Knit Your Own Adventure Summit: Swatch School!

Posted on October 20, 2026 | Leave a comment

I’m excited to be part of the Knit Your Own Adventure Summit again! This year’s event is the Swatch School Edition. This is a free 3-day virtual virtual event where 20+ teachers each share one signature technique on a small 6-inch swatch. You can try all the techniques that interest you, and decide what you love most!

Knitters get to:

  • Try new techniques without starting a whole project
  • Learn in short sessions, 15 to 20 minutes each
  • Build real skills, from gauge and charts to fixing mistakes without ripping back
  • Connect with other knitters in a friendly space where mistakes are normal

I’m giving a presentation about Log Cabin Knitting. I love log cabin knitting; it’s easy garter stitch knitting, perfect for multi-tasking or meditative knitting. I’ll show you how to pick up stitches along the edges of your knitting, and how to use your “magic number” of stitches and rows.

This summit is free! You can watch the presentations for 48 hours after they go up. You can also upgrade your access with an Expedition Pass, but basic access is totally free.

You can get all the details about the Knit Your Own Adventure Summit over here, but as a quick recap:

  • The summit will run from November 3-5, 2026
  • Each day will be packed with amazing speakers who are ready to help you learn
  • The summit is absolutely free to attend, but you can choose to get the upgraded Expedition Pass for bonus resources and an upgraded event experience, including lifetime access to all the sessions

Learn more about the Knit Your Own Adventure Summit: Swatch School Edition, and grab your free ticket here (The links to the summit give me credit for you signing up, which is free. If you upgrade your access with an Expedition Pass, I receive a commission. Totally up to you.)

Looking forward to it! I’ll be in a live discussion panel on November 4 with other designers including Jen Lucas. Her presentation is on blocking lace. We’ve collaborated before on other projects, it will be fun to meet up again!

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Three nights in Reykjavik, part 3

Posted on October 19, 2026 | 4 comments

We took a Golden Circle Tour the next day, which included visits to Thingvellir National Park, Geysir, and Gullfoss waterfall.

Thingvellir is the site of the Law Rock, where the Icelandic parliamentary meetings began in 920 AD. The park is also where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.

The terrain is ruggedly beautiful.

From there we headed to Geysir, for which all geysers are named.

Ready and waiting! (and there’s my new headband!)

The geyser erupts every 5 minutes or so, on average. The ground on the short walk to the geyser is steamy; you don’t want to go off the path!

And our third stop was at the very impressive Gullfoss waterfall.

Our tour included a stop at Laugarás Lagoon, a new resort that’s been open for a year or so. Very different in feel from the Blue Lagoon; it’s quiet and relaxed. Lovely places to sit and enjoy.

Just what we needed before our 3:30 am bus to the airport, heading to our next destination!

More soon…

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Three nights in Reykjavik, part 2

Posted on October 19, 2026 | Leave a comment
Stopover sweater and Lopi headband

I finished my headband (no blocking) in time to wear it to the Northern Lights tour that night, but it was too chilly to wear it. Silly me; I should have worn it OVER my brioche hat! We did buy DH some heavier gloves before the tour.

This was a quick and fun project. The colors didn’t have quite as much pop against each other as I wanted, but the color selection was limited and I didn’t want to buy more ash gray, because I had more of it at home. There is plenty of yarn left to make mittens later.

The aurora decided to come out and play! Our guide with East/West Tours told us it had been cloudy for a couple weeks, but we had a stellar evening. We made three stops.

the purple isn’t visible to my naked eye
Reflected in the lake
aurora borealis with the big dipper
Aurora borealis with Ursa Major (Big Dipper)
this photo from our tour guide; the rest are mine

The colors are much brighter through a camera than they are to the naked eye. So beautiful. I think I took a hundred pictures.

Onward to one more day in Iceland…

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Three nights in Reykjavik, Part 1

Posted on October 19, 2026 | 2 comments
Aurora borealis, and two chilly people below
Photo from our tour guide. Check out the crown of my brioche Deep End hat!

Just catching up from 2 weeks away; it feels like a lifetime! Cats are glad we’re home. We took a 2 part vacation; a 3 night stopover in Reykjavik, then on to France. Iceland Air has a stopover program that allows you to stay up to one week on the way to somewhere else, and just counting it as a layover on your itinerary. Sold!

Blue Lagoon

We landed at 7 in the morning. The Blue Lagoon is on the way into town from the airport, and lots of people stop here while waiting for the afternoon hotel check-in. The water is geothermally heated, 38° C/100° F, and pumped from 6000 feet underground. And it really is this milky blue, due to the high silica content in the water. This is a nice way to relax after flying overnight. Check out the lifeguard attire; it’s definitely not Bay Watch material.

After check in, we took a walk around town and found the Handknitting Association of Iceland, where you can purchase pre-knit sweaters, or yarn to make your own.

sweaters on shelves
Lots to choose from, and more on hangers

I brought my blue Stopover sweater with me, and bought yarn to make a coordinating, but not quite matching, headband. (Stopover sweater pattern is by Mary Jane Mucklestone, who designed it on her stopover in Iceland.)

Stopover sweater and 3 new balls of yarn
Sun Voyager and me with Stopover sweater
Sun Voyager on the waterfront, and Stopover sweater on stopover!

The next day, we walked along the waterfront to Harpa (music theater) to meet our food walk. I doffed my coat for this chilly picture! The food tour was great, five stops with lots of interesting things to taste. Lots of fish and lamb. We did not go hungry.

The famed fermented shark, Hákarl, with a shot of Brennevin. One cube is enough! A definite ammonia taste at chew 8. The Brennevin (flavored with caraway) definitely helped wash it down. The walk gave us time to digest between stops, and passed several local viewpoints.

rye bread ice cream

We ended at Cafe Loki across from Hallgrimskirkja Cathedral. The rye bread ice cream with whipped cream and caramelized rhubarb syrup was divine.

Hallgrimskirkja Cathedral and statue of Leif Ericsson
Hallgrimskirkja and Leif Ericsson statue
Rainbow street
Rainbow street below the cathedral

After the food tour we wandered our way back to our hotel for knitting and nap. We were gearing up for a Northern Lights Tour.

More in a following post!

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Introducing Floral Rhapsody

Posted on October 2, 2026 | Leave a comment

Floral Rhapsody is a two color half-pi (semi-circular) shawl, knit flat. It features sweet little assigned pooling flowers on a striped background. The shawl ends with a sweep of Old Shale lace edging.

The half-pi construction keeps your patterning simple with only occasional changes in stitch count. A video tutorial for the Trillium pooling stitch is provided in the pattern.

Choose 2 coordinating 400 yard skeins of fingering weight yarn, one of which is dyed for assigned pooling. I used A Chick That Knitz Singles Fingering in Vintage Rose AP (pooling) and Respect.

The pattern is available on Ravelry and Payhip. Use coupon code ROSES for 15% off through October 10, 2026.

I love this design, and I hope you do, too!

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PDXKnitterati at Rhinebeck

Posted on October 1, 2026 | 2 comments

Well, not me, but some of my knits are going to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival, aka Rhinebeck, October 17-18. They’ll be displayed as samples in the booth with A Chick that Knitz. Tammy dyes lovely assigned pooling yarns.

(Clockwise from top left) Trillium Path, Simply Stellar, Floral Rhapsody, Effervescent, and Fantasia are all designed with A Chick that Knitz yarn, so I’ve sent them off to see the world. It’s kind of like sending your kid to summer camp. But yarn.

(I know I keep saying this: Floral Rhapsody is coming soon! Tomorrow.)

I’ve never been to Rhinebeck, but I hope to go someday. How about you?

In other news, I cut my finger the other night, badly enough that I went to urgent care where they glued it back together. I usually knit with the yarn in my right hand, but I had to change it up! So I’m knitting brioche continental style, using the Norwegian purl for the brioche purls. It’s good to know more than one way to knit! And this forces me to practice.

I have videos linked on my tutorials page, in case you want to see brioche either way, including the Norwegian brioche purl. You never know when you might need it.

Holei Sea Arch 2013 and 2022

One last bit of news: the Hōlei Sea Arch at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has collapsed into the sea. It stood for over 500 years, and now it’s gone. Nature is awe-inspiring.

Okay, onward!

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Color is a funny thing

Posted on September 29, 2026 | Leave a comment

I wanted to knit a second Floral Rhapsody (coming soon), so I cast on with several different color combinations from my stash.

This one is just too exciting for me.

Better? But still pretty bold for me.

Winner winner chicken dinner! Not super contrasty, but I like it.

The original is still my favorite!

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Handy Little Me Cruise

Posted on September 19, 2026 | 6 comments

I’ve been invited to teach on a cruise next September!

I’ll be teaching along with Louise Bollanos (Handy Little Me) and Melissa Leapman. We’re planning our classes now.

The cruise is on the Holland America Zuiderdam. It departs from Quebec City, and ends in Boston.

map

You can find more information and register on the Handy Little Me Cruise site.

I’ve taught on cruises before. It’s an enjoyable way to travel; you get to visit interesting ports and your hotel room comes along with you! No daily packing and unpacking. We’ll have classes and dinners together, as well as knitting opportunities. Bring a friend, or make new ones!

Have you ever been on a knitting cruise?

2027 is shaping up to be a very interesting year!

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VKLive NYC 2027

Posted on September 17, 2026 | 2 comments

I’m looking forward to VKLive in New York in January! This is the biggest event I teach at; it’s a whirlwind of fun.

collage featuring jogless helix stripes

Helix knitting is one of my new classes. I’m looking forward to teaching it there, and also at For Yarn’s Sake this Sunday, a little closer to home. Jogless stripes are so tidy!

There are so many classes with so many wonderful teachers; there’s something for everyone. The market at VKL is huge, and there are fashion shows and interviews happening on the stage all day long. VKLive is a great place to see old friends and make new friends.

VIP registration is open now, and general registration is coming soon. Come knit with me!

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Crochet trimmed tee!

Posted on September 10, 2026 | 6 comments

I have several T-shirts that I’ve cut up, the way you see on Instagram. Cut off the neck ribbing, bottom, and sleeves, tug and let them roll. This makes a unisex cut shirt fit me so much better. They’re always too long for me.

The neckline of this tee wasn’t cooperating; part of it was rolling out, and part of it was rolling in. I saw a cute video tutorial by @jamiefaeriecrochets on Instagram, and decided to try it.

First, you turn the raw edge under, and make a running stitch, 1/4 inch or so. The hardest part is getting the yarn needle through the fabric; pick the smallest eyed needle you can, and still get your yarn threaded through. I’m using fingering weight yarn.

running stitch and single crochet

Next, single crochet around, using two single crochet stitches in each running stitch. Here we are halfway around.

two rounds single crochet

Make one more round of single crochet, so you have two, total. Done!

closeup of single crochet neckline

I love it. I could add it to the sleeves, too, but I think this is just enough. And I love that I had a yarn that was a great match for this tee. It’s leftover from my Honey Bee Mine Cowl, but the color has been discontinued.

And now I have a more presentable tee! Have you tried cutting up your tees?

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