The Dye Runneth Over

I like to recycle things, and recycling yarn is really great.

A friend gave me a partially completed sweater that didn't have the pattern. The cotton wasn't very nice, especially for a garment, so I threw away the unfinished pieces (yes, I regret that now that I know you can re-condition yarn), and kept the rest.

The yarn made an appearance on the blog when I used it to learn the basket weave pattern for the Hanami stole. So I decided to knit another side and make it into a market bag.

Cute, huh?



All went well 'til the blocking, when this seemingly undyed cotton showed that the dye had not set at all. Really. The dye kept coming out. I tried adding vinegar, but it didn't really help all that much. You can see the dye running on the handle.




I am glad that this won't need to be washed very often!

Lace Edges - cool!

I decided to teach a class about lace edging. This was a bit of hubris, because I hadn't knit anything but bottom up lace edgings like this:



So, I've had a lot of fun learning the principles of perpendicular knitted lace edges. Great for baby blankets:




And equally terrific for bamboo and silk scarves:



We'll see how it goes tomorrow.

In other news, I submitted two items to the Marin County Fair -- one is the Hanami stole, the other is an item that I designed, and since I'm still thinking of submitting it for publication, I cannot blog about it. :(

Remember, WWKIP is tomorrow. I'll be at Marin Fiber Arts (where the scaffolding in front of the store might actually be a helpful thing finally) Find a public place and knit!

All About the Beads

Back when I did the Hanami stole, it was my first foray into bead knitting. I realize that starting to use beads on lace yarn like this is not the usual way to do it, but that's me. Fortunately, it wasn't a lot of beads!

Then, when I was listening to Ivy's Knit Spirit podcast, I noticed that Earthfaire was a sponsor.

So I checked out the website, and couldn't resist buying this kit -- I find that kits are really, really helpful when I'm learning something new. This kit, shown here:




is very complete, has very lovely crystal beads, all the materials (except the size 0 needles), and even came with a sterling silver clasp for the bracelet!



So, given that there is a bead store a block away from Marin Fiber Arts, I think I may be doing some more bead knitting!

Rocking the Socks

I've been knitting socks for about 6 years. As with a lot of people, I was always intimidated by the tiny needles (although my first sweater was on size 1 and 2 needles!), the double points (I didn't know about bamboo and wood) and the term "turning the heel." In my mind, I imagined that knitting gymnastics were required, and decided that they were not for me.

The first ones I knit were actually baby booties in some DK weight. Then at Stitches I bought "The Purl Stitch" by Sally Melville which had a simple sock pattern and I stumbled into a booth with Mountain Colors and knit some great socks, although on too large needles. and they were easy, so then I branched out and got Folk Socks by Nancy Bush, and Cool Socks, Warm Feet by Lucy Neatby. Warren at Marin Fiber Arts has a great selection of sock yarn, including the amazing Pagewood Farm yarns.

But until a month ago, I had not used Blue Moon Fiber Arts "Socks That Rock." When visiting my friend Liz, we went to Purlescence Yarns, and I bought a skein in "Pebble Beach" which really does look like that beautiful part of the Monterey peninsula.

I knit. Yes, it was verrry, nice. I love the twist, the squishiness, the way it makes my knitting look great without any tugging. So here they are:



and a lovely turned heel:



I am happy sock person!

Babies Got Blankets

Spring has brought two baby blankets across my needles.

The first was a communal project of the Knit Night gals at MFA for our friend, gypsyknitter, aka Tabitha. Amazing squares were knit, and it was my job to knit them together:



And knit up:



You can go here to see read more about the party and fun we had, and here for some great photos!


The other blanket is for Afghans for Afghans, and it has not been completed in time for the May 19th deadline:



Yes, that is Isadora with the enquiring look. It's finally sewn together, and now I have to find some TV time to sew the ends together.

The Knitterly Teacher

I have taught a lot of things in my life. I can remember teaching dancing, Bible stuff (duh), flute, math, reading, etc. I've lead plenary session at large events. Most recently, I've started to teach water aerobics at the YMCA nearby.

Last Saturday I taught my first knitting class. Now, I've taught or helped folks one-on-one with knitting issues, because if you've knit as long as I have, it's hard not to do so.

Teaching a class on a pre-determined topic for which people have paid is a whole new kind of teaching. The basics are the same as any teaching. What are my goals for the students in the class? How can I help them along in their learning? What resources can I leave with them or lead them to so that the learning does not end with the Session?

The class? Intro to Lace Knitting.

First, a digression.I am silly enough to, when my college roommate Lolly retaught me to knit continental style (thanks, Lolly!), decided to make my first sweater a long-sleeved sweater on size 1 and 2 needles, in an all-over lace pattern. The only good thing was that I didn't choose cotton yarn - instead, it's some kind of itchy mohair/wool blend that I can't wear next to my skin. Yes, I am crazy.

But I did finish it. And altered the length of the body and sleeves to my petite frame. This was a sign of my future knitting determination.

So, going back now to look at what I wanted to know when I first tried lace knitting I realized several things:

-- Charts are cool. I'm a visual learner, and what a chart would have done for me I simply cannot express.
-- The person who invented the lifeline should win the equivalent of the Nobel Peace prize for knitting.
-- Stitch markers are not for small minds. They are for any mind that can wander for even a nanosecond.
-- Fixing lace mistakes comes with the territory - you are not stupid or dumb if you make them - we all do.

And you know what? I don't think any of my students thought I was new to teaching knitting...

It Fits!

Whew, I took the Flutter Sleeve Cardigan to my cousin Allison and here is what it looks like:



And another view also looks great:



In other knittings news, I am finally trying some BMFA Socks That Rock "lightweight" yarn that I bought at Purlesence Yarns a while back. I'm finally knitting a fairly vanilla sock,and I'm absolutely loving it, I have to say:



The colorway is Pebble Beach. My friend Judy thinks that the weight was mislabeled, because I'm knitting on Zero's and coming out at 7 stitches to the inch. So maybe it's really mediumweight, which would be fine by me!