Category Archives: travel

VogueKnitting Live NYC wrap

I had a quick weekend in New York City, teaching at Knitting Live by Vogue Knitting (the official name, but we mostly still call it Vogue Knitting Live). I taught five classes, saw friends old and new, checked out the market, and came home! Thursday to Sunday, bam. Some pictures to amuse you:

Mount Hood at dawn as seen from an airplane

I left Portland at dawn Thursday, and enjoyed the view of Mount Hood. I arrived in time for the teachers’ meeting Thursday evening, and saw lots of teacher friends.

I didn’t remember to take photos in all my classes, but here are a few.

Cutting a steek in knitting

No one ever goes home sad from my steeking class! It’s empowering, and you know everything you need to finish your two Sheepy Steeky Coasters.

knitter with brightly colored knitting

Maria has one cut down, one to go. I’m teaching this class again this coming weekend at Hook and Needle Fiber in Vancouver WA. Come snip with me!

Two smiling women, one holding a copy of Brioche Knit Love book

Barbara was in my Tink Drop Frog (fixing mistakes) class, but I think she really wants to fix brioche mistakes. She ordered a copy of my Brioche Knit Love book on the spot.

Entrelac knitting

All ready for Minerva entrelac class, with step-outs at the ready. This is how we stay ahead of the students in class.

Many smiling knitters at Vogue Knitting Live

So many smiles!

The marketplace was hopping, with fashion shows and interviews on stage, and lots of beautiful yarn and clever products.

Maker’s Talisman Necklaces by Birdie Parker Designs

My favorite thing: Talisman necklaces by Birdie Parker Designs. A stockinette themed charm, semi-precious stone, crochet hook, hand-made silver darning needle, and two stitch markers.

stitch marker and cable needle necklace

Remember my DIY cable hook holder? This is next level.

Knitted wreath with wool locks knit in
Sweet wreath with wool locks knit in from Long Island Yarn and Farm

There are art installations outside the marketplace (which is on two floors). Here’s a taste:

Crochet art by Will Chatlosh
Dragon soft sculpture
Dragon by Going Gnome
Ellie D’Eustachio is a textile street artist
Beam me up with fiber artist Sarah Divi! Loved this fun display.
Sara Elizabeth Kellner’s knitted Victorian Housecats

And it’s not VKL NYC without an iconic escalator video!

I finished my last class at 5 pm on Sunday, and scurried to the airport. It was snowing lightly, and I was worried about my flight home. We ended up with a 3 hour delay for plowing the runways and de-icing the plane.

De-icing, us and the neighbor plane

I was relieved that we actually took off!

Hello 2 AM Portland!

I love teaching at VKLive. It’s a big vibrant show, with something for every knitter, at all levels. Definitely something to experience!

Now it’s back to work. I need to finish writing the pattern for this shawlette, which I enjoyed wearing this weekend. I think I’m going to remove the bind off and use the rest of the yarn to make it just a little bigger, now that I have time.

If you want to know when the pattern is published, sign up for my newsletter! You’ll be the first to know, and you’ll also get the subscriber discount of 25% off. Sign up here.

I hope you had a great weekend, too!

Do as I say…

Not as I do. Was it ridiculous to knit til 1:30 am on Monday night/Tuesday morning so I could soak and block my new shawlette?

A gray and white brioche knit shawlette featuring assigned pooling stars and a syncopated caramel colored edging

Deadlines. I’m headed to New York early Thursday, and I knew it would take two days to dry completely. So, it was worth it to me! I want to wear it at VKLive this weekend. I still have to write the pattern, but that will have to wait until I get back.

detail of a gray and white brioche knit shawlette featuring assigned pooling stars and a syncopated caramel colored edging

I love this color combination. It’s from A Chick that Knitz, Hibernation and Caramel. The shawlette still needs a name. Starstruck? or Stardust? Stardust Nebula? Help me decide.

Oh, also in the “Do as I say, not as I do”: Remember to take breaks and stretch when you’re on a knitting marathon! I can feel a little achiness in my forearm tendons. I’m giving my arms a break for a couple days. Time to pack!

Want to know when the pattern is published? Sign up for my email newsletter and you’ll be the first to know! You’ll also get a coupon for 25% off the pattern; its a subscriber benefit.

Soon!

Kona aloha, 2024

We spent a week in Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii earlier this month. This is a favorite place of ours. The west coast is on the dry side of the island, and we see more rocky lava than beach. We stayed in a different condo complex this year, the Keauhou Kona Surf and Racquet Club. Still oceanfront overlooking lava rock and the ocean.

two wine glasses and a hawaiian sunset overlooking the pacific ocean

We made it in time for sunset. I woke the next morning at 5 am, after moonset and before sunrise, so I had the joy of watching the Geminid meteor shower around the setting Orion constellation. I saw 12 meteors in the 45 minutes before the sky began to lighten. This was the only morning the Geminids were visible; on subsequent days there was too much light from either the setting moon or the rising sun.

Rainbow over the Pacific Ocean as seen from Keauhou/Kona, Hawaii

I love hanging out on the lanai. I saw kayakers, canoers, dolphins, waves, and this beautiful rainbow.

Makole’a Beach

Our complex was just south of Mākole’ā Beach. It has tide pools, black and tan sand, and Ke’eku Heiau, a restored temple.

Ke’eku Heiau at Makole’a Beach, Kona Hawaii
West end of Ke’eku Heiau
carved statues at the end of ke’eku heiau
Statues at the east end of Ke’eku Heiau
Looking past Ke’eku Heiau towards Kahalu’u Beach
Looking north past Ke’eku Heiau towards Kahalu’u
Spiny sea urchins
Spiny sea urchins
yellow tang fish in the waves

One morning I saw schools of yellow tang in the waves!

Sunset at Makole’a Beach
Sunset over tidepools at Mākole’ā Beach

It was a great place to watch the sunset, but I think I like sunset on the lanai even more.

Kaloko Honokohau lava field
Aloha Costco!

We explored more of Kaloko Honokōhau National Historic Park. The park ranger advised starting the loop with the lava field and ending with the more pleasant beach and petroglyphs. Good advice; a mile over lava rock trail wasn’t very pleasant. Glad to have my hiking poles.

Kaloko Fish Pond

The next feature was Kaloko Fish Pond. This was built by native Hawaiians for raising fish. The ocean is to your left. The rock wall has been rebuilt; it’s impressively level.

The trail continues along part of the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, which follows the coast. It eventually comes to Honokōhau Beach, which is my favorite place to look for honu (green turtles).

Four Hawaiian green turtles basking in the sun
hawaiian green turtle (honu)

I wasn’t that close; this is zoomed *and* cropped!

The trail continues on to Ai’opio Beach, which has a fish trap and heiau, another favorite place for turtle spotting. The trail then heads back up towards the welcome center and lava fields, while passing a petroglyph field.

Petroglyphs at Kaloko Honokohau National Historic Park

I see people, a long gun, a fish hook…what do you see?

A piece of knitting being held in the air with the ocean in the background

Of course there was knitting on the lanai. Heres a sneak peek at my latest design project.

It was a lovely relaxing week, and we came back ready to tackle Christmas and Hanukkah prep. Which was good, because I hadn’t done any beforehand!

I hope your holidays are merry and bright. Looking forward to new adventures in 2025!

Under pressure, holiday edition

a hawaiian honu green turtle rests on lava rock

I’m a little slow getting ready for the holidays, but I work best under pressure. We arrived home from Kona (Hawaii) on Thursday night, and Friday I put new lights on the porch.

blue and white icicle lights decorating front porch gutters

It wasn’t raining, so the timing was perfect.

wire christmas tree on top of the piano with assorted ornaments

I put up my tree, on top of the piano. That surfing Santa is finally getting his legs glued back onto the surfboard this year; one of our cats knocked him off the piano years ago. I also put up the Christmas stockings on the mantel.

five handknit christmas stockings hanging from the fireplace mantel

Old picture, same stockings!

christmas wreath with knitted bow made from wire lights

I’ve added my knitted lights bow to my Christmas wreath. I’m skipping the knitted ribbon with dpns, because last year the dpns got…moldy? Mildewed? Gross, whatever. The bow is fine by itself.

bottles of Irish Cream made with Tullamore DEW whiskey, and two korknisse with knit sweaters and hats

I made a double batch of Irish Cream from the recipe in this post, and I’ll make one more batch today.

ginger molasses cookies decorated with icing

I helped a friend decorate cookies. Aren’t these cute?

a little cork person wearing a knitted sweater and hat made from orange and purple Malabrigo worsted yarn

And I knit this little korknisse for Carole at coffee this morning.

Shopping is done. There are a few presents to wrap, a little more housecleaning to do (tomorrow, because it needs to be tidy the day after). And we’re hosting Christmas dinner here on Wednesday.

Lots of pictures in this post, so I’ll do a Hawaii post separately. We had a great time!

Are you ready for the holidays? I actually cleaned the wax off our menorahs, so I’m ready for Christmas AND Hanukkah!

Sample sale wrapping up

Cherry Blossom Wrapture, Trailing Leaves, Star Flower, Nymphaea

Thank you for your response to my sample sale! Most of the smaller items are sold, but the bigger ones are a little slower to move. Incentive time! I’m dropping the price of the remaining items by $10, so it would be equivalent to free shipping. I’m planning to mail everything out at the end of this week, so this is your chance for handmade gifts, without having to make them.

You can link back to the full sample sale post here.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, with all of the DH-side relatives meeting up in St. Louis. It’s been a few years since we’ve all been together for Thanksgiving, so it was a treat. We managed to successfully prepare Thanksgiving dinner in our Airbnb kitchen, and then transport it to our party room at Mom’s assisted living center.

The gang’s all here

I think the best part of these trips is that the next generation gets to spend time together, and we get to spend time with them, too.

I didn’t have a moment to knit until I was on the plane headed home. The entrelac is close to yarn chicken stage; I’ll be finished soon. (Is it cheating if I use a scale?)

International Springsteen trip

We went to Vancouver BC to see The Boss.

We had seats on the floor, Row 19. But if you’re short, the floor is not ideal for actually seeing the performers. Thank goodness for the monitors!

The show went 3 hours, 20 minutes. Lots of great music, and the band was in fine form.

This was our Airbnb. The heater in the main area wasn’t working properly, so it was a bit chilly. We had a good time anyway.

The view was great, and we were right by Rogers Arena, the concert venue.

Photo credit: Terry Weiner

Good friends, good times!

Berroco Wizard in Fluorite colorway

And I got to play with a new-to-me yarn. I’m planning an entrelac class at Hook and Needle on March 29, and I wanted to see if this yarn they carry is appropriate. Why yes, it is. This is Berroco Wizard, 85/15 Superwash Wool/Nylon. It’s a very light and lofty chainette, classified as bulky. Recommended needle size is 10-10 1/2 (6-6.5 mm), but I’m using a US9 because I like the fabric better. Based on current progress, I’m guessing this 100g ball will result in a 36 – 40” length. Perfect for a light and lofty Minerva cowl. If you’d like to learn to knit entrelac with me, stay tuned!

Woodsy weekend

I had the great good fortune to spend a weekend in the woods with 10 friends, 2 weekends ago.

Bridge over Camp Creek, Rhododendron OR

It was a perfect weekend of catching up, crafting, and turning off the 24/7 news cycle.

I loved all the little fungi on my walks.

And the big ones, too!

It helped me get ready for the week ahead. And I did a lot of knitting, too. More on that in the next post.

Election night vigil

Bicoastal knitting in 2025

Are you planning your 2025 knitting? It’s just around the corner!

VKL NYC lineup

I’ll be teaching at Vogue Knitting Live in NYC January 17-19. My newest class is Whale Conga Line, which includes brioche, syncopated brioche, and increases and decreases. I’m also teaching YO? YO! Fun and Fancy Stitches, Minerva Entrelac Cowl, Log Cabin Knitting, Tink Drop Frog (Fixing Mistakes), and Sheepy Steeky Coasters, which is always a favorite. The New York show is always amazing, especially the market and fashion shows. Come knit with us!

Red Alder lineup

Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat is February 13-16 in Tacoma, Washington. This retreat is at the Hotel Murano, which is lovely with lots of art glass on display. The classes are wide ranging, including knitting, spinning, weaving, and crochet. I’m teaching Brioche Pastiche (beginning brioche in the round), Whale Conga Line, Brioche Doctor, and Fun Stitches for Assigned Pooling. Come play with us!

I’m planning to attend Nash Yarn Fest in Nashville with the crew of Modern Daily Knitting March 14-15. This one’s just for fun for me! I’ll go to the all day festival, and the before and after parties. There will be lots of vendors that are new to me, so let’s see what comes home with me! I may have to spend some extra time before or after; I love the music scene in Nashville. And the boots!

Are you planning to attend any fiber events in 2025?

New brioche knitters, upcoming classes

Mount Hood, and clouds above the Columbia River

I left town before dawn last Thursday to teach for the Minnesota Knitters’ Days retreat. Our topics for the weekend: brioche, more brioche, and assigned pooling. All my favorite things!

Look at all the smiling brioche knitters! We worked on Brioche Pastiche, my choose your own adventure pattern for hat or cowl, plain or embellished. (I’m teaching this class again at Hook and Needle on Saturday; if you’re local and want to learn to knit brioche, please sign up!) We also worked on Whale Conga Line, as an introduction to brioche knit flat and syncopated brioche. That’s a lot of brioche!

Ursula and Beth finished their hats over the weekend.

And Janet simplified and fancied up the cowl pattern. I love it!

On Sunday morning we played with assigned pooling, which was a great palate cleanser. It’s fun to let the yarn boss you around…a little. You’re still the boss of your knitting, overall.

The knitters were a great group, with lots of mad skills! (Thanks to Stacey for recommending me; she was in my class at YarnOver Minnesota a couple years ago, and here too.)

Kris’s purple sweater on the left is amazing; I love the lively ribbing pattern on the collar and cuffs.

Sheryl (on the right) is the organizer of this well-run event. This is the 40th anniversary of this retreat; Sheryl was a long-time participant and took over when the previous organizer retired. Many of the participants have known each other through this event for a very long time!

Sheryl’s show and tell sweater was a fantastic example of yarn color dominance. Those stripes aren’t ribbing; they’re 1×1 stockinette stripes.

Linn brought her cardigan to show me what she did with Yarn Snob Keith’s Cabana Boy pooling colorway. I love how the white stripes lightened things up; you can see on the bottom band that the colors are pretty intense! And look how the hot pink pooled on one sleeve, and the orange pooled on the back of the other. You could never get it to do that if you were planning it.

Cabana Boy yarn

We were at a Franciscan retreat center in Prior Lake, and the grounds were lovely.

Labyrinth
a quiet place for tai chi
One of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes
Same sunset
Mount Hood on the way home

Why yes, I choose my seat for the Mount Hood view! And now I’m home, and prepping for this weekend’s classes. Brioche Pastiche at Hook and Needle, and a stranded colorwork class at For Yarn’s Sake on Sunday, based on the Shetland Wool Week Islesburgh Toorie.

Come knit with me!

A little more Nashville

I know I said that I didn’t knit a stitch while I was in Nashville, but that doesn’t mean I completely ignored all things knitterly.

I had a nice visit with Ann Shayne at Modern Daily Knitting Headquarters. We talked about Jane, their beautiful new DK weight yarn. It’s made in Yorkshire, England from Falkland merino and Masham wools. I came home with the three sample skeins above, in Yorkshire, Peony, and Cameo. Ann is dreamydreaming of a Pressed Flowers cardigan with this yarn, and I’m dreaming of a Pressed Flowers Cowl (patterns by Amy Christoffers).

I was so blown away by the lovely colors that I forgot to do the phone trick. There’s not much tonal contrast between the Peony and Cameo, so I’ll use the Yorkshire and Peony together. I may need to downsize the pattern to make it work with these two 50g skeins, which is easy to do.

But what about that tote bag? Nash Yarn Fest will be MDK’s first foray into hosting a fiber festival. It’s happening March 14-15, 2025, and tickets go on sale TOMORROW, October 1. There are lots of ways to participate: Festival only, opening night party, after party, workshop with Arne and Carlos, or a longer destination travel getaway. Read all about it here.

Last goodies: Two MDK field guides; one for brioche, and Renewal, which is a collection of textural sweaters and accessories by Norah Gaughan. I don’t have time to knit a sweater, but I may knit these lovely mitts!

Austen Mitts, photo from Renewal field guide

Norah has such an inventive mind, and she’s a delightful person, too. She was the other teacher and my cruise buddy on the Vogue Knitting cruise to Canada and New England in 2022.

All right, back to my knitting…for real!