Fiber to Baby Sweater

Hi Knitters,

A couple months ago I shared some fiber from Maine Woods Fiber that was sent to me through a swap I joined on the Itty-Bitty Knits group on Ravelry. The generous Rae Lynne sent me this fiber to spin in the Hyacinths colorway.
I divided the fiber into three sections and spun onto three bobbins.
I plied the bobbins to make a three-ply hank of dk weight yarn.
I think there was maybe close to 200 yards in the hank.
I spun a tiny hank of two-ply with the leftovers on the bobbins. After I finished spinning I decided to surprise Rae Lynne and send the finished handspun right back to her.
To my delight Rae Lynne knitted the handspun yarn into this adorable baby sweater.

Read about the sweater right here!

Click here to find out about the pattern for the sweater!

The whole thing was so much fun from the swap to the spinning to the surprising and finally to seeing the finished baby sweater. I thought you might enjoy this fiber adventure, too. Thanks to Rae Lynne for sharing this with me.

Now to finish up I have a few links for you:

Check out this video involving Julia Roberts and her knitting.

The Purlbee just shared some friendship bracelets that I am sharing with TC.

Paula's felted join tutorial is fantastic.

I love these new Heather Ross fabrics.

I'm trying my hand at this craft in a small way. I'll share soon.

I would love a set of these crochet hooks.

Happy Wednesday! I hope your summer knitting is going well this year.

best, susie

Concerts on the Square

Hi Knitters,

I want to share another Madison phenomenon with you that I haven't talked about before. Every Wednesday evening during the summers, for the past 28 years, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra plays a free concert on the Capitol Square in downtown Madison. It is amazing and I hadn't been for awhile. For years we used to pack up a big picnic and all the kids and meet my sister and mom for the concerts pretty much every week during the summers. Then with all of the kids and activities I guess it just got too busy. I am glad I got to go again as it reminded me of the fun we used to have.

Anyway, this past Wednesday my husband got an invitation from some work friends to sit at a table right up next to the orchestra and capitol building to watch the concert. We started the night out at my husband's friend's chic condominium that is right off the square and overlooks beautiful Lake Monona. This condo was super modern and sleek inside and it was huge. Their patio wrapped around the building. It was gorgeous inside and out.
This is the view from their patio. It was the most perfect night weather-wise. There was a cool refreshing breeze, not humid and sunny. It was as close to perfect as you can get. After visiting there for a bit we walked up to the square for dinner and the concert.Here was our table at the concert. We were about the third or fourth row back from the orchestra. You can see the music director, Andrew Sewell, in his white coat, above the crowd. We know him a tiny bit as he lives in our neighborhood. He and his family moved from New Zealand to Madison many years ago. He is always the friendliest guy when we see him. It was fun to get to see Andrew in action at the concert. He sort of dances with the music as he directs. It's very dramatic.
The Capitol is impressive as always.
As we were walking up to our table and people weren't sitting down yet all you could see were the picnic blankets spread out on the lawn. It looked like a patchwork blanket. I wish I could have gotten a photo of that. It was so colorful and happy. Here everyone is sitting down to enjoy the concert.
During one part of the concert the orchestra played a tribute to the armed services. They called members of each division to stand up to be recognizes during their specific branch's song. It was moving. There also was a featured bluegrass band called, Above the Town. They are incredibly talented musicians and they really got the crowd going.
That's my husband in the red shirt. We had a catered meal that our hosts had won at a silent auction to support a domestic abuse fundraiser. I loved that the money for our meal went to a good cause. That was cool.
I loved the stream of the wait staff filing out of the building. You can't see it clearly but they were carrying these big trays filled with the most delicious looking desserts. The line just went on and on.
The orchestra sits right under those banners on the building. This is the view as you are walking up toward the Capitol steps.
I never tire of our beautiful downtown square. It is such a vibrant downtown. People flock to events and support the local restaurants and shops. That says so much about a city.One last shot of the picnicking crowd....
I hope you get a chance to get out and enjoy your cities this summer.

best, susie

p.s. I want to give a quick shout out to Patricia Christensen and her Salt Lake City knitting group, Chicks with Sticks! Hellooooooo!

Is it Tuesday already?

Hi Knitters,

That was a weekend to remember, right? Here's what is going on at my house that I can share. I have a lot of behind the scenes knitting going on for books and projects that I can't share, but that will come later.

I quickly whipped up two baby hats for our neighborhood pool's upcoming silent auction. It is a yearly fundraiser where all of the money goes toward pool improvements and defraying membership costs. I am on the committee running the silent auction this year so I hope we can raise lots of money for our lovely little pool which has brought our family so much fun, happiness and activity throughout the years.

I thought about designing a couple of new hats for the auction but I don't really have time for that right now. Instead I pulled out my trusty Itty-Bitty Hats and went for a couple of tried and true crowd pleasers. I knit the Upside Down Daisy and the Cotton Stria Stripes hats. Both are knit in Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Cotton. This cotton is incredible. It is vibrant, soft and easy to work with. Hands down this is my favorite cotton yarn.

I am especially pleased with the stripey hat in greens, cream and the lightest gray I have ever seen. It is such a clean, fresh little hat. I wanted to offer something for both a boy and girl so everyone is included. Hopefully these hats will get some bids. You never know.

Anyway, it is fun to revisit my old book every once in awhile. I have such a flood of memories when I knit something from the original Itty-Bitty book. It makes me feel good because after I make one of the hats from here I stop and think, yes, these are still really cute baby hats. They are fun, fast and satisfying in the best way. I miss my baby hat knitting.
I have not spun for weeks. I keep looking longingly at my wheel with some Cloudlover roving started on it but I just haven't had the chance. Most of the knitting I have been doing is for work or on the go knitting which is usually plain stockinette socks. Maybe this week I will steal a moment or two for spinning. Here's to hoping...
Our garden is making good progress. We have harvested some handfuls of tiny red tomatoes, onions, strawberries and green peppers so far. This patch of a garden has already brought so much joy in such a small amount of time. The empty spot by the hose and stray water balloons has carrots that are just popping up. I think TC planted something else in this spot that maybe didn't take very well.
Here on my front stoop is a remnant from my son's firework extravaganza for the 4th. He actually built a wooden box with holes in it to hold his fireworks for lighting. He worked really hard on this. He is crazy for fireworks and it worries me a little (or a lot). Everyone has seemed to survive without injury this year so that is good.
I finished my second pair of handspun socks. I used Dyeabolical roving to spin into fingering weight yarn. I knit up this pair of simple stockinette socks working a round or two here and there over the past few weeks. It's amazing how just knitting a few rounds at a time will eventually get you to the end of a project. Here's proof.
I haven't blocked them yet. They are a bit lumpy and bumpy but I have to say I kind of like them just as they are for now. Rustic and homemade is my kind of sock (and life).
The feel of a pair of snug handpun socks on your feet is like nothing I can describe exactly.
It is sooooo good! See, that doesn't really describe the complete comfort, sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, happiness, love, beauty, amazement.... that wearing handspun yarn brings. In all their imperfection they are perfect to me.

Learning how to spin has been a wonderful addition to my life. I highly recommend it if you haven't tried it yet. Spinning has enhanced my knitting in new and exciting ways.
While watching the new episode of The Knit Girlls very early this morning I finished up a Noro Silk Garden (purchased here) stockinette sock. I absolutely love it. The Knit Girllls are involved in a very cool charity project right now. They are helping their knitting friend raise thousands of dollars for the Make a Wish Foundation. Click here to find out more information! Oh, and when I looked to gather these links I saw the Knit Girllls have three new tutorials up as well. I'll be watching these later. They have wonderful tutorials so be sure to check them all out.

Wow, so much to knit and make and so little time, right? Aren't we lucky to live a life full of creation and possibilities? I think so.

What are you knitting this week?

best, susie

p.s. Sam Boice and Bree Miller are having a kickstarter for their new yarn line, The Wool Dispensary. If you are interested and want to help two talented young indie dyers and knitters then click right here for more information.

p.p.s. I am completely enamored with Paula of the Knitting Pipeline Podcast. I am listening my way through all 49 episodes starting with #1. I think I am up to number 29 but I have listened to the recent last few episodes as well. She is wonderful! There is something so warm and charming about her. You will fall in love, too. I love how she gives a strong opinion about something and then comes back in the following episode and apologizes for it. That makes me smile.

Fairy Gardens & My TC

Hi Knitters,

The winner of Loop-d-Loop Lace is....

EllenLBishop (rav id)

Congratulations to Ellen and thank you all for entering. I'll have another giveaway very soon. I already have the next book picked out and it is a good one.

Now, many years ago TC became enchanted with fairies. I thought it might be a passing fancy but this interest has stood the test of time so far. She still reads her fairy books (and this one and especially this one), collects fairy items and as soon as spring hits she starts planning her fairy garden.

My sister and I went out for lunch a few weeks ago. After lunch we wandered into a lovely little florist/gift shop next to the restaurant. We couldn't believe the tiny fairy garden furniture we stumbled upon. A couple weeks later we met again for lunch and this time we bought a bunch of the items for TC's upcoming birthday.

My sister bought TC the arch which is probably the best piece of the bunch.
Next, Peachy and I went to a garden supply shop and bought stones for paths, moss and other ground coverings and two bird baths (these were only $10 each - a steal). All of these gifts were purchased with the intention that TC would go to town creating her own tiny fairy gardens.
TC has been diligently working on her fairy gardens over the last week or so. She has mapped out and carefully placed her new fairy items.
One of the bird baths is complete as of yesterday. If you look closely at the photo above you can see the gardening tools like a shovel and rake and a watering can on the moss by the tiny bird bath.
I think the patio furniture is my favorite.
TC's neighbor friend has been helping her out with the bird bath fairy project. They are so cute and busy working together in the back yard. I love it so much that I don't disturb them at all while they are working. I don't want to interrupt their creativity. Watching their passion and willingness to work for long stretches at a time gives me so much joy. It truly is the simple things in life that bring happiness (and a good project always helps).

TC and this sweet friend pooled their money together a couple of summers ago to purchase some fairy figurines to put in the larger fairy garden. They are using a few of these same figurines in the bird bath fairy gardens, too.
Here is the start of the second fairy garden. This time she chose to do a border around the outside with her ground coverings.
I also got a few really inexpensive solar lights (about 80 cents per light) to put in the garden for TC's birthday. They are really cool because they glow at night in her garden.
TC spends a lot of time watering and taking care of her fairy gardens and now our new vegetable garden as well. She can often be found in the vegetable garden staking the plants that are getting unruly and bent over weeding or watering. She is a caretaker.
It has been fun to see the love of nature and gardens grow in TC. I think this one will stick with her and become a lifelong passion. It is in her blood and comes from generations before her.
I couldn't resist the fairy house from the gift shop as well. It is a wonderful sight at night because the solar light right behind the house makes it glow. The other night we had a bonfire in our backyard and she pointed the glowing fairy house out to me.

We both smiled at the unintentional goodness.

Magical.

best, susie

p.s. TC likes to look at fairy garden images here.

Loop-d-Loop Lace Giveaway

Edited to add on June 29th, 2011: The giveaway is now closed and no further entries are being taken. Thanks to all for entering.

Hi Knitters,

Way back when I first started my blog in 2006 I posted this photo. This is my seven-year-old TC in her Loop-d-Loop sweater called, Child's Geek Spiral Pullover. She wore this sweater so much for a couple of years. I made it in the 4-6 size and had to add on to the borders to make it bigger. TC loved this sweater so much. She wore it to play in soccer games, to school, to snuggle on the couch at home, pretty much everywhere we went. It was her favorite. I washed it constantly. This sweater is still hanging in TC's closet today as one to save.

The pattern for this cotton chenille sweater is in Teva Durham's first book, Loop-d-Loop. I was completely in love with this book for a long time after it came out in 2005. Now, pulling it back out to look through again today, it still stands the test of time. Teva pushed the boundaries of traditional knitting. She twisted and turned ordinary knit items and made them extraordinary. In 2005 she broke ground for other knitting books like this one but no one has done it better. Teva was a first and I'll never forget the excitement I felt when I first got my hands on Loop-d-Loop. It was a thrill.

I did get to meet Teva briefly while she was signing books at TNNA a couple of weeks ago. Really, I walked past her sitting in a booth signing reserved books after her book signing. When I realized it was her I stopped in my tracks, turned around and introduced myself to her. I wanted to tell her what a fan I am of her work. That was an understatement. Teva is a genius, a stitch architect, a ground-breaking knitter extraordinaire. I didn't say that to her but I will say it here.

Teva's book, Loop-d-Loop, made me want to write knitting books.
Since her first book Teva wrote Loop-d-Loop Crochet, which is also a fantastic book, and now her new book Loop-d-Loop Lace.
Click here for more details on Loop-d-Loop.

Click here for more details on Loop-d-Loop Crochet.

Click here for more details on Loop-d-Loop Lace.

I love my stack of Loop-d-Loop books. All three books are elegant and sophisticated. The designs are inspiring. The books are big and jam-packed and wonderful.
Today I am going to share a bit of Teva Durham's newest book, Loop-d-Loop Lace. The book is divided into chapters that focus on different types of lace: mesh, eyelets, samplers, leaves and doilies.
(photo by Adrian Buckmaster)

The book has more than 30 designs that include shawls, scarves, sweaters, skirts, cardigans, hats, socks, home decor, bags, capelets...

The design above is called the Smocked Border Triangle Shawl. It is a beauty.

Click here to see all of the projects on Ravelry.

(photo by Adrian Buckmaster)

I have a couple of ottomans I'd like to knit over at my house. I love this one. It is called, Split Leaves Ottoman.

(photo by Adrian Buckmaster)

My favorite chapter in the book is titled, Leaf. This is one of the many projects that has a leaf motif, called Palm Leaf Wrap.

(photo by Adrian Buckmaster)

For each project Teva tells the story behind the design, what inspired her and how the final design came to be. They are always interesting stories and they make you look at the design differently. Don't skim over this part of the book. I love the insight Teva shares.

The cover design (above) is called, Milanese Shower Bolero. It is made in Blue Sky Organic Cotton. I'd like to knit this one up. It looks so comfortable and sweet.

(photo by Adrian Buckmaster)

Here is another leaf inspired project. It is called the Embossed Leaves Wrap. It's so pretty.

(photo by Adrian Buckmaster)

Above are the Interlocking Squares Pillow and Bolster. I never thought of making lace pillows. I love the geometric lace pattern in this design.

I enjoy this book so much. The range of projects is spectacular. The book is gorgeous and artistic and a lovely addition to my library. I can't imagine the amount of work that went into creating Loop-d-Loop Lace.

If you would like a copy of Loop-d-Loop Lace by Teva Durham please leave a comment on this post. Please do not email me and please only enter once. Also, please leave an email address or your Ravelry ID so I can easily get in touch with you if you win. I will gather your mailing address at that time.

I'll be back in a short while with a winner!

Good luck.

best, susie