Old Favorites #1 and #2 for #projectsweaterchest

Hi, Knitters,

The photos in this post are from old blog posts of mine from about 4 years ago.

I had a really interesting email from Jeanette Huisinga, the owner of The Yarn Studio in Casey, Illinois. She raised some good points that I think are probably true for a lot of yarn shop owners. Jeanette sees that the majority of her customers are most comfortable knitting accessories, not sweaters. She says that many of her yarn reps say the same thing. In reference to my post about my Project Sweater Chest or #projectsweaterchest and my favorite handknit sweaters, Jeanette asked that I share my favorite sweaters, tried and true designs, in hopes of getting more people knitting sweaters. 

I think that's a great idea so thanks for writing with the suggestion, Jeanette. I went through my sweater chest yesterday, which is a large cedar chest, and pulled out the sweaters that I wear day in day out. It turns out that I have 10 favorite handknit sweaters right now. My plan is to take the next five blog posts and share two favorite sweaters in each of these posts. I am using the term sweater to also refer to cardigans.

So here it goes!  The 10 sweaters I list are not in any particular order.

Starting with two cardigans by Melissa LaBarre that I knit in 2010...... 

Favorite handknit sweater #1:

Pattern: Garter Yoke Cardi by Melissa LaBarre

Yarn: Peace Fleece in the Grass Roots colorway

Needles: US size 7

I love the turquoise buttons I chose because the tweed flecks in the rustic yarn are the exact same turquoise color. It's a good match. I can't remember where I got these buttons.

I laughed when I found this old photo of the sweater in progress. I am always telling my students to clean-up as you go when knitting their projects so that when the knitting is done there isn't much left to do. I actually do what I say! I love that I had the buttons sewn on before I even started the sleeves, that's so me.

The cardigan is knit seamlessly from the top town with a yoke-raglan combination. The design is supposed to be a much more fitted cardigan but my version has positive ease and it is extremely comfortable. I may have left out any waist shaping if there is some in the pattern.

I wear this cardigan all of the time in the cold fall and winter months. I'm excited to wear it again during the colder months ahead. It is incredibly cozy and the Peace Fleece makes me feel comfortable and warm. I love this yarn.

The Garter Yoke Cardi is a very good beginner sweater. The pattern is clear and easy to follow. The concepts are basic and the end result is a very wearable and casual cardigan. The look of this cardigan can be changed a lot by the choice of yarn and the fit. A double thumbs up from me!

Favorite handknit sweater #2:

Pattern: Tea Leaves Cardigan by Melissa LaBarre

Yarn: Madeline Tosh DK in the Burnished colorway

Buttons: from Purlsoho

Needles: US size 6 and 7

I made this cardigan in 2010. I went on a book tour visit to Nina, a yarn shop in Chicago, and I wanted to purchase a yarn to remember the fantastic event at the shop. It was a great day. I was on the WGN midday show, my husband was with me, and then Nina's was a full-house for the signing. The yarn choices at Nina's are fantastic. I stumbled on the Mad Tosh DK and was intrigued by the Burnished colorway. It looks different in different lighting. The yarn literally changes colors. Sometimes it looks more on the brownish rusty side and sometimes it looks a brilliant green.  

I know that many people have gone away from the button-at-the-top only cardigans but I still LOVE them. The thing is that so often I don't button the lower half of my cardigan buttons anyway. I think the original pattern only calls for 3 buttons so I added a fourth button which makes it a little more secure. I love that the buttons are tiny.

If you don't prefer the buttons at the top you could easily add more buttonholes on the button band. That would be simple to modify.

The other thing to note is that this cardigan doesn't have short rows at the neckline and it has a wider neck opening. I know Paula of the Knitting Pipeline (and my favorite person to knit everything she knits), didn't like the fit of her Tea Leaves because she felt like the neckline was falling off of her shoulders. Mine isn't like this as it sits very nicely on my shoulders. Who knows why? Maybe the gauge was different or the sizing selected, it could be for many reasons, just be sure to consider the style of the neckline if you are planning on knitting this one.

The Tea Leaves Cardigan is a good first cardigan for people to try but remember that all of the ruching or those ruffly sections on the yoke have a doubled stitch count. The rows get very, very long in this section. More practice, right?  

I wear this cardigan day in and day out in the colder months. I throw it on with skirts and jeans. It goes with everything. It is incredibly comfortable and not too heavy. Since it is superwash wool, I have washed and dried it in the machine and it comes out as good as new. Tea Leaves is a definite winner!

Okay, so we have #1 and #2: 

#1 Garter Yoke Cardi

#2 Tea Leaves Cardigan

I will make a compiled list in one place to refer to at the end of #10. I will also share some of my clunkers from the past which I think will make you giggle a bit. Lastly, I am going to share my future sweater knitting plans and the list is looooooooong and by that I mean super long.

More fun to come on the sweater knitting front! Have you started any sweaters? The Knitmore Girls Jasmin and GiGi, a favorite podcast of mine, have joined me or better yet we have joined together on the quest to improve our sweater chests. If you are on Instagram please post sweater photos with the tag #projectsweaterchest so there is an easy way for all of us to look at what others are working on. Jasmin has already talked it up on her podcast. Be sure to check out the amazing Knitmore Girls! 

And you don't need a sweater chest to participate. It could be a drawer, a bin, a closet shelf..... anything.

I hope you'll join in.

xo ~ susan

Sock Report ~ Hudson Bay Socks Finished and More Started!

Hi, Knitters,

I have a quick sock update for you on this fine summer Sunday. This morning I finished up the toe on my Hudson Bay Socks and couldn't wait to slip the pair on my feet before using the Kitchener stitch to close up the toe. This is one lovely pair of socks. 

Here are some links if you are interested:

Yarn: Canadiana by Fishknits Yarn

Needles: Signature Needle Arts dpns, US size 1/2.25mm, 6-inch length

Pattern: How I Make My Socks ~ my free pattern!

I have been in touch with Jo Dee, the dyer and owner of Fishknits Yarn, because I wanted to warn her to get ready for a lot of orders of Canadiana sock yarn. I had a feeling this one was going to be super popular. Over the last week or so she has sold way over 200 skeins of Canadiana (I'm sharing this information with Jo Dee's permission). It has been really crazy!  Congratulations to Jo Dee. She is working hard to fill orders.

Now I know I will get some questions about how this yarn works when you are knitting socks. It is dyed in an interesting way. Each skein is dyed to make two socks with one striping repeat on each sock.  What I did was to get out my scale and I handwound two 50 gram balls, one for each sock.

I did do a little shuffling around with the yarn at the top to get it to work the way I envisioned the socks. I started at the top of the cuff with white. I did a 2 by 2 rib for 12 rounds. Then I knit 4 rounds. Next I found the start of the blue stripe in the ball which was right toward the start so I didn't have to look far. I cut the yarn and added in the blue stripe. The rest of the sock was completed by simply knitting the rest of the ball. Then I just repeated this for the second sock.

You could do toe up socks and just knit the yarn as is in the skein. The cuff will be quite long if you do it this way.

The cuff on my sock measures close to 7-inches before the heel flap begins which is the perfect length for me. I do have some of the white sock yarn left over.

Now I'm on to my next pair.....

Awhile back I heard about a new to me Etsy shop called Coloring Book Yarns. I think The Knit Girllls' Laura and maybe Amy Beth of The Fat Squirrel both used this yarn and I loved what I saw. When I popped on the Coloring Book Yarns Etsy shop there happened to be a couple of skeins available. I quickly purchased the SF Giants (on the left) and the BMO (on the right) colorways.

I wound the balls in separated stripes. I have a video tutorial on how to wind like this right here.

Click here to go to the Coloring Book Yarns Etsy shop! I see the shop is empty and there is going to be an update on September 5th. I don't know much more about it and if you have questions you'll have to contact the shop owner through Etsy.

I put up the photo above on my Instagram and my Facebook and asked the knitters to vote on which sock yarn I should start next. The vote tipped toward BMO but there were lots of votes for the SF Giants colorway as well. For me the orange, black and white is more for Halloween not so much for the Giants.

If you are wondering what BMO is click here. I still am not exactly sure what it is but people seem to like it.

So when I was on a car trip last Friday I cast on the BMO socks! How cool is that striping pattern? What I really love about it is the use of the black stripes to outline the sections or color changes. Genius! The colors are really vibrant and stunning, too. 

Great work Coloring Book Yarns!

Here it is a little further down the cuff, I'm still in the car here.

See that gorgeous orchid colored bag?

Here it is on the dashboard. I love this little project bag so much. I like the bright orchid fabric surprise on the inside. It is from Molly of A Homespun House podcast. I really enjoy her so much. Molly is from a little city right outside of Madison but now she lives in Berlin with her daughter and husband. 

I'm not sure if she's still sewing project bags. I bought this one through Etsy but it looks like Molly has a new website. You'll have to contact her if you are interested. I've had my project bag for awhile but this is the first time I've used it. The teacups are so sweet as are the polkadots. It is very well constructed.

Click here for A Homespun House website! Check out Molly's new shawl.

Molly just released a new shawl design called Whispering Pines. It is so pretty. I really want to knit this one up and soon. Great job, Molly! I can't wait to cast on.

Isn't there so much fun stuff out there for all of us to enjoy? What a great and interesting world of talented people we live in. And they share!

Have a wonderful weekend. I'll be back soon with more on #projectsweaterchest. I have some great ideas brewing.

xo ~ susan

Ben & Buddy ~ new pattern release!

Photo by Pam Allen for Quince & Co.

Hi, Knitters,

Yesterday was an exciting day because I have new patterns released by Quince & Co.! That is always a thrill. Ben & Buddy is a small pattern collection I designed as an extension of the Mary, Millie & Morgan ebook released last spring, which is a girl doll pattern with clothes to fit. 

By the way, the Mary, Millie & Morgan ebook was and is one of the proudest moments in my knitting career for so many reasons. It was the culmination of timing and many years of knit toy designing. The set of dolls and clothes turned out even better than I could ever have imagined. These dolls are something I had wanted to design for years and it finally happened.

Photo by Carrie Bostick Hoge for Quince & Co.

I am teaching a doll workshop using the Mary, Millie & Morgan collection for the first time at Vogue Knitting Live in Chicago in this coming October (click here for more information!).

Right after the collection of girls came out I began receiving requests to design a boy doll as well. The good folks at Quince & Co. agreed and so this summer I set out to design a boy doll and a few clothing items to fit. The Ben & Buddy set and the Mary, Millie & Morgan set go together so well. The dolls are designed to be together with a traditional look and appeal but also with a slightly modern twist for today's children. 

I started thinking that instead of knitting more samples of the boy in different color selections that a sidekick might be a better use of my time. And really what could be better than a boy and his dog? Not much in my eyes. This storybook pairing can now come to life through your knitting. 

Plus, you can pick the colors for you boy and dog on your own! That makes it even more fun. If you need suggestions for yarn color choices just check out Mary, Millie & Morgan for some great color combinations in Quince yarns for skin, hair and clothing colorways.

Here are the important links for Ben & Buddy:

Ben & Buddy pattern and yarn information on Quince & Co.

Ben & Buddy pattern information on Ravelry (the pattern will be in my pattern shop in 3 months, it is now in the Quince & Co. pattern shop).

Mary, Millie & Morgan ebook ~ the girl doll version!

Now let's talk about construction.

Photo by Pam Allen for Quince & Co.

Both the boy and girl sets are worked completely seamlessly, all of the items, not just the dolls. The boy has some very different shaping and slightly different measurements to make him, well.... more boyish. And obviously the hair is different than the girl's as well. The boy's hair was definitely the most well-thought out and challenging aspect of this new toy design. I worked very hard to get it exactly how it should be and I am so pleased with the end result. The boy's hair is both knit in and finished with a little duplicate stitch. It is pretty perfect.

Photo by Pam Allen for Quince & Co.

The shoes are like the icing on the cake. I LOVE those little brown shoes with the white laces. There is something really sweet about the combination. I also love the boy's knit in t-shirt and shorts. He already has a great play outfit when you finish knitting that last stitch on the toe.

Photo by Pam Allen for Quince & Co.

The boy's wardrobe is simple, clean and functional. The colors in the Quince Chickadee sport weight yarn gives you so many options for the clothes. For my sample version I thought there was nothing better than a red cap, blue jeans and a sweatshirt gray sweater with a tiny bit of Fair Isle at the bottom edge. The clothes are so playful and again, boyish!

All of the clothes are seamlessly knit as well as the doll and the dog! These are a few slick and fun projects to knit.

Photo by Pam Allen for Quince & Co.

The final piece of the set is Ben's loyal pup Buddy. This little guy is knit seamlessly from the bottom up with a very interesting technique I devised when you get to the neck. I have used this neck and head technique on other toys and have taught it in workshops. It is a total winner for looks, effectiveness, and simplicity. I think you will love it.

Buddy the dog sort of pulled the entire set together. This dog packs in so much personality. I am so proud of the expressiveness of his face. He is one lovable little puppy. Buddy is a plus for the set but he is also a great stand-alone piece for any child or dog lover out there.

Photo by Pam Allen for Quince & Co.

I hope you will enjoy this wonderful little 5-piece collection I pulled together and lovingly designed for one of the best yarn companies out there, Quince & Co. I love working with Quince so much and I hope our partnership continues for years to come.

Let me know what you think about Ben & Buddy! I'd love to hear about your thoughts and for whom you will be knitting the dolls. Will you make the set to go along with Mary, Millie & Morgan or will you knit Ben & Buddy without the girls? I am really curious about how the boy version will do in comparison with the girl set.

I often hear a lot of knitters say there isn't enough out there for boys as far as knitting patterns are concerned. Well, here is a chance to knit something specifically boyish for little boys. Little girls will love the boy doll, too, no doubt. The imaginative play will expand so much with these two new characters added to the bunch.

I'd especially like to thank Pam Allen for the ongoing support and for her beautiful photography. What an honor to have Pam photograph my work. All of the good people at Quince are wonderful to work with and I am sending them a very deserving and heartfelt thank you!

I hope you are all having a super week so far.

Go forth and knit toys!
xo ~ susan

Project Sweater Chest

Hi, Knitters,

As it may reach 90 degrees with high humidity today of course I am sorting out heavy wool sweaters in my cedar chest. Doesn't that make sense? I knew you'd understand.

My lovely mother bought this cedar chest for me well over 20 years ago, maybe even closer to 30 years ago. I love it so much. I have stored my handknit wool sweaters in here ever since. But I  have come to the end of my storage space as you can see. I can barely shut the lid. I have no idea how many handknit sweaters and cardigans are in the chest, layer after layer. It is a deep chest.

The cedar chest clearly needs some clearing out, sorting, repurposing. I have gotten rid of some of my handknit sweaters and cardigans throughout the years, but there are some I just can't part with. No matter how dated the style and goofy my knitting was at the time there is something endearing about those old and early handknits. What to do?

I am going to embark on some sort of Project Sweater Chest but I have no idea exactly what that will entail at this point. I need more handknit sweaters and cardigans that are current and that I wear day in and day out. I have about 7 or 8 favorites at this point. (And believe me I have had many flops throughout the years.) Being in the cold, harsh winter climate that Wisconsin offers 7 sweaters is about a week's worth of wear. I think if I had about a dozen cozy sweaters in rotation it would be ideal. Or maybe 14 handknit sweaters, two weeks worth, would be perfect. Yes.

Does a baker's dozen sound like too much? Does it sound greedy? I think in my frozen winter climate that might be a reasonable number of cozy sweaters to have on-hand. I am the queen of wearing the same thing over and over and over again. My kids always ask me, "Didn't you wear that yesterday?" And I always respond, "Why yes I did and probably the day before that, too." I get favorites and I'll wash and wear those favorites to death. I wear handknits like this, too. 

In fact, I don't have a big wardrobe in general. If you have met me teaching a workshop or two or have seen me in photos teaching you will notice that I most often wear a black t-shirt, jeans (sometimes a skirt), clogs, handknit socks if it's cold, and some sort of cardigan either a thin one from the Gap if it's warm or a handknit cardigan or sweater in colder months. This makes packing super quick and simple, necessary for the survival of the traveling teacher.

Anyway, let me know what you think about Project Sweater Chest. I'd love to hear any sweater-knitting plans you have in store.

One last thing, I changed the header on my blog this week. It is now a sweet little water color I painted awhile back. I think it is a refreshing change. It is simple with lots of white space. 

If you are an email subscriber, click here to see the new look on my blog!

Have a lovely weekend, Knitters. Here's to handknit sweater dreaming.....

xo ~ susan

Hudson Bay Socks

Hi, Knitters,

Yesterday I got a bit of a start on the cuff of my self-titled Hudson Bay Socks out of the Fishknits Yarn, Canadiana. I am pretty excited about the look of the sock so far. What a nice knit. The yarn is wonderful and the dyeing is top-notch. I purchased this yarn a little while ago so I am happy to finally get it going.

Yarn: Canadiana sock yarn by Fishknits on Etsy

Needles: US size 1/2.25mm dpns, 6-inch length, by Signature Needle Arts

Project Bag: Little Skein on Etsy

Pattern: My free How I Make My Socks recipe

If you don't know what a Hudson Bay wool blanket looks like click here to find out!

Ever since I posted this skein on Instagram a few days ago Fishknits has been having a great run on the Canadiana Strong Heart sock yarn. Skein after skein is flying out of the shop. I gave Jo Dee Fish, the owner, a heads up that I would be posting more about her fabulous and fun sock yarn on my blog this week. Jo Dee said she would be dyeing up a bunch more of this unique colorway in case any more of you are interested.

Here is the information and history from Fishknits Yarn on Etsy about Canadiana:

This yarn is available for special order only. It can take up to 3 weeks until it is shipped.

A Fishtastic yarn called Canadiana made with our Strong Heart base: 
20 rows Natural
8 rows Deep Blue
6 rows Natural
8 rows Golden Yellow
6 rows Natural
8 rows Deep Red
6 rows Natural
8 rows Deep Green
~240 rows Natural
8 rows Deep Green
6 rows Natural
8 rows Deep Red
6 rows Natural
8 rows Golden Yellow
6 rows Natural
8 rows Deep Blue
20 rows Natural

Designed to look like the famous Hudson Bay blankets, indigenous to Canada;-) Each skein is dyed so that the knitter can knit a pair of natural colored socks with a stripe of Deep Blue, Golden Yellow, Deep Red, and Deep Green, just like the blankets, with a narrower stripe of natural between each stripe. It has been dyed with the stripes occurring at each end of the skein, with lots and lots of natural colored yarn in between. If you divide the skein in half you will two equal balls, one for each sock:-)

This colorway was designed and originally sold by Everything Old Crafts, here on Etsy. She has graciously given me the rights to sell this awesome colorway. We can all thank her for this awesome colorway.

Strong Heart: 80% Superwash Merino, 20% Nylon 2-ply high twist. 400 yards, 100 grams. The two plies in this yarn plump together making this yarn is so soft. It includes a touch of nylon which makes it very strong, perfect for socks, mittens, hats.

The test sock was a plain vanilla sock pattern knit on US 1 needles over 64 stitches. Your stitch size may be different than mine so the stripes may be slightly narrower or wider than mine.

~400 yds, 100 grams
7-8 stitches = 1 inch on US 1-3

Well, there you go! I divided the skein in two 50 gram balls. I am knitting the socks from the cuff down so I have to rewind the second ball so the striped section is at the beginning of the ball and not tucked away inside. If you are knitting toe-up socks you will need to have the stripes at the inside of the ball if you are hand-winding. I will definitely make the pair match this time. With the bold stripes it will be very easy to do.

The first sock seems to be zooming right along! I need a little fun and mindless project on the side right about now. I hope your Monday is going well and that your week is off to a good start.
xo ~ susan

Patchwork Finale

Hi, Knitters,

I have thoroughly enjoyed knitting my Quaere Fibre socks in the Patchwork colorway. They are finished. Hooray! These socks boast a 10-color stripe repeat. I think this is one of my most favorite pair of hand knit socks to date. The yarn is wonderful, both the dyeing and the base. The yarn is a 2-ply and has a slight texture. I want to knit more socks with Quaere sock yarn for sure.

Here is the description on the Quaere Fibre Etsy shop (click here to see the shop):

The Patchwork colorway (Note: I had around a 400 yard skein, some of the skeins are 600 yards) is made up of 10 1/4" stripes of the following colors when knit at 8"/64sts on a US1:

Dark Purple
Lilac
Orange
Grey
Grass Green
White
Light Blue
Navy
Gold
Grey 

This yarn incorporates all the goodness of a 2 ply with the strength of nylon. It is super soft and has a round, cabled appearance. 

I see that the Quaere shop has this colorway up for pre-order now and again. You could contact the Janel, the owner, and ask if you are interested in the yarn.

I have posted about this pair of socks quite a bit in all states of finishing, here are some of the links to see the socks in progress:

The socks on the way home from Hayward. Almost done.

One sock done with morning coffee and a peach.

Sunday morning sock knitting.

All of the potential.

How I wound the yarn balls like that (a video right here).

I used my Signature Needles dpns, 6 -inch length, US size 1/2.25mm and my free How I make my socks pattern. The cuff is 6-inches long and I did 12 rounds of 2x2 rib. 

Have a lovely weekend.

xo ~ susan

Worth it.

Hi, Knitters,

I have been working up a storm lately. And by working I mean knitting and writing. I finished the lovely shawl I talked about in my last podcast episode. I am pretty much crazy over it. It is long, long, long. Long enough to wrap around yourself in so many different ways. More to come on this one soon.

After I cast the one shawl off I immediately hand-wound a new skein of yarn and cast on the next shawl I am working on for a different little company. I already had a plan in my head but I have started and restarted this one many times at this point to get it exactly right. I like to design and create news things directly on the needles with only a sketchy loose plan in mind before I start. This means that I'll usually have to start several times before I figure things out to my liking.

The photos today are of this new shawl design in progress. The photos are in black and white because it is an exclusive colorway dyed up by a dreamy (and hard to get your hands on) independent yarn company. It is all very hush-hush and downright fun. I think most of you, or at least I hope, will be very excited when all is revealed. I suggested the color and it turned out better than I could have imagined.

So I sit and knit and write notes in pencil in my hand-bound notebook and sip ice water and snack now and again, and get up and stretch my hands, arms and legs. And then I repeat for hours on end. It takes stamina.

I get asked a lot how I find time to get things done. To finish the last shawl I awoke at 2am the other night and started the coffee pot and began working to get it done. I worked straight through the next day with only a few breaks. Sometimes I have to resort to this type of schedule with the way my life is right now. I only get little tiny bits of broken up time throughout the day to get my work done. At times you simply need a long chunk of time to accomplish something big.

It was worth it.

I am feeling quite confident this next shawl design is going to rock. It's really all about numbers when designing. Numbers mean everything. 

My love to you all. I hope your week is less work-filled than mine. I don't have much personal knitting to show due to the heavy workload but I wouldn't want it any other way. I love what I get to do. The other work I am doing at the same time as the shawl knitting is writing a new book. I have a gigantic deadline due to my publisher on August 21st. I am starting to see another 2am rising time or two on the near horizon.

On top of all of the work right now, it's such a busy and somewhat bittersweet season for families with kids, isn't it? Summer's over, the kids get a grade older, changes come, a few things remain the same, new locations are found, and adjustments are made over time. In the end everything works out as it should. 

And life goes on. We are lucky that way.

I'll be back soon with more....

xo ~ susan

Northwoods Version: Susan B. Anderson Podcast Episode 9

Hi, Knitters,
Yesterday I uploaded the wrong file (it was waaaay too big) for the iTunes/podcatcher watchers out there. Please delete the episode and upload again. I apologize for any inconvenience. It is corrected now. If you are interested in watching/subscribing through iTunes click here for more information.

For email subscribers you can watch the video right here on YouTube: click here!

Now for the blog post!

I am back from vacation with my family. Last week we spent some fantastic family-time in northern Wisconsin in a not-so-rustic log cabin nestled on a lake called Lower Twin Lakes near Hayward, Wisconsin. The weather was beautiful, the setting was gorgeous, the lake was smooth, the mosquitoes were  aggressive, the food was very northern Wisconsin-like, and fun was had by all.

One morning I took the camera down to the pier and filmed a podcast for about 20 minutes. Listed below are the links for the things I talk about in the episode.

Miss Molly's Projects:
Louise Cardigan by Carrie Bostick Hoge
Osprey yarn by Quince & Co.
Knitter's Pride interchangeable wooden needles
Knit Picks Felici sock yarn in the Spooky colorway (yarn is discontinued)
Signature Needles US size 2 dpns, 6-inch

My projects:
Upcoming shawl design:
Infinite Twist Helix yarn in the Clear Water colorway
Signature Needles, 24-inch circular US 7s

Socks:
Quaere Fibres socks in the Patchwork colorway
Signature Needles US size 1 dpns, 6-inch

Books
A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
Delancey by Molly Wizenberg
How to Catch a Frog by Heather Ross

Scoop by Jeff Miller
West's Hayward Dairy

Here are some photos from the trip for you to enjoy!

Tipped canoe!

It feels good to go away and then good to be home! Back to work for me and back to sports and school for the kids. There are lots of getting ready for school type things going on right now, lots of hustle and bustle.

I hope you are all having a wonderful August.

I'll be back soon with more.
xo, susan

Teaching Schedule

Hi, Knitters,

This post will be linked on the sidebar of my blog for future reference. I will update it often.

This is not a complete list. I have more venues but they haven't been formally announced yet. I will announce them on this list as soon as I am able. 

Here are some of my upcoming workshops for the fall season:

February 20-22, 2015 ~ Madison Knitters Guild Knit In in Madison, Wisconsin

April 11-12th, 2015 ~ Washington DC Stitch 'n Bitch Retreat, Solomons, MD on Cheseapeake Bay

April 17-19th, 2015 ~ Vogue Knitting Live Pasadena

April 25th, 2015 ~ Yarnover in Minneapolis, Minnesota

July 2015 ~ Super Summer Knitogether or SSK in Nashville, Tennessee 

There are more teaching dates on my calendar but I think these are the only dates formally announced at this time. I will come back and add more to the list as it grows and changes. I am already getting bookings for 2016 if you can believe that. It seems so far away.

I've been working on a new workshop that will debut at The Loopy Ewe Fall Fling. It is a design your Fair Isle Mitts class. This is the first sample set I have worked up for the class.

I am teaching tons of technique and tips for achieving stunning two-handed two strand knitting within these fingerless mitts but I want my students to delve into a little designing themselves. I am giving the students a bare-bones plain fingerless mitt pattern/recipe in three sizes, and then I am providing loads of options for colorwork charts to plug in, and different cuff ideas to boot. Every mitt will most likely be different than the next, sometimes even in the same pair. 

Sounds like good fun to me!

The class will include instruction and tips on Latvian Braids, corrugated rib, reading colorwork charts, floats and how they work best, weaving in ends, blocking, adding in new colors, catching or weaving in floats as you work over long repeats, and more.

The fun thing is that students can design their mitts with as many colors and patterns as their heart desires or they can go the more subtle path and use only two colors and one stitch pattern for the entire mitt. It's the student's choice. Anything goes!

I am on to making a more subdued pair of matching mitts next for a different type of sample. Though in my heart my favorite is always the mismatched colorful route. Knitting with lots of color like this is always fun and entertaining and cute to wear. 

The yarn I used in these mitts is Quince & Co. Lark. It is a worsted weight wool knit at 5 stitches per inch on US size 7 double-pointed needles. I have a big bag of left overs from various projects so I just keep pulling out random colors and putting them together. It's like a grab bag of color.

For this particular Fair Isle Mitt Workshop the students can work on double-pointed needles as I do, or they can work on circular needles using the Magic Loop technique or some other variation. However, the main requirement is that students are completely self-sufficient at whatever technique they are using for working in the round on a small number of stitches. These classes are not the place to learn how to knit in the round on dpns or how to do Magic Loop, we start out assuming these skills are already mastered. For all of my toy-knitting workshops I prefer that students are able to work on double-pointed needles as the patterns are written specifically for dpns. 

Let me know if you are able to join me at any of these venues. Many of the retreats fill up very quickly and are already closed with waiting lists but it's always worth checking into if you are interested. The bigger venues sometimes have spaces left often right up to when the class starts.

Hope to see you in class.

xo ~ susan

Little Penguins Take the Cake

Hi, Knitters,

I randomly picked a winner for the Red Hot Art hand-painted canvas tote bag by Linda. 

The winner is..... introvert ~ rav id or Faith!

Faith is from Green Bay, Wisconsin which might be the direct opposite of Florida where Linda lives. I love that. I've passed on all of the information to both parties to arrange the bag exchange. Thank you to Linda for the opportunity and congratulations to Faith. I will host another giveaway very soon.

Now for today I'd like to share a quick little project that I made for my daughters' little swim buddies. Our summer pool's mascot is a penguin. Each summer the kids on the swim team are assigned a buddy or two for the summer season. The buddies are called Little Penguins. My daughters each have two Little Penguins this summer, four in total, and all are girls. The Little Penguins exchange support, cards, candy and friendship throughout the summer at the swim meets. 

Last year for the final big meet, the Madison All-City Swim and Dive Meet, I sewed up some adorable fleece penguin stuffies for the buddies (photo above is from last summer of 2013). This year I did something a little different. 

I happened to have some wool felt in team colors that I had picked up on a sale quite awhile ago. I knew I wanted to make some sort of penguins using the felt. I washed and dried the felt in my washing machine and dryer a couple of months ago so it was all ready to go.

Yesterday I ended up stitching these adorable tiny penguins for the little girls. The penguins are about 2.5-inches tall, a little over 3-inches including the loops. I sewed in a grosgrain ribbon loop at the top of each one because I am going to pick up some key chains or loose-leaf rings today so they can hook the penguins on their swim bags if they'd like. They would also make cute ornaments for the Christmas tree in the winter season. 

The penguins turned out really great! I am very pleased. The Little Penguins will receive these along with a bit of candy and a homemade sign for good luck tonight at the team's spaghetti dinner.

I made an extra penguin for our neighbor even though she isn't an official Little Penguin of ours she is on the team and she is like a little sister to TC. They remain good buds. I made our neighbor the fleece penguin stuffed toy from last summer and she brings it along with her to every single meet this season. How could I resist not giving her another penguin to love? She is so sweet and I can't believe she is already 11 years old.

I thought a little personalizing would go a long way with this bunch of girls so I took some red thread and stitched their names in tiny letters on the white bellies. It added a bit of charm.

The penguins are all hand-stitched but after the first one the rest really didn't take me that long. I got it figured out very fast and off I went. I think they are a lovable bunch. Plus the hand-stitching was such a nice break from the book knitting I have been powering through as of late. It was a needed break.

You know, there is something about a hand-stitched or sewn wool felt toy..... there is such a charm-factor to them and they feel really good to hold in your hand. I highly recommend making some if you haven't before.

Here's where I found the pattern for the tiny felt penguins, the book Sew Quick, Sew Cute by Fiona Goble. What a fantastic book. Good job, Fiona!

Click here to see the book on Amazon!

I can't remember if I purchased this book or if it was sent to me by the publisher. The publisher is Ivy Press and Adams Media and it was released in the spring of 2014 so it is a new one. I am pretty sure I purchased the book. The book is really good and chock-full of easy, simple beginner sewing projects. I love this type of distraction from my knitting every once in awhile and I really do enjoy hand-sewing projects. I can do it for hours on end very easily. It makes me happy, content and completely absorbed. 

When I was paging through the book a few months ago I made a mental note that there were some sweet little felt penguins to stitch. I am amazed that I actually remembered these when it came time to get this final penguin gift of the season together. 

The penguins are part of the Antarctic Play Set which is pretty adorable and fun with all of the pieces. I love how the white felt has a little tent or snowbank built in for a penguin to take shelter. That is clever and playful. 

Here are some of the other projects that interest me for future sewing endeavors:

I love this fabric box. I may not even add the handles but just keep it as a simple box for storing goodies.

I have linen fabric and lots of fabric scraps for appliqués and this pattern looks so simple and easy. There's nothing much to it. This is definitely on my to-do list.

I've always wanted to make a little girl's dress like this one. I love the "shirring" at the top and I think it would be loads of fun to try and learn this technique. 

I've always wanted to make my own tomato pincushions! These are perfect and easy.

A little flower-shaped play mat would be super fun to sew as a baby gift. Sew Quick, Sew Cute has projects for babies, children, and adults, the home, cozies, a garland, an ornament, stuffed toys, a skirt, sachets, pajama pants, an Advent calendar, and more. There are 30 simple, speedy projects, just as the book cover states, and for any level of sewer there are some sweet ideas in this book. This would be a good teaching or learning book as well. There are time estimates given in hours for each project as well as the pattern pieces (some have to be enlarged), and well-written step-by-step instructions. I found the book clear and simple to follow. 

One thing I enjoyed about making this project yesterday is that when I spread all of the materials out on my kitchen table to work on the penguins, TC then pulled out her scrap paper, markers, glitter, notebooks full of handwritten motivational sayings, scissors and glue. She made her Little Penguin good luck signs at the same time. We sat most of the day together at the kitchen table chatting and crafting (except for a quick and needed cupcake run to the Bloom Bake Shop). I loved yesterday so much.

Awhile back TC told me she really loves it when I sew in the kitchen. This touched me for some reason. When I sew with my mom's old 1970s sewing machine I inherited I set it up right on the kitchen table and go to town. I remember as a child when my mom was sewing up a storm on this same sewing machine. I loved it when my mom was sewing just like TC does. There was something very comforting about my mom and her sewing. It made me feel safe and loved and her creativity and talent was exciting to be around. Although I am most certainly not a talented sewer like my mom, maybe this same feeling has transferred to TC. I like to think my mom has had a hand in this. 

Anyway, I wanted to share a little piece of my home life with you today. The rest of the week will be very busy attending the All-City Swim Meet, starting tomorrow. This is a city-wide event that takes place over three days and involves thousands and thousands of swimmers and families. It is a gigantic event that I participated in as a youngster growing up in Madison and that we have been participating in for over 15 years now as parents. What a tradition!

You might enjoy the book Sew Quick, Sew Cute by Fiona Goble if you want a few super fast and simple projects to sew up as gifts or just for fun. Click here to see more about it.

I'll be back soon with more. I hope you are enjoying this beautiful final week in July. The weather has been extraordinarily pleasant this summer here in Madison. We are loving every minute of it.

best, susie