Category Archives: Blogging

I’m here, I’m there…

Posted on February 28, 2024 | 4 comments

I’m every fiber-where…

including in other people’s media content! That’s pretty fun. And a great way to discover new podcasts/people to follow.

Erica of the “Bootie and Bossy Eat Drink Knit” podcast was a test knitter for Whale Conga Line, and talks about it in this episode of her podcast at about minute 26. This podcast series is lovely. This episode about a family gift stole my heart; I’ve subscribed and really enjoy the series.

I was interviewed at VKLive NYC by the fabulous people at Gosadi, a big sponsor of VKLive this year, also about Whale Conga Line. I’ve pinned the bit on my Instagram here.

Kim’s Brioche Pastiche hat with taller crown

And Kim of “Knit Together with Kim & Jonna” talked about taking my Brioche Pastiche class at VKLive NYC (I’m at about minute 36). It’s a great recap of her entire time at VKLive; she does a great job of making you feel like you’re there. Here’s a link to the episode on her YouTube channel. I watched it while working on my newest design; it’s like having a knit group in your iPad. Wonderful! I just subscribed.

Where am I next? Trunk show at For Yarn’s Sake for Rose City Yarn Crawl on March 7, 10 am to 3 pm. Hope to see you there!

4 Comments

Posted in Blogging, events, Fame, Knit, Portland area fun, travel

Tagged Knit podcasts, rose city yarn crawl, VKLive, VKLive NYC, Whale Conga Line

When Harry Met Lucy KAL

Posted on December 9, 2023 | 5 comments

I knit a sweater for DH in 2021.

It’s a lovely sweater, but I like it better on me than on him. I think it’s because this yarn (Berroco Vintage) is soft and drapey, and the sweaters that I like on him have more body to them.

I want to knit another sweater for him, and when I saw Paul Haesemeyer’s sweater in Knitty, I was smitten. Bonus: He’s having a KAL and it’s opening weekend right now!

The sweater is knit in bulky weight yarn, which should be relatively quick. The sample was knit in an alpaca blend, but I ordered Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky in Mineral Heather, which should have more body, and be less warm.

why yes there’s a cat hair on it already…

I think I’ll make it with a relaxed fit, but not as oversized as Paul’s. DH is not a large person, and I don’t want him to look like the sweater is wearing him! I could knit it in the round up to the armholes instead of in pieces. Does it need the structure of the side seams? My favorite sweater that I knit for him was knit in the round to the armholes. I altered the drop shoulder construction to cut in at the armhole, and picked up the stitches at the shoulder and worked downward, instead of knitting the sleeve and then sewing it in. Hmmm.

On the other hand, knitting it flat would make it easier to swatch for gauge, and I could avoid the “keep knitting and figure it out” debacle that I just did gauge-wise on my recent Starfall sample. (Knitting in the round takes longer to figure out that your first instinct was a bad choice…) I don’t have to decide about the sleeves until later. And I could knit it with or without cables on the sleeves…

Anyway, I’m dreaming of how I want to modify it, and I haven’t even swatched yet. Stay tuned.

5 Comments

Posted in Blogging, KAL, Knit, yarn

Tagged knitpicks wool of the andes bulky, knitpicks yarn, knitting, whenharrymetlucyKAL, yarn

Oh the places you’ll go…

Posted on August 10, 2023 | 4 comments

I’m guest posting on the Rough and Rede blog. This is my fourth guest post there, and I’m honored to be asked! This is George’s 12th, and last year of organizing his Voices of August series. My topic this year is Silver Linings, and it’s about how my work life has changed since 2020. Here’s a link to the post.

My previous posts: What happens when DH decides to go vegetarian/pescatarian? Check out last year’s guest post for Voices of August on the Rough and Rede blog. Here’s the picture from that one!

My other guest posts are on the previous Rough and Rede blog (blogspot instead of the current wordpress site). Here are the links to those posts: Because I Can in 2013 about snorkeling and my relationship with swimming, and The Empty Nest in 2012.

Happy reading!

4 Comments

Posted in Blogging

Tagged Voices of August, Voices of August 2023

Halfway through the East Coast swing

Posted on September 6, 2022 | 1 comment

The Vogue Knitting Cruise was great fun; I met lots of knitters and also got to know my fellow teacher, Vogue Knitting Editor in Chief Norah Gaughan.

Norah Gaughan and me on the balconies — Hi Norah!

I met blogger Brenda Solman/Kingshearte in Halifax; we’ve been reading each other’s blogs and commenting back and forth for years. So nice to meet in person!

I was thrilled to accidentally wake up early and see the Statue of Liberty as we returned to New York. So cool! The person in the next stateroom said that she had booked her portside cabin and set her alarm to get this view. Me? I lucked out at 5 am.

I’m spending a few days in NYC and then heading to Maine tomorrow for Knit Maine with Peacetree Fiber Adventures.

I’ll post more about the cruise, and Knit Maine, when I get back next week. Knit on!

1 Comment

Posted in Blogging, Knit, travel

Tagged Knit Maine, New York City, Vogue Knitting Cruise

Pesky-tarian

Posted on August 4, 2022 | 2 comments

What happens when DH decides to go vegetarian/pescatarian? Check out my guest post for Voices of August on the Rough and Rede blog.

I went looking for my previous guest posts, and they’re on the previous Rough and Rede blog (blogspot instead of the current wordpress site). It took some hunting! Here are the links to those posts: Because I Can in 2013 about snorkeling and my relationship with swimming, and The Empty Nest in 2012.

2 Comments

Posted in Blogging, foodies!

Tagged pescatarian, vegetarian, VOA2022, voicesofaugust

February Freebies

Posted on February 5, 2021 | Comments Off

There are a few fun things I want to share with you.

First of all, Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat isn’t happening this year, but they’re doing a series of interviews with some of the teachers over the canceled retreat weekend of February 11 – 14. It’s free to watch, but you have to register first. You can register here to see/hear Sarah Larson (spinner, editor), Franklin Habit (knitter, designer), Anne Hanson of KnitSpot (designer, yarn purveyor), and Rebecca Mezoff (weaver and tapestry artist). I’m really happy that the good folks from Red Alder are reaching out to us as this pandemic lockdown continues. I’m looking forward to Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat in 2022! (That sounds like a long time from now…)

Second, how about a free pattern? Caitlin Hunter (Boyland Knitworks) is offering a cropped sweater pattern, Feel the Bern (Ravelry link), based on those meme-tastic mittens Senator Bernie Sanders was wearing on Inauguration Day. Her pattern hasn’t been tech edited, but it’s based on her Soldotna Crop pattern, which I found very easy to follow. Others have already posted finished sweaters on Instagram.

Imagine this yoke, but in browns, in that (in)famous mitten pattern!

Oh, not a freebie, really, but you might be interested in the Fiberuary challenge going on over on Instagram. Daily postings based on these prompts, and you can participate, too! Share a little about yourself, and learn about other knitters and crafters. Do as much or as little as you’d like. Look for the hashtags #fiberuarychallenge and #fiberuarychallenge2021

Okay, back to Sleeve Island for me!

Comments Off on February Freebies

Posted in Blogging, giveaways, Knit

Tagged feel the bern, fiberuary challenge, Red Alder Fiber Arts, Soldotna Crop

The Knitting Circle

Posted on November 14, 2020 | 17 comments

You may have a knitting circle of your own; i certainly miss my knit nite crew! But the Knitting Circle I want to tell you about is something completely different.

During this pandemic summer, I had the opportunity to make video tutorials for a new venture, The Knitting Circle. It’s a place to learn about knitting, online. The website just launched last week. Now I keep seeing my face chatting away in their Facebook ads. Startling!

The site has blog posts and instructional videos. Due to the pandemic, the teachers made videos in our home studios. I learned a lot about lighting, recording, and editing! They turned out well. Some of the videos are free, and some are premium pieces that require a subscription to watch. The subscription is $49/year, but there’s a special offer for $2 USD for the first year. For that price, I’d subscribe! I think if you sign up for their newsletter, you’d get the offer, or you can claim it through their Facebook ad. I’ve posted their ad on my Facebook page to make it easier for you to find.

Use the link below to get to the site; this is just a picture!

Here’s a link to my blog posts there; they are free content but link to free or premium videos. These are all complete blog posts, no subscription needed to read them.

So why would you want to subscribe to The Knitting Circle, when there are a million videos on YouTube? Curation. The teachers on the site are carefully chosen; we’re experts! My teacher cohort includes Jen Lucas, Corinna Ferguson, Mary Beth Temple, and Jill Wright.

The Knitting Circle is a venture from TN Marketing; they also have sites for sewing, quilting, photography, RV restoration, bowling, and more. They are also the new owners of Craftsy.

I’ve enjoyed working with them, and I learned lots of new skills this summer. Having a knitting studio at home is coming in handy! All of my Zoom classes are there, and my own videos are getting better and better, too.

How has pandemic living changed how you work?

17 Comments

Posted in Blogging, Knit, Other craftiness, tutorial

Tagged knitting circle

Podcast: We’re Doing What We Love

Posted on October 14, 2020 | 9 comments

The Dissent Cowl (pattern by Carissa Browning) is done! I steam blocked it this morning. I like this with the dot pattern folded to the inside, and just the dissent collar portion showing.

It was best to knit this while looking at it, because it’s easier to maintain the patterning by reading the knitting instead of counting. Which meant I needed to *listen* to something instead of reading my iPad or Kindle while I knit. Game on.

Mary Chapin Carpenter has a new album out, The Dirt and the Stars, and it’s wonderful. A lot of it feels like it’s written especially for this time, so deeply introspective, but she’s been working on it for several years.

Carpenter made a podcast with poet Sarah Kay, called One Story, to promote the album. It’s a great example of pivoting and adapting to our pandemic times. Normally a musician would go on tour to promote a new album. Instead we get to know about what she was thinking when she wrote the songs, and then a deeper dive at the end. All three episodes are great, but the third one really struck me. Titled “We’re Doing What We Love,” it has so much resonance for all makers of art and craft. They talk about heroes, mentors, impostor syndrome, and legacy. Give it a listen; I hope you love it as much as I did. You can listen to it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and who knows where else?

Lots of introspection on the album, but my favorite track is this sly, rollicking song about…Lindsey Graham.

So that’s what I’ve been listening to. And I’m reading the memoir “All I Ever Wanted” by Kathy Valentine, the bassist for the Go-Go’s. It’s a fast moving read, with lots of name dropping. Highs and lows and lots of music and drugs fueling it all. I’m just getting to the part where money changes everything, but I’m enjoying the upbeat 1980s music while I read.

Do you multitask while you knit? What’s your favorite thing to do while you knit?

9 Comments

Posted in Blogging, book review, Knit, music

Tagged dissent cowl, making, mary chapin carpenter, podcasts

Banging out Sleeves

Posted on February 5, 2016 | 2 comments

I knit a sleeve yesterday. An entire sleeve. This is quick knitting, I tell ya! I’m on the second sleeve now.

I could have knit both sleeves yesterday; they’re that fast. But I took some time out to seam this pillow.

It’s another Snowy Woods Log Cabin Blocks pillow. I made it with Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Superwash Bulky for the Knit Picks IDP program. The pattern will be for sale on the Knit Picks site, as well as the the version that’s already up on Ravelry. More Snowy Woods! More Log Cabinning!

I also took time out to make these pillows. (Whoa. Just noticed they’re the same color as the log cabin pillow. We have a palette here.)

I was inspired to make these when I saw the cat pillows over at Mason-Dixon Knitting last month. The fabric was printed by Spoonflower. Now my grown kids can have their own cats at their respective abodes!

I’m not sure what Mookie thinks of them. But I’m sure I’ll never get that little top hat on her again.

Apparently yesterday was a very Mason-Dixon Knitting day. The #BangOutASweater KAL, the cat pillows…and I learned to log cabin from the first Mason-DIxon Knitting book. I made this blanket way back in 2008-2009.

So thanks, Ann and Kay! You’ve changed my life!

Back to the sleeves…some people are already finished with their first KAL Stopovers, and starting a second one! I’m looking forward to starting the yoke patterning. Just have to power through this sleeve, first.

2 Comments

Posted in Blogging, KAL, Knit, Other craftiness, yarn

Tagged BangOutASweater, log cabin, mason dixon knitting, snowy woods, spoonflower, Stopover

Lazy Sunday knitting: mega Kilter hat

Posted on November 29, 2015 | 1 comment

I’m taking a cue from Kay and Ann over at Mason-Dixon Knitting, and having a Lazy Sunday. (If you don’t read MDK, you should. They’re back in force after a hiatus, and have been blogging DAILY. Delightful.)

I’m sitting in bed knitting and reading, with cat, at 9:45 a.m. Or I was, until I felt the need to make this post. I’m closing in on the top of a worsted weight version of my Kilter Hat, and winning a game of yarn chicken.

It would have been a more exciting game if I hadn’t already finished once, and decided the hat was too short. I figured out via yarn scale and math that there was enough yarn to add one more section before the decreases. But I never trust the math until I’m really done.

Done! But I had started wih a short skein of Malabrigo Rios (93g instead of 100), so this hat ends with a knit center instead of purl. I’m not even sure 100g would have given me one more section; it’s too close to call and I’d hate for the knitter to run short. But I like the way it looks! I think it will be knitter’s choice.

Why do I want a worsted weight Kilter? I taught a Kilter class at Twisted recently, and it was fun. But a worsted version would make for a quicker knit/less homework between class meetings, and would also make it more likely for the student to have a completed project at the end of the second class (fewer rounds to decrease in class). Everybody wins! I have a couple things to work out, and then I’m planning to update the pattern to include both weights. (And before you ask, I think bulky weight would be too…bulky.)

How was your Sunday? Lazy? Not? I hope it was lovely, either way.

1 Comment

Posted in Blogging, Knit, pattern design

Tagged kilter, lazy sunday