Category Archives: classes

Rose City Yarn Crawl: It’s a wrap!

Posted on March 1, 2022 | 2 comments

It’s been a busy two weeks, so it will take me a few posts to catch up. The blog is my searchable journal, so I like to make sure things get noted here. I’ll start with the crawl, then there’s a new pattern, and then I’ll go back in time to Red Alder last month. Three posts, minimum!

I started the crawl on Thursday at For Yarn’s Sake; I had a trunk show and book signing there.

It’s a tradition that Lorajean (Knitted Wit), Shannon, Debbi and I begin the crawl at For Yarn’s Sake. This year we had two tables instead of one (new very spacious venue), so we divided as front and back of house.

We did spend some time all together with owner Anne, and the traditional bubbles! It was so nice to visit with people in person. Masks and proof of vaccination were required for the in-person crawl; there was also a virtual crawl option online.

My knitting/design project came up with an incorrect stitch count, and this dropped stitch may have been part of the reason why. I think it was laughing at me. I showed it who’s boss, though: frogged the section and got it back on track. Yes, you can frog in public. And the FitBit thinks that winding the yarn back up counts as steps. Winner!

I didn’t do a lot of crawling, but I made it to Weird Sisters Yarn Shop to see Wendee of Hazel Knits Yarn. I wanted to thank her in person for the yarn support for my book, Brioche Knit Love. She’ll be vending at Vogue Knitting Live in Seattle (Bellevue, really), and I’ll be teaching there. We’re planning a book signing in the market on Saturday, April 9. More on VKL in a later post…

Here’s the total of my crawl haul. The theme tote was designed by DKGraham. I didn’t really need another tote, but this one was so pretty I decided I had to have it. The little wallet is by Heidi West Designs; she screen prints her own fabrics. I love how it coordinates with the tote. It’s perfect for hanging on to the little things in my larger tote bag. I picked up the shawl pin at Pearl Fiber Arts; I love this style and have several more by the same maker (One of a Kind). And the yarn is from Blu Fiber Company (trunk show at Starlight Knitting Society).

I was looking for a yarn to play with applied pooling. I’m currently looking for a stitch pattern that will work with this; the purple color runs may not be quite long enough to do what I want. We shall see.

I’m teaching an assigned pooling/planned pooling class at For Yarn’s Sake this Sunday March 6, if this geekery interests you!

Blue brioche headband

Also this weekend, I’m teaching Petite Brioche (beginning 2 color brioche in the round) on Saturday for Twisted Yarn Shop. The class is almost full, but there are 3 spots left. You can register here.

I know there’s a lot going on in the world. My heart is heavy for the people of Ukraine. I’m looking for a good place to send money to support them; I’m thinking World Central Kitchen. Chef Jose Andres is feeding Ukrainian refugees on the border in Poland. Everyone deserves to be safe in their homes and to be fed, whether at home or on the run.

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Posted in classes, events, Knit, Portland area fun

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Swatching, charting, knitting

Posted on February 12, 2022 | 2 comments

It was a splendidly beautiful day yesterday; it got up to 67 degrees F (19 C); which is unusual for February in Portland. I took my work outside. My math swatch has paid off, and I’m done with the first section of my new design. The next step required some charting and planning to make stitch counts work out on the repeat (do you sense a theme here?). I want to alternate the variegated and semi-solid, and give the variegated yet another chance to sing. This yarn is Knitted Wit Sock in The Future is Bright and Kiss and Teal.

The book on the table is Lorna Miser’s The Hand Knitter’s Guide to Hand-Dyed and Variegated Yarn. It talks about different dye methods, and how to make the most of them. A lot of the book is about how to recognize if colors will pool, and how to avoid pooling, if desired. There are lots of stitch patterns to play with. I’ve swatched the one that it will be perfect for this project. We shall see.

Sometimes you want colors to pool, and Hunter Hammersen’s Stochastic Hat is an example of that. She worked with Gauge Dyeworks to make a yarn with spaced out color runs, just long enough to knit random color burbles into the hat. (As well as a section to knit a brim all in the contrast color, whoa.) You can use any yarn for this hat, but the thought of knitting it with assigned pooling (the yarn tells you when to make the burbles) is fun.

I was going to knit this hat with Knit Picks Chroma Worsted, but the fuzzy single ply (top) doesn’t want to settle nicely into burbles. The smooth superwash yarn (Malabrigo Rios, below) is much better behaved. I’m not sure I have a hat’s worth in two coordinating colors, though. I’ll poke around a little more. I’m glad I swatched the burbles *before* jumping in and knitting an entire hat brim before finding out my yarn wasn’t going to cooperate! Swatching can be very helpful.

I’m teaching a Zoom class on planned pooling for For Yarn’s Sake on March 6. We’ll talk about planned pooling and assigned pooling. Come knit with me! Register here.

That same weekend I’m teaching Petite Brioche for Twisted (also Zoom). Saturday March 5. If you’d like a jump start into two color brioche in the round, this is it! Register here.

Okay, time to see if my charting made sense, and if my math works out!

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Posted in classes, Knit, pattern design, yarn

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Math swatch, Red Alder Retreat

Posted on February 9, 2022 | 4 comments

I started a new design with the *real yarn* twice before resorting to a math swatch.

The first time you jump in without swatching, it’s understandable, especially if you’ve knit with this yarn and needle size before. I thought I had the undulating stitch pattern figured out. Not quite. So I started over.

There are four ways to arrange the two stitch patterns, and I need to pick two that will consistently look the same on the repeats.

I knit for quite a while before I realized that I still wasn’t going to get the symmetry I wanted. so I finally resorted to a math swatch. Yes, I just made up that term. I didn’t need to knit the motifs completely; I just needed to know if the motifs were going to stack consistently. That’s why this just looks like a jumble of kinky yarn (it was from a piece I had frogged after blocking).

I make the mistakes so you don’t have to!

My classes at Red Alder

I’m getting ready to go to Tacoma, Washington next week to teach at Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat. There is still room in many classes, so if you’re up for some in-person fun, check it out here. Vaccinations and masks are required. I’ll have a trunk show and book signing with Northwest Yarns in the market; they’re carrying my book, Brioche Knit Love. I’ll confirm times (I think lunchtime Friday and late morning into lunch on Saturday?) and post. Looking forward to it!

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Teaching, learning, and knitting away

Posted on January 24, 2022 | 7 comments

Just finished a weekend of Vogue’s Virtual Knitting Live. I taught 4 classes and took 2 classes. I loved the back and forth!

My newest class, Sheepy Steeky Coasters, was really fun. The knitting is done as homework, so class is devoted to securing and cutting the steek, and finishing the edges.

Look at all the happy new steekers! You can be one, too. I’m teaching this class again on Saturday February 5 for Twisted Yarn Shop via Zoom; you can register here.

One of the classes I took was called The New Colorwork, by Margaret Holzmann. It’s all garter stitch, working with blocks of color, kind of like log cabin knitting with some extra shaping and construction. The Pythagorean Theorem is our friend.

You can see the progression from the 2 striped pink blocks and small light blue box being connected with the dark blue yarn, and then closing the gap by knitting the dark blue rectangle (actually a rectangle on top of a triangle) between them. This will eventually (if I ever get to it) have 4 more pink blocks, and 3 more dark blue rectangles, to make a larger square with a dark pink diamond crossed by dark blue arms. Cool! Margaret is the designer of the Safe at Home blanket (link to her site) that’s been so popular during the pandemic. Her blankets of geometric block constructions are ingenious.

The other class I took was Keith Leonards’s Pool Party. We played with assigned pooling (center), and planned pooling (on the needles). Keith uses a much simpler, not mathy way to find the Magic Number for planned pooling; it was an epiphany.

Shall We Dance in Rock Candy colorway

It’s much easier than the mathy way I’ve been doing it, so I’ve just updated the instructions for my color-pooling Shall We Dance cowl, and the updated pattern is now available on Ravelry and Payhip. It’s 15% off through February 1, no coupon code needed. (Newsletter subscribers hold tight, a coupon will be in your next newsletter.) Also, I’m teaching a class with this cowl and yarn in 2 color options (Huckleberry Knits Aran 2 Ply BFL that was dyed specifically for this class) with For Yarn’s Sake via Zoom on March 6. (Yarn and pattern included in class fee.) Register here.

So much teaching AND learning! A perfect weekend. How was yours?

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Upcoming classes

Posted on January 18, 2022 | 2 comments

I’m teaching for Virtual Knitting Live from Vogue Knitting this coming weekend. Want to learn a new skill? I’m offering Petite Brioche, Log Cabin Knitting, Slip Away Cowl, and Sheepy Steeky Coasters. A potpourri of classes! I love how Vogue Knitting jumped right into online events in 2020, and has continued to put them together on a monthly basis. There’s always something new and interesting to learn; I’ll be taking a couple classes, too.

I’m also teaching Sheepy Steeky Coasters via Twisted on February 5, and Stranded Colorwork Knitting via For Yarn’s Sake on February 6. All classes are via Zoom.

And in February I’m making my first foray back into in-person teaching, at Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat with Brioche Pastiche hat, Syncopation Shawl, Minerva Entrelac Cowl, and Designing with Favorite Shawl Shapes. Vaxed, boosted, and masked. I’m hoping to have a book signing at the market, too.

Are you ready to learn something new? I feel like 2022 is whizzing by already!

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Stranded colorwork redux

Posted on January 14, 2022 | 4 comments
2 color corrugated ribbing, let’s go!

I’m knitting Da Crofter’s Kep, a free pattern from Shetland Wool Week. The pattern uses 6 colors, but only two colors per row, which is standard for stranded colorwork. I’m terrible at putting colors together, but Anne at For Yarn’s Sake has my back, with color kits of Jamieson’s of Shetland Spindrift yarn, based on the color sets in the pattern.

Mine is a sample for a stranded colorwork class I’ll be teaching via Zoom for For Yarn’s Sake. We’re using the hat as a jumping off point to get us started with stranded colorwork. If you’re looking to learn this fun technique, with lots of tips on managing your yarn and avoiding the dreaded puckering, this class is for you!

The gauge for this hat is the same as for Katie’s Kep, last year’s Shetland Wool Week pattern, and the stitch count is the same. I’m using the same kind of yarn, which gives me a head start on knowing how big my hat will be; my previous hat is a big gauge swatch! It’s always good to keep notes about your yarn and needles; you never know when that information might come in handy. Present me thanks past me.

My class is on Sunday, February 6. Come knit with me!

If you’re already a pro with stranded colorwork, you may just love knitting this pattern, too. Click on the link above to download the free pattern. It’s only free until they announce the next year’s pattern, so don’t wait too long.

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Sheepy Steeky Coasters

Posted on January 2, 2022 | 3 comments

Is steeking on your list of knitting techniques to learn in 2022? The Sheepy Steeky Coasters are here to help! This worsted weight project will teach you stranded colorwork, and reinforcing and cutting a steek. It uses a crochet reinforcement of the edges, but previous crochet experience is not necessary. A detailed pictorial tutorial is included in the pattern.

The Sheepy Steeky Coasters pattern is available through both Ravelry and Payhip. It’s 15% off through January 8, with coupon code COASTING. If you’re planning to take this class at the January Virtual Knitting Live, the pattern is included in your class fee, so don’t buy it twice! My class patterns aren’t usually included, but this pattern wasn’t ready when registration opened. My tardiness is your gain…just this once!

(If you are making multiple purchases with different coupon codes, please use them separately. The system can only apply one code at a time.)

Happy new year! Let’s cut some knitting, because these coasters are steekin’ cute!

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Steek with me! Free pattern

Posted on December 2, 2021 | Comments Off on Steek with me! Free pattern

I’m in Minneapolis, MN this week to teach from the studio for Craftsy/The Knitting Circle. I did a free steeking event featuring my Boxed Hearts Coasters.

You can download the pattern and find the video here.

My favorite giggle-worthy moment:
Me: Are you just talking because you’re afraid to cut your steek?
Jen Lucas: (pause) YES.

I also taught two slip stitch knitting classes for the Holiday Knits Virtual Event. It was really fun! A lot like teaching via Zoom, but I didn’t have to manage the cameras. I just had to my hands in the frame while knitting (thank you monitor). We had 3 cameras; one on top of the monitor (to see both Jen and me), one overhead (shows on the monitor), and one over the shoulder. Fancy!

I’ll publish the pattern for the slip stitch cowl when I get home; I’m wearing it in the picture with Jen.

I’ll be teaching Brioche Doctor via Zoom on Sunday, December 5 with For Yarn’s Sake. This is my last class of the year. If you’d like to learn how to fix your brioche mistakes, this class is for you! Register here.

HOLIDAY21

And! Tomorrow is the last day of my holiday pattern sale. 21% off any of my self-published patterns through December 3 with coupon code HOLIDAY21; the coupon works on both Ravelry and Payhip.

Looking forward to going home tomorrow. Calvin keeps knocking over the Snowy Woods Log Cabin Blocks pillow and using it as a throne.

But now Bisquee has taken over. She’s definitely the Queen of the House!

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Holiday pattern sale

Posted on November 29, 2021 | 1 comment
HOLIDAY21

I’m having a pattern sale this week, now through Friday, December 3. Use coupon code HOLIDAY21 in either my Ravelry or Payhip shops to get 21% off any of my self-published patterns. That should kick your gift knitting in gear!

Why 21? It’s been an interesting year, with working from home, teaching via Zoom, and writing my Brioche Knit Love book. While I’d love for the pandemic to go away, it has been super productive for me, so thank you 2021.

I’m about to head out of town to teach from the Craftsy/The Knitting Circle studios in Minnesota.

First up: a Facebook Live on Tuesday November 30 (tomorrow) at 12:30 pm Central/10:30 am Pacific. this is a free event with a free pattern for my Boxed Hearts Coaster. It’s a quick project, and a non-threatening steeking experience! Look for the Craftsy or The Knitting Circle page on Facebook; I don’t have a link yet.

Then on Wednesday I’m teaching slip stitch knitting. The Dotty Mini Sock comes first, then the Slip Stitch Sampler Cowl. Corrina Ferguson is teaching her Jovia Crescent Shawl and Fancy Finishes on Thursday. You can still register for this event here, and they dropped the price a bit for a last push. You can still use Michele10 as a code to get 10% off, too! You’ll have access to a recording of the video for 60 days after the event, as well as 4 patterns and a few extra bonus classes from Craftsy.

Okay, gotta get ready to FLY. Have a great week!

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Improving my steek

Posted on November 11, 2021 | 8 comments

I was perusing Mary Jane Mucklestone’s 150 Scandinavian Motifs the other day, and I was struck by her steek setup.

She uses a six stitch steek, but the two center stitches are the same color. This makes it clear where you cut: between the two stitches that are the same color. Easy peasy!

My first forays into steeking used a checkerboard pattern. I use single crochet to reinforce my edges. I’ve tried slip stitch crochet, too, but I like the way single crochet looks, better. Trial and error, right? The checkerboard pattern kept me on my toes, as far as seeing where to crochet my reinforcement; the color alternated with every stitch.

On my next steeking pattern, I decided to use striped columns, so I was always crocheting into the same colors. Better. But not symmetrical as far as the edge stitches go.

The double center line makes it super clear. Yes, it’s the same as far as crocheting under 2 different color legs, but this makes my heart go pittypat. In a good way. The steek edges are the same color, where I pick up my edgings, so they look the same. That’s a win for me. Symmetry! You can use whatever steek arrangement you like; I like this one best. So far…

If all goes according to plan, this pattern will be offered free via Craftsy/The Knitting Circle for a Live Event on Tuesday, November 30. I’ll keep you posted. I love these little projects for teaching, learning, and gift giving! And I’m glad I learned something, too.

Have you ever discovered a better way to do something, and it was so simple it made you laugh out loud?

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