love a toy that does something.

I have a lot of people who want to knit the entire Spud & Chloë at the Farm set. I think a knit-a-long for the book is in store. I'll keep you posted if you'd like to join in.

Here is the Spud & Chloë yarn requirement to make every project (there are 13!) in the book:

Color # Hanks

Sweater:
Toast 3
Firecracker 3
Splash 2
Ice Cream 7
Root Beer 3
Watermelon 1
Firefly 2
Pollen 2

The following 3 colors are for the buckets and only a small amount is needed:
Grass 1
Popsicle 1
Moonlight 1

Fine (piglets):
Tutu 1
Sassafras 1

Outer (hay bales):
Cornsilk 2

Okay, back to some TC crafting news. TC is bringing back the old gum wrapper chains! She is using printed paper cut in strips instead of gum wrappers. I used to love this craft in the old days when gum came in sticks with the paper wrapper over the foil wrapper. Now it is hard to find gum packaged like this. My favorites were Double Mint, Juicy Fruit and the best ever, Fruit Stripe Gum (was there a zebra involved in this brand?). Do you remember buying gum just to get the wrappers? I do.

TC has made lots of bracelets like this. Our crafty neighbor makes these chains out of Starburst wrappers. I think I shared a headband she made with her Starburst chains.

Click here to see a video on how to make a wrapper chain.
TC also has been covering these boxes with decorative paper and flowers. The box we purchased at Joann's. Inside the box 6 tiny cylinders nested. TC covered those, too.
I think the flowers and paper are from an American Girl paper set. The box is going to be used for a gift and the cylinders are housing some of my notions like yarn needles and stitch holders.
What a cheerful little project. I don't even know how she did it because I didn't watch her as she worked. It sure is neat and tidy though. I know I saw some glue and scissors were involved.

Here is another friendship bracelet TC made for a friend. She chose rainbow colors for this one.

I finished those Spud & Chloë stripey socks I started awhile ago. I will post more about them on the Spud says! blog but I wanted to share them with you, too. I am not writing up a pattern for these because they were inspired by a pair of socks knit by someone else.

Anyway, I love the end result and so does TC. I started knitting more socks because TC has been raiding my handknit sock collection this past winter but now she has her eye on these, too. It may be a lost cause.

By the way, someone's legs are quickly getting longer....

I love the heel gusset and the mismatched toes. What a great pair of socks and what fabulous yarn (Spud & Chloë Fine).

I've been doing a tiny bit of spinning but not much. I really need more hours in the day, don't you? I think that is every knitter's wish.

best, susie

TC's Newest

Hi Knitters,

TC has been a crafting busy bee. Her newest undertaking is making friendship bracelets amongst a few other things which I will share later. She has had a huge bag of embroidery floss for a long time. Neither of us can quite remember how she got all of that embroidery floss which is kind of funny. What I find so interesting about TC is how she studies and learns a new skill. I don't know what triggered the new obsession with friendship bracelets but she must have seen something somewhere.

She hopped on youtube and found a young girl who has an enormous series of tutorials on all kinds of stitches for these bracelets. She spent so much time studying and also writing out the step by step instructions for each of the patterns. Then she takes her written notes and goes from those to actually make the bracelet. I think the action of writing out the steps brings clarity for her so she can understand better.

Click here for one of the tutorials TC found!

With these bracelets you can even spell out names with lettering. There are stripes and chevron patterns, too. She has one bracelet going that is called the rag rug which is a series of colorful knots. For all of you kids from my generation or older, this is really macrame done on a tiny scale, which means each bracelet is a series of knots. Macrame in my day was done with rough, hairy twine and held hanging plants or made wall hangings with owls. Those were the days. I know I tried my hand at macrame long ago.

TC became particularly fond of the wave bracelet in the photo. She has made 3 or 4 of these so far. The one above with the shades of green is for my son's girlfriend.

She made this one in pinks and purple for me. I've been wearing it ever since. The other day TC loaded up her bag of thread and her trusty clipboard (to hold the bracelet while working) in her backpack to take to school. She has a really nice study hall teacher who lets them chat if their work is done and TC had the idea to teach a couple of her friends how to make friendship bracelets. I guess they loved it and now have made their own wave bracelets. If you get to sit by old TC in study hall you may just learn a new craft or two along the way.
In other news, I have to share this poster my son made. He is a junior in high school. He made this poster as part of a group assignment for French for Le Chat et L'oiseau (the cat and the bird) which is a children's story. I think that's correct. It is supposed to look cartoonish and child-like.

The fun thing is that by moving the attached skewers on the right side of the poster the cat's arm moves along with the bird, like he's swatting. He wanted a brass fastener but I didn't have any so instead he asked if I had any string. Um, yes, I do have some string.

Anyway, I thought it was kind of cool and innovative for a school poster. This son is into animation and is taking a computer animation class right now which he loves. He brought the character movement right into his poster. He also told me likes the French word for bird, l'oiseau. Me, too.

TC is continuing to play the French Horn. I thought this quick last minute practice session before her concert was cute. She had her music on the stool in front of her. I love a good beginning band concert. They all sound exactly the same.

Well, those are some of the goings on over here. What's happening at your house?

best, susie

What a Difference

Hi Knitters,

I haven't been spinning much at all this week as time hasn't allowed but I want to share a bit of spinning today that was finished recently.

This beautiful skein is spun from 4 ounces of Sunshine Yarns roving in Wintersong.
This time around it went so much better. I mean 100 times better. I don't know how it happens but somehow you start to intuitively figure out how to control the roving as you spin. I haven't had any further instruction or help but I just sit by myself and spin for minutes a day when I get a chance. Somehow things are slowly coming together.
I am pretty pleased and TC has told me this is my best yarn yet. That's pretty good praise as she is an honest one. It is still far from perfect and has some thicker sections sprinkled in but I'll take it.
I have 250 yards so I know I am getting better and more consistent because....
... with this 4 ounce braid (Springtree Road in Coriander) I got 166 yards. That's 84 yards more! That's improvement. Both are merino wool. Although the Wintersong is superwash.

My goal is to get enough eventually out of one 4 ounce braid to make a pair of socks for myself. It seems a little lofty but that's my goal. I'm sticking to it.
I don't know yet what these two will become but I am even kind of liking them together. We'll see.
I had a little tiny bit left over on a bobbin from both my earlier attempt at Wintersong and my latest more successful attempt. I plied those two tiny bobbins' worth of singles together to get about 30 yards of this thick and thin. Maybe I will make a tiny sweater ornament or a tiny mitten ornament with this.
Here was my first attempt with this same roving I shared a few weeks back. As you can see there was a lot of trouble going on. It kept breaking and breaking on me and I couldn't get the twist even or even going. I still adore this skein because I like that imperfection. It is amazing how different the same roving can look when spun in a different way.

It is also amazing to me what a difference a few weeks of practice can make. It is like night and day and the funny thing is that I don't even know what I've done to improve. That's kind of cool. It just happens. It's the same with knitting or any skill I guess. Practice and patience makes all of the difference in the world.
So this is Sunshine Yarns Wintersong part 1. Part 1 became a scarf (My so-called scarf). I'll keep you posted on Wintersong part 2.

I have been knitting and sketching like mad this week. I'll have some knitting things to share coming up soon.

Oh, I joined The Knit Girllls spin-a-long! I am watching the back episodes of their video podcast as I have been knitting this week. I joined through their Ravelry group for the Knit Girllls. Ooooh, I see they are almost to 1,000 members! I don't know if I'll have the time to spin right with them due to my upcoming publicity stuff for Spud & Chloë at the Farm but I got on the list to get the roving. They are all going to spin the same roving and then have different project options for knitting it. It sounds like a lot of fun.

Hope everyone is doing well out there.

best, susie

Top of the Class

Hi Knitters,

First off I have two winners for the Sixth & Spring book giveaway!

For the Entrelac book:

Sara said...

Hi, Susan! All of your projects look fabulous, as usual. I can't wait to start on the Farm Knitting, myself! Both of the books look fantastic but I would especially like to unravel the mysteries of Entrelac. Have a great weekend!
Sara

(Survivor on Ravelry)

February 25, 2011

For the Cowl Girls book:

Lynn said...

Your blog entries are like a lovely visit from a pen pal. I'd love to win the Cowl book (I own the other one), especially because it would be great for use in my charitable project in which we make boutique-quality items to gift to donors who choose our items as gifts and simultaneously support local, peace-oriented nonprofits. Thanks for offering such a fun gift.
Rav ID: flowerdancer

February 26, 2011

Congratulations to both winners! I actually know Sara personally and that rarely happens but her number popped up today on my random number generator! How fun. I will contact you both through Ravelry to get your mailing addresses. The book will come directly from NYC to you via the publisher.

Thank you to everyone for entering and I will host another giveaway very soon.

Now I want to share a little about my class last weekend. It was such fun. I had an amazing group of talented knitters who were chatty and funny. I loved it. They were a complete joy. I even had a special young guest, Lindsay (above), who helped me draw names for the raffle prizes at the end of the class.
The group was very large so it took some planning to make sure everyone could see the technique demonstrations I was teaching.
As you can see Stitcher's Crossing has a beautiful and roomy classroom that is so well-lit and comfortable. The walls are adorned with gorgeous quilts which is an added bonus.
We made the Mice pattern from my upcoming book, Spud & Chloë at the Farm. Which is going to be available very, very soon in book shops and yarn shops and online.

Click here to see all of the Spud & Chloë at the Farm patterns on Ravelry!

Stitcher's Crossing has a list of pre-orders for the book and I will be signing them before they are shipped out or picked up. If you'd like a signed copy give them a call or send an email and I am more than happy to sign a copy just for you!

Click here for the shop's website!

Telephone number: 608 232 1500

Email: info@stitcherscrossing.com

I had students from Wisconsin (Madison, Sun Prairie, Middleton, Green Bay-several hours away), Davenport, Iowa and Minneapolis, Minnesota! What an honor to have people drive for hours just to attend the class. That is very touching and deserves some recognition. Minneapolis is a 5 hour drive to Madison.
I also had some long time friends show up, Kelli, Anne and Susie! That is the biggest treat to have familiar faces come to your classes again and again. Anne is actually my neighbor and I taught her to knit many years ago. She took off with the knitting and has become a talented designer. It is comforting to have old friends around.
Here is Lil, my Minneapolis girl. She has an 8-month-old daughter (I got to see photos!) and a kind and patient husband who drove her and waited for her. The class ran a little long which isn't unusual for me. Being an old teacher I always over plan a bit.

Laura, who came from Davenport, Iowa, posted on her blog about the class today. Click here to see adorable Laura's finished mouse and review.
I had running demos going on throughout the class and I would call up small groups so people could see better. The knitters asked tons of questions and made demo requests which makes for a fun class.

Here are the techniques I demonstrated:

How to do the Twisted Loop stitch for making Spud and Little Lamb.

How to do face embroidery for toys (the most important part).

How to secure the embroidery floss for the faces in a hidden way.

How to sew on parts (mouse ears for this example).

How to stuff the toys.

We discussed poly-pellets and how to safely use them in knitted toy making.

Phew! As you can imagine the two hours sped by at lightning speed.
We had gifts, a trunk show, a big raffle and more. I loved every single minute of it. Mainly, I forgot how much I love to teach. I think it is one of my true callings and frankly, I miss it. There aren't enough hours in the day to do everything I would like to be doing.

Thank you to Artisan Books (my publisher) for the beautiful printed patterns, blads and postcards. A special thanks to Trent for coordinating the goods for the class.

Thank you to Spud & Chloë/Blue Sky Alpacas for your generous gifts and raffle prizes!

A huge thank you to Stitcher's Crossing for hosting me and letting me teach such a fun group. The staff was so helpful and supportive. I LOVE this shop! Please support them with your orders. They carry the Spud & Chloë line and will get you anything you need, anytime. Gael does the yarn and knitting ordering along with Sharon (the owner) so please make any requests to them. They are a good and nice group at Stitcher's.

There was a waiting list long enough to fill another class easily so maybe I'll cook something up with Stitcher's again very soon! I'll keep you posted.

best, susie

p.s. I've still been getting a lot of requests for a kit to knit the entire book to make the complete farm set. I will be figuring out how much yarn you'll need in total to knit the whole book. Let me know if you are interested in doing this! Yarn shops will need to coordinate this with their customers so let your local shop know if you are planning on doing this project.

A Fun Mess

Edited to Add: The book giveaway contest is now closed, March 1, 2011! No further entries are being taken!!

Hi Knitters,

I have piles and stacks and boxes and bins and shelves and cubbies..... and they are all filled to the brim. Here is a quick run down of my knitty mess.

Above is a sock yarn designed by my buddy, Kristin Nicholas. I got this two years ago from Kristin at TNNA and have just started some socks. It is called Best Foot Forward in the Berry Cobbler colorway. The yarn is a treat and the colors are definitely all Kristin. As I knit I keep the ball band up so I can see it as it has Kristin's artwork and signature right there. I love that.
TC has been busy knitting preemie hats for a charity knit on the Itty-Bitty Knits group on Ravelry. She is pretty excited about it. She has one more on the needles.
There is that second Zauberball sock from The Wool Cabin.
I have piles of finished projects. Here we have the Spud & Chloë Fine striped socks I've mentioned several times before (no pattern is available!). The finished Zauberball sock, and my latest top-down baby cardi that will be available as a free pattern on Spud says! any day now.
Loads of Blue Sky Alpacas Royal (it's way better than cashmere) and Spud & Chloë Outer. I'm not complaining.
There are several boxes and envelopes of goods from my publisher, Artisan Books, to give to the students in my Spud & Chloë at the Farm class this weekend.

Hey, I put the project photos up for Spud & Chloë at the Farm on Ravelry if you'd like to see a little bit of what's inside. Click here to see the projects!
This box is huge and it is stuffed full of goodies from Spud & Chloë and Blue Sky to pass out at the class. I love giving fun things away so this will make me very happy.
Speaking of which...

I am giving away two books today. The first book is Cowl Girls by Cathy Carron and the publisher is Sixth & Spring. This is a great little book full of cowls of all sorts, big, small, short, tall, long, cabled, colorwork, stitch patterns, hoods, wraps, chunky, etc.
This is actually Cathy's daughter modeling. That's cool. She has modeled for Quince & Co., too.
Great photography and lots of good, quick and doable projects equals a fun book to own.
I have been a fan of Cathy's work for a long time. She is often published in Vogue Knitting and lots of other knitting magazines.

Now hang on...
I have a second book to win today as well!

This second book, Entrelac, by Rosemary Drysdale is another winner. I listened to Rosemary on Marly's Yarnthing podcast awhile back. Rosemary is just wonderful. (I just saw Cathy Carron was on there, too. Click here.)
This book shares entrelac stitch patterns like I have never seen before. It is just beautiful and well-done. What a resource.
Have you ever seen anything like this? I haven't.
There are gorgeous entrelac patterns, too. They are graceful and beautiful.
There are garments, scarves, bags, vests, wraps, and much more. It is an incredible collection.
I mean look at this leaf entrelac pattern. The book is a keepsake for your stitch library at the least and at the most you will love making the patterns, too. It's a good one.

Okay, here's how we are playing today! There will be two winners, one per book. Leave one comment on this blog post (please do not email me, you have to get on the blog and leave a comment). In your comment please leave me the following information:

- your rav id or email

-which book you would prefer either Entrelac or Cowlgirls or if you don't care which one you win!

I will pick the winners in a couple of days.

Have fun! Good luck!

Into the weekend I run.

best, susie