VK Live ~ Everywhere but Seattle

Hi, Knitters,

Thank you to Melissa (keatime on rav) for the Tolt photo above and the in-class photos!

I'm sorry for the long delay between posts. I was in Seattle (sort of) teaching at Vogue Knitting Live last week for four days. I came back home late Monday night. It has been busy around here trying to recover and get things back in order. My oldest son has spring break right now so it has been fun having him around more. 

The trip to Seattle was wonderful. My two oldest sons came along with me. While I worked they ran around Seattle and saw the sights and ate all kinds of wonderful local food. They had a good time despite the rain. Actually they had pretty good weather on Saturday but Sunday was a downpour for most of the day for them. 

I didn't ever get into Seattle at all on this trip. The Vogue event actually takes place in Bellevue which is outside of Seattle. I started teaching a couple of hours after our arrival on Friday and worked straight through Sunday. Speaking of Sunday, at my lunch break my friend from our Itty-Bitty Knits group on Ravelry picked me up and drove me to Carnation, WA, to visit Tolt Yarn and Wool. I'd say it was about a 30 minute drive give or take. Thank you to Melissa for taking me to Tolt. I really appreciate it and it was a highlight of the trip for me.

Click here for the Tolt Yarn and Wool website!

I have rarely heard so much about a new yarn shop. This shop is on fire. It is beautiful from the inside out. The setting and decor of the shop is friendly and warm and inviting. The owner is lovely, that's her behind me in the first photo, and her name is Anna. The shop is out in the country, a scenic drive, and the owner also has a small farm. She is a photographer and is fun to follow on instagram. This is one busy young woman.

Here is Melissa at the entrance to the shop. The displays are just gorgeous. There are so many different and unusual yarns in the shop, things I have never seen or used before. This is a sign of a good shop! I bought two skeins of yarn, both new to me. I bought a skein of Jill Draper and a skein of Swan's Island. Both are worsted weight and generous in yardage. I'm looking forward to cracking into these new skeins. I'll share more later on this yarn.

Rebecca Gunderson posted this photo above on my Facebook wall so I hope it's okay to post on here as well. This group of beautiful young knitters were at Tolt when I arrived and they were incredibly sweet and fun and excited about everything. They asked for this photo together and I was happy to be in it. The woman on the far left was a student in one of my classes as well. They were so cute!

Rowan Felted Tweed anyone?

I was delighted that the shop had stacks of my books. Anna asked if I would mind signing my books. Of course I signed them all! Veronika of Yarn on the House works at this shop. She also drove us to and from the airport. Thank you, Veronika! Part of the reason I like going to Seattle is due to Veronika. She is so welcoming and warm and a real treat to be around. 

The other person working at Tolt is the one and only Tif Fussell or the inspired Dottie Angel Etsy shop owver and blog writer. I was so pleased to meet Tif in person. She is adorable. As a coincidence I had just ordered some notebooks and a project bag from her Etsy shop right before the trip. I didn't know I would get to meet her over the weekend. I'll share those items later with you. 

Click here for Tif's website Dottie Angel (you won't want to miss this one)!

Click here for the Dottie Angel Etsy Shop!

Click here for a wonderful video about Tif!

The Itty-Bitty Knitters were everywhere! Melissa on the left and Becky on the right, were in my Little Dragon class on Saturday morning. Becky actually finished her Little Dragon by dinner that night. She knit it out of her own handspun and it was the cutest dragon ever! I couldn't believe how quickly she finished it.

Actually, I just found the following photo from Becky (below)! Apparently her dragon attended and watched attentively during my lecture on Saturday night:

Click here for the Little Dragon pattern information!

Carol (cehermanator on rav) on the right was in class, too! She's another Itty-Bitty Knits member who I love. She has designed some wonderful colorwork mitts that are being released soon in pattern form. She's quite a talent. A group of Itty-Bitty Knitters and I went out for a fantastic dinner on Saturday night which was so much fun. Debbie (knittingrandma on rav) is not in the photo but she came to class and also dinner. I loved meeting all of these wonderful ladies in person!

That is Willa Cather's namesake and granddaughter on the left, pretty cool stuff and Becky (gathersnomoss rav id) on the right. I'm in the middle teaching away as usual. In all of my classes I met so many wonderful knitters. There were a lot of students I recognized from my classes last year at this same event which is always nice. There were students from all over, many from Canada. 

On Monday morning my sons and I went out for a fabulous breakfast with lots of local food and ingredients. That was fun. Then we took off and walked for almost 2 hours. We walked through beautiful shoreline neighborhoods and parks. I LOVED it.  The sun even came out for us!

I was so thrilled to see blooming trees and flowers! It made me so happy and warm inside. I am also intrigued at the mossy coverings on trees, branches and even the streets. It is moist in the Seattle area.

Here are some photos from our lovely morning together:

These are Flowering Currant blossoms.

The homes were spectacular and beautiful!

 Green! Green! Green!

The sky and water were so inspiring!

We had a wonderful time. What an experience to get to travel with my sons. I feel so lucky to get these opportunities and times we won't forget. The knitting was fun, the knitters I met and taught are so talented. It was one of the friendliest, most loving groups of knitters I have had the privilege to teach. I received more cards, gifts, hugs and warm greetings than anyone could believe.

Thank you Vogue Knitting Live for another terrific event!

I'll be back soon with more.

best, susie

Catching Up #4: Socks, Sweaters, Shawls, Book Recommendations, Yarn, etc.

Hi, Knitters,
I have a new "podcast" for you today! I am talking about sweaters, shawls, yarn, patterns, book recommendations, socks, handspun, future designs, and much more.

If you are an email subscriber and can't see the video, please CLICK HERE and watch the video directly on YouTube.

I'm sorry but I don't have time to do show notes today, I'm busy packing for Seattle. I leave very, very early tomorrow morning. Wish me luck on my travels over the weekend.

Oh, and it is Chrissy (not Kristi) of Manic Purl and the Snappy Stitches podcast! Go check it out if interested.

Have a great weekend!
best, susie
p.s. Susan, the one who made me the project bag, just gave me this link to pom-pom fruit. It's amazing! Click here to see it!

Hiro ~ a colorwork sweater in progress

Hi, Knitters,

It has been a busy week already and it's only Tuesday. Yesterday we went on yet another college tour. I've been on a lot of college tours at this point plus I grew up on the UW Madison campus. It's a lot of college around here. Next fall I will have three kids in college which is slightly incredible for me to believe. But that's how it goes.

I am also getting ready to leave for Vogue Knitting Live in Seattle at the end of the week, March 14-16. I'll be teaching and speaking and signing books all weekend. My schedule is jam-packed and I am really looking forward to all of it.

Click here to see my teaching and lecture schedule! I'd love to see you in class or at my lecture early Saturday evening right after class.

I will be signing books on Friday night in the Market at the Adirondack Yarns booth #217 and #219 at 5:30pm. You can purchase my books at the booth and please feel free to bring your own books along as well.

I hope to see as many of you there as possible! 

Now for my latest sweater adventure! I started knitting the brilliant Hiro sweater by Julia Farwell-Clay quite a few months ago but I put it down due to other work knitting obligations. About a week ago I picked it back up with the intention to finish it up and quickly. I have so many cardigans I want to knit but I wanted to finish this one first.

Click here for the Hiro sweater and cardigan pattern!

In the first photo I had one sleeve finished to the underarm and the sweater body finished to the underarm. I decided to put the body on Try-It-On-Tubing so I could get a sense of whether or not the sweater was going to fit.

I made a few changes to the pattern. I took out the waist shaping (I often do this because I don't love a tightly fitted sweater and really, knit fabric does a lot of the shaping for you because that is the nature of it). I don't love a hemmed sweater, so I took that out. Instead I did the beautiful colorwork at the bottom with a 2 by 2 rib. 

Click here to find out more about Try-It-On-Tubing!

I love this product and use it with every sweater in progress.

These were my first color choices. It's all Cascade 220.

Then my friend Suzanne suggested switching out the white with gray. For the whole sweater I did not want to purchase any new yarn, I already had all of this in my stash. I happened to have a ball of gray Cascade 220 Superwash on hand. When I put the colors together with the gray I knew this would be perfect. Thanks to Suzanne! Check out Suzanne's new cowl pattern! It's really cute.

I joined the sleeves and body for the yoke. The colorwork yoke is the best part. It's like dessert at the end of a long dinner.

The sweater started moving very quickly at this point. Hiro is very simple. The construction is as basic as you can get, which is what is so appealing and wonderful about it. The colorwork is simple. There are literally three decrease rounds in the yoke. I love this kind of sweater so much. It's pure fun. Hiro is a perfect first time colorwork pattern. It's simple and motivating. The four color mixture makes it entertaining. I love that I used yarn from my stash. You can make the worsted weight sweater tonal or use bright and different colors completely.

As soon as I added in the bright rosy pink, I felt that the sweater became perfection. I just love it.

I pulled out the Try-It-On-Tubing once again and tried the sweater on before finishing off with some short rows and the ribbing at the neck. Oh I changed that, too, from a 1 by 1 rib to a 2 by 2 and I didn't go to a smaller needle. I don't like a tight neck in a sweater.

So there you go! Isn't it pretty?

My new Hiro has been soaked and it is blocking as we speak. After it is dry we'll see what the next steps will be. I think I will end up steeking the front and adding button bands to make it into a cardigan. It could maybe use some pockets, too. 

I'll keep you posted. Maybe I'll end up loving it as is but I do always enjoy a cardigan much more than a pullover. That's just a fact. 

Take care and I'll be back soon with much more!

best, susie

Drawing Nigh Shawl for Quince & Co.'s Scarves, Etc. 2014!

Hi, Knitters,

All photos from Scarves, Etc. 2014 have been provided by Quince & Co. and were taken by the talented Carrie Bostick Hoge.

I am so excited and proud to introduce my latest design for Quince & Company! The long-awaited ebook Scarves, Etc. 2014 is being published today. There are 14 gorgeous scarves, cowls and shawls to choose from in this lovely issue. 

My design, Drawing Nigh, is the sweetest simple lace shawl with a light ruffled edge. It uses two strands of fingering weight (Finch) held together to create a beautiful gradient. 

Here are some links for you:

Drawing Nigh Ravelry project page!

Scarves, Etc. 2014 Ravelry page with all 14 projects!

Quince & Co.

Here is some information you might like to know about Drawing Nigh:

Gauge: 21 stitches and 30 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch with yarn held double

Needle size

US 7 - 4.5 mm

Yardage

1105 yards (1010 m)

Sizes available

46" [117cm] wingspan and 17" [43cm] deep at center

Drawing Nigh is included in Scarves, Etc. 2014, set to release 3/6/14!

shown in:
finch / 1 skein each
iceland 153
kumlien’s gull 152
kittywake 151
sabine 150
crow 102

needles:
32” circular in size US 7 4.5mm

construction:
This semi-circular shawl is worked with two strands of Finch held together in order to play with the shades of darkening grays, and to create a worsted weight shawl (which is missing from my own wardrobe). Since two strands are held together while knitting, one strand is dropped and another strand in a darker shade is then
introduced creating a smooth gradation of colors. The lace pattern is incredibly simple and makes the worsted weight shawl light and airy. This would be a perfect first venture into knitting lace with a simple chart.

For more information, see: http://quinceandco.com

Drawing Nigh is a super fast, fun knit! The lace is incredibly simple and repetitive. This would make a wonderful first shawl and lace project.

The possibilities for color combinations are endless. The Quince color palette is forever beautiful and perfect for this kind of fun project. Pick 5 gradient colors and grab 1 skein of each and go to town! 

I love the photos from the ebook. The model, the dress, the clean natural lighting and background, the boots, the tights, the hair (I wish I had that hair!), etc...... 

Enjoy the following photos from Quince & Co. Scarves, Etc. 2014.

And back to me! Here I am after the shawl is blocked and putting it over my shoulders for the first time. The way the shawl sits on my shoulders and feels light as  air but yet gives warmth is exactly what I was hoping for with this design.  

Please enjoy this short slideshow I put together on the making of Drawing Nigh!

If you can't see the slideshow in the email, please hop over to my blog to watch: Click here!

Drawing Nigh is only available for purchase right now through Quince & Co. It will be available for individual purchase in my Ravelry pattern shop in a few short months. I'll let you know when it is up in my shop.

best, susie

March On

Hi, Knitters,

Welcome to March! The winner of the Knitcircus gradient sock yarn is.....

Gina or greencashmere on Ravelry!

Congratulations to Gina. I'll have another giveaway very soon. What an incredible response to the giveaways lately. Thank you all for your participation. Thank you to Jaala for giving us the yarn.

I am getting back in action after a huge yarn sale I had over the weekend. I posted about it on my Facebook, Twitter, my Ravelry group and Instagram. I post a lot on these different venues so if you are interested in keeping up please join me. 

The yarn sale was a huge hit. I have so much fun putting these sales together. This was my second yarn sale on eBay. I made lots and lots of Magic Cakes in fingering and worsted weight sets with matching pom-poms. Those were literally all snapped up within minutes. I also had a bunch of stash yarns that I sold. That felt great. I threw in some little extra goodies in the boxes and envelopes before sealing them up. My son helped me pack and label the packages. We have fun together and he is an organizational master so I love his input. I dropped the packages off at the post office today. It is a lot of work but well worth it in the end.

Thank you, everyone, for the fantastic response. I am always surprised by you! You make everything so much fun.

You can follow me on eBay I guess and then you'll know when I have another yarn sale. I see I have followers on eBay. I think followers might be notified of updates. I will be doing more Magic Cakes as soon as I get a chance. Click here to go to my eBay shop, yarnsale.

Onto some knitting now! In the first photo you can see that I have pulled out the Hiro sweater I started quite awhile ago. I finished the body and am starting on the sleeves. Hopefully I'll get those done quicker so I can finish this one up. I have a lot of sweaters waiting to get on my needles, so, so many and I can't wait. I'm hoping to pick up my sweater knitting pace now. I need some new sweaters and cardigans to wear for sure. My set of go-to handknit sweaters are in need of a refreshing. I'll share as I get to work on the sweater project.

I am using Cascade 220 for my Hiro. Black and turquoise are all I know for now. I'm not sure what the other colors in the yoke will be.... stay tuned. This is an easy worsted weight sweater and cardigan pattern on US size 8s with simple fair isle work, perfect for beginners. 

Click here for the Hiro pattern! 

Directly above in the photo is my finished Brickless by Martina Behm. I haven't blocked it yet but I wore it most of yesterday. Oh my gosh, I love it so much. The yarn, the pattern, and the wearing of it are just so much fun. I can't explain why it went so fast and kept my interest but I am pretty sure it is all of the above. 

You know, I have to admit that I wasn't sure if I was going to like the finished shawl because it is asymmetrical and that isn't my favorite style but this one I love. Do any of you remember my handspun Hitchhiker by Martina Behm from several years ago that is still not finished? Hitchhiker is the same type of bias-knit asymmetrical style shawl. Well, here it is directly below in the photo. I am a little farther than this photo shows. This pattern is all garter and for some reason it doesn't hold my interest for more than a few minutes at a time.

The Brickless on the other hand held my interest and I was propelled to finish it. I loved knitting Brickless. The finished shawl is super long with long ends and it wraps around my neck wonderfully! It's a winner. Make one! You'll love it!

Click here for the Brickless pattern by Martina Behm.

Click here for Miss Babs Yowza (I used Deep Sea Jellyfish)! 

One of my new favorite video podcasts is called A Homespun House with Molly. Molly is a young mother from Cambridge (just outside of Madison), Wisconsin, now living in Germany with her little family. She has her original knitting family here in Wisconsin and she has continued their crafting traditions. She knits, and sews and does stitchery. Molly is quite talented and she is fun to watch. I hope you'll check out A Homespun House podcast.

Click here for A Homespun House!

Molly has also just opened up a very sweet Etsy shop by the same name, A Homespun House. She is making the sweetest little project bags. I just love her fabric choices and her sewing is quite nice, too. I ordered a couple of her project bags shown in the photo above. I love Heather Ross and her fabrics and gingham. I knew when I saw Molly making bags with some of my favorite Heather fabrics I would have to order her bags. The bags are very well-made. I love it when Molly shares her fabrics on the podcast before they are sewn into bags.

Click here for A Homespun House on Etsy!

Okay, I'm leaving you with this gorgeous new skein of sock yarn that showed up on my doorstep today. This photo has not been filtered or altered in any way. Can you believe those colors? I ran across this Etsy shop called Quaere after I heard about it on a podcast. I can't remember which podcast. When I visited the shop I saw this 10 color striping colorway called Patchwork. Hmmmmm.... more Patchwork Socks? Yup, I had to get it. Quaere has beautiful yarns. You might like some, too.

Click here for Quaere on Etsy!

That's all for today. I hope you are doing well in this new month of March. Do you have signs of spring? We don't and when it's still below zero in March it feels like spring may never come. This year's winter has been long, hard and cold and I am getting anxious for spring.

best, susie