Brioche Knit Love review in Vogue Knitting

Posted on April 7, 2023 | 12 comments

The new issue of Vogue Knitting is out to subscribers (thank you to Kathryn to sharing hers with me), and should be at your LYS soon.

My Brioche Knit Love was reviewed in this issue; here it is:

I’m so happy they liked it! I sent the book for review last fall. After that I found out that my publisher was closing, and the book was close to sold out. I bought the last 120 and have sold most of them via my two LYSes. (Those are gone now.) I have about 8 books left…If you want one right now, I can sell them as long as I have them.

I’m learning all sorts of things about self-publishing, including that I don’t want to have them printed myself (750 books at my house, and I would have to manage and distribute.) I’d earn more money that way, but I thought about it and realized I’d rather be knitting and designing. I’m working on having the book reformatted so I can use a Print on Demand service (my book isn’t a standard size for POD), and I’m also planning on publishing this as an ebook. I’m hoping there are physical books available by the end of May, and ebooks sooner than that. I’ll also be publishing individual patterns from the book, if that’s more your jam.

Step by step, and I’ll get there. But for now, I’m THRILLED by the review in Vogue Knitting!

If you’d like to keep current and know when the book is available again, including the ebook, sign up for my email newsletter. It comes out once or twice a month and includes knitting news, tips, and a 25% discount on my new pattern releases. I promise I won’t spam you…I don’t have the time or energy to send more often than that! Here’s the sign up link.

In the meantime…keep on knitting!

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Posted in book review, Knit, my book project

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Saving yarn labels

Posted on April 6, 2023 | 9 comments

I’m making a paper chain with the yarn labels from this year’s projects; it’s a tidy and visual way to remember what I’ve done. Ten projects by the first week of April feels pretty good.

So far, from the top: Fierce Fibers and Moss Fibers (for Ebb and Flow), Knit Picks Chroma (Aspen Leaf scarf and Athena Cowl), Yarn Snob (Pooling is a Cinch and Firefly Trails), Anzula Luxury Yarn (Aspen Leaf Coasters), Dream in Color Classy (Fanfare Cowl/Hat (2 of them) and the current project which isn’t named yet).

Also pictured: Yarn chicken mug by JaMPDX, and our ancient Darth Vader bank, which still works when you put coins in. Some heavy breathing, light saber waving, and a message: “Impressive. Most impressive. But you are not a Jedi yet!”

Do you save your yarn labels? If yes, how? I used to just throw them in a basket, but the chain is much more fun.

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Posted in Knit, pattern design, yarn

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Knit Picks April IDP Showcase featuring Chroma

Posted on April 3, 2023 | 1 comment

I love Knit Picks Chroma Worsted; the long smooth color changes are fun to work with. My favorite colorway is Pegasus; I’ve used it many times. I like pairing it with Chroma Worsted in Bare for brioche.

This is my Aspen Leaf scarf, re-worked in Chroma Worsted for the Knit Picks Independent Design Partnership (IDP) program. It’s a little shorter than the DK weight version, and very squishy. It’s featured this month in the Knit Picks IDP Showcase, which is all about their Chroma yarns. All Chroma yarns are on sale 20% off this month. That means Chroma Worsted, Chroma Fingering, Chroma Twist Worsted, and Chroma Twist Bulky.

My reworked Athena Entrelac Cowl is also featured in the IDP Showcase. And I found out that I have my own Knit Picks Designer Showcase page, so if you’re interested in all my Knit Picks patterns, there they are!

April is starting off chilly and wet here, so wool is still a big part of the wardrobe!

Yesterday was the debut class for my Fanfare Assigned Pooling Cowl/Hat, and we had fun! We talked about many ways you can adjust your knitting for assigned pooling, and a little bit about other planned pooling as well. This is a one skein quick knit in worsted weight yarn, and the coziness is still welcome this month.

What are you knitting in April? I’m finishing a fingering weight assigned pooling piece, and then I need to decide what’s coming next…

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Spring is springing

Posted on March 30, 2023 | 4 comments

It’s been chilly here, but there are definitely signs of spring. The cherry trees on the downtown riverfront are blooming.

It’s not peak bloom yet, but I wanted to walk there before it starts raining again.

Sunshine and cherry blossoms makes everyone a little giddy. Time to celebrate the spring!

Not quite sure about this parking place. How did they get it up there?

I always appreciate a good gown and tiara.

I appreciate my walking buddies, but I love the challenge of the selfie! This is my pandemic stash Love Note sweater (design by Tin Can Knits).

If I’d been thinking, I would have worn my Cherry Blossom Wrapture to bring it full circle. Oh well!

What’s the weather where you are? Snow or sun or…?

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Posted in Portland area fun

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Flashbacks to 2020

Posted on March 28, 2023 | 4 comments

My Facebook memories are full of the beginning of pandemic lockdown. Part of it is terrible, and part of it is slightly amusing. Do you remember washing your groceries? Trying to get a grocery pickup time? Trying to find toilet paper and bleach wipes? Hunting for flour and yeast?

I made these bagels 3 years ago today, just before running out of yeast. And now I want to make some again. The recipe is on my blog here. Will I actually get it done today? Maybe. Or I could opt for yogurt bagels, which don’t require yeast or rise time. Apparently that’s what I did for the next batch when I ran out of yeast. There was a lot of cooking and baking 3 years ago!

I’m also reliving those early days of the pandemic while reading Peggy Orenstein’s memoir, Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World’s Ugliest Sweater. It’s about her pandemic sweater project, and also about so much more. Fiber history, etymology, family stories…so much to enjoy here. I’m on chapter 4, and I highly recommend it.

Of course I’m knitting while I read it on my Kindle. My current project is mostly stockinette, with an occasional assigned pooling blip. It’s a perfect multi-tasking project. The hardest part is remembering to stop for a break to stretch because the book is so interesting. I guess I could set timers on my watch; that would be the responsible thing to do.

Knitting can be such a comfort during trying times, and the results can be a comfort, too! I designed and knit my Beanstalk Poncho in 2016, but it lives in my box of samples. I’m sending it on to my Aunt Rose (my favorite aunt, who taught me to knit), who is recovering from pneumonia. It’s a light hug of a wrap, and it’s a cheery sign of spring, too. Please send good thoughts her way!

One last thing: Our hearts are broken at the news of yet another mass shooting at a school. Clearly, we don’t have the political will to solve this problem. I’m sick of it. Children should be safe at school. Or everywhere, really. What would it take to change?

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Posted in book review, foodies!

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LYS closings, Knit for Food update

Posted on March 27, 2023 | 1 comment

It’s official: Twisted, a local yarn shop, is closing. They were part of the Portland yarn scene for 16 years. In 2020 they went online only, just before the pandemic. Now it’s time to call it a day. Emily is moving on to her next adventure. I’m forever grateful to Emily and Shannon; they jump started my knitting career by inviting me to teach at their shop. We’ve all come a long way since then! Twisted is still open for a bit, and they’re having a sale on their remaining stock. Check it out here.

Portland is actually losing two shops this spring; Pearl Fibers Arts just closed yesterday. I’m sorry to see this shop close, too, but I’m happy that owner Cindy Abernethy is moving on to enjoy retirement.

Next, thank you to everyone who donated to Knit for Food, whether it was through my page or another. We raised $340,000, surpassing by far the totals during 2021 and 2022. That’s amazing!

I began the day knitting in church (it’s my usual practice, not just for this event), and posted this picture to Instagram and Facebook. Based on the comments, I’m not the only one who knits in church! I find that having my hands busy helps me listen; if my hands aren’t busy, my mind wanders. I like to bring a simple project, no counting. It works for me!

We had a nice group of knitters in the afternoon, and I continued knitting into the evening when I came home. I’m giving my hands a break today, and I’ll be back at it again tomorrow. I’m really glad I was a part of Knit for Food, and hope to do it again next year.

How was your weekend?

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Posted in events, Knit, Portland area fun

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Knit for Food knit-a-thon is tomorrow!

Posted on March 25, 2023 | Comments Off on Knit for Food knit-a-thon is tomorrow!

Almost here! The Knit for Food knit-a-thon is tomorrow, Sunday March 26. Join Margaret Waddell (co-founder of Puddletown Knitters Guild) and me for an afternoon of knitting for a good cause; we’ll be knitting in the fellowship hall (downstairs) of Fremont United Methodist Church, 2620 NE Fremont Street in Portland. (Look for the balloons at the top of the ramp.) We’ll be there from noon to 5 pm (although I’ll be knitting all day). Puddletown Knitters Guild is supplying us with coffee and donuts, yum! And we’ll have raffle prizes, too. Masks optional, but highly appreciated.

Not local? You can support this charity by knitting where you are and gathering donations, or donate without knitting. Support me by donating through this link.

Knit for Food has raised over $255,000 so far this year. In 2021 we raised $265,810 and in 2022 we raised $271,761. I’d love for us to exceed those amounts. The funds will be shared with 4 food related organizations: Feeding America, World Central Kitchen, No Kid Hungry, and Meals on Wheels.

The last Zoom session of the day will be live-streamed on Laura Nelkin’s YouTube channel, 8:15 – 10 pm Eastern, that’s 5:15 – 7 pm Pacific. It will be time for fun and games, and I’m participating in one of the games at 8:45 pm Eastern/5:45 Pacific. Link here to watch. Come watch, and if you haven’t donated, please consider making a donation through my page. Donations will be accepted until 10 pm Eastern/7 pm Pacific, the end of the event.

This is what I’ll be working on, without the bubbly! After a trip to the frog pond, it’s coming along swimmingly, and I think it’s the perfect knit-a-thon project. Assigned pooling, mostly knitting, with occasional pauses to do the fancy stitch. No counting! (Because someone will ask: Yarn is Dream in Color Smooshy in Bali Wood, bag is by MadderRootMaine, and the glass was a gift so I can’t tell you where to get one! It’s several years old and most likely discontinued.)

Hope to see you tomorrow, or that you see me for fun and games on the livestream. I’m so pleased to be participating in this event. Food related charities are very important to me; we give to Oregon Food Bank and the Northeast Emergency Food Program on a yearly basis. No one should go hungry in this country.

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Introducing Firefly Trails

Posted on March 14, 2023 | 1 comment

Firefly Trails is a loop cowl, designed to be knit with one skein of worsted weight yarn that has been dyed for assigned color pooling. When I finished my Pooling is a Cinch cowl/hat, I couldn’t resist playing with one more skein of this fun yarn to design something else. Firefly Trails is the result.

I pulled more of the color pop into the gathered stitches for Firefly Trails; Pooling is a Cinch uses just the center of the color pop. This yarn is Yarn Snob’s A Wondrous Worsted in the Times Square colorway. I love that the color pop is more than just one color.

The pattern is available on Ravelry and Payhip. Use coupon code GLOW for 15% off through March 21.

Have you tried assigned pooling? I like it so much more than planned pooling, where I have to watch my gauge. In assigned pooling, you just have to use the fancy stitch when the color pop shows up. That makes the knitting much more relaxing!

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Posted in Knit, pattern design

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Do you repeat knits?

Posted on March 14, 2023 | 7 comments

Sometimes I knit an item more than once while I’m designing; that helps me figuring out sizing and fine tuning directions.

Sometimes I knit things more than once, just because I love them. (Love Note, Stopover)

And sometimes I re-knit things because I want to see them in another yarn. This is my Aspen Leaf scarf, which I designed in 2020. I loved this in its original yarn, which was Huckleberry Knits’ American Dream DK (above).

I re-knit it in Knit Picks Chroma Worsted, because I want to sell it through the Knit Picks IDP program. Chroma Worsted is a little bit heavier and fluffier than American Dream DK, so the dimensions are different. There are 8 leaves in this version, and 10 in the original. This new version will be available through Knit Picks next month, I think. I enjoyed working with this yarn.

While I was re-knitting it, I realized that a slimmed down version would make a great coaster, and it would be perfect as a teaching vehicle for brioche increases and decreases. That was a happy inspiration! I’m teaching the Zoom coaster class next Sunday, March 19, via For Yarn’s Sake. Come knit with me!

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Posted in classes, Knit, pattern design

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Whale Watch for Landlubbers and more

Posted on March 12, 2023 | Comments Off on Whale Watch for Landlubbers and more

I’m teaching an immersive two day brioche workshop at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology on the Oregon Coast, July 15-16. Fees are just for the workshop; you’ll need to find lodgings nearby if you’re not local.

Whale Watch hat and cowl

We’ll start with beginning one color brioche, move into 2 color brioche in the round, and then introduce increases and decreases to make the whale tail and seagull motifs on the Whale Watch cap or cowl. You’ll be a brioche pro by the end of the weekend! Register here.

Whale Watch hat and cowl

This is the same hat and cowl that I’m using on the Nautical Knitting Cruise on the schooner Zodiac at the end of July. (The cruise is full, but you can sign up for the wait list if you’re interested.) Either way, you’ll have fabulous brioche skills at the end of your time with me.

I may be teaching Whale Watch brioche on the Vogue Knitting Cruise in September, too. We’ll see if we have repeat cruisers; if there are a lot then I’ll choose a different pattern. I’m looking forward to all of these coastal adventures!

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