I went to Sisters to visit fellow Pie Bird Becky and her family. We went to a concert and made some music. We even remembered how to play our instruments, easy for me (just basic guitar) but Becky plays guitar, mandolin, and banjo, and it’s been a while.
Tim O’Brien and Jan FabriciusBackyard music accompanimentOur audience was wild
Becky works at Pine Meadow Ranch, the home of the Roundhouse Foundation, which focuses on projects that work with and through the arts. Their four program areas: arts and culture, environmental stewardship, education, and social services. She gave us a tour of the ranch, which is a working ranch and also uses the restored ranch buildings for artists’ residencies.
The restored round barnInteractive art installation that makes colored light and sound when you move under it. Note the tile mural across the way…
Sisters (the town) is named for the Three Sisters mountains in the Cascade Range. The town hosts a quilt festival each summer, and that’s reflected here.
Tile “quilt” on the greenhouse by Kathy DeggendorferThis year’s quilt garden contest winner by June Jaeger. See the 3 Sisters?Detail from the quilt; I love the birds, and music notes in the snow creasesDetail of detail!And the garden inspired by the quilt. I wish you could see it from above!A panel from a 7 panel tile mural, designed by Rochelle Schueler and Lynn AdamoAnother panelHorse shoe gate to the gardenPencil shaving…as you walk around it, it looks like it unfurlsMore art, from 2 different artists
There’s a lot more art, and sheep and cattle, too. It’s a beautiful and inspiring setting.
I’m home now, setting up classes for fall, and getting ready for the Vogue Knitting cruise and Knit Maine. Time is racing by!
It’s was ridiculously hot here last week (90 to 100F), so a planned camping trip with the ladies was a welcome respite. We went to Cape Perpetua, near Yachats, on the central Oregon coast.
Looking south from Cape Perpetua
It was a cool and misty weekend, with highs in the mid-60s. The curtains of mist falling past the cape were ethereally lovely.
Banana slug
I brought my assigned pooling cowl, but didn’t do a lot of knitting. There was a whole world to explore.
Giant Spruce
This Sitka Spruce was here before Columbus arrived in the New World. Older than Henry VIII?!
View from the other side
The hollow underneath was formed as the tree grew out of a nurse log, which then rotted away, hundreds of years ago.
What’s going to grow from this nurse log? Who will see it hundreds of years from now?Stone shelter on Cape Perpetua
Stone shelter built by the CCC in the 1930s. Workers (young men) earned $30/month. They kept $5, and $25 went home to the family.
Note the temporarily blue sky!Fungus among usLooking at you, oxalis?
Cape Perpetua is on a pretty rocky part of the coast, but there are occasional sandy beaches. Tillicum Beach was wide and inviting.
Designer feathers on Tillicum BeachTide pools like moonscapes
Spouting Horn blow holeCape Perpetua overlookFarewell to our mascot, who stayed with us all weekend
Back in town, where it’s cooled off a bit. Time to work out my next design!
I’ve gone through two design ideas so far. One would require an extra skein of speckled yarn, so no go on that one. It’s risky to order another and expect that the speckles will be the same (ask me how I know). Both this idea and the next idea involve working from the large end to the small end, in order to make the motif right side up. It’s a lot more planning and math, but it will be worth it. I hope. Onward!
I’m looking forward to spending a beautiful long weekend in Maine, teaching at Knit Maine September 8-11 with PeaceTree Fiber Adventures. It’s at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. I’ll be teaching with five other teachers: Kristin Drysdale, Casey Ryder, Cal Patch, Shaina Bilow, and Louis Boria. Gaye Glasspie of GGMadeIt will be there to party with us, too! You get to choose your classes from these any/all of these teachers. It looks like there are only 3 spots left, so hurry!
I’m teaching Petite Brioche, Brioche Increases & Decreases (with my new Whale Watch hat and cowl pattern, I think), Thrumbelina thrummed slippers, YO? YO! Fancy stitches, and Planned Pooling. Currently plotting and planning the yarn with Keith Leonard (Knits All Done/YarnSnob) for the planned pooling class; it’s so gorgeous.
I’ve been to Maine once before, to Sebasco Harbor for one of DH’s work retreats. Such a beautiful place.
How far in advance are you planning your life? It’s weird to be planning things again, after Covid lockdowns. I know the virus is still out there, and I’m trying to strike a balance between caution and life. Knit on!
For Better or Worsted MCN from Anzula Luxury Yarns, yum
I love a pretty crown on a hat. This one hits all the right notes. It’s for the hat and cowl pattern that I’m designing for the class I’m teaching on the Vogue Knitting Cruise in August. The class covers beginning 2 color brioche rib in the round, and brioche increases and decreases. Does this sound like Brioche Pastiche? Yes and no! This set includes a cowl, for non-hat wearers. An a nautical theme!
Malabrigo Rios, a favorite yarn for brioche
This crown is slightly simpler, but the overall effect is the same. I just sent the pattern off to my tech editor, and I’m looking forward to moving on with these designs.
There are a few spots left on this cruise. Do you have to cruise with us to knit this hat and/or cowl? Of course not. But it would be really fun! Here’s a list of the places we’re going.
I’ll show you the whole set soon, after tech editing. I love them!
This picture says it all. It was so wonderful to be back in a classroom with my knitters! This is my Brioche Pastiche class from Thursday morning. This was my first ”away” teaching since Red Alder in 2020. It’s been a long two years.
I taught 4 classes, and it was a joy. I brought my laptop and document camera, so it was the best of both worlds. Everyone could see the demonstration at the same time like a Zoom class, and then i could go around the room and fine tune with people.
The market was fun, and I had a great time signing books with the fun peeps from Northwest Yarns.
Melissa, Heather, Tristan, and Echo from Northwest YarnsThanks, Echo!Karen and DonnaNancy of Schmutzerella Yarns with her ravishing Oregon SkyDyers Jen of Matchmaker Yarns & Kalliope of Anzula Luxury FibersTest knitter Kris
I met Kris in person; she was so helpful test knitting for Brioche Knit Love. So nice to put faces with names!
Here’s what came home with me:
Sparkly fingering weight yarn from Schmutzerella, and beads from Bead Biz. I have a plan for this combination.
Sparkly DK weight yarn from Anzula Luxury Fibers. Apparently I was having a thing for all things sparkly. I think I have a plan for this, too.
And worsted weight yarn from Anzula, as a backup if the sparkles don’t work for what I was planning…
Red Alder is already planning for next year; mark your calendars for February 16-19, 2023!
Edited to add my weekend knitwear!
Here are more pictures from the weekend.
Chihuly art glass at the old Union StationLove this reflection!Union Station reflection on the Bridge of GlassMural. I’ve seen this expression on BisqueeThe mountain peeked out at sunset on Friday
Now hard at work (at home) trying to pare down the to-do list! It grew quite a bit these past two weeks. Onward!
It’s been a minute or two, hasn’t it? I came home from Minnesota on a Friday, did a book signing and taught on the weekend, and left for Hawaii on Monday…two and a half weeks ago?!
We had planned for the kids to be with us, but after traveling at Thanksgiving and then learning of the omicron variant, they decided to opt out this year. That left us with the usual 3 BR condo, and lots of room to spread out. We worked *and* played.
Not a bad place to knit! I decided that I wanted the Dotty Bed Socks to have the dot pattern on the top of the instep, instead of an all striped instep, but some of my test knitters loved that wrap around stripe. Which do you like?
Knitter’s choice! Instructions for both insteps will be in the pattern. I’ll publish it next week, or the week after, along with the Slip Away Cowl. If you’re interested in a combo deal, make sure you’re subscribed to my newsletter!
Slip Away Cowl
Now I’m home, and scrambling to catch up. (More aloha pictures at the end of this post.) I put up new Christmas lights on the house on Tuesday. I still need to put the knitted fairy lights on my wreath, hopefully today.
The tiny tree is up, and both Biscuit…
…and Calvin have investigated. One of my Korknisse was missing, but I found him under the piano, and all is well.
Three Wise Guys
I just made a batch of Irish Cream for gifts. The recipe is in this post, and the picture is a re-run because it’s biz (Bisquee?) as usual around here! Onto the next thing! But I’ll leave you with a little more aloha…
yellow billed cardinala brazen Zebra doveJava finches (Java sparrows)Honu! A rum pum pum pog…Moonset
At least, I hope I will! I’m planning to teach at several knitting events in 2022, and I hope they all happen. I’ve already mentioned Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat, February 17 – 20. And then…
I’m teaching on a cruise for Vogue Knitting at the end of August. We haven’t chosen the class yet, but there’s time. Norah Gaughan is the other onboard teacher, and we’ll be visiting with Bristol Ivy in Portland, Maine. The *other Portland!
I have several more irons in the fire, so I’ll keep you posted as we go. I’m vaccinated and ready to roll.
Coming right up via Zoom, next week I’ll be the special guest for Makers’ Nite on Tuesday, November 2 at 5 pm Pacific. Makers’ Nite is a fun, monthly, online hangout event from Makers’ Mercantile LYS. “Bring your spinning, crochet, knitting, weaving, sewing, felting, tatting (did we forget anyone?) and spend some time with your fellow Makers.” You can come hang out with us! Here’s the link to register; it’s free but registration is encouraged. I’ll be chatting about my book, and whatever else Kyle Kunnecke decides to ask me about.
I’m at For Yarn’s Sake this Saturday from 1 to 2:30 pm, if you’d like to come by and get your book signed. I’ll have all my samples with me, so you can see them in real life.
Ann Miner of Yarn Folk in Ellensburg, Washington hosted my very first book party last Saturday, and we had a great time! (I forgot to actually take a picture with Ann, though.)
Kathy Temple (left) brought her beautiful Oregon Sky ShawletteLook, it’s Yoga Nan in real life!Talking cowl construction…
And I even had a chance to hike with my friend Vickie. She really wanted me to see the larch trees up at Blewett Pass, and now I know why.
on the Swauk Forest Discovery Trail, an easy 2.5 mile loop
These deciduous conifers turn bright yellow in autumn, before shedding their needles. Gorgeous. A great weekend getaway, all around.
What are you doing to enjoy autumn (or spring, down under?)? I love the changing seasons. And are you planning to be out and about next year?
I’ve spent all of Friday working on getting the 21 patterns in Brioche Knit Love set up on Ravelry. I’m still not done! But I’m close. After I get that set, I can start sharing the projects on other social media, and my test knitters will be able to share, too.
But I’m not all that patient, so I’m going to go ahead and show you Seagull Flight. It’s a half-pi shawl, and lots of fun to knit. It’s actually pretty easy knitting, because I already did all the math for you. (Blue yarn is Huckleberry Knits Gradient in Echo, white yarn is MadelineTosh Twist Light in White Wash)
I was at the coast at the end of July with some friends, and Becky took these pictures for me. She was a trouper!
It was really fun to play in the breeze! Seagull Flight is one of my favorite patterns in Brioche Knit Love. I found out yesterday that pre-orders are going to ship just a bit early, so you’ll probably have your book before the actual publication date (October 19). Or you can wait and get it from your local yarn shop (ask if they’re going to carry it), so you can support your LYS!
photo by Angela Watts, Tekoa Rose Photography, modeled by my sister Sharon, for the book
My tentative schedule for book signings:
Saturday October 24, Yarn Folk, Ellensburg WA, 10 to 11 am
Saturday October 30, For Yarn’s Sake, Beaverton OR, 1 to 2:30 pm
I just finished all the edits on my book with my publisher, and it’s off to the printer! It’s so pretty. I’m looking forward to being able to share it with you. Soon! But not yet.
While I was waiting to see the layout so I could finish the edits, I went camping with a group of friends. We were at Lost Lake near Mt. Hood (Wy’east). A great place to knit! There’s not much snow on the mountain this summer; it has been hot and dry. Fires are currently not permitted in the national forests, so we didn’t get to hang around the campfire this time.
The alpenglow at sunset was still pretty, though!
There were two tent sites in my campsite; I pitched my tent up this set of stairs, and felt like a princess in the tower. A perfect place to knit.
A clearer picture of the mountain. One of my favorite sights, from land or sky.
And now I’m home, my edits are done, and the waiting begins. Publication day for my book is October 19, if all goes according to plan. This week I’m working on stuff for Knit Camp at the Coast (virtual), which will be September 16-18. Are you joining in? I’m teaching log cabin knitting, and I’ve added some fun new material for this event. And I’ve signed up for the whole event, so I’ll be there for more than just the class I’m teaching.
I’m also working on another virtual event for November. That little snippet of knitting in the first picture is part of what I’m teaching. It’s time to get my samples knit, and my handouts writ!
Hard to believe it’s September already…summer flew by, and my autumn calendar is filling quickly. What are you up to this fall?
My book manuscript is done! I turned it in on Sunday evening, before my Monday deadline. Woot!
Writing a manuscript for a knitting book is more than just writing prose. There are patterns (21, in this case), charts, keys for the charts, and photos for tutorials. Those extras don’t go *into* the manuscript; the writer just notes where those things belong, and then those things have to be stored somewhere for the person compiling the book to access them. Done!
I took a little time before that to go to the coast. I did some manuscript editing, knitting for a video class I’m doing (more on that later), music making (guitar, mandolin-playing friend, harmony singing), and lots of walking on the beach. Working from home means working from wherever you are.
It was cool and cloudy, for the most part. The hot inland air meets the cool coastal air, and we get clouds and fog.
I tried to find an intact sand dollar, but no luck. This one looks like a miniature volcano.
You can tell that the aforementioned seagulls have been feasting.
The sunsets were odd, dropping out from under the clouds for just a few minutes before sinking into the sea. But pretty, nonetheless.
Now I’m waiting for the copyeditor to get back to me. In the meantime, I’m working out a script for the video class I’m making. More on that in the next post.
Find my patterns on Ravelry: Michele Bernstein Designs
Here are some of my favorites, and the newest. Many of my designs are also available through my Payhip store.
PDXKnitterati 