What a Difference

Hi Knitters,

I haven't been spinning much at all this week as time hasn't allowed but I want to share a bit of spinning today that was finished recently.

This beautiful skein is spun from 4 ounces of Sunshine Yarns roving in Wintersong.
This time around it went so much better. I mean 100 times better. I don't know how it happens but somehow you start to intuitively figure out how to control the roving as you spin. I haven't had any further instruction or help but I just sit by myself and spin for minutes a day when I get a chance. Somehow things are slowly coming together.
I am pretty pleased and TC has told me this is my best yarn yet. That's pretty good praise as she is an honest one. It is still far from perfect and has some thicker sections sprinkled in but I'll take it.
I have 250 yards so I know I am getting better and more consistent because....
... with this 4 ounce braid (Springtree Road in Coriander) I got 166 yards. That's 84 yards more! That's improvement. Both are merino wool. Although the Wintersong is superwash.

My goal is to get enough eventually out of one 4 ounce braid to make a pair of socks for myself. It seems a little lofty but that's my goal. I'm sticking to it.
I don't know yet what these two will become but I am even kind of liking them together. We'll see.
I had a little tiny bit left over on a bobbin from both my earlier attempt at Wintersong and my latest more successful attempt. I plied those two tiny bobbins' worth of singles together to get about 30 yards of this thick and thin. Maybe I will make a tiny sweater ornament or a tiny mitten ornament with this.
Here was my first attempt with this same roving I shared a few weeks back. As you can see there was a lot of trouble going on. It kept breaking and breaking on me and I couldn't get the twist even or even going. I still adore this skein because I like that imperfection. It is amazing how different the same roving can look when spun in a different way.

It is also amazing to me what a difference a few weeks of practice can make. It is like night and day and the funny thing is that I don't even know what I've done to improve. That's kind of cool. It just happens. It's the same with knitting or any skill I guess. Practice and patience makes all of the difference in the world.
So this is Sunshine Yarns Wintersong part 1. Part 1 became a scarf (My so-called scarf). I'll keep you posted on Wintersong part 2.

I have been knitting and sketching like mad this week. I'll have some knitting things to share coming up soon.

Oh, I joined The Knit Girllls spin-a-long! I am watching the back episodes of their video podcast as I have been knitting this week. I joined through their Ravelry group for the Knit Girllls. Ooooh, I see they are almost to 1,000 members! I don't know if I'll have the time to spin right with them due to my upcoming publicity stuff for Spud & Chloë at the Farm but I got on the list to get the roving. They are all going to spin the same roving and then have different project options for knitting it. It sounds like a lot of fun.

Hope everyone is doing well out there.

best, susie

Top of the Class

Hi Knitters,

First off I have two winners for the Sixth & Spring book giveaway!

For the Entrelac book:

Sara said...

Hi, Susan! All of your projects look fabulous, as usual. I can't wait to start on the Farm Knitting, myself! Both of the books look fantastic but I would especially like to unravel the mysteries of Entrelac. Have a great weekend!
Sara

(Survivor on Ravelry)

February 25, 2011

For the Cowl Girls book:

Lynn said...

Your blog entries are like a lovely visit from a pen pal. I'd love to win the Cowl book (I own the other one), especially because it would be great for use in my charitable project in which we make boutique-quality items to gift to donors who choose our items as gifts and simultaneously support local, peace-oriented nonprofits. Thanks for offering such a fun gift.
Rav ID: flowerdancer

February 26, 2011

Congratulations to both winners! I actually know Sara personally and that rarely happens but her number popped up today on my random number generator! How fun. I will contact you both through Ravelry to get your mailing addresses. The book will come directly from NYC to you via the publisher.

Thank you to everyone for entering and I will host another giveaway very soon.

Now I want to share a little about my class last weekend. It was such fun. I had an amazing group of talented knitters who were chatty and funny. I loved it. They were a complete joy. I even had a special young guest, Lindsay (above), who helped me draw names for the raffle prizes at the end of the class.
The group was very large so it took some planning to make sure everyone could see the technique demonstrations I was teaching.
As you can see Stitcher's Crossing has a beautiful and roomy classroom that is so well-lit and comfortable. The walls are adorned with gorgeous quilts which is an added bonus.
We made the Mice pattern from my upcoming book, Spud & Chloë at the Farm. Which is going to be available very, very soon in book shops and yarn shops and online.

Click here to see all of the Spud & Chloë at the Farm patterns on Ravelry!

Stitcher's Crossing has a list of pre-orders for the book and I will be signing them before they are shipped out or picked up. If you'd like a signed copy give them a call or send an email and I am more than happy to sign a copy just for you!

Click here for the shop's website!

Telephone number: 608 232 1500

Email: info@stitcherscrossing.com

I had students from Wisconsin (Madison, Sun Prairie, Middleton, Green Bay-several hours away), Davenport, Iowa and Minneapolis, Minnesota! What an honor to have people drive for hours just to attend the class. That is very touching and deserves some recognition. Minneapolis is a 5 hour drive to Madison.
I also had some long time friends show up, Kelli, Anne and Susie! That is the biggest treat to have familiar faces come to your classes again and again. Anne is actually my neighbor and I taught her to knit many years ago. She took off with the knitting and has become a talented designer. It is comforting to have old friends around.
Here is Lil, my Minneapolis girl. She has an 8-month-old daughter (I got to see photos!) and a kind and patient husband who drove her and waited for her. The class ran a little long which isn't unusual for me. Being an old teacher I always over plan a bit.

Laura, who came from Davenport, Iowa, posted on her blog about the class today. Click here to see adorable Laura's finished mouse and review.
I had running demos going on throughout the class and I would call up small groups so people could see better. The knitters asked tons of questions and made demo requests which makes for a fun class.

Here are the techniques I demonstrated:

How to do the Twisted Loop stitch for making Spud and Little Lamb.

How to do face embroidery for toys (the most important part).

How to secure the embroidery floss for the faces in a hidden way.

How to sew on parts (mouse ears for this example).

How to stuff the toys.

We discussed poly-pellets and how to safely use them in knitted toy making.

Phew! As you can imagine the two hours sped by at lightning speed.
We had gifts, a trunk show, a big raffle and more. I loved every single minute of it. Mainly, I forgot how much I love to teach. I think it is one of my true callings and frankly, I miss it. There aren't enough hours in the day to do everything I would like to be doing.

Thank you to Artisan Books (my publisher) for the beautiful printed patterns, blads and postcards. A special thanks to Trent for coordinating the goods for the class.

Thank you to Spud & Chloë/Blue Sky Alpacas for your generous gifts and raffle prizes!

A huge thank you to Stitcher's Crossing for hosting me and letting me teach such a fun group. The staff was so helpful and supportive. I LOVE this shop! Please support them with your orders. They carry the Spud & Chloë line and will get you anything you need, anytime. Gael does the yarn and knitting ordering along with Sharon (the owner) so please make any requests to them. They are a good and nice group at Stitcher's.

There was a waiting list long enough to fill another class easily so maybe I'll cook something up with Stitcher's again very soon! I'll keep you posted.

best, susie

p.s. I've still been getting a lot of requests for a kit to knit the entire book to make the complete farm set. I will be figuring out how much yarn you'll need in total to knit the whole book. Let me know if you are interested in doing this! Yarn shops will need to coordinate this with their customers so let your local shop know if you are planning on doing this project.

A Fun Mess

Edited to Add: The book giveaway contest is now closed, March 1, 2011! No further entries are being taken!!

Hi Knitters,

I have piles and stacks and boxes and bins and shelves and cubbies..... and they are all filled to the brim. Here is a quick run down of my knitty mess.

Above is a sock yarn designed by my buddy, Kristin Nicholas. I got this two years ago from Kristin at TNNA and have just started some socks. It is called Best Foot Forward in the Berry Cobbler colorway. The yarn is a treat and the colors are definitely all Kristin. As I knit I keep the ball band up so I can see it as it has Kristin's artwork and signature right there. I love that.
TC has been busy knitting preemie hats for a charity knit on the Itty-Bitty Knits group on Ravelry. She is pretty excited about it. She has one more on the needles.
There is that second Zauberball sock from The Wool Cabin.
I have piles of finished projects. Here we have the Spud & Chloë Fine striped socks I've mentioned several times before (no pattern is available!). The finished Zauberball sock, and my latest top-down baby cardi that will be available as a free pattern on Spud says! any day now.
Loads of Blue Sky Alpacas Royal (it's way better than cashmere) and Spud & Chloë Outer. I'm not complaining.
There are several boxes and envelopes of goods from my publisher, Artisan Books, to give to the students in my Spud & Chloë at the Farm class this weekend.

Hey, I put the project photos up for Spud & Chloë at the Farm on Ravelry if you'd like to see a little bit of what's inside. Click here to see the projects!
This box is huge and it is stuffed full of goodies from Spud & Chloë and Blue Sky to pass out at the class. I love giving fun things away so this will make me very happy.
Speaking of which...

I am giving away two books today. The first book is Cowl Girls by Cathy Carron and the publisher is Sixth & Spring. This is a great little book full of cowls of all sorts, big, small, short, tall, long, cabled, colorwork, stitch patterns, hoods, wraps, chunky, etc.
This is actually Cathy's daughter modeling. That's cool. She has modeled for Quince & Co., too.
Great photography and lots of good, quick and doable projects equals a fun book to own.
I have been a fan of Cathy's work for a long time. She is often published in Vogue Knitting and lots of other knitting magazines.

Now hang on...
I have a second book to win today as well!

This second book, Entrelac, by Rosemary Drysdale is another winner. I listened to Rosemary on Marly's Yarnthing podcast awhile back. Rosemary is just wonderful. (I just saw Cathy Carron was on there, too. Click here.)
This book shares entrelac stitch patterns like I have never seen before. It is just beautiful and well-done. What a resource.
Have you ever seen anything like this? I haven't.
There are gorgeous entrelac patterns, too. They are graceful and beautiful.
There are garments, scarves, bags, vests, wraps, and much more. It is an incredible collection.
I mean look at this leaf entrelac pattern. The book is a keepsake for your stitch library at the least and at the most you will love making the patterns, too. It's a good one.

Okay, here's how we are playing today! There will be two winners, one per book. Leave one comment on this blog post (please do not email me, you have to get on the blog and leave a comment). In your comment please leave me the following information:

- your rav id or email

-which book you would prefer either Entrelac or Cowlgirls or if you don't care which one you win!

I will pick the winners in a couple of days.

Have fun! Good luck!

Into the weekend I run.

best, susie

News and Shamrocks

Hi Knitters,

I just got word from my publisher that Spud & Chloë at the Farm is being released much earlier than expected! It will be available by the end of March. Instead of months it will be a matter of weeks. I will be getting the projects up on Ravelry as soon as I get a chance so you can check everything out.

I have gotten quite a few emails and a few comments from knitters who are interested in knitting the entire book of 13 projects so I am thinking about hosting a knitalong later this spring to do just that. All of the projects together really make a fantastic farm set so this would be fun.

The Barn Cat, above, is one of the patterns in the new book. The photography for the book was shot by the always wonderful Liz Banfield who also photographed the Itty-Bitty series.

My class at Stitcher's Crossing this coming Sunday is full and even has a long waiting list. I even have knitters traveling from other states to attend. Isn't that something. Thank you to everyone who has shown interest. I will take photos at the class and share next week. The best thing is that I got a huge box of goodies dropped on my doorstep from Spud & Chloë/Blue Sky Alpacas to share with the students in the class! What a generous and fun company. That is one of my favorite things about them.

I haven't gotten started on the online class project yet but I am planning on tackling that this spring. I think online classes would be a good fit for me (especially since I got a better camera and a tripod recently). I'll keep you posted. I received a lot of good links and places to get started from my buddy Betz White who already teaches online classes. You should check out her offerings. Thanks to Betz for her help. Now I just need to find the time to dig in.
Okay, with St. Patrick's Day coming up quick here I thought I would pull up my pattern for the Shamrock Washcloth to share today. What a perfect little gift for your Irish or Irish-loving friends and family. Add a bar of soap and a ribbon to tie it up and off you go!

This pattern is only available in my Ravelry Pattern Store at this time. You don't have to be a member of Ravelry to purchase patterns from any designer's Ravelry pattern shop which is a good thing to know.

Click here for information about the Shamrock Washcloth pattern!

This version is in Sugar n Cream cotton. The others are in Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille. Both are fun and squishy.
You could whipstitch two shamrocks together and stuff with fiberfill for a super cute pillow, too. I need to do that. I love seasonal knits that are simple and little and fun!

Have a good Wednesday, Knitters.

best, susie

Sit and Spin Saturday

Hi Knitters,

I have ahead of me one of the busiest weekends on the books. I want to quickly share some spinning progress I have made recently. Above is 300 yards of worsted weight spun from two braids of Springtree Road fiber.
I am making a Taiyo Reversible Scarf out of my freshly spun yarn.
I am getting better. I am trying to be tighter with my plying but not too tight. I was plying too loosely but over spun isn't good either. It is a work in progress.
Here I have 170 yards of worsted weight from another Springtree Road roving.
It is a beautiful medley of greens.
The Starving Artist Hat is a free pattern by Laura Linneman of the Knit Girllls video podcast. I was watching my friend Suzanne's video podcast (she is adorable, please go watch!) and followed a link she had on her sidebar to the Knit Girllls video podcast and I have been watching ever since. They have 46 episodes so it will take me awhile to catch up to speed. I started at episode number one. I love them and they are fantastic knitters. It's Laura and Leslie talking about knitting, reviews, yarn and spinning. Go watch if you have a chance!

Here is the Knit Girlls ravelry group link! I just joined. See you there.
I didn't have quite the yardage for the beret style of the Starving Artist so I had to cut down on the decrease rounds. I think I had 90 yards and the pattern required 104 yards. It is really a sweet little beret in the end and it was a super fun and quick knit.
I love the purl side of my uneven handspun and this hat features the purl side. It's a perfect combination.

I have so much to share and will hopefully have more time in the coming week to really blast out some posts and possibly a giveaway if I am lucky.

To the weekend!

best, susie

Meeting Miss Meg

Hi Knitters,

I had an experience last night that I have to tell you about.

First though I have to tell a really quick and funny related story before I dive in. I swear the weirdest things happen to me. I was recently contacted by a Milwaukee yarn shop that was working with the Brewers baseball organization to organize the upcoming Stitch-n-Pitch event for this coming summer. The yarn shop asked if I would be interested in throwing out the opening pitch for this game. I said sure! My family thought that was about the funniest thing ever. Anyway, I hadn't thought much about it or heard anything about it since then but just last week I was contacted and told that another knitter was given the opportunity as other names were put on the list for consideration.

Meg Swansen was nominated to throw out the first pitch at the Stitch-n-Pitch Brewers game! I had to laugh. I had no idea Meg's name was in consideration along with mine and I would have withdrawn my name immediately had I known. Seriously. The fact that my name was even in the same hat with Meg is just plain funny. I would have easily picked Meg over me any day of the week, hands down! I don't know if she has accepted or not but I love that she is possibly going to throw out the first pitch so much. That is beyond excellent and I hope that lots of you are able to attend if she does in fact throw out the first pitch. The game is on June 21st, 2011.

And then a mere week later this happened....
Meg Swansen actually adjusted one of her ma's unpublished hat designs while it was sitting on my head. (See about the weird things happening?)

In the photo next to me is the one and only Meg Swansen. Meg was the featured speaker at the always wonderful Madison Knitters' Guild. The guild hosted their monthly meeting last night and once again it was standing room only. Hundreds of knitters filled the large banquet room to the brim. This group of dedicated knitters is like none other. Really. I know this for a fact. Last night the meeting with Meg Swansen was nothing short of magical.

Meg Swansen is a knitting legend and she is the daughter of the revered and legendary Elizabeth Zimmermann. Meg has this phenomenal pedigree plus she is a knitting force of nature all on her own. What a combination. To hear her speak was one of the biggest treats I have ever had. Her dexterity with the English language was wonderful. Her vocabulary and word usage is charming and articulate. Her speaking voice, intelligence and her obvious love of her "ma" and of knitting was nothing less than mesmerizing. My face hurt from smiling and my ears and eyes were tired from trying to soak up her every last word and knitted sample. It was simply a wonderful experience.

Much to my surprise, I got asked to jump up on stage with Meg to model an Elizabeth Zimmermann garter stitch hat that will be featured in an upcoming Schoolhouse Press book. Who would say no to that? A kind knitter grabbed my camera while I was on the stage next to Meg and took these photos for me. When I returned to my seat she told me I looked really proud while I was up there. That made me laugh. I was like a little kid selected from the audience to help out. Actually I was more honored than proud. I couldn't believe my good fortune.

This new book, with the hat, is full of unpublished patterns from Elizabeth all solely using garter stitch. I can't wait! The title of the new book from Elizabeth was, Knit One, Purl None, (as EZ despised the purl stitch) but Meg likes the more inclusive or positive, Knit One, Knit All. It is coming out in May 2011. You can pre-order Knit One, Knit All and check out Schoolhouse Press's other new books by clicking right here. Recognize that hat on the cover of the book? I am ordering my copy today and I am ordering a bunch of other stuff, too, including the dvds. Here is Meg's description of the new book quoted from her site:

"In 2011, Schoolhouse Press is looking forward to the publication of Knit One, Knit All--a book of Elizabeth Zimmermann's Garter Stitch Designs. It has been a thrilling process to comb EZs journals and archives for previously unpublished designs and to put together a book of little known or unknown patterns."

Meg had a large suitcase filled with samples. She would pull out the samples one at a time and talk about the construction and features of each piece. She modeled the gorgeous cardigan above which featured a clever construction, a lovely cable down the sleeve, I-cord finishing and hidden button loops and an overall elegance. I want to make this one for sure. I would wear that thing right out!

Meg talked about how she likes to challenge herself to not break the wool at all as she is knitting a garment, one thread continuously throughout the garment. She also talked about Elizabeth's afterthought pocket technique. I have seen the afterthought pocket used but I didn't know EZ had "unvented" this technique as well as countless others. I loved hearing that.

Amy Detjen (who knit the purple cardigan on Meg above) joined Meg on stage to help her out. Amy and Meg are quite a team and have been for a long time. Amy is funny, smart and beloved. The crowd loves her. On top of that she is an extremely talented knitter. Here is a description of her on the Schoolhouse Press site:

Amy Detjen is one of Meg’s invaluable teaching assistants at Knitting Camp. Here’s what she says about herself:

Although I’ve had designs published in “A Gathering of Lace” and “Sweaters from Camp”, I don’t actually think of myself as a designer, but as a technician. I love to teach and talk and write about knitting most of all, as shown by my past experience as the moderator of the Knit List and Knit U (7 years combined). I love to teach, especially tips and tricks that I’ve learned over my 18 years at Meg Swansen’s Knitting Camp.

Now about the Knitting Camp. Meg asked who in the audience had been to Knitting Camp. A large number of people raised their hands. Then she asked who hadn't been to camp but would like to go. An even larger number of people raised their hands, including me. I would love to attend Knitting Camp someday and I plan on making that happen in the future. What a treat that would be. I think you can get in but it can be difficult and there is a waiting list. At least that is what I've heard. People really do get in though so don't shy away from applying to go if you are interested. It would be a dream come true to attend.

In the photo above you can see my friend Sara McGregor, the one holding the books. She has been going to camp for 15 years and even attended with her mother for a time. Sara knows Meg and introduced me for which I am grateful. Thank you, Sara, and thanks for saving me a seat.

Click here for more information on Meg Swansen's Knitting Camp.

Meg took so much time to answer questions, extra time. She was so earnest and charming when answering question after question. What a role model. I can't say enough good things about her. She is elegant, beautiful, down-to-earth and funny. Her keen sense of humor about knitting and everything else was apparent throughout the night.

In the photo above, I was taken with Meg when a knitter came and sat next to her with a question about her knitting right before the program began. Meg kindly took her project in her lap and intently listened and looked to find the problem. Before long she was ripping back the garment for the knitter to get to the perfect spot to start again. She told the knitter exactly how to proceed and the woman looked like she felt so good about it. It was a comforting moment to watch.
Meg happily signed books and chatted with the knitters as they approached her seat before the meeting. She was just lovely.
Here Meg is holding up the Heart Hat Elizabeth actually knitted. The back of the hat, which is bonnet style, is actually a heart. It is adorable. Meg talked about how clever the construction is and how the shaping of the brim makes the hat fit so well. Meg referred to her ma as a sculptor throughout the night.

Well, it was a moment in time, the world stood still, and I can't stop thinking about it. If you ever get the chance to hear Meg speak, run! She says that she isn't a keynote speaker so I don't know how often she does this kind of thing.

It was an inspiring evening. I am heading to my bookshelves today today to pull out and pour over all of my Elizabeth Zimmermann and Meg Swansen books. I feel like starting from page 1 and plowing through from scratch.

best, susie