Come Knit with Amy and Me!

Hi Knitters,

I have an exciting new class lined up for a Knit Circus Mini-Retreat on November 19th in Madison. I am going to teach a class on toy knitting where we make my charming little fairy from the Knit Simple Holiday Issue 2011! With special permission from the good people at Knit Simple I am able to offer this one time class opportunity.

Way more exciting than my class is that the always fantastic and talented Amy Detjen is teaching a colorwork class following my class in the afternoon. I am definitely going to stay and learn from Amy. What a thrill. People travel from all over the country and I am sure beyond to take one of Amy's classes so don't miss this opportunity! She is one of the smartest, most knowledgable and funniest knitters around. I so admire her.

I hope to see you there!

Click here to find out more and to register for the Knit Circus Mini-Retreat!

Also, there are still spots available for the November 5th Knit Circus Retreat. There are spots open in a sock basics class, a mini-mitten class and a design your own cowl class!

Click here to find out more about this quickly approaching Knit Circus Retreat!

Oh, and I want to let you know that I just posted a new free hat pattern on my other blog, Spud says! It is called the Beluga and Firefly Hat in honor of the fantastic gray and yellow color combination. It is a simple and fun hat to work up with just enough of a textural stitch pattern to keep things interesting but nothing too difficult.

Click here to go to Spud says! to check out the free pattern!

Click here to go to the Ravelry project page for the Beluga and Firefly Hat!

Have fun and let me know if you are coming to my November 19th class and if you knit a Beluga and Firefly hat.

Don't miss my post scheduled for Monday where I am reviewing a beautiful new book by two of my favorite designers, Coastal Knits!

Happy weekend to you!

best, susie

Catching My Breath

Hi Knitters,

Sorry for the long delay in between posts. I am back from Denver where I was filming two online courses for Craftsy.com. It was a hectic and intense week. I'll post more on that later. It was one of the coolest and most fun weeks I have ever had career-wise! I am really excited about the whole thing. I loved every single thing about the Craftsy experience.

When I got home from Craftsy I decompressed with some spinning. I took a day to catch my breath which is something I rarely do.

I shared the photo above awhile back. It is some Phoenix Song (colorway) roving from Dani at Sunshine Yarns, one of my favorite indie dyers. The singles are now the gorgeous hank of yarn in the first photo.

By the way, Sunshine Yarns is having a huge update on this coming Tuesday, Oct. 25th if you are interested. I love her yarns and roving, it is all very inspiring.

The colors in Phoenix Song are so sweet and yummy. There is yellow, an array of pinks, orange, gray, white, gold.... I think the addition of gray is what made it so interesting to me.

I ended up with a squishy, plump 4 ounce hank of superwash wool. I finished the singles off with a 2-ply and came up with 252 yards. I think it is a sport weight. My plan right now is to make a pair of skating mittens for the upcoming winter. TC and I have some big ice skating plans for the outdoor ice rink season this year. I think a pretty pair of Phoenix Song handspun mittens will keep me happy while I skate. I am pretty sure they will end up on TC's mitts after they are done. That's okay, too.

I'll keep you posted as I go.

You know when you finish off one new hank of handspun you want to run back to your wheel and your roving stash to start something new. Usually I hunt for something kind of different than what I just finished. My hunt led me straight back to Kentucky and my fantastic Dyeabolical purchases. I got a 4 oz. braid of the roving above. I pre-drafted it into these enormous balls of soft roving all ready to spin onto my wheel.

When I was in the Dyeabolical booth, the mastermind behind this eye-catching fiber recommended that she wanted to spin the braid on the left with the pinks and purples and blues together with the first roving a I showed, on the right. Being the newish spinner that I am I took her idea and ran with it. I grabbed the two braids and fell in love with her idea.

Dyeabolical has an inspiring blog, too, that will make you want to snatch up all of her yarn. Click here to see her blog! And now I just see that there is a video blog/podcast! I will be checking all of that out. I actually have some Dyebolical yarn, too. I may have gone a little crazy with my purchases at the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival last May. Everything has brought me so much joy that I don't regret a single dollar spent.

I have a bobbin full of the first roving and have started a second bobbin. I can't wait to get the second 4 ounce braid spun up so I can see how these will ply together. It's motivating to have something so yummy ahead of me. Spinning is über fun!!

Speaking of Kentucky.... I wound my gigantic hank of Sheep Dreams handspun. It is an alpaca/wool blend that was gifted to me by my Kentucky friend, Dianne of Sheep Dreams. I think the hank has around 580 yards which is plenty for a Hitchhiker Shawl by Martina Behm. It is a fun little knit that is incredibly easy and portable since you don't need to have the pattern with you. You can just count your garter stitch ridges and you'll know exactly what comes next.

I also plan on making Martina's Lintilla Shawl with my lone hank of deep purple Wollmeise. That's probably coming up next for me on the shawl front.

On my recent travels I have gotten some sock knitting done. Socks are the perfect plane knitting project. Just last week I finished up one Candy Corn sock from my favorite striping sock yarn, Vesper. You can find her site right here. I am knitting these socks on my only purchase from Vogue Knitting Live, a set of US size 1 Blackthorn Needles. Let me say, these needles are like nothing else. I love them. They are made from a carbon fiber and they are black and smooth and unusual. Be sure to check them out if you are interested.

I don't know if I'll finish the second Candy Corn sock before Halloween but either way I absolutely love the yarn. I highly recommend the Vesper Self-Striping Sock Yarn!

I'm almost done with my second Door County Cherry sock. Really I only have a few quick inches to go. I love them more than ever now that I can see wearing them soon and just in time as it is getting colder outside.

The yarn is madelinetosh merino light. Click here to see some color choices if you are interested. This yarn is a single ply and it may not wear so well for socks but I don't care. I will love them while I can! It is worth it to me to have such a gorgeous and soft pair of socks that remind me of our vacation in Door County. The. Best.

I bought my one hank of tosh merino light at Spin in Door County. To get some like mine you could call them up at 920-746-SPIN (7746) !

To finish off this long overdue post, TC has been working her magic with the Halloween crafts. The other day she asked me for a couple of paper grocery sacks. A short while later she had sculpted some exquisite Halloween trees to go with her fabric pumpkin collection. The trees are so sculptural and moody. I love them. TC hung two knit acorns of mine on the branches. You can see one acorn at the top of the tree above if you look hard enough.

Not too long after the tress she created some salt dough ghosts that were finished off in the microwave and then simply decorated with a black Sharpie. I am telling you that one of the best things about having a crafty-to-the-core child is that you get seasonal decorations without even asking. The other thing I am enjoying is her total independence in finding and selecting her crafts. I didn't help one bit with any of this. It is all self-driven! Yay to that!

TC's favorite crafting and inspirational sites is Family Fun (we get the magazine, too)! She found all of these Halloween projects on here.

Click here to go to the Family Fun site to see these and more Halloween crafts!

On another note, the winners for the Knit Circus pattern collection have all been notified by email. Jaala Spiro will be emailing the patterns to the winners. Thanks for entering and I'll have another giveaway very, very soon.

Have a great week, Knitters. I've missed you.

best, susie

Knit Circus Special Issue, Gifts 2011!

Hi Knitters,

This is the season for gift knitting and toys really are the perfect gift project for so many reasons. They're cute, small, do-able in a short time frame, a small amount of yarn is needed, no size or fit issues, and ALL age groups love the knit toys, not just the kids. I've said this before but when I go places it's the adults who go craziest for the knit toys.

My latest design was released yesterday in the Knit Circus Special Issue, Gifts 2011! This is an online magazine that has free articles and recipes and then you can purchase the individual patterns or the entire issue for an incredibly reasonable price.

Click here to browse through the entire Knit Circus Gifts 2011!

Click here to find out about purchasing the single pattern for Milk Cow as a pdf download!

In the pattern introduction I talk about how the Knit Circus headquarters is in Madison because the founder and editor in chief, Jaala Spiro, is a life-long Madisonian like me. Since we both have strong Wisconsin ties I thought I would honor that by making a Milk Cow for the issue. Wisconsin is the number one dairy state so what better to represent that than an adorable little Milk Cow.

Click here for the Ravelry project page for Milk Cow!

The yarn is Blue Sky Alpacas Organic and Worsted Cotton. The optional red scarf and the horns are made in small amounts of Spud & Chloë Sweater.

I even included an udder... that was an experience. I made a brown cow for Spud & Chloë at the Farm, my last book, and I've had people ask me where the udder is on that cow. This time I was sure to include it. You could use a bucket from the Spud & Chloë at the Farm book if you are looking for a bucket pattern to include with your Milk Cow.

See? It's really there!

I love the personality of this one! What a fun and quick knit. Milk Cow is a good size and would be perfect for younger kids especially because it's a little larger. The entire Knit Circus Gifts Issue is wonderful with scarves, mitts, a cowl, a shawl, doilies, socks, a blanket, a cool reversible bag, a hat.... all of the patterns are a treat!

Click here to see all of the patterns in the issue on Ravelry!

Have fun if you make a milk cow for your house or as a gift!

Oh, and leave a comment on here with your email address if you are interested in winning a copy of the entire pattern collection! I have been given the go ahead to share the entire pattern collection with 10 lucky winners! Please leave one comment. I will be back very soon to pick the winners.

Good luck.

best, susie

A is for Apple Farm

Hi Knitters,

In the midst of all the knitting deadlines and knitting obligations I've had lately, we did find the time to sneak away to our favorite local apple farm last weekend. It was humid and over 80 degrees so it was an unusual fall day for us in our part of the country. My sister and her son and the fabulous knitter, Miss Molly, all joined us. I was happy to have all of our kids together with us.

I hope you enjoy this wordless view of our day. Our apple picking day ended later that night with an enormous pan of warm apple crisp served with vanilla bean ice cream on top.











I hope you are having a glorious fall. I have more fall-related posts in the works.

Click here to learn about our favorite pumpkin and apple farm in Madison!

best, susie

A week in the life....

Hi Knitters,

A week in the life includes....

...a birthday for a wonderful son turning 18 years old, bittersweet in the best way possible...
... a pair of fun new clogs that I've had for awhile but just wore for the first time last week....
...and the arrival of long awaited and almost impossible to get watermelon striping yarn that even includes seeds.

I can't wait to knit this hank up. I'm thinking about another hat or maybe mittens or maybe a cowl, not sure yet. I'll show you what I end up making with this hank when it's done.

I have been drowning in knitting deadlines lately, barely coming up for air and trying to push through. I'll have lots to share soon.

These are some busy family times and work times. What does your week include?

best, susie

Ruche Beret - Weekend Hats

Hi Knitters,

I've had another design pop up last week in a newly published book. It is one of my most favorite designs I have done. About a year ago I sent off this hat to Interweave for Cecily Glowik MacDonald and Melissa LaBarre's new book, Weekend Hats. I am going to review the entire book coming up soon (as soon as I get a copy) but I wanted to first quickly share the hat I made for the collection.

The hat is worked from the top-down. The yarn is Blue Sky Alpacas Suri Merino. It is a drapey, decadent and romantic yarn. I absolutely fell in love with Suri Merino while making the hat. On one side of the hat you add more increases to get that extra fabric. Then just before the ribbing for the brim you make 3 pleats on the side of the hat that has the extra stitches. The pleating is a slick technique that I came up with as I worked. I am very pleased with the outcome.

The hat is actually pleated and not ruched so the name of the hat is a little misleading.

Click here for the Ravelry project page for my Ruche Beret!

Click here to see all of the projects in Weekend Hats!

Click here for the Amazon link for the book!

Click here to see the BSA Suri Merino yarn and colorways!

I made the hat sample for the book in the Harvest colorway and it only takes one hank of yarn. It is the perfect quick gift for the fall and winter seasons ahead. The Ruche Beret is knit at 5 stitches per inch on the dk weight yarn. This makes the drape in the fabric even better.

The Ruche Beret is also truly a weekend project. You can start one day and finish the next! It's a fast one. I have two more hanks of the Suri Merino in the colorways Earth and Seamist. I am planning on two more Ruche Berets this season. One for me and one for a gift.

I'll be back soon.

best, susie

p.s. Don't forget that I am speaking and signing books at the Madison Knitters Guild next Monday, Oct. 10th, 2011! Please come if you are in the area, the meeting starts at 6:30pm and the guild meets at a new location. I would love to see you there if you are able.

Handspun Hat

Hi Knitters,

While in my hotel at Vogue Knitting Live and on the plane home I worked up my handspun Fiber Optic yarn into this great little hat. TC took a lot of the photos of me in the hat. I love it and wanted to share it with you tonight.

Enjoy!

best, susie

Vogue Knitting Live Recap

Hi Knitters,

Well, I've been home for a few days now and trying to catch up or at least pick up where I left off. Vogue Knitting Live was nothing short of spectacular. The classes, the market, the dinners, the fashion shows, the raffles and giveaways... all of it was incredible. Vogue Knitting has such a history and you could feel it all around you at the event.

The event was at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles. It was a beautiful hotel and the space accommodated the thousands of knitters very comfortably.

I only took photos in one of my classes. I had great and enthusiastic toy knitters. Every class was different and that's what makes teaching so much fun. I had quite a few knitters finish their projects. We made mice from Spud & Chloë at the Farm for the most part although some other animals were made along the way.
This class was particularly quick with their knitting. I did in-class demonstrations for small groups throughout the classes. That was fun.
Hard at work on their mousies....
I had all levels of knitters, some even trying to remember how to knit in the round from scratch. It all worked out fine in the end. I hope there were new techniques learned by all.
I had sisters, friends, mothers and daughters, even an 8 week old baby attended one of my classes. She was beautiful. See that cute woman in the green top in the photo above? That's Stefanie, one of my good friends on the Itty-Bitty Knits forum. Here is her blog. She is a talented knitter and new designer. Stefanie is Kepanie on ravelry. She is a good one. I loved meeting her in person.
The hotel was a well-run establishment. I enjoyed my stay there and even had one chance to workout at the fitness club. That was a treat. There was a spectacular pool in the back of the hotel, too.
Vogue is one with style for sure.
There was some sort of knit flower contest going on with Nicky Epstein's beautiful flower book. I loved looking at the flowers people made.
That's me getting ready for my class. Yes, I'm the one with the heels.

This is the marketplace which was packed full and thriving the entire weekend. I saw a ton of yarn and accessories and needles flying out of the shops. It was a fun and spirited atmosphere in there.
More on this later but that's the gorgeous Vickie Howell on the cover of the Knit Simple Holiday Issue 2011, and right to her left on the cover in the small photo is my latest project for Knit Simple! I did a fairy story for the magazine. I'll share more on that later but I will say that the Knit Simple team did a fantastic job!! There's going to be a huge giveaway coming up shortly for this one. Stay tuned...

It was fun that the magazine was released at this event and that I got to see it for the first time with my friend Stefanie by my side.
This lovely woman and teacher came to my last class and she brought four of her knit toys from Spud & Chloë at the Farm. Her enthusiasm was contagious. Thanks for bringing the toys and sharing with me. I loved it and your toys are so wonderful.
My hotel view looking to the right....
and to the left....
and straight ahead. It was a busy stretch.
The ongoing fashion shows were so much fun to watch. To see trends and different garments and accessories was so inspiring. The Vogue staff worked so hard all weekend and beyond. I couldn't get over how upbeat and positive they were. They did a great job and deserve so much credit. What a huge undertaking and then do to it with such style and success. Wow.
The gala dinner on Saturday night was a highlight for me. I have admired Kaffe Fassett for over 20 years. He was the speaker for the evening. I own almost all of his books. There might be a quilting book of his I don't own but I have have all of his knitting and mosaic books. I love them all. After seeing him speak I will have to go get his quilting book as well, the one I don't have.

Kaffe presented an color-filled slide show of his work and his inspiration which is really the world in front of him. The detail and scope of his handwork makes me swoon. He lives in a world without technology and email. He does handwork and stitching and art to fill his time. It is a life I aspire to live. There are occasional days when I long to live without technology (but I never really could - I would miss you all too much for one).

Kaffe impressed me with his small detail work on his sweaters and quilts. He had one enormous quilt that had tiny rectangles that were all hand stitched together. I mean each small piece was maybe a few inches. I will never forget it. I have a lot of his fabrics and I loved to see how they were made. He hand paints all of the designs which makes them richer and more interesting.

I have to give one last mention to two of the sweetest, funniest, sisters and knitters that I was so lucky to spend time with last weekend. These vivacious women are the sisters who own The Wool Cabin in Salt Lake City. I was so happy to see them and lunch with them and dine with them. They made my weekend all the better! These two make me laugh so hard. They are just plain fun and funny. I've known them since 2007? I think that's correct. Thank you, Suzette and Alison, for spending time with me and for lunch! I loved it. Also, hi to Patricia in Utah once again! We really should meet in person someday soon.

I'm speaking at the Madison Knitters Guild meeting on October 10th. I hope to see you there if you can make it.

best, susie