Monday, August 30, 2004

Are you ready for this? 

It's the Basketweave U!

Here's a close-up:

The yarn is called "Kikki", by King, from ThreadBear Fiber Arts Studio.

I believe this completes my Basketweave series.  I have a T, a U and a V.  I can't figure out an S or a W, so I think I'd better call it quits.

In other knitting news, I've completed the knitting portion for Randomly Slanted, and hope to start sewing it together later today or tomorrow.  Stay tuned for progress photos (as opposed to un-progress photos, like this):

This could have been lots, LOTS worse.  My fault for leaving a ball of yarn out overnight.  Cats can't help being cats, right?

Sarah

Friday, August 27, 2004

My new class schedule is posted on my website (finally!).  If you think you're on my mailing list but you didn't get an e-mail from me telling you to go check out the Fall 2004 schedule, please let me know. 

My address book and I usually get into a week-long wrestling match when I try to send my notification e-mails, but it all went very smoothly this time, which makes me think something may have gone terribly wrong.

So let me know, okay?

Next week -- knitting!  (gasp!)

Sarah

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

I was the picture of self-restraint at the Stitches Marketplace.  Here's the haul:

From left to right: 

Three hanks of the loveliest, softest kid mohair from Brooks Farm Fiber of Lancaster, Texas.  Mmmm.  Oh, and it's purple (duh!).

Feng Shaun, a little book featuring the little sheepy of Wallace and Gromit fame.  Very cute.

Janet Rehfeldt's Toe-Up Techniques.  I teach a Toe Up Sock class, and I'm hoping she'll help me better explain when to start the gusset increases (for an upside-down heel flap).

Two hanks of Euroflax linen, in the EXACT SAME DYE LOT as the hanks I didn't buy enough of at the Stitches Market two years ago.  My lucky streak continues (knock on wood!).

But that's not all.

Two years ago my final impulse buy was a teeny tiny hank of cashmere for $80+.  Last year it was a huge hank of bamboo yarn for $32.  This year I continued the downward price trend by spending $17 on a pair of straight wooden knitting needles.  Too much, in my opinion, but I couldn't resist:

They're the ebony needles from Lantern Moon, in U.S. size 7, which is missing from my straight needle collection (as opposed to my crooked needle collection?).  I've been eyeing these needles for months, so I decided they could come home with me from St. Charles.  They're beautiful, and oh so smooth.

I've been working on getting my class schedule finalized and posted.  I'll get caught up on comments and e-mail soon (hopefully).

Oh!  The kids went back to school today.  Happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy . . .

Sarah

Monday, August 23, 2004

A photo essay on my trip to St. Charles Illinois for Stitches Midwest 2004:

Our first (potty) stop:

That's the only photo I have of Denise (left), who is one of the most generous people I have ever met.  She drove Sheila (on the right), Irene, Sharon and I all the way to St. Charles, and then handed us the keys to her van for the weekend (she was staying at the resort while the rest of us were cheapskates and stayed a mile or so down the road), and THEN she drove us all the way back home.  THANK YOU, DENISE!!!! 

We left bright and early Thursday morning -- wait, no, that's not right.  It was pitch dark.  Let's try again.

We left very early Thursday morning, anticipating horrible traffic around Chicago.  Sharon and I both had afternoon classes, and didn't want to be late.  Chicago was very kind to us and barely slowed us down, although the IHOP on 64 did its darnedest to dampen our spirits (literally -- the bathrooms were flooded).  We arrived with plenty of time to spare.

My first class was "Beyond Basic Buttons" with Christine Bylsma (standing in the center, wearing a gorgeous vertically striped sweater):

We learned how to make finger cord (NOT finger knitting, and NOT lanyard, but something different).  I used a few yards of Koigu to make a very narrow piece of finger cord which I turned into this button:

Beautiful!  And best of all, I still remember how to do it all!

Friday morning, Sharon introduced me to Lynette and Monica, who are both as sweet as can be (from left to right:  Sharon, Lynette, me, Monica):

We shared lunch with the wonderful Chris, who politely refrained from punching my lights out for having lured ThreadBear away from Indiana (pictured are Sheila, Sharon, Chris and moi):

And in the afternoon we met Barbara, who was making a second attempt at knitting a poncho while simultaneously unraveling the yarn from her first attempt (Barbara, Sheila, Sharon):

On Saturday and Sunday I learned that I want to be Susan Lazear when I grow up.  She is a designer, a college professor, a technique-oriented knitter, a seamstress, a computer software developer, a business woman, a wife and mother . . . I'm sure I'm leaving out half of what she does.  Excellent classes, and very inspiring. 

We planned on leaving Sunday after our morning classes, which we did, but not before going a little nuts with a last minute splurge at Susan Nadel's booth where Alissa was working (pictured:  Handknitter and the Knitting Fairy):

Then it was time to say good-bye.  Truly good-bye, since Stitches Midwest won't be held in St. Charles any more.  I took a picture of my favorite couch . . .

. . . waved good-bye as we drove past Chicago . . .

. . . and headed for home.

Sarah

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Okay, I'm back from teaching the last class of the summer.  I'm done until after Labor Day.  Time for vacation!

What did I get accomplished today?  Let's revisit that checklist from yesterday, shall we?

• Get the house ready for my absence (Fridge stocked?  Um, no, but they know how to grocery shop.  Laundry?  Done.  Reminders?  Written.)
• Back to school shopping (School supplies?  Done.  Clothes/shoes?  Husband volunteered for that -- thank you!)
• Finish packing (Knitting?  Check!  Clothes?  Check!  Guess which bag is bigger.)
• Finalize and post my fall class schedule (Nope.  Top priority once I return, though.)
• Charge the camera and cell phone (Check!)
• Salon appointment (Check!)
• Answer e-mail (Mostly -- still a few to be answered when I get back -- sorry!)
• Teach at Woven Art in the evening (Check!)
• Early to bed (Early, yes, but early Thursday morning rather than early Wednesday evening, unfortunately.)

See you next week!

Sarah

Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Five swatches down, one to go:

I haven't blocked them, because the directions didn't say to.  The three in the middle (and the missing one) are for Textiles 101, and the two squares are for Beyond Basic Buttons (to sew the non-buttons on to) (or, on which the non-buttons will be sewn).

Tomorrow's agenda (in no particular order): 

• Get the house ready for my absence (stock the fridge, do the laundry, leave reminders to get the mail, feed the pets and scoop the kitty litter . . .)
• Back to school shopping (school starts two days after I get back from Stitches)
• Finish packing (first priority:  what to knit?)
• Finalize and post my fall class schedule (this may have to be delayed until next week)
• Charge the camera and cell phone
• Salon appointment (gotta be beautiful for my vacation)
• Answer e-mail
• Teach at Woven Art in the evening
• Early to bed (ha!)

We'll see what I can accomplish in 24 hours.

Oh, that reminds me . . . is there going to be another season of "24"?  I'm off to check . . .

Sarah

Monday, August 16, 2004

Without further ado, here's the latest quickie project:

Oh my goodness -- it's a poncho!

VERY quick to knit using hand-dyed Riviera II (55% combed cotton, 45% rayon) from Woven Art in East Lansing, and this free pattern.

Here's an older project that I don't think you ever saw finished:

The Basketweave Vee!  Free of tea!  Yip Yippee!

And since you've been so patient, here are some sneak peaks at my Secret Knitting. 

Phase One (BLUE) (in Cascade Tweed 109 LE, or something like that, from the Columbus version of ThreadBear):

Phase Two (GREEN) (I forget who makes it, and I think it's called Fizz, and I forget what it's made of, but I'll find a tag eventually and then I'll know all those things.  From Yarn for Ewe in Okemos):

Phase Three (YELLOW) (in hand-dyed Kona superwash wool from Woven Art in East Lansing):

Phase Four (ORANGE) (in River Jeans by Plymouth Yarns from Little Red Schoolhouse Yarn Shop in Lansing):

I'm starting to pack for Stitches Midwest in St. Charles, Illinois.  We're leaving bright and early Thursday morning, since Sharon and I have classes Thursday afternoon.  Cross your fingers that we don't hit too much construction on the way, so we're not late for class!

I've got some monster homework swatches to do, so those should consume the rest of my free time before we leave.

Classes I'll be attending:

• Beyond Basic Buttons (Chris Bylsma)
• 20 Pattern Guidelines (Susan Lazear)
• Textiles 101 (Susan Lazear)
• It's a Knock Off World (Susan Lazear)

Apparently I'm going to get to know Susan Lazear pretty well this weekend.

Who else is going?

Sarah

Sunday, August 15, 2004

Beth Brown-Reinsel's workshops were very cool.  I forgot to pull out my camera for the Twined Mitten one on Saturday, but here's my class sample, sans thumb:

Pretty darned cute, if I may say so myself!  I just have to finish the thumb, which I'd better do soon or I'll never get around to it.

Tangent:  My Uncle Alan had a circular plaque hanging on his wall that said "TUIT".  When I asked what it was, he told me it was "a round tuit".  He had finally gotten a round tuit ("around to it" -- get it?).

Here's Sunday's top down Aran workshop:

Beth is on the right, standing.  In the foreground is Jennifer of Two Cats and a Girl, mistress of the Master Knitters Ring (hi, Jennifer!).  Pictured between them and also off screen are various other knitting hoodlums.  Everyone looks pretty focused in this picture.  I could have made everyone look up and wave, but I didn't want to disrupt the class (okay -- anyone reading this now who was there this weekend is choking on their morning coffee right about now.  I get a little chatty when I knit in public, and definitely disrupted class a bit -- like when I overturned my chair trying to answer my vibrating cell phone without bothering anybody (the kids were home alone so I had to be available), or like when I threw some peanuts across the table because I thought there was a bug in them (there wasn't), or like when I kept demanding lemon wedges because the water tasted funky (notice that practically everyone else benefited from the pile of lemon wedges, too) or like when I wouldn't stop reading chart directions out loud when everybody else was trying to keep track of their own places on the chart . . . I would like to be elegant and sophisticated, but apparently I'll have to settle for disruptive and annoying).

Here's Sunday's class sample:

Again, not finished, but (again), I hope it will be soon.  The side on your left is the back, about an inch shy of the bottom border, and the side on your right is the front, maybe a row or two away from the border.  The front includes an optional "bobble study", whereby we were able to practice different kinds of bobbles.  Still to come:  the "skirt" (or border) and sleeves.

Here's Beth, talking about what is probably my favorite sweater in the whole wide world, "Celtic Dreams":

I've wanted to knit this pattern for many, many years, and it keeps popping up to remind me.  Sweatergirl and I have decided to start ours after Labor Day -- anyone want to join us?

And here's a gorgeous Aran cardigan that Beth is writing up the pattern for:

The buttonholes are hidden in the "O"s of the OXO border pattern -- brilliant!  (Jennifer -- I lightened it up a little, but if this version isn't what you want, I can send you the original photo to play with.)

I think that about covers the weekend.  I'm almost done with a quickie knitting project, but I'll wait 'til it's completed before photographing it.  You can see this swatch for a different project, though . . .

What's this?  Why, it looks like more basketweave!  Whatever could it be?

Sarah

Thursday, August 12, 2004

I lost my Internet connection about a week ago, and was therefore blog-less and e-mail-less and Google-less until late yesterday afternoon, when my new best friend Mr. Comcast Guy did something with a spare USB cable that got everything up and running again, and by tonight the original problem was fixed on Comcast's end and we could hook everything back up the way it's supposed to be.  Something about having moved some customers to a new something-or-other (router?) in East Lansing, which invalidated a bunch of ISP addresses, including ours.  In a previous life I was a computer programmer, but I worked on an obsolete mid-range computer (IBM System/36) and therefore know nothing about PCs and routers and USB cables.  Mr. Comcast Guy did, though, and that's good enough for me.

So here I am, and I'm way behind on my e-mail again, so please be patient if you're waiting for a reply.

I finished up and washed the Basketweave Vee, which is currently on the drying rack, and I finished up Phase Four of my Secret Knitting.  I've picked up Randomly Slanted again, and I need to work on some rather involved swatches for one of the classes I'm taking at Stitches Midwest.  My newest knitting project is very out-of-character for me -- not my colors, and not something I would normally wear.  Which is fine, because it's not for me.  And which makes it all the more fun to knit.  More on that, with photos, later.

Meg Swansen and Amy Detjen were in Haslett tonight for a quickie workshop on their way east.  Here's proof:

They're admiring a beautiful afghan designed and knit by local designer Faina Letoutchaia using the shadow knitting technique.  Very cool!  Meg and Amy were delightful, as always.  Their visit should tide me over until this weekend's workshops in Marshall with Beth Brown-Reinsel (Twined Mittens on Saturday and Top Down Arans on Sunday -- there are still a few openings, so e-mail me if you're interested), and then I should be fine until next Thursday morning, when I leave for Stitches Midwest, and two days after I get back from there my kids go back to school, and I'll be REALLY fine. 

I didn't get any photos of the lovely Theresa, but you can see one on Sharon's blog.  Theresa and her wonderful mother rolled up their sleeves and stickered their way through a mountain of yarn at ThreadBear during their recent yarn frolic.  It's so cool to meet knitbloggers in person -- and blog readers as well (Hi, Kyle!).

Speaking of ThreadBear, I believe all of the yarn from Indiana has finally been sorted and counted.  There's still a bit of work to do, but the end is in sight.  Odd bits of yarn and things continue to turn up, though.  For example:

Missing for over a week, Son Number Two has finally been located.

Sarah

Thursday, August 5, 2004

August FIFTH?  When did that happen?

Yes, I'm still here.  Been a little busy helping some friends move.

Suzanne has asked to join the TKGA Knit-along.  Welcome!

I got a very cool e-mail from Kathryn, whose Level 1 submission was accepted without any revisions.  Here's what Kathryn said:

My kids' school calendar should be posted soon.  Why do you care?  Because that means I can finally schedule my fall classes.  The first year I taught, I ended up missing Son Number One's very first band concert ever, and I vowed that something like that would never happen again.  I'm going to be extra busy this year, because I'm expanding my territory by adding two new locations (which brings me to a total of six -- yowza!).  Stay tuned for more information!

I'm very sleepy, and would like to go to bed.  I'll leave you with this . . .

Sarah

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