Teaching AND Learning. . .

I have had THE BEST TIME teaching classes this past month. Ask my knitting girls and you would find out that ruffle yarn is NOT my favorite. . .but you know what? I've even had fun teaching THAT class and I will be teaching another one on Saturday. I love teaching people how to knit. I love watching them figure out what works for them. And I love being able to share my love of the fiber arts with them. It's tons of fun. I'm really enjoying the opportunity to use my teaching degree AND my love of knitting . . .all packed in to a class on the weekend.

The coolest part, too, is LEARNING while I knit. Whether it's a new way to present an idea, or a way to do something that makes sense to someone else. If you are a knitter yourself, I'm CERTAIN, that you've been told at times that you were doing something wrong. But here's where I tell you to give yourself permission to figure out what works for YOU. Figuring out your knitting preferences goes a long way in helping you pick projects that you will not only love knitting, but that you will use once they are complete. I know for me, I'm not happy with knots in my knitting. I also want the back side to look as nice as the front side. And I know that I have never seen a sweater that's seamed that looks as nice and finished as a sweater that is unseamed and knit instead in one piece. I prefer shorter tips on circular needles, and when paying for tools, while I don't buy the cheapest, I also cannot justify spending $40 on a pair of needles when there are other things out there I love just as much. I know that when knitting, blocking takes care of a ton of issues that arise when I knit, but I ALSO know that my stitches are really even. I have no qualms ever about gifting something that has not been blocked, and even my knitting friends with trained eyes can't usually tell.

So why am I telling you all of this? Because knitting is about me. Well, MY knitting is about ME. If you've ever asked me my opinion on something, you KNOW I will give it to you fifteen different ways. But in the end, YOU are the one that has to be happy with it. And as long as your stitches come off of the needles the right way and you end up with a project you love, you are doing what you should be!

So here are my tips (okay, my opinions).

1) When choosing needles, pick the ones that work for you. Straight needles, double pointed needles, wooden needles, circular needles, metal, pointy, blunt. There are so many choices out there. I, personally, see absolutely no reason to spend $40 on a single pair of needles. For me. I have really even stitches and my Hiya Hiya Sharps interchangeable needles give me perfect stitches and cost a mere fraction of that price. When it comes to money and how much you spend on your tools, as long as you can justify it for YOU and you end up with the tool that does a good job for YOU, then YEAH! Don't let anyone tell you that it is or is not a good choice without hearing their reasons why and then deciding if those reasons mesh with your knowledge of your preferences. Here are why I love my Hiya Hiyas: They have pointy tips, a flexible cable, a smooth join (that also swivels), and they are metal, so my stitches can just fly off of them. But maybe you don't like pointy needles. Or you don't like metal needles. Find ones that work for YOU. I know you can't really see the needle points, but these are one of my fixed sets of Hiya Hiyas (I purchased these from The Loopy Ewe and they JUST stocked more today! Link is over there ---->). The cables are perfect for magic loop and look at the join up there in the upper left. Smooth as can be. (and since we all love to know where the yarn came from, this yarn is the Oh Happy Day colorways from Lollipop Yarns)

2) When choosing yarn, don't let price decide what you buy. Instead, do your homework. I don't mean go into debt to buy really expensive yarn every time. . .but also, it's okay to buy less yarn that costs more than stocking up on really cheap acrylic. I'm not telling you here that acrylic is the devil (even though I don't really like knitting with it myself). But when it comes to yarn, you often get what you pay for. Find a dyer you like on Etsy. Go to your local yarn store and touch and feel what they have available. Check out Ravelry and see what other people have to say about the yarn you are looking at. Don't be afraid to do your homework. If you don't have a good yarn store close to you, check out a place online like The Loopy Ewe (link over there on the right) or Paradise Fibers (who IS my local yarn store!!). While I know that Joann's and Michael's and Hobby Lobby might have yarn, this is NOT what I'm referring to when I say "good yarn store". Ask around. Talk to friends who knit. Read through reviews on Ravelry and search the comments to see what people are saying and what they are making. And know your project well enough to know how much abuse it will take each time it is worn. If I'm knitting socks, I know that I like nylon in there. It helps the wool hold up with wear. I buy a ton of sock yarn from Three Irish Girls. Her Adorn Sock base  (wool/nylon blend) is amazing AND she will dye it to order with any of her available colors.

When I'm knitting a sweater or an object whose purpose is to keep the cold away, I want something warm and squishy. I love Madelinetosh Vintage Yarn. LOVE it. I just finished a hat out of it and I had to get the same yarn to make a sweater.

And I knit the sweater below out of Malabrigo Rios. This is an AWESOME machine washable wool, as well.

3) Know your knitting. What does that mean, you might ask? Are you a loose knitter? A tight knitter? Do your stitches look the same in the round as they do flat? How about your purl stitches? Are your stitches all about the same size, or does it take some blocking to make them match? I tend to be pretty much right in the middle with my gauge. None of the objects in this post have been blocked, and to be honest, I rarely block before wear unless there is something that really needs help. You are seeing my knitting AS IS. My stitches are pretty even, and my knit stitches match my purl stitches pretty well. But even designers have to pick the gauge that they get when they test knit an object, and sometimes that gauge is quite different than I would get if I used those same yarn and needles. . .and you know what? That's okay. Right now, I'm working on a sweater for a mystery Knit Along (KAL) and the pattern called for size 8 needles. I'm knitting it on size 6 needles to get gauge. And I like the fabric and the sweater is turning out lovely on that size for me.  By the way, it's the Hoaloha Sweater, which will be available to the general public mid-March. It's still a work in progress, but it's awesome! (and yes, those are my beloved Hiya Hiya Sharp needles). I will have to block this sweater because the neckline wants to roll.

And no, the color is not that color, REALLY. It's just a bad indoor picture. Sorry.

4) Choose colors you love. Together with yarn you love, colors you love make the finished project that much more enjoyable. . .but they also make the PROCESS that much better too. I chased my winter blues away recently with this project. It's the Whippoorwill that I got to knit with a few friends. While I tend to be drawn to teals and turquoises and grey and brown, this was the perfect color combo for this pattern and I love it. Color has as much to do with the finished outcome as the type of yarn, I think, so choose carefully!

So go and figure out your tools, your yarn, your knitting and your colors. Get those things figured out and I bet you'll be happier with the process AND your finished objects. But like I said in the beginning, don't let ME tell you how to do it. Figure out what works for YOU! And figure that out by asking and looking and learning.


As a reminder, you can see all of these projects and their details on Ravelry.com under my username: KnittingAmyK .

A Knit-tle Bit of Everything

Wow! Life happened. And must have gotten away from me with as long as it's been since I updated last. What has the past several months given me? These awesome photographs are from the dear Hannah Stevens, a local friend and former student, who is passionate about her life, her impact, her photography. She took these photos so I could include them in my published patterns (more on that later) and I am unusually happy with how they turned out. If you're like me, you know that photographs of yourself are none too flattering and you usually find yourself behind the camera rather than in front of it.

Like I mentioned, my patterns are in the final stages prior to being published. Again, since they are not released yet, I can't post photos of those projects just yet, but I had the chance to work with a tech editor to make things clear and concise. It was fun to be on that side of a pattern! I really enjoyed the process, though stressful at times, of writing out instructions and then watching them take shape in a way that would allow others a clear understanding of my ideas. I had to whip out three projects in about three weeks and work on the pattern itself, but overall I'm happy with it. In my last communication with the publisher, they are working on the final pattern layouts for all of the patterns from other designers that will be released with mine, so I'm hopeful that they will be available soon. As a teaser, I got to use some great yarn for my projects from Three Irish Girls.

One project was done out of those two colors. That is Elenya Alpaca from Three Irish Girls in Fireside Chat and Guinness.

One project was done out of those two above. Those are Orange You Glad and Everlasting Gobstopper on Springvale Bulky.

And finally one was done out of this. Here's Looking at You Kid on Springvale Bulky. I actually got to do an adult version and a baby version of that last one, since a friend commissioned me to knit a hat for her little girl and that's the yarn she chose.

Three Irish Girls is also sponsoring Knitters For Newtown. Not only did they raise over $10,000 for the families who were directly affected by the tragedy, they are also collecting 8x8 blanket squares to make blankets for each family. The goal is to have the squares in hand by the end of March and the blankets delivered by Mothers Day. It's amazing what the knitting community can do! If you would like to pitch in and knit or crochet a square, please check out the facebook page , join the Ravelry Group, or send them an email (Threeirishgirls AT gmail DOT com) for more details.

I have also taught several classes at my local yarn store, Paradise Fibers. In September, I taught some old friends and some new friends how to knit socks. Over four classes they each were taught the skills and given tips to end up with something like this:

It was really great to be back in the classroom again and sharing my knitting passion with others. In fact, that was the first of many classes. I taught a one day techniques class - how to fix mistakes, which cast-on or bind off to choose, picking up stitches, catching dropped stitches, etc. I taught a ruffled scarf class at Paradise, but through the Corbin Art Center. I taught a beginning hat class this past weekend and used the Be Loving hat pattern to teach knitting in the round. Here it is knit out of Madelinetosh Vintage in the Cove Colorway.

And I now have three more ruffled scarf classes, a beginning knitter class and another sock class coming up in the next couple of months.

That has been so fun to meet new people and pass on my love of something to them. It reminded me of why I went into education to begin with and I hope that people leave with a sense of confidence about their art and skills that they can apply to other projects down the road.

Some of my favorite projects the past few months have been my Owl Sweater (by Kate Davies) done out of Cascade Eco wool.

I also love my Color Affection, done out of Yarn Love Elizabeth Bennett, in Granny Smith, Orchid and Twilight. THAT is a ton of knitting and no purling, but the result is beautiful.

So it's been a full few months. Like I mentioned above, it's amazing what the knitting community can do. And it been fun to track my own accomplishments, but I would be missing out on some of the most important things in my knitting life if I didn't mention the amazing people who are a part of my knitting community on Saturday night. I get to go on Saturdays and lay aside my teacher role and just be with them. (I often end up helping people, but there's no expectation that that's what I'm there for. They recognize that they can ask, but that Saturdays are my time to enjoy, too). These ladies are great. They are funny, fun, full of laughter. . .and most importantly REAL. We share our lives - joys, triumphs, fears, frustrations. They (we) know that we'll get real feedback from each other, and while that isn't always easy to hear, it's more often than not the thing we needed to hear. And not always about knitting, either. Being a part of a group with REAL people reminds me often of how UNreal some people are. It's so refreshing to be a part of a group where love and respect and caring are at the heart of the matter and fully entwined with Truth in the response. While many people think of a group as a way to have THEIR needs met and THEIR agendas pushed forward, this group is so the opposite of that. I've heard complaints too often of members of groups feeling used and abused by others there. I am so glad and so thankful that the weekly members of this group are not like that. I wish I could pick you up and bring you here so you'd have a chance to spend a moment with my girls. We aren't perfect but we love each other anyway. IF you are reading this and you are one of them, THANK YOU! Thanks for accepting me and my imperfections. For encouraging my strengths and challenging my weaknesses. For loving me enough to tell me the truth and trusting me enough to know that's what I want from you. And thanks for the support you provide each week. You guys are the best!!

Summer Knitting and Spinning. . .a bit crazy!

Last time I wrote was almost TWO months ago! TWO! At that point, my oldest wasn't even out of school for the summer and I was only planning a few knitting projects. Well, here we are several weeks later. . .or a few more than several. I've accomplished quite a few things, actually, even in the midst of a few days spent at the lake and a whirlwind trip to Seattle with my little family.

So, first things first. I finished my Camp Loopy Project #1. If you can remember that long ago, it was the Folded Sweater by Veera Välimäki.

 

 To say that I LOVE this sweater would be an understatement. The fit is lovely. The yarn is lightweight and wears well. Here it is climbing into the 80's today and I am wearing it with shorts. It is a great sweater for warm weather. I made several modifications to the original pattern, but I would not hesitate to make this again. It only needed to use 400 yards in order to qualify for Camp Loopy, but I used 775 yards! So I'm a bit of an over acheiver, I guess. Remind me next year, though, not to do more than required. When you see my next project, you'll understand why.

The next project might not be exactly "G-rated" but the story is funny enough to recount here. You see, knitters are funny sometimes. Many times, the humor is something only we would get, but this story. . .THIS is funny. If you haven't ever seen my swift and yarn ball winding contraption, you might not understand that sometimes yarn comes in large loops, and not wound into a useable state. This protects the yarn in allowing it to be in a relaxed state while being stored. But it also means that when you are ready to knit with it, you must wind it into a ball, or, in most cases, a "cake"of yarn. As you knit from it, you pull the yarn out of the middle and it collapses on itself. This can cause tangles and what others call "yarn barf" or as Shannon from my knitting group so proclaimed "A yarn baby". . .So to combat this, I knit this pattern.

It puts pressure on the ball as you knit from it so that the yarn stays a little less messy. So I was knitting in public. I know, scandalous, right? And a woman, seeing my knitting with the beautiful yarn asked me what kind of yarn it was. I said that it was a wool/nylon sock yarn dyed by Three Irish Girls. I continued to knit as she pondered the object for awhile before asking me what it was. Without much thought (come on. . .I hang out with knitters most of the time whom, when I told them, would get it immediately) I told her - "Oh, it's a ball sack." Really. That's what it is called. Without looking up, and again, not thinking about it, I just kept on knitting. She was silent for a second before asking, "Wouldn't wool make that a little itchy?" Before I could process that question, she asked, "Are you going to make him a matching sock?" Oh boy. I REALLY need to think before I talk knitting to a non-knitting audience, I think. HA!

 I started and finished this next project in about 8 days. It's pretty huge, but the drape of this is GORGEOUS. It's one of the patterns recently released by The Sexy Knitter. It's the Westport Shawl knit in the Three Irish Girls colorway Father Time on a luxurious blend of Merino/Cashmere/Nylon.

Now, most of the time, it is not a great idea to knit lace with a highly variegated yarn, like this one. And it was probably true in this case, too, but I loved the way that upper portion striped with this yarn, so I would probably do it again. I got a chance to see one of my dearest friends from high school who was visiting from Massachusetts and I gave her this shawl to take home with her. 

 This is a finished picture of the Through The Loops Mystery KAL. It still does not have an official name, but it is a really pretty pattern and I do love how it turned out.I ended up having to borrow some yarn from Sarah to finish the edging, which originally I was bummed about, but I do love the contrast for the edging and would probably do it again, given the choice.

Since we're talking about Mystery Knit A Longs (KAL), I should probably mention that I joined another one. This one by Stephen West. I am using my You Are My Sunshine to knit it. It's gorgeous so far. I can't post pictures of my progress yet, as it is still the middle of the KAL, but it's fun. I love it so far. . .but I'm pretty behind on progress. 

I used the handspun yarn that I spun for the Knitabulls/FroggyMonkey joint Spin Along to knit this for the joint KAL this month. I have a TON leftover to make matching hat and even mitts, but this is my official entry and it will probably be the only one.

It's the Twist and Flounce that I also knit earlier this year for Jodi. I love how it worked up in the handspun. While normally these are not colors I would choose, the fact that I will have a whole set and the fact that it is my handspun make it beautiful.

Another small (REALLY small) project that I finished was this. I think I need to make one for all of my keys, don't you? It was fast and easy and definitely makes it easier to grab the correct key. . .Super fun!

So you are probably wondering why I did all of these small projects in recent days . . .or at least since finishing my last camp project. That would be because I was working on this. Yes. This. All 1,114 yards of it. It's my second Camp Loopy Project.

The blanket version of the Anadara shawl that I knit in January. It is LOVELY. And almost 4 feet across. It used blue, which, while a variation of the blue in our flag, worked for the 800 yard and contains a color from the flag requirement for the second project. Yeah. It only needed to be 800 yards and I ended up using 1,114. Remember that reminder next year to not be an over-achiever? Yeah. This. PLEASE remind me. It is complete and now I'm biding my time until the third project, which must be at least 500 yards and contain two colors. I will be knitting the Different Lines Shawl by Veera Välimäki and I will be using Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Baltic and Ginger (pictured below). I love it!! And it is a much more manageable project. No overachieving here. Just completing. Hopefully.

In the middle of the summer every year is the Tour de Fleece. Yes. It coincides with the Tour de France and like the Tour de France, contains a wheel. You set goals and peddle away and spin. This was my completed TdF fiber . . . The first is from All Spun Up. It is the Mystery Fish colorways- Goldfish Wearing a Tutu and Koi Pond - plied together. It is Polwarth fiber. . .and SO soft and squishy. You can see details here.

The last little bit is still not off the bobbin. I have 8 oz. of this lovely merino blend that also contains nylon sparkle. It's from WoolGatherings. I want to spin it really thin and it is taking forever! But it is beautiful and I can't wait to continue spinning it.

 And finally, the last big news of the summer is that I will be teaching a class at Paradise Fibers. I am going to teach toe-up socks from the Scylla Sock pattern that I used to knit these for my Mother in Law for Christmas.

 It will be a four Saturday class in September. If any of you that live far away want to come take it, you should :) And I'm hoping that at least a couple of local friends will sign up for it, as well. The cool part is that I get to spend four weekends combining my love for knitting AND my experience as a teacher to pass on some of my skills to other knitters. I get to teach how to cast on for toe up socks using Judy's Magic Cast on, how to knit slipped stitches and half linen stitch to break up pooling in variegated yarns, how to size for socks for toe-up as well as measuring yarn so you can use every last inch, gusset and short rows for shaping, slipped stitch heel for sturdiness in the heel, and Jeni's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off. . .all things that can and will be used again in other toe-up patterns. And I will also be presenting two methods of small circumference circular knitting- Magic Loop and/or two circular knitting. I'm really excited about the opportunity and hope it leads to other classes in the future. IF you have any classes that you would like to see, let me know, and I'll throw a pitch at the lovely people at Paradise and see if they would consider adding it to the schedule. So in preparation for the class I am knitting a sock out of Collinette Jitterbug. I am through the heel turn now, but plan to plug away at it over the next couple of days to use it as a class sample.

Thanks for sitting through a REALLY long blog on what I've done lately in my knitting life. I hope that I will find the time to blog a little more often. . .but I am enjoying my summer of knitting and spinning projects. I've been able to have several meet-ups with friends at the park too, where the boys can run and I can knit. I hope you have found time this summer to do what you enjoy too!

Summer is supposed to be about slowing down, right?

When I was teaching school, I thought of summer as my time to sleep in. . .sure, I might have things to get done that I couldn't do during the school year to catch up on, but it was a change from the early rising and the working late and the correcting papers and planning concerts and lesson plans. But now I'm not a teacher. I'm a mom and a knitter. Summer doesn't mean slowing down. Summer means more projects! Summer means more time with kids because there is no more preschool. Here's my 4 year old showing his muscles on the last day. . .

So in anticipation of all of the things I knew would be filling up my time this summer, I cast on and finished this sweater. It turned out well, with a few minor modifications, including switching the buttons a little to the side after this picture was taken because it grew so much with blocking. It's the Mayim pattern knit out of Knit Picks Gloss DK in the Aegean colorway. 

 Another things about summers is a lot weddings. We have been to fewer and fewer over the last couple of years, and have attended more baby showers than weddings, but we look forward to watching two friends get married this summer. I attended their wedding shower last weekend. I don't think you can ever have enough cotton dish cloths, so these five were included in the gift for them to use as they begin their new life together. I love how simple and quick they are. And how totally practical.These were made from Sugar and Cream cotton.

Remember how I said it was the end of preschool? Well Z's teacher not only oversees and teaches 22 preschool students, she also has 44 high school students in the same classroom as the preschool students (22 at a time). I always felt tired after my school year ended. I can't imagine what she feels like. So I combined the easy dishcloth pattern and some luxury linen/cotton yarn with a bar of locally made soap. I call it a "poor mom's spa package" . . . hopefully she'll get a few moments this summer to relax and enjoy and get all ready to do it again next year!

Then there is Camp Loopy. I did camp last year. It consists of three projects, the first of which started at the end of May and must be finished by the end of June. Each project must fit within the guidelines stated in order to receive credit for yarn purchased and to receive the special luxury yarn at the end. For this first project, as a tie-in to the Olympics, we had to choose a pattern that was at least 400 yards and that was written by a designer that lives in a country other than our own. I did one better! I also picked a yarn that is dyed in Australia! I am using Skein Top Draw Sock, which is a sock (fingering) weight Merino/Nylon blend. It's beautiful. I'm knitting Folded by Veera Välimäki from Finland. I made some major modifications to the pattern construction to prevent running out of yarn before it was long enough, but I love it so far and the fit is stunning. We find out next week what the second project will be. . .so I'm hoping to finish project one well before that so I can get to dreaming about the next camp adventure. Here it is before I've finished the bottom. In this photo I have about 8 inches left to go, but I'm to about 6 now.


I am also knitting a Mystery Shawl by Kirsten Kapur from Through the Loops Design. I promise to post pictures when it is complete, but since it's a mystery that I don't want to spoil for anyone, I'll leave them off for now. She releases a small piece of the pattern WITHOUT pictures every week and you have to knit it to see what it will look like. It's a fun way to do a project and knit patterns in small chunks. I'm enjoying it!

In the end though, I think it's important to stop in the middle of all the crazy and take time for family, friends and memories. I get to start enjoying daily trips to the park and the library with my boys. I have all summer to enjoy with the wonderful women who attend our local knitting group every Saturday evening. I have friends coming in to town to catch up with. And I have online friends that share a special place in my heart. This week, one of those online friends that I've also been lucky enough to meet in real life lost her grandpa. He was a special man, and in hearing her stories about him, you knew he was worth honoring and remembering. One of the things he did was break his cookies in half. He would then eat his half and place the other back in the container. Then he'd take another out and eat half and place it back. He always left the other half for someone else. In his honor, we did a cookie party this week for him. My youngest helped me. E and I made cookies and cut them in half. We ended up eating our own and then we shared the other halves with each other. It was sweet for many reasons. So while I think you have to sometimes look for reasons to slow down, I think those reasons are always worth finding.

Making Beauty Out of Pain

I received my Three Irish Girls "You Are My Sunshine" this week and I am in love. So in love, in fact, that I started AND finished a pair of socks and have been wearing them the past couple of days. As I finished up a few other projects this week, I realized that there was a theme.  I realized how yarn and beauty and pain inspire some pretty amazing things.

I love being able to turn this, a yarn inspired by pain....

Into this...

 

My Harvest Dew Socks. (Which IS a free Ravelry Pattern, by the way).

I love that what began as an idea to help support those suffering from the grief that comes with losing a child, became yarn with a meaning. I love that the yarn became a project that I can wear and remember and smile.

I love that this Madelinetosh Vintage yarn in the Terrarium colorway:

  

became these:  

A pair of gloves, knit with love for the friend of a friend who had to have her finger amputated. I love that the idea to make something special for someone who had suffered a physical loss could become a gift that was inspired AND inspirING. As I knit each stitch I thought and prayed for the young girl who would be wearing these gloves. 

And finally, this.

This is a gift that has been the labor of love of many many people. There are 30 squares in this blanket, made from the Barn Raising Quilt pattern. Each square was knit by people with varying degrees of knitting skill out of different yarns, but an equal amount of love for our friend, Jodi, who delivered and lost not one, but two babies this past year. Nina, feeling her own losses as she cried with Jodi over hers, felt that a quilt needed to be made so that Jodi could wrap herself in it and know that she is loved, so I found a pattern, dug out my own scraps, asked for people in our own group to dig out theirs and asked for some on Ravelry (and had two people who have never met Jodi pass along some yarn to add to the blanket.) And we started to knit. As I knit 8 of the squares, I thought about my own losses. I thought about the pain, the healing, the joy, the hope. . .and I prayed for Jodi through each of those things. Sarah knit 7 of them, and as she has suffered her own losses, I know that she put a lot of thought into her squares. We got together to weave in ends (our LEAST favorite job!) and when it was finished and as I looked at the pile of ends I realized how true it was that we were given the chance to weave beauty out of pain. Kirsten made 4 squares and took the task of sewing them all together. She took each of our contributions and made it into something cohesive and beautiful. Many other people contributed in big ways. Kelsie made 2 squares and used her crocheting expertise to finish the edging. Jamie and Linda, both new knitters, confronted the task head on and made not only one square, but two. . . Kristen, Molly, Shannon, Serena, and Anna each contributed a square, and we couldn't have finished without each of their fun, bright and beautiful pieces.

So remember how I said we made beauty out of pain? I think these are the perfect examples of how that can work. By a small business making a yarn and contributing in big ways to help those experiencing losses. By a friend dreaming up an idea and figuring out how to get it done. By a group of people, drawn together by knitting, taking their time and their skills to create love for a friend.