Tag Archives: kerfuffle

Upcoming classes, and catching up the blog

It’s been super busy here since I came home from Port Ludlow, Edmonds, Ellensburg. I feel like there’s a mega-post about that road trip that needs to happen, but I haven’t had a chance to process it yet. So I’m going to jump ahead and let you know what’s going on now, and then work backwards. We’ll pretend it’s ballroom dancing or something…

May is shaping up to be a busy month. I’m doing a workshop for the Tigard Knitting Guild on May 9. We’re going to play with mosaic slipped stitch knitting. In the morning we’ll learn how it works, and in the afternoon we’ll design something with it! This is such a great way to play with color, but we only use one color per row. No carrying, no floats.

pdxknitterati knitting

On May 16, I’ll be down in Salem teaching at Tangled Purls. I’m teaching two classes. The first is Blocking: It’s Magic from 10 to noon.

Rosaria edge detail

In the afternoon I’m teaching beginning stranded colorwork with the Kerfuffle Cowl from 1:30 TO 4 p.m. Contact the shop to register for either of these.

pdxknitterati kerfuffle cowl

I’ll also have my trunk show there all day! We’ll have a meet and greet between classes, so come take a class or just say hello.

I’ve been knitting like mad this month. I’m working with Knitted Wit’s new Targhee Shimmer yarn, 80/20 Targhee/silk in DK and worsted weights. The wool is sourced 100% sheep to skein in the USA. I designed a Criss Cross Cowl in Kiss and Teal (to go with the Criss Cross mitts and hat and beret) with the worsted, pattern coming soon. This color is amazing, but it doesn’t photograph well. In real life, it’s a very rich aquamarine, like a deep blue-green emerald.

pdxknitterati criss cross cowl

I knit a pair of Pointer Mitts with the DK, in Liberally Bleeding Heart.

pdxknitterati pointer mitts

These are going to TNNA, the The National Needlearts Association trade show at the end of May. There will also be a Pointer cap to go with the mitts, but a sample knitter is doing that one for me. And a Sophie’s Rose Shawlette in Knitted Wit’s Single Fingering, in Enchanted Forest and Salted Caramel which I’m not knitting, but I’ll block it. Thank goodness for sample knitters!

I’ve also been diligently knitting on my Tilt Shift KAL project. Two skeins down, one left to go. This is very relaxing knitting for me, because it’s 80% stockinette. I’ve been reading a lot of blogs and watching TV with it. The KAL has been going on all month, and should be wrapping up this week.

Tilt Shift KAL

I don’t know that I’ll have mine done by then, because I have a design project to finish before TNNA which is higher priority because it has a deadline. Click, click, click…

I also blocked my Fern Shawlette that I knit for my previous KAL. Finally! You’ll note that I’m artfully hiding the ends I have yet to sew in.

pdxknitterati fern shawlette

In my spare time (ha!) my friends Carole, Suzanne, and I put on a tea for 60 on Saturday. Planning, shopping, cooking, plating, serving. And no pictures of the event; I was too busy kitchen wenching. But Sue from Tango Mango came and did a presentation with her collection of vintage purses, which was very cool. Here are just a few.

princess mary purseNote the floral detail at the bottom.

vintage beaded bags

And then there was an Earth Day event on Sunday that required folding some origami cranes, among other things…

origami cranes for earth day

I’ll do a report on the Strung Along Retreat soon. It was great. But I have to wash and block my little swatches from Clara Parkes’ class before I can blog it!

What have you been up to while I’ve been away?

Steeking success

Our steeking class was small but brave. Naomi and Deborah did all their homework, and came to show their knitting just who’s boss. I also knit another Kerfuffle so I could cut right along with them. First, we marked our cutting line. This made it a lot easier to see where to crochet our reinforcement.

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Deborah was the first to cut.

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It’s always nice to have friends for support on your first steek! I cut next.

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And Naomi cut her steek, too.

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I brought bubbly, and we toasted our success! We picked up the stitches for the ruffle and headed home. Thanks to Naomi and Deborah, for doing all the homework, and for having faith that this little cutting exercise would work out!

Question for you: Would you rather steek and cut a swatch, or an actual project, like we did on Monday? There’d be homework either way, but a swatch would be a quicker, simpler knit. I’d love to teach a class like this again, and am wondering which way would make it the most enticing.

Onward! I finished my Kerfuffle that night, and blocked it the next day.

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The purple scarf is another Filigree, knit with MadelineTosh Pashmina. It’s sport weight, and it’s absolutely yummy. I knit it mostly because I wanted to see if there was enough yarn in a skein to make this, since the other Filigrees are knit with fingering weight. The answer is yes, I had plenty of yarn. And the sport weight version is just a little weightier, which is pretty cozy for winter. I’m not sure if this one is for me, or for a friend. We’ll see!

What’s next on the knitting agenda? I have a few design projects that are due in the next few months, so my home knitting will be focused on that. But for public knitting? I’m planning to knit another Filigree, and you are welcome to join me! I’m planning a knitalong, both through the blog and in person at Twisted during December. It’s a quick knit, one skein, a perfect gift. More details in the next post, after I get things figured out. I hope you’ll knit with me!

Ready to steek

You can get a lot of knitting done while waiting for a turkey to cook on the grill…

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The checkerboard section in the center is where I’ll be cutting this piece in class on Monday night at Twisted. There’s still room in the class, if you’re a quick knitter and can get your homework done by Monday evening!

We expected our turkey to be done in 4 hours, but it took 6. Such are the vagaries of using a grill to cook a turkey.

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It was worth the wait! Our standard sides: potato/carrot/onion/celery stuffing, Brussels sprouts, baked sweet potatoes and apples, rice stuffing with Chinese sausage/oysters/celery/water chestnuts. The rice stuffing is my addition; my Dad used to make it and my kids love it. The potato stuffing is the classic from DH’s family. Something for everyone!

The only hitch in the weekend is that my in-laws were unable to make it. Dad is recovering from pneumonia. He’s much better, but not ready for travel. It’s the first time in 25 years that we haven’t been together, but we did a little Facetime chat. Thank you, technology!

I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with friends and family and good food. What’s your go-to side dish?

Kerfuffle update, and come steek with me!

I’ve got a couple things going on with my Kerfuffle Cowl and Ruffle Kerfuffle scarf patterns right now. First of all, I’m raising funds for American Red Cross Disaster Relief (Sandy) with 100% of the proceeds from online sales of these two patterns through December 15.

Second, I’m about to cast on for another Ruffle Kerfuffle scarf today. I’m teaching a steeking class right after Thanksgiving weekend at Twisted here in Portland. It’s on Monday, November 26, from 6-8 p.m. We’ll be doing the crochet reinforcement, CUTTING the steek, and picking up the ruffle on the Ruffle Kerfuffle Scarf. Class is $20.

All the knitting is done before class. Yes, it’s a lot of homework, but this gives us time to reinforce and cut. There’s still time to get the homework done; if I can do it, so can you! I was going to do mine on a swatch, but it’s way more fun this way. And I loooove knitting with Malabrigo Worsted.

If you’re local, I’d love it if you join me and be the absolute BOSS of your knitting.

In the wake of Sandy…a fundraiser

Sandy the Superstorm feels like it was a long time ago given the short life cycle of headline news, but it’s going to take a while to get everything back to normal on the east coast. Two weeks after the storm, there are still people without electricity, heat, and even homes. I just read a great blog post by Mary Mooney of the Oregonian. She details why you shouldn’t knit for Sandy’s victims, at least not directly, if you’re not local to the scene. As knitters we want to help, but the best way to help is with dollars, not items that have to be shipped and managed.

In this spirit, I’d like to offer up Ruffle Kerfuffle. All proceeds from online sales of my Kerfuffle Cowl and Ruffle Kerfuffle Scarves and Cowl patterns from now until December 15, 2012 will be donated to the Red Cross. I’ll pay the Ravelry and paypal fees myself; 100% of the purchase price will go towards disaster relief.

What is a kerfuffle, anyway? According to the dictionary, it’s commotion, disorder, agitation. I think that’s a good description of what happened. I hope things get back to normal there soon.

The cowl pattern is just for the cowl; the Scarves and Cowl pattern includes the cowl and the steeked scarves.

Click here for information on how to purchase the pattern. Knit one for you and one for a friend! Two 100 gram balls of yarn will make two cowls in opposing colorways. And thanks for helping out.

Knitting, knitting, knitting

I finished the cowl from the previous post, thanks to Dee in Orlando. I was visiting CollegeGuy and forgot the smaller needle for the ribbing. I didn’t want to take time from our visit to find a yarn store, because we were headed for the beach!

Because of Dee’s kindness in lending me a needle, I finished the first cowl and started the negative image one on the flight home. Details on these in the next post.

On Sunday, I stood in the surf at Cocoa Beach with my boys (young men!) and watched the pelicans diving for fish. So cool! The weather was perfect, 84 and sunny. DH read his kindle. While we were gone, it looks like someone Rumpelstiltskinned my back yard. Here’s the view from my office.

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Thank you, Dee! Your needle is on its way back to you, along with a goodie. Hope you like it!

Ruffle Kerfuffle is live!

It’s my birthday, and what better way to celebrate than to add new designs to my pattern collection?

This is the Ruffle Kerfuffle scarflet. It was my original idea for this design, knit in the round with a steek to cut, and the ruffled ends and criss-cross buttons. But I couldn’t leave well enough alone, so I also knit a longer version, the Ruffle Kerfuffle Scarf.

So cute! But what about those knitters that don’t ever want to cut a steek?

No steek, no ruffle. Something for everyone

You can find more information on these patterns on the Ruffle Kerfuffle page.

To celebrate my birthday, I’m having a sale! $1 off any pattern in my Ravelry store, no limit. This includes Ruffle Kerfuffle! The sale is through Sunday, September 9.

And if you’re interested in a Kerfuffle KAL, and virtual hand-holding for the steeking, let me know. I’m also teaching a steeking class with this pattern at Twisted in Portland on the Monday after Thanksgiving. C’mon, you know you want to!

Looking for a few test knitters

I’m looking for a few test knitters to knit my newest design in the works, the Ruffle Kerfuffle scarf and/or the related Kerfuffle Cowl. These are knit in the round in a heavy worsted weight (Malabrigo Worsted Merino). Both are knit from color charts; there are only two colors per round. The cowl is pretty straightforward. The scarf? Knit in the round and steeked! Are you feeling…adventurous?

I have a limited amount of yarn in appropriate colors, or if you have stash yarn in colors you like better, that would work, too. The project requires one variegated and one coordinating solid or semi-solid color. Malabrigo Worsted Merino is perfect; I think KnitPicks Chroma would be gorgeous, too. I’d like the project done in 1-2 weeks.

If you’re interested in test knitting for me, either this project or another, let me know in the comments and I’ll contact you. (Scarf? Cowl?) I can’t offer you diamonds, gold, or even yarn, but you’d have access to a new design that will be fun to knit, and you get to keep the final project.

Knit on!