Category Archives: Knit

OFFF report, 2013

Posted on September 30, 2013 | 17 comments

It was rainy! And windy! And fun.

My class was great. Thanks to the intrepid students who made it out to the fairgrounds. They all went home with little swatches of cast ons and bind offs. And now they have many to choose from when they start and end their next projects. Me? I’m kind of in love with the Chinese Waitress cast on. It makes a lovely chained edging on both right and wrong sides of the fabric. I want to use it to edge some fingerless gloves…

After class, I went upstairs in the main pavilion to find my peeps. In normal years, we knit and spin on the lawn. This year, groups moved inside.

I didn’t bring my Turkish Delight spindle because I knew I couldn’t linger. But I should have brought it for a photo op! OFFF is the time the Turkish Delights get together. Leila, who tempted me into buying *my* spindle, has a tinker toy spindle here. And Rachel, whom I tempted into buying *her* spindle, has hers here.

At OFFF 2009, we were spinning on the lawn with our new spindles. Time flies!

Duffy had this awesome shirt:

I chatted a bit with Ed and Wanda Jenkins. Ed makes these beautiful Turkish spindles. He remembered me and asked if I was spinning. Not much these days, unfortunately! Knitting away.

I spent a little time in the barn.

Alpacas always make me grin.

Is it weird that I was munching a lamb sandwich while walking through? The lamb is from SuDan Farm. They raise sheep for both food and fiber.

(Sorry about your bro, guys…gals? It was delicious.)

I spent some time chatting with Susie from SuDan Farm about her hats. I want to make one! So I bought some green and yellow dyed locks to play with. I can’t quite capture the awesome kelly greenness, sorry. (Go Ducks!)

I did a little shopping. I picked up a skein of Socks that Rock mediumweight from Tina at Blue Moon. This is her last year at OFFF (going to concentrate on wholesaling rather than shows), so she dyed this gorgeous commemorative colorway.

I also bought a shawl pin from Michael and Sheila Ernst. They make glass pens, knitting needles, crochet hooks, buttons. I have admired their work at many shows over the years. Isn’t this lovely?

How was your weekend?

17 Comments

Posted in events, Knit, spinning

Tagged OFFF, OFFF 2013

This is what 10,000 stitches looks like

Posted on September 28, 2013 | 11 comments

after they’ve been frogged.

Approximately 10,000 stitches. Why didn’t I listen to that little voice sooner? But I love the revised version that I’m knitting, and I think I’m back up to about 7500 stitches so far. The little voices are laudatory this time…or are they just playing me?

It’s rainy and windy today, perfect for knitting. The forecasst for tomorrow looks worse. I’m teaching at OFFF in the morning, and shopping after that. I’m not sure the outdoor vendors will hang on that long! I helped Lorajean set up yesterday, and she just messaged me that they’re going to pack it in today. Some of the outdoor vendors didn’t come at all, and the one scheduled to be behind us looked around and decided not to set up. There’s still shopping inside, though, and the animals in the barn, so I plan to enjoy it all anyway.

I’m kind of coveting this fiber, even though I’m not currently spinning. Isn’t it gorgeous? Black and white BFL, hand dyed by Knitted Wit. Even prettier in person.

If you’re local, I hope you had a chance to get to OFFF today, or are planning to do so tomorrow!

11 Comments

Posted in events, Knit, yarn

Tagged frogging, OFFF, yarn

OFFF is right around the corner

Posted on September 25, 2013 | 3 comments

I had a great time at Stash in Corvallis on Saturday. Tink, Drop, Frog is my favorite class to teach, because of all the aha! moments for the students, and the dawning realization that yes, they can be the boss of their knitting. Once you can fix your mistakes, you’re golden!

(Photo courtesy of Liz Arrow, Stash Enhancer at Stash)

Cast On, Bind Off had its maiden voyage on Saturday afternoon. It was fun and enlightening, and I discovered that I have way more than enough material for my workshop at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival this coming Sunday. I am really looking forward to teaching it!

Until the weekend, I’m knitting away on my secret design project. I’ll also be helping Lorajean (KnittedWit) label spinning fiber tomorrow, and helping her set up her booth at OFFF on Friday. There are classes at OFFF on Friday, and the Festival is officially open Saturday 9-5 and Sunday from 9-4. Fiber, food, cute animals; y’all come! Admission is free. This event is at the Clackamas County Events Center in Canby, Oregon.

Do you have fiber fun planned for this weekend?

3 Comments

Posted in events, Knit

Tagged Cast On Bind Off, OFFF, stash, Tink Drop Frog

Happy birthday sale

Posted on September 5, 2013 | 7 comments

Happy birthday to me! I’m spending the day dreaming with stitch dictionaries and playing with yarn.

Oooh, look, a new one! Kazekobo’s Favorite Patterns. Not a lot of new ones in here, but beautifully presented.

I’m having a birthday pattern sale. Use the coupon code BIRTHDAY and you’ll receive 29% off any of my patterns on Ravelry, no limit. Am I 29? And then some! Sale is through Sunday, September 8, because I’ll be celebrating all weekend…

7 Comments

Posted in events, Knit, pattern design, ravelry

Tagged birthday, sale, stitch dictionaries

Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival is just a month away

Posted on August 30, 2013 | 2 comments

September is my favorite month; it’s my birth month, our anniversary month, the beginning of school, and the beginning of autumn. There’s a chill in the air in the morning that makes me want to wrap myself in wool.

The Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival is less than a month away, September 28-29. I’ve been going to OFFF for years now. It was my first, and continues to be my favorite, fiber festival. It’s a great chance to see the animals that provide our fiber, shop for more fiber, meet up with old friends, and take classes! To get you in the mood, here are some pix from past festivals.

This is the first year I’m slated to teach at OFFF, and I’m really looking forward to it. My Cast on, Bind Off class is scheduled for Sunday, September 29, but it won’t happen unless I have two more people sign up. Knitting classes don’t fill as quickly as the other classes, but we like to offer them! You can help make it happen, and learn something fun and useful, too. Pre-registration needs to be postmarked by September 6 for all OFFF classes; classes may be cancelled if a minimum number of students aren’t registered by then. You can browse all the class offerings here. I’m hoping you’ll come join me!

Here’s the scoop on Cast On, Bind Off:
How many cast ons do you know? Why do you use the one that you use? Tired of running out of yarn with your long tail cast on? Come to class and learn some new tricks! We’ll cover long tail, knitting on, cable cast on, crochet provisional cast on, and more. We’ll also talk about when/why you might choose one over another, and some bind offs that go well with your new cast ons.

Winter is coming…time to knit!

2 Comments

Posted in events, Knit

Tagged Cast On Bind Off, classes, OFFF

Oregon Coast August

Posted on August 26, 2013 | 11 comments

You never know what you’re going to get, weather-wise! I had a quick getaway to Cannon Beach with friends last week. Wednesday was a glorious day. Breezy sunshine made it perfect for a visit to Haystack Rock.

The tidepools were full of starfish, anemones, and barnacles.

And that evening’s sunset added a rosy glow to everything, including the sand.

I even had some knitting time on the beach.

On Thursday morning I woke at dawn to chase the moonset, but the sunrise was too early for me to capture what I wanted from the moon. You can barely see the moon directly above the seagull; the sky was already too bright. It was a nice walk, though!

The day turned out to be cloudy and cool, but it was great walking weather. We headed north in the late afternoon. The mist around the rocks at Chapman Point made everything seem a wee bit magical. And these horses and their riders made me feel as if we had stumbled into another time.

Despite the mist, up close everything was crystal clear.

We explored a small cave, and this arch through the rock.

I love getting out and looking at things with my camera in mind. It makes me see everything a little differently. And my camera lately is just my iPhone5. Lightweight, always with me, great photo quality.

What are you seeing these days? Are you ready for fall?

11 Comments

Posted in Knit, travel

Tagged anemone, Cannon Beach, chapman point, haystack rock, starfish, sunsets

Where I’ll be…teaching!

Posted on August 19, 2013 | 4 comments

I’m teaching a little further afield in September. On Saturday, September 21, I’ll be at Stash in Corvallis. We’ll do Tink Drop Frog: How to Fix Mistakes in the morning at 10:30 a.m., and Cast On, Bind Off in the afternoon at 1:30 p.m. Both of these classes are intended for advanced beginners and beyond.

On Sunday, September 29, I’ll be at Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival (OFFF) with an expanded version of Cast On, Bind Off. I hope to see you there! Pre-registration needs to be postmarked by September 6 for all OFFF classes; classes may be cancelled if they don’t have enough students registered by then.

Here’s the scoop on Cast On, Bind Off:
How many cast ons do you know? Why do you use the one that you use? Tired of running out of yarn with your long tail cast on? Come to class and learn some new tricks! We’ll cover long tail, knitting on, cable cast on, crochet provisional cast on, and maybe more depending on time. We’ll also talk about when/why you might choose one over another, and some bind offs that go well with your new cast ons.

And I’m teaching at Twisted here in Portland throughout the fall; contact Twisted to register.
Intro to Circular Knitting (hats): Sept. 23 & 30
Tink, Drop, Frog: Oct. 12
Garland Sideways Lace Shawl: Oct. 26

Intro to Entrelac (Athena Cowl): Nov. 16

And I’m looking into adding a class about blocking. Stay tuned!

Hope to see you around!

4 Comments

Posted in Knit

Tagged classes, Knit, OFFF, teaching

Ooh La Lace! Shawlette pattern sale

Posted on August 17, 2013 | 5 comments

You know I love Paris.

I designed my Ooh La Lace Shawlette as a tribute to my favorite icon, the Eiffel Tower. This design was the Twisted Shawlette Club pattern for May 2013, and it’s now available through PDXKnitterati via Ravelry. Ooh la la!

To celebrate Ooh La Lace’s re-launch, I’m offering $1 off the regular price through September 1.

Knit one and dream of Paris with me!

5 Comments

Posted in Knit, pattern design

Tagged crescent shawl, eiffel tower, ooh la lace shawlette, paris, pattern, sale

The weekend that was…full!

Posted on August 13, 2013 | 2 comments

First of all, I was guest blogging as one of the Voices of August on a friend’s blog. This is the second time I’ve done this, and I was honored to be invited again. As a maker/crafty person, I feel like I’m pretty capable of making things happen, so it’s bothersome when I come up against something that’s not so easy. How do I deal with it? Go read my guest post, Because I Can, to find out. And if you’d like to know what I wrote last year, you can find my musings on The Empty Nest here.

Saturday was also the Portland Bridge Festival Block Party to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Broadway Bridge. DH and I rode our bikes down to check it out.

Tyler Mackie, Bridge for Blankets creator, hosted the Bridge for Blankets info/raffle table. I bought tickets, but I didn’t win the Raffghan. I’m glad it’s going to a good home, though.

Members of the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus modeled some fancy bridges. I can’t walk in heels like those on level ground; how do they do it on gravel?

DH and I rode under the bridge to look at some condos along the river that I admired on my last ride. He says they’re not urban enough; he’d rather be in the Pearl. proper. Guess we’re not moving to a condo yet since our condo visions don’t match up!

And Sunday afternoon I went sailing on the Columbia with friends. The sky cleared and there was a very light breeze. The sunset was lovely.

How was your weekend?

2 Comments

Posted in Blogging, Knit, travel

Tagged block party, pdxbridgefest, sailing, Voices of August

Biking Portland’s bridges

Posted on August 6, 2013 | 6 comments

My friend Karen and I rode our bikes down to the Broadway Bridge to see the rest of the Bridge for Blankets panels. In the process, I found a path along the west side of the river that was new to me. We picked it up at the Portland Police Department’s horse stables, and rode south, oohing and aahing over the four knit panels on the bridge. (Click any of the pictures for a larger view.)

Portland is such a beautiful city, and the bridges over the Willamette River help make it so. My favorite? The Fremont Bridge. It’s a tied arch bridge, and I love its modern look. It’s the next bridge north of the Broadway.

Our ride took us along Waterfront Park, back over the river on the Hawthorne Bridge (vertical lift), along the Eastside Esplanade, crossing the river again over the Steel Bridge (vertical lift) because I’d never crossed it on the bike/pedestrian path next to the train deck, and then back towards home over the Broadway (bascule). The sun came out and it was glorious.

Steel Bridge (black, train deck lowered), Broadway (red), Fremont (green).

One more look at the lovely knitting:

If you’re local to Portland, don’t forget the Block Party on Saturday, August 10, noon to 7 p.m. at NW Broadway and Hoyt. You can still buy raffle tickets for the Raffghan there; the drawing will be around 2 p.m. Proceeds go towards defraying costs for the Bridge for Blankets Project. Music, dancing, bridge tours, food, arts, crafts…what’s not to like?

(Photo: Sharon Mackie)

And if you want to get your whole bike geek chic on, the Providence Bridge Pedal ride is on Sunday, August 11. The ride offers routes of 3 to 36 miles, and crosses up to 10 bridges, depending on route. This is the yearly opportunity to ride your bike on the top decks of the two freeway bridges, the Fremont and Marquam. The views are spectacular. Here’s an ancient picture of the family on the Fremont Bridge from 1997, the second Bridge Pedal. Yes, I hauled 4 year old kiddo on a Burley Piccolo trailer bike. The year before he had a toddler seat on my bike rack. We’ve grown up some since then…