Tag Archives: VKLive

Still catching up, bicoastally

How much can we pack into February? A LOT. I’ll never get to completely blog VKLive NYC and Red Alder Fiber Arts Retreat in Tacoma, but here are some highlights.

Fun classes with great students, both at VKLive

And at Red Alder. why am I showing both Sheepy Steeky Coasters classes? Because the joy of scissors makes a great photo op!

So happy to meet up with Keith Leonard and Shaina Bilow again after Knit Maine. And new friend Dario Tubiana, too. (Check out the sheep on the door of La Pecora Bianca.)

The Empire State Building makes a great tiara…or unicorn horn. You decide.

I didn’t have a full length mirror in NYC, but I did in Tacoma, so I could do my traditional what did I wear collage. Coffee Breakers Shawl (from Brioche Knit Love), Camellia Wrap, Ebb and Flow cowl.

Ebb and Flow looks good on everyone! New Beginnings statue outside the Federal Courthouse in Tacoma. It was the train station a long time ago.

Hanging out with Alasdair Post-Quinn (double knitting king), Michael Kelson (Spinpossible), and Xandy Peters.

We had fabulous markets on both coasts. What did I buy, since you know I don’t stash yarn?

Super fun yarn and NYC-themed project bag from Maker’s Mercantile. And it comes with a notions box that fits in the pocket, too. Look closely to see all the fiber-related pictures!

Also from NYC, Jūl’s new toolkit. Choose your shape: round, square, or triangle.

You can make the shape into a shawl pin with the stick pin, or a shawl cuff with the leather band. You can use the stick pin by itself. The other two leather pieces are to close a cardigan front. And the buttons have a round ball at the end of the shank, and a leather back to pop over the ball. You can move your buttons from one piece of knitwear to the next. So far I’ve only used the cuff, but I’ve used it a lot.

From Tacoma: a silly cats in hats project bag, also from Maker’s Mercantile. Did I need it? Yes. It will help corral supplies for a class.

Oh look, yarn! I bought this peacock green to teal gradient from Schmutzerella to knit one more Ebb and Flow. I love how smoothly the colors melt into each other. I can have both the taller neck and the longer triangle with this much yardage. It’s not stash if I have a plan to cast on soon! Right now I’m trying to decide if I want the blue on top or bottom. The piece gets wider towards the bottom, so the stripe down there will be narrower, but more visible. What do you think?

Always nice to see Mt. Rainier from my hotel room window.

So very different from my hotel room view the week before!

Currently on the needles: I’m finishing an Embellishment Cowl sample. I used it in class last week at VKL, and now I need it to display at For Yarn’s Sake as a sample for my class on May 7. It’s almost done. I need to have it bound off and steam blocked by Thursday morning, just in time for my trunk show. Wish me luck!

VKLive Seattle coming right up!

I’m deep in class prep this week, before packing to go up to Seattle for Vogue Knitting Live. I’m really looking forward to seeing knitters in person again!

Sheepy Steeky Coasters

I had a fun time this weekend teaching Sheepy Steeky Coasters for For Yarn’s Sake on Zoom, and I’m teaching it in person this Friday in Seattle. After that, I’m teaching it once more on May 7 via Zoom for Twisted Yarn Shop, and then not again ‘til fall, I think.

VKLive Seattle class roundup

Plans for Seattle: 3 brioche classes (Petite Brioche, Deep End increases and decreases, and Syncopation), and steeks and slip stitch.

The marketplace is free to enter all weekend. If you’re not up for classes but just want to shop and check things out, come on by! I’ll be signing Brioche Knit Love books in the Hazel Knits Yarn booth on Saturday from 12:30 to 2 pm. And I’m really looking forward to checking out her Divine yarn base, which is a fingering weight 75/15/10 blend of superwash merino, cashmere, and silk. Sounds very luxe, an I’m all for it! Mmmmm, cashmere.

Book signing!

Also this week: Trying to get ready to publish my Cosette cowl pattern. Wish me luck, or more hours Monday through Wednesday! We’ll see if I get it all done.

Cosette: coming soon!

How’s your week looking?

Dreaming of Spring

I’ve been haunting the Portland waterfront this month, waiting for the cherry trees to bloom.

The top picture is 2 weeks ago, and the bottom is from March 31, 2019. Hoping next weekend is peak!

This color palette is on point!

Here’s a peek at what it’s becoming. I’m so pleased with this. After my adventure with the Pythagorean Theorem and the hypoteneuse, all is well! I don’t regret frogging those 11,000 stitches at all. I’m just over halfway done with this. Pattern coming soon.

I didn’t get much knitting done this weekend because I was teaching for Vogue’s Virtual Knitting Live. I debuted my new Darn It! class, which was really fun! Mending and even more visible mending. This all started with that sock mending project for a friend; it was so much fun I wanted to share my new skills. I’m teaching it again through For Yarn’s Sake on April 25, registration on this page, soon.

And we also launched Brioche Doctor. This covers reading your brioche knitting, and fixing mistakes. I love that it’s different every time, depending on the questions from my students. We can make this as calm or as crazy as you want! I like having several samples so we can play with it different ways.

April classes are booked; I’m looking forward to teaching Brioche Doctor, Tink Drop Frog, Syncopation, and Log Cabin Knitting for Vogue in April. Sign up for their newsletter so you can be notified when registration goes live.

I’m also teaching a slightly longer Syncopation/Syncopated Brioche class for Bazaar Girls Yarn Shop on April 3. I’ll walk you through flat brioche instead of assigning it as homework, before getting to the syncopated brioche. Class is a little longer than the VKL classes to accommodate this. Register here!

I have classes with Twisted and For Yarn’s Sake in April, too. Sign up for my newsletter for the most complete list of classes, plus knitting news, tutorials, and the best discount on my new pattern releases. I try to keep my Workshops and Classes pages updated here on the blog, but there’s no way to let you know about updates on that.

Knit on!

New Classes: Darn It! and Brioche Doctor

I’ve been having so much fun mending my knits, I decided to develop a class to share the love. Darn It! There’s a Hole in My Knitting makes its debut at the March Vogue Virtual Knitting Live. Registration for VKL is now open:

I’m also teaching Brioche Doctor: Fixing Brioche Mistakes, another new class. And I’ll be teaching Petite Brioche and Syncopation, and giving my lecture on Blocking: It’s Magic! A full slate of fun for me, and for you, too.

I had a great time teaching Petite Brioche for Bazaar Girls Yarn Shop on Saturday, so much brioche success! My next class in the series is Deep End: Brioche Increases and Decreases on Saturday March 6, which is coming right up. You can choose your project: Deep End Hat, Deep End Cowl, or Madrona Cowl, and the pattern is included in the class fee. Register here.

So much going on around here. Onward!

Katie’s Kep: FO! and VKL class winner

I just finished knitting Katie’s Kep, the free Shetland Wool Week pattern from 2020.

The crown is definitely the star of the show. Absolutely gorgeous. Both of these pictures are pre-blocking.

I didn’t knit to gauge, but I’m not willing to knit a hat on smaller than US3 needles. The hat is supposed to be 22” but mine is 23” instead, and 9” tall. I don’t swatch for hats. I go by Meg Swansen’s maxim that the hat will fit *someone*! My first hat is a great big gauge swatch.

I’m knitting a second hat, with one fewer repeat of the body stitch pattern. My kit from For Yarn’s Sake has enough of all the CC yarn for a second hat, if I buy an extra ball of the main color, which I did. (There are 5 colorways to choose from.)

I’ve adjusted my cast on, too. I know how to get the crown to work out, based on my reduced number of stitches. Math tells me that my new hat will measure 19”, which gives me some negative ease to help keep it on my head. I might try to remove a few stitches to make it a bit shorter…or not. When it stretches out to accomodate my 22.5” head, that will also make it shorter. Fabric has to come from somewhere! My hats are generally 8” tall.

I’m teaching a Zoom class for For Yarn’s Sake this Sunday, and again later in the month, based on this pattern. (Classes are full. Should we schedule a third class?) We’ll start the class with a discussion on gauge! We’ll also talk about swatching, or not, and ways to adjust the size of the hat. I’m really looking forward to it!

In other class news, I’ve picked a winner for a free class with me at January Vogue Knitting Live. It’s Lauri T! I’ll email her and let her know that she’ll be in my YO? YO! Fun and Fancy Elongated Stitches class. I’m pretty excited about that one, too. I just re-vamped the handout for class, adding more fun stitches. We won’t get through them all in 2 hours, but the handout is a good reference and jumping off point. Congratulations, Lauri!

What new knitting skill do you want to learn in 2021?

Petite Brioche Class giveaway

I’m teaching at Vogue’s Virtual Knitting Live this coming weekend. Most of my classes are full, but there’s still a few spots open in Sunday’s Petite Brioche class. Vogue is letting me give away a spot in the class.

Would you like to win this spot? Class is Sunday November 15, 7 pm EST (4 pm PST, and I’ll let *you* figure out the rest!) To enter to win, visit my Instagram page and click on the picture that looks like this one. Tag a friend and leave a comment about why you want to learn to knit brioche! I’ll pick a winner Thursday evening.

Good luck!

November Virtual Knitting Live

Registration is open for Vogue’s Virtual Knitting Live! I’m pleased to be teaching 4 classes, and giving my Blocking: It’s Magic lecture again.

Madrona Cowl, Deep End Hat

I have a new and improved version of my Brioche Increases and Decreases class, featuring my Madrona Cowl and Deep End Hat. Choose either project to learn these techniques.

Log Cabin Knitting

And I have a new Log Cabin Knitting class, where you’ll learn the technique and then see a lot of ways to play with it. This is easy knitting, if you’re looking for a mindless or meditative knit.

I’m also teaching Syncopation and Petite Brioche, which are always fun. I’ve been enjoying teaching at Vogue’s events; it’s nice to empower knitters to be the boss of their knitting!

I know it’s not the same as being together in person, but virtual events are much more accessible for most. Have you been to any virtual knitting events?

Brioche trifecta

Apparently I’m living my best brioche life today. This morning I got up early and took a VKLive class with Nancy Marchant, Lacing Up Brioche.

I learned 2 ways to make eyelet holes in my brioche, the double yarn over method, and the release purl method. Brilliant! I bought Nancy’s book back in March, but had yet to open it. I just needed someone to make me pay attention. It was 7 a.m. here for me, and 4 p.m. for Nancy in Amsterdam. There were students all over the world; thank you Zoom!

Here’s a better look at my swatch, with the light shining through.

Brioche item 2: I also taught a Petite Brioche class later in the morning; these are always fun. Twenty new brioche knitters sent out into the world!

Brioche item 3? I’m test knitting a hat for Hunter Hammersen. I saw her call for test knitters on Twitter, and her sample was so pretty I couldn’t resist. It’s knitting up nicely in Malabrigo Rios. The variegation in the dark color doesn’t show much on the public side, but the inside is spectacular.

It’s been a very brioche day. But not to worry, I also got a few rows in on my Half the Knit Sky KAL.

I just finished the next increase row, so my smile is getting bigger!

Tomorrow I’m teaching brioche increases and decreases, and Petite Brioche again on Sunday. Lots more brioche going on!

brioche knitting

If all this talk of brioche makes you want to learn, there are still a few spots in my classes *next* weekend through the Peacetree Fiber Adventures online retreat. I’m teaching Petite Brioche and Next Steps in Brioche: Increases and Decreases. Check it out!

Virtual VKLive Round 3 coming up!

I’m pleased to be teaching at the July edition of Virtual VogueKnitting Live! More brioche, and more entrelac. And for the first time, they have a preview page so you can see what the class offerings will be. Link right here. Sign up for their newsletter, and you’ll be first to know when registration goes live, which will be very soon.

I’m knitting away on my second Half the Knit Sky. Pattern coming soon; 2/3 of my test knitters are done. I’m ready to rock and roll! Would you be interested in a Half the Knit Sky KAL? I’d be happy to organize one, if the interest is there. This is lovely lightweight summer knitting.

What are you knitting now?

VKLive Seattle postponed; pattern sale and local classes

It’s official: Vogue Knitting Live Seattle has been postponed. With the COVID-19 outbreak hitting the Seattle area particularly hard, this is a wise decision.

Teachers, vendors, organizers, and participants have prepared for this show, so it’s disappointing that we won’t be together. The vendors, especially, have invested in preparing inventory, and it won’t be sold next weekend. The vendor list is still up; if you’d like to support them with a purchase, you can see who they are here. I see names of some local favorites on the vendor list, including Knitted Wit, Hazel Knits, and Despondent Dyeworks.

As for me, I’m having a pattern sale to help make up for a lost work weekend. You can get 20% off my patterns on Ravelry with the code POSTPONED through March 15, 2020. Knit something fun!

In the meantime, if I can gather enough people, I could do a Petite Brioche beginning brioche class here in Portland on Saturday, March 14, from 10:30 to 12:30, $25. It would be at Fremont United Methodist Church, the same building where Puddletown Knitters Guild meets.

Or would you like to learn basic entrelac, knitted flat? The notes for this class are the foundation of my upcoming Minerva Cowl or Scarf (no worries; it’s been tech edited!). Class would be from 1:30 to 4 pm, same venue, $30.

I know it’s short notice, but I’m game if you are. Leave a comment to let me know if you’re interested in either or both classes, and I’ll let you know if it’s happening by Thursday.

For now I’ll be home, transforming my Rose City Yarn Crawl goodies into new designs for you.

And for Bisquee and Calvin. We need to keep the kibble supply rolling!