A little more Nashville

Posted on September 30, 2024 | 1 comment

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!

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Steeking fun

Posted on September 29, 2024 | 5 comments
Sheepy Steeky Coasters

I taught a steeking class at Hook and Needle yesterday. I’ve been teaching my Sheepy Steeky Coasters class with a crochet-reinforced steek, no sewing machines for me. Too hard to carry to class! Also, I don’t trust a machine to not eat my knitting.

Boxed Hearts Coasters

I knit an additional sample this week so I could demonstrate a couple more reinforcement methods in class. This is my Boxed Hearts Coasters that I designed for a class with the Knitting Circle during the pandemic. I knit it while watching video classes the other day; can you spot my oopsie? If not, no big deal. It was fine for class!

I added a hand sewn backstitch reinforcement for students to practice, and a felted steek. Everyone got to poke all stabby-stabby on this sample, down the center red stripe. It’s already been felted in the picture above; the front looks completely normal.

But you can see that the backside is all fuzzed up. This edge isn’t going to fall apart when it’s cut!

Completely stress free. From there, the process is the same. Pick up and knit stitches along the sides, then knit the garter stitch edge that matches the upper and lower borders. Just like a buttonband. After that, sew everything down.

I love small projects for teaching new techniques. It’s much less fraught to cut a coaster than to cut a sweater as your first steek project.

These happy scissor-wielding knitters agree!

Have you cut a steek before? It’s not scary!

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Back from Nashville

Posted on September 27, 2024 | 3 comments

We went to Nashville last week for AmericanaFest, and I didn’t knit a stitch! But there was a lot of great music, from many new-to-me artists, and a few that I did know.

Brandy Clark at City Winery

We saw Brandy Clark in the round with several other artists. This was the one singer I really wanted to see. I love her songs; she can really turn a phrase! Her song “Dear Insecurity” won the AmericanaFest Song of the Year award the night before we heard her sing it here. So close!

Old Crow Medicine Show

Old Crow Medicine Show did a pop-up at Robert’s Western World; we found out about it a few hours before. There was quite a line when we arrived, and DH was sure we’d never get in. I told him we’d stand in that line til they told us no! We got in, and eventually ended up right in front. And I got a free beer (PBR, but whatever), a cowboy boot-shaped beer cozy, and a show poster. Made out like a bandit!

My new favorites: Paul Thorn, Tami Neilson, Steve Poltz, Melissa Carper, Sunny Sweeney, Grayson Capps. Go find them all on Instagram! Now to listen to more music; I generally work in silence but it’s time to change things up.

Stopped for a soda on a hot walk, and there was a John Prine booth. Of course, Nashville, of course.

The area near 5th and Broadway has gotten a lot nicer. There’s a new National Museum of African American Music, which was excellent. And the Assembly Food Hall (in the same building, right across from the Ryman Auditorium) offers a lot of dining choices at reasonable prices, a big plus.

This was the tastiest ice cream I’ve had in a long time!

Back to my knitting! I’m teaching two classes this weekend, Sheepy Steeky Coasters at Hook and Needle in Vancouver, Washington, and Brioche Pastiche at For Yarn’s Sake in Beaverton, Oregon. Both are sold out. Happy knitting season!

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Eastern Uncrossed Brioche

Posted on September 15, 2024 | 6 comments

I had a busy weekend teaching for Vogue Knitting Online. Sunday’s Brioche Pastiche class was particularly interesting from a teacher’s standpoint. Brioche Pastiche is a choose your own adventure pattern, good for brioche beginners and those ready for learning increases and decreases.

Brioche Pastiche options

Several of my students had tried brioche before, and wanted to review and move forward. Two had taken classes with me before. I teach brioche with conventionally mounted stitches (right leg in front), either English (right hand throw) or Continental (left hand carry, pick or throw), but the stitch mount is the same. Right leg forward.

Last February I had a student who knit using the Eastern Uncrossed style, where all stitches and yarn overs are left leg forward. I made a video for her, because it’s so different from what I usually teach.

That same student came to yesterday’s class to move forward with increases and decreases, so I had to learn that on the fly. I made a video after class, and here it is.

If you don’t knit Eastern Uncrossed, you probably don’t want to watch it because it will confuse you. But it does show that I’m dedicated to making sure my students get what they need!

How was your weekend?

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Peekaboo Cowl, test knitters wanted

Posted on September 12, 2024 | 10 comments
Peekaboo Cowl, RS

Who says you can’t have it all? I’ve been dreaming of combining brioche knitting and assigned color pooling since January. After working through many design ideas, I’ve finally found one that lets both of these techniques shine.

Peekaboo Cowl, WS

This is my new Peekaboo Cowl. It’s 2 color brioche rib, knit in the round with fingering weight yarn. It features assigned pooling peeking out between the ribs. The Peekaboo stitch is reversible, and the inside of the cowl looks completely different! You get two looks with one knit.

I knit this with yarn left over from one of my Trailing Leaves cowls. The small cowl only uses 165 yards/38 grams of each color. You can easily adjust the pattern for length and height if you like longer/taller cowls.

The pattern is back from my tech editor and is ready for test knitters. Let me know if you’re interested in test knitting this lovely little cowl! (Or bigger cowl, if that’s your jam.)

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Posted in Knit, pattern design, yarn

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Trailing Leaves coupon extended

Posted on September 10, 2024 | 3 comments
Trailing Leaves

Well, last week was super hot, 100 degrees F here in Portland. Definitely not dreaming-of-wool weather! So I’m extending the discount for Trailing Leaves to September 15, 2024. Use coupon code WILLOW for 15% off the Trailing Leaves pattern on Ravelry or Payhip.

Trailing Leaves

It’s going to be a lovely 74 degrees here in Portland today, with rain coming in tonight. Perfect.

I made a new video tutorial! Trailing Leaves uses a brioche purl increase along the border edging, brpyobrp. Which is just what it sounds like, but here’s the video. There’s also a link to it from my tutorials page, should you ever need it.

Time for me to get back to my knitting! I’m on a brioche plus assigned pooling tear…

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Stitchmastery charting software

Posted on September 7, 2024 | 8 comments

I use software called Stitchmastery to chart my knitting patterns. The software then turns out the written instructions for me, so I know they’re accurate! Stitchmastery has brioche stitches in their charts, which is very important to me and my tech editors. There are also colors, cables, increases and decreases…everything I need for writing patterns.

I was invited to be interviewed about my knitting and design process, and how it works with Stitchmastery. You can read the interview here.

I used Stitchmastery for my book, Brioche Knit Love, and continue to use and love it.

Thanks to Stitchmastery for the feature!

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Posted in pattern design, Product review

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RBG street mural refresh, encore

Posted on September 6, 2024 | 4 comments

Our original neighborhood RBG street mural was painted in September 2020.

She had a facelift in 2022; a lot of cars drive over her.

Another two years have gone by, and she was pretty grimy. Time for a makeover!

Many hands make light work.

All better!

Just in time for the upcoming election. Vote!

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Posted in Portland area fun

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Introducing: Trailing Leaves

Posted on September 2, 2024 | 2 comments
Trailing Leaves in Dream in Color Smooshy

Trailing Leaves is a brioche bandana cowl, knit in the round from the top down. It features a central double leaf motif in syncopated brioche against a background of MC brioche rib. Choose 2 skeins of fingering weight yarn in coordinating colors to knit this beauty.

Trailing Leaves in Knit Picks Chroma Fingering

A gradient yarn will add an interesting color play to the brioche rib background, as shown here in Knit Picks Chroma Fingering. Knitter’s choice! This pattern is easily adjustable for neck circumference and length. This is one of my favorite cowl shapes; it looks like a shawlette but doesn’t fall off. So easy to wear.

Trailing Leaves in Yarn Snob A Good Fingering

I’ve knit four samples of this, to get it just right. The sample above featured some assigned pooling, but it doesn’t show, so it’s not in the pattern.

Trailing Leaves in Knit Picks Chroma

And this sample was a little too long due to a different increase rate. But you get the idea!

The Trailing Leaves pattern is now available on Ravelry at this link, Payhip at this link, and is also available through Knit Picks at this link. The coupon code WILLOW will give you 15% off at Ravelry and Payhip through September 10, 2024.

I hope that you love knitting this as much as I do!

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Farmers market treasure

Posted on September 2, 2024 | 1 comment

We’re having out-of-town friends to dinner tonight, so it’s been an afternoon of prepping beautiful farmers’ market veggies for roasting.

I have multicolored baby carrots

And cauliflower in 2 colors, destined to be Smitten Kitchen’s Cauliflower Salad with Dates and Pistachios. This is such a great recipe; I’ve had it on repeat all year.

I also grilled some pineapple planks for fried rice. And I have two salmon fillets for roasting, too! The oven will be busy.

I’m also putting together a charcuterie board with cheese, crackers, grapes, marcona almonds, sopressata salami, stuffed olives…if I can fit it all on there. Maybe two boards…

How are you spending your Labor Day? (If you’re in the USA, of course.)

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