Mitered squares and polymer clay and new obsessions, oh my!

I am not sure why I signed up the Jane Slicer-Smith's kick-off session for Stitches East. I'd looked at the cover of her new book, Swing, Swagger, Drape, and I didn't think it would have things that would interest me. But I am a sucker for signing up for sessions and classes, and I wanted to make the most of my first Stitches event, so sign up I did. Well, I now have this designer to blame for two new obsessions (and believe me, I don't need any more). She mentioned during her talk that there is a small section in the book on making your own buttons, and it is easy. That was the innocuous start of the first obsession. And after she was done speaking, audience members were welcome to try on the many garments from the book that had been brought along. That was a lot of fun, with strangers helping each other and passing comment on how various items looked. I've never thought much of mitered squares--they seem too busy looking for me, and tend to remind me of granny squares, which I really don't like. But Jane Slicer-Smith has some very sophisticated looking ones in her book's projects. And the fit and drape of the CoCo Vee capelet from the book was just lovely, so I had to make it. I was delighted to find that mine fits just as nicely as the model garment for the book! Knitting the squares was addictive, and I worked almost exclusively on this project till it was done, which is very rare for me.

So, more about the new obsessions. My husband will tell you I never do new things that interest me by halves. So when I learned about the polymer clay buttons (I'd never heard of polymer clay before looking up the button directions in Swing, Swagger, Drape), I went out and bought virtually every tool I'll ever need for making polymer clay projects, as well as lots of blocks of clay. Oh yes, and about 15 books on the subject. (Well, in my defense, I can say that almost all of them were remainder books, and much cheaper than cover price. Ummm, but that wasn't true of all the other supplies...) I am intrigued at all the wonderful things that can be made from clay, but also a bit intimidated, since I don't consider myself particularly artistic. But it is so much fun! I've made a bookmark, buttons, beads, and pendants. I have a long way to go, but just found a cool site called ClayLessons, and have worked through two of the free lessons, and bought a few of the others. One of the lessons, on creating a snowflake cane, wasn't very successful for me, but I was able to reuse the clay to make interesting blue and white beads. So while I really really really don't need another hobby, this one has taken hold and I don't see my interest letting up anytime soon. Thanks, Jane!

As for the mitered squares, being the book person that I am, I had to get Iris Schreirer's Modular Knits and a couple of Vivian Hoxbro's, and some yarn to make a few of the potholders in Domino Knitting. I also love one of the felted bags in Knit to Be Square, so that is on the list, too. And you know the cover of Swing, Swagger, Drape, with the mitered swing jacket? I've changed my mind. I need to make it, too.

Sorry, I have to go. Mitered squares and polymer clay are calling.

Yarn disappointment in Bermuda

Last week my husband and I took a cruise to Bermuda--my very first cruise! Of course, I was looking forward to checking out the yarn stores there--would they be filled with Rowan products? Or perhaps other, more elusive, British brands? I'd done my homework--the Internet helped me locate two yarn shops in St. George, though I couldn't find any in Hamilton.

On our leisurely way down to Bermuda (it is interesting how it takes twice as long to get there as to get back :-) ) I spent some time knitting, though not as much as I expected. After all, there was all that food and all those shows competing for my time! In Hamilton, I inquired at the city's information booth about a yarn shop, and was directed to the yarn section at a local department store. I was so excited, walking towards it, seeing so many skeins of yarn on display. Imagine the letdown, though, when I realized it was all Caron, Red Heart, and Lion Brand! I thought I'd arrived at my local Michael's! Ah well, there were still the two stores in St. George. When we got to this charming little town last Friday, I hunted them up. One carried all sorts of craft supplies, but the yarn selection was very similar to what I'd found in Hamilton. And the second shop, quite a nice space, mostly stocked Patons yarns! I did find some cute point protectors in the shape of a hat and mitten, and a nearby store had some pretty handmade coin purses, so I bought one to hold stitch markers. And had to make do with that!

I was surprised at how small Bermuda was. We took two tours (one a glass bottom boat, the other a horse-drawn carriage ride), and both tour guides provided lots of fascinating information. One was stronger on flora and fauna, the other on history, so they complimented each other well. The Bermuda and US dollars are fixed at the same rate, and are interchangeable, which made it very easy--no need to exchange money. We were told prices there are high (virtually everything has to be delivered to the island), and we found that particularly true for lunches--each one cost almost $50 for two, just at regular restaurants--nothing fancy. Luckily, the food was very good.

My husband and I hunt out bookstores wherever we go, and we did find several stores with new books, and one with used books. It was fun to see both books from the US and the UK, but again, prices were pretty high. We found several books at the used bookstore, and other than my few knitting-related items, that was the extent of our purchases. No fancy jewelry store visits for us (how many jewelry stores can one small island hold?!?!?!).

Just before we left, I finished my Textured Circle Shrug by Stefanie Japel, and I can't wait to wear it this fall. The yarn--Frog Tree Merino Melange--is to die for. I mentioned it to Liz, owner of my LYS, The Spinning Room, and am hoping she might decide to stock it. I'd love to make more projects out of it.

Raffle Prize!

Last night, Liz Cassidy, owner of The Spinning Room in Altamont (NY), had a fashion show-and-tell, which was lots of fun. There were about 25-30 people, and everyone brought along one or more items that they were particularly proud of. There were some lovely sweaters and felted bags and shawls and more. Liz also had a wonderful selection of raffle prizes, many of which were donated by vendors. It looked like there were going to be prizes enough for almost everyone there, which was exciting. But names were called, and more names were called, and still more called, and I wondered if I might be one of the few who wouldn't end up with a prize.

Then Liz selected a fabulous prize to be the next one up--20 skeins of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in a lovely russet color, and the Winter Essentials pattern book. Oooooh, did this look good! And then wonderful Nancy actually did draw my name!! (We'd been taking turns pulling names.) I am afraid I screamed and generally had something of a fit. So now I just need to decide what to make with it! I found three patterns in the book that I really like, but unfortunately, they are for other yarns. So I'll be trawling through Ravelry to find a good pattern. Was it ever my lucky night!

Earlier this week I finished my Acer cardigan, and I love, love, love it. It was a great pattern--and there was NO seaming! Since I'd sewn the buttons on and woven in most of the ends before I had finished knitting, I think it took about 5 minutes of post-knitting work to finish it off. I made it out of Beaverslide Worsted, which is 90% wool and 10% mohair. It was nice to knit with, but even better is how it feels once washed--soft and almost slightly fulled--it is hard to describe. I wore it last night over a short-sleeved sweater, and it did not scratch! I'm afraid I've sent off for the color card for this yarn, I think I am addicted to it! When I went looking for buttons, I found some really pretty, slightly old-fashioned looking, ones at JoAnn. I was a little shocked to see they were $5.00 per card of two, but nothing else seemed remotely right once I'd

found these. I am really glad I didn't scrimp, because I think they are perfect.

In preparation for my Knit One Below class at the Spinning Room next month, I started the Curves and Columns vest today, but not 30 minutes after I did, I found out about Lion Brand's KAL for Stefanie Japel's Textured Circle Shrug. And last night, Karin was wearing a lovely sweater, Rhinebeck from A Fine Fleece. It really didn't call to me when I was picking out patterns from the book, but it is lovely in person. So I was all set to start it as soon as I finished the vest. Now I feel a bit overwhelmed. I wonder if there is any chance of playing hookey all week from work?!?!

Recent knitting and Lucy Neatby classes

Last night I finally finished the first Egyptian mitten. I am not sure why I am not enjoying knitting these as much as other stranded mittens. I think it may partly be because of the scratchy Jamieson's Spindrift yarn. I am sure these mittens will hold up very well, but working with it isn't as much a pleasure as using softer yarns. I'm taking a short break, but should certainly have the second one done before the cold weather sets in again! Seeing the first one done is motivating, as I do like the way the motif looks.

Just before this, I was on a hat kick--two for a hat exchange, and one, the Hurricane hat, for me. I saw one done in a lovely light blue/light green/turquoise Poems colorway, and just had to have one for myself! The pattern was a delight to knit, perfect for listening to a book on tape, as nothing very complex was going on. It knit up very quickly. Since the Poems is less heavy than the called-for Malabrigo, I knit the ribbing on 92 stitches, rather than 80, then dropped to 91 for the body of the hat (rather than 81). My only other modification was to shorten the body of the hat by 1/2".



The stranded hat is one of the ones I made for the swap (the other hasn't been received yet, so it is under wraps). My exchange partner made me a lovely lace hat out of Artful Yarns Jazz, in a colorway I just love! She also sent along three wonderful handmade soaps. What a great first swap experience!



On Wednesday I took two classes with Lucy Neatby at Webs--one on buttonholes and one called Hallelujah Grafting. They were great classes, and nice and small, so we got lots of personalized attention. I've been longing to take a class with Lucy since I started watching some of her DVDs, and was not disappointed at all. She is a fabulous teacher, and an amazing knitter. I broke down and bought another of her DVDs (Finesse Your Knitting 2) and put in an order for the first Finesse DVD. Because the classes were small, and we actually got through everything she wanted to teach us, she spent a little time showing us how to do the Swallow Stitch that is found on her Fiesta patterns. It looks really amazing, and isn't hard. So I just bought her Fiesta Mittens pattern off Patternfish, and hope to start soon (though there is that second Egyptian mitten waiting...)

My knitting books are absolutely overflowing all their allotted spaces. I would love to go through them and find even just 10 that I could put up for sale. But what strength of purpose that will take! What if the pattern I just have to have someday is in one of those books? Are there any words of wisdom you can share on this rather frightening undertaking?

Can't Get Enough of "Knit One Below" by Elise Duvekot

After finishing the Inside Outside scarf (see previous post), I decided I just had to make the Bottoms Up! felted bag. This entailed a quick evening run to my LYS (11 miles away) before they closed to get some needles I needed. I got back, and sat down, ready to plunge forward. Instead, all I did was mutter not-so-nice words for the next two hours. Part of the problem was trying to manipulate 4 large dpns with just 8 stitches total on them. I also wasn't sure I really should be trying to knit below into the cast on--the directions sure seemed to be saying that, but my knitting kept falling apart. I posted a message of desperation on the Ravelry group for this book, and a very nice woman responded, who said she would start a second bag to try to figure out what was happening to me. How incredibly kind! She assured me you do knit into the cast on, and mentioned using 2 circular needles. Though I'd not tried that method of circular knitting before, anything would be worth a try to get me out of my agony. After about 20 more minutes the next evening, I finally got it (or got it enough!). It is going well now, though I am about to run out of the navy yarn. Webs can't ship quickly enough for me!

The lovely woman who helped me is a designer herself--I can't wait to start her Mitered Striped Felted Bag for my mom. Her spring-like colors motivated me to get some bright ones myself.



Her wonderful help makes me think of pre-Ravelry days. I wasn't knitting for too long before Ravelry came along, but I do remember desperate runs to the LYS, even phone calls for more basic questions. Or I could ask one of several people at work, and I've done my share of that. But if the LYS was closed, or I was not at work, I was pretty much out of luck. Ravelry may not be the greatest thing since sliced bread--it is the greatest thing including sliced bread!

Oh, and in the package from Webs will be half the yarn I need for the lovely Chanel-like jacket in the book. I have the gray in Jaeger Matchmaker DK, so I've ordered the black in Schachenmayr Extra Merino, which is a nicely priced closeout. I hope they will work well together. I also have yarn for a vest from the book, and socks, and a hat.... Can you tell I am becoming addicted?

Back to an old project

I had started the Inside-Outside Scarf from Elise Duvekot's Knit One Below (also available for free at Knitting Universe) back in December, but other projects intervened, and it was sitting, neglected, in the bottom of the basket next to my chair. Friday night I pulled it out as an alternative to the lovely Egyptian mittens, which are seeming to take forever. I've really been enjoying working on the scarf this weekend. I'm using Wisdom Yarn's Poems, which has long, long color stretches. Rather than mix two different colorways, I'm playing it conservative with just one.

After purling some of the rows, I wondered if my usual knitting backwards technique (to avoid rows of purling) would work. And of course it does! It just took a second to see what was happening on the front side of the work when I started to purl one below, and I was set. So the project is going much more quickly now (no constant stops to adjust the tension). I think it is much more difficult to make a mistake doing it this way. I can see right away if my color columns are lining up or not, since the front of the work is always facing me.

Unfortunately, I've been wearing a very warm red coat most of this winter (not much choice, considering our weather), and this doesn't go at all! But if it starts to warm up a bit and I can wear one of my black coats, it should look good.

I've just started a hat, influenced by a number of sources but of my own overall design, and I think that is coming along well. But I'll get a bit further before I take a picture and write about it.

Classes and yarn stores

I am so excited--I just listened to episode 110 of the Ready Set Knits podcast from Webs, and found out that Lucy Neatby will be teaching there this spring. I've long wanted to take one of her classes, so I dashed off to the computer, to find out exactly what she would be teaching (though, to be honest, she probably could have been teaching bricklaying and I would have signed up). She's teaching a full day class on circular knitting and steeking, and two half-day classes, one on buttonholes and one on grafting (called "Hallelujah Grafting"). I know, from Lucy's DVDs (I am the proud owner of 7 of them), that I can learn even from what would seem to be basic lessons. Indeed, in her recent interview on the Knit Picks podcast (#77), she makes this very same point. I've only steeked one garment, but I have done lots of circular knitting. I've also done a fair number of button holes, but I'm not sure I've ever been completely happy with them. As for grafting, I thought I was severely Kitchener stitch-challenged until, in a class with Joan Schrouder this past July at TKGA, I found out that left-handed people can start the grafting on the left! Eureka! I can now graft. But I haven't done much of it, so of course there is a ton for me to learn. So I ended up signing up for the two half-day classes. I am just keeping my fingers crossed that there won't be a massive snow storm to keep me from getting to Webs on April 1--given the date, I am almost expecting this to happen! And since my route takes me over the Berkshire Mountains...

Speaking of classes, I am working on the Ski Lodge Scoop vest from Twelve Months of Knitting, and the shoulders are worked with traditional stair-step bind-offs. In a class taught by Margaret Fisher, we were taught the use of short rows for shoulders, and I thought I'd give it a try. I've just finished the back, and it looks fine. We'll see when I get to doing the three needle bind-off on the shoulders (another benefit of the short rows--live stitches so I can do this). I normally never give myself deadlines for projects, but since Ravelry prompted me when I put this in my queue, I entered Dec. 31. So I am working hard on it to get it done.

On the day after Christmas, my husband and I took a day trip, aiming for used bookstores, yarn stores, and a favorite restaurant. One of the yarn shops was new to me, Needleworks in Greenwich, NY. It is housed in a lovely space, and was filled with delights. I saw a yarn from Norway that I'm not familiar with, what seemed to be an older yarn from Reynolds, and there was quite a variety of nice yarns from Rowan, Jo Sharp, Dale, and others. I picked up three colors of a Brown Sheep yarn that I'd never seen before, Lanaloft sports weight. It is to make the pretty stranded Inga hat. Luckily, my husband had scored a number of purchases in the first bookstore, so he was happy to sit and read while I browsed. And browsed. And browsed.

Other than working hard on the vest, I finished up the Faux Fair Isle Fairy Socks from Nicky Epstien's Knitting on Top of the World.

Gotta run--my vest is calling!