Friday, October 26, 2018

Breadmaking & a Pizza Oven


Hi, Knitters,
I hope you are all having a great October. It's flying by so fast, as always. I am popping in today to tell you some exciting news about my son, Ben Anderson. He has been working at an organic produce farm called Sprouting Acres for a while now and it's been really interesting for him. After baking and cooking for several local bakeries and restaurants, including cooking at many local events, he is starting to teach some classes at Sprouting Acres farm. The farm is located right outside of Madison in Cambridge, Wisconsin. It is a really beautiful location. Ben and the owner and others built the class facility from the ground up. The building includes a professional kitchen, class/meeting/restaurant space and it's really pretty amazing. 

Ben is teaching several classes with more to be listed very soon. He is teaching a Sourdough Bread class, a class called Breads from Around the World (I'm taking this class on Nov. 20th!), and an appetizer class. 


I'd love to see you in class so I hope you'll join me or sign up for any of the classes being offered at Sprouting Acres if you are in the area. Let me know if you sign up!

Ben has been cooking and baking and studying all things about food for years and years. He is really talented if I do say so myself! He is adding a Holiday Baking class that will be held on a weekend day coming up, too, and I'm definitely attending this one when it gets listed. 



I know firsthand how good Ben's breads taste. They are delicious and beautiful with an artisan quality. For his sourdough class you will leave with your own starter to take with you! 


I want to share some photos from Sprouting Acres with you. It is a special place with so much potential because the people who work and live there really care about what they are doing and the produce and food they provide to local restaurants and sell at their own farmers market booths. You may have seen the Sprouting Acres booth on the market on the square if you go on Saturdays.


This is the building that Ben helped build. One inside wall is covered with old barn wood and it looks so cool. Last weekend we went to the first-ever pizza day at the farm and that's where I took these photos. They had a trio of string instrument musicians playing inside the building and it was lovely. 


That's Ben in the white t-shirt. He helped build and design the new wood-burning pizza oven. It was a super fun event and the fall weather was perfect. The pizza was so good, incredibly tasty. What an achievement. They just added the roof/shelter structure. They all worked so hard.  


This is Ben and his girlfriend Laura. Laura helped with the pizza event by running orders and making the pizzas. She is a trooper. I think she was all pizza-ed out by the end after making dozens and dozens of pizzas over the afternoon hours. 

By the way, Ben is wearing his Baker's Hat I designed and knit for him last winter. 



Here is the barn wood I was mentioning!

Andy is the owner of Sprouting Acres. Ben met Andy when he was buying local produce for the restaurant where he was cooking. They really hit it off and Ben has enjoyed working at Andy's farm.

The pizza oven in action! 




He's so at home and in his element when surrounded by the farm and cooking. 



Anyway, have a great Friday and weekend ahead and maybe I'll see you at Sprouting Acres or in Minneapolis or NYC Vogue Knitting Live events coming up. I hope so!
xo ~ susan

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Apple Picking and Fall Knitting


Hi, Knitters,
I hope you are doing well this weekend. It's been fun around here. I got to spend a lot of time with good old Peachy yesterday running errands and going out for dinner. I loved the one-on-one time which is always a treat when you have a big family.
Now for a little bit of exciting news! I have a new pattern that's just been released. Here is the description: 
Crisp chilly days, colorful leaves, hot apple cider and pumpkins! The fall season is a favorite amongst many for obvious reasons and I wanted to capture a little bit of this autumnal magic with the Fall Harvest Charm Set. The pattern includes four patterns for a pumpkin, acorn, pinecone and a leaf. All of the charms are worked up in our Home Fingering Weight yarn and you only need a small amount for each. The charms are perfect for making a garland, an ornament, to top a gift, to gift to a special teacher, or to put in a bowl on a coffee table. 
Included in the pattern are 4 video tutorial links that are exclusive, meaning they are only available when you purchase the pattern! I help guide you right through as you work.

I hope you’ll enjoy knitting a little bit of fall this year!

Special Discount Price: The pattern is priced at $3.50 starting today October 12th through October 19th, 2018. Then the price will be set at $6.00. No code necessary!



Black Sheep, White Sheep + Making No. 6 / Black & White Pre-Order

Thank you so much for the enormous response to my new project and kit in the upcoming issue of Making No. 6 / Black & White. The small and clever Black Sheep, White Sheep project is really a sweet knockout of a project. We still have kits available for pre-order along with the magazine.

Jump on over to check it out while it lasts.

Important Note: Due to shipping, please note that if you pre-order the kit and/or magazine, it needs to be a separate order if you are ordering other items as well.

Click here for the Black Sheep, White Sheep Kits and Making No. 6 pre-order. 


Vogue Knitting Live New York!

Once again I’m teaching at one of my favorite events, Vogue Knitting Live New York, coming up on January 25-27, 2019! VIP sign-ups have already started and open registration begins soon, and I want to make sure that I get to see you in class if you are coming to the event. Everything sells out fast and I’m teaching on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

This is an event not to miss. It’s really an incredible experience. I hope to see you in class in NYC!

Today I am leaving you with a few photos from our apple picking excursion from a couple of weeks ago. This year we went to Sutter’s Ridge Farm in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin. So far I’ve made applesauce and apple crisp, my old standby recipes.

My son is wearing The Baker's Hat in a couple of the photos. Click here if interested!

I hope you are able to get out there and enjoy this beautiful season and I hope your knitting is going well. It is getting downright cold outside and I am enjoying bundling up in my woolens once again.
xo ~ susan

Sunday, October 07, 2018

Making No. 6 & Black Sheep, White Sheep Pre-orders!

Photo credit: Carrie Bostick Hoge

Pre-Order Making No. 6 and Black Sheep, White Sheep Kits

Hi, Knitters,
I hope you are all doing well. I celebrated a birthday this weekend and we enjoyed a fun family dinner last night. I'm still feeling warm and toasty about our time together this morning, feeling pretty grateful. I have some big new things happening in the knitting universe and I'd like to share those with you this morning.
Today is a big day! For the first time we are taking pre-orders for both Making No. 6 / Black & White and kits for my project in the magazine called Black Sheep, White Sheep, which is an adorable pint-size REVERSIBLE toy! The sheep turns inside out to reveal the other sheep in the opposite color. These little sheep are fun to knit, quick and super clever. Perfect for gifting to knitters, sheep-lovers and kids!

Making No. 6 and Black Sheep, White Sheep kits will begin shipping around October 30th, 2018.

Making is an exquisite magazine full of all sorts of inspiring projects, not just knitting. The issues are collector’s items, like treasured books with timeless projects. We will have all 6 issues of Making restocked in the Mercantile very soon. I have a toy design in each of these issues.
Black Sheep, White Sheep is exclusive to Making right now, meaning the pattern can only be found in Making No. 6 / Black & White. The pattern will be available for individual purchase in April 2019.

The Black Sheep, White Sheep Pre-order Kit will include:  
  • Wisconsin Woolen Spun Worsted in Birch (creamy white) and Inkwell (black), enough to make at least one reversible toy (most likely two).
  • An optional copy of Making No. 6 / Black & White
  • A tin of 20 stitch markers in assorted colors. 
  • An optional pair of our primitive (black) Sheep Scissors.
  • A small amount of fiberfill.
  • A hand stamped natural cotton project bag.
Click Here for Black Sheep, White Sheep Kits
Click Here for Making No. 6 / Black & White
Photo credit: Carrie Bostick Hoge

Tecumseh Sweater Kits

Last week I worked on re-vamping my Tecumseh sweater by steeking the front and making it into a cardigan. I also cut in afterthought pockets edged with an I-cord bind off. It turned out great and I love it. In the process, I removed several inches of fabric to make it a little smaller.

As I was working I took photos to document the changes in my Instagram stories and this is now saved on my profile page if you are interested in seeing the steps in action. This is one of the best and most beautiful sweaters I have ever knitted.

Click here to go to @susanbanderson on Instagram!

We still have a very limited number of Tecumseh Sweater Kits available in both the Rain Shower and Birch colorways. Grab one quick if you are interested. The design and pattern is by the talented Caitlin Hunter of @boylandknitworks on Instagram.
Click Here for Tecumseh Sweater Kits

Snap-On Poms!

Don’t forget that we have an ongoing deal on our new Snap-On Faux Fur poms! We love them and so do you apparently. The deal is that you get two poms for $10 with code POM at checkout.

I have two videos available for these poms.
-One shows how to attach the snap to the top of your hat. Click here for the video!
-The other video shows how you need to give the pom a quick blow dry to fluff it up after removing it from the mailing packaging. You don’t want to miss this step. Click here for the video!

You will love our poms, they are the perfect size to top any hat.

We still have the Wild Dandelion Hat and Mountain Side Hat in the Kit section! Both of these hats are perfect to top off with a fluffy pom.
Click Here Snap-On Poms

More Stock Added for Wisconsin Woolen Spun

We have been quietly building up our stock of Wisconsin Woolen Spun over the last few weeks. If you are interested in getting a sweater’s worth or just a skein or two for a smaller project I suggest you hop on over to check out the options. This yarn is nothing short of beautiful and it comes in big, generous, squishy skeins. You will fall in love with this soulful yarn. I guarantee it. 
Click Here for Wisconsin Woolen Spun
Have a great weekend, Knitters! I'll be back soon with much more.