The availability of qiviut changes frequently. When I was working on Arctic Lace, I was able to obtain yarn for knitting and photos of fiber from only a few manufacturers. As we went to press, the companies listed in the book as sources for qiviut sell it as a raw material or in the form […]
Guest designer Annie Modesitt has contributed this cute garter stitch dog jacket pattern. Annie is working on a book called Men Who Knit (and The Dogs Who Love Them…). Keep your eyes open for it at your local yarn shop later this year, but in the meantime, you can get a sneak peek on Annie’s […]
A close family friend passed away last week (Oct 2013). On the wall in my bedroom is a plaque she gave me when I was a little girl. As Mrs. Downs, she was our school nurse and as Aunt Phebe, an honorary part of our family. Besides my blood relatives, she was the single most […]
I designed this shrug because I thought it would be a good garment to donate to women’s’ shelters. It is one-size fits all, so it’s great for donations when you don’t know the size of the recipient. It also is flattering on any figure, and even fits well during pregnancy. You can also make different […]
Working with mohair yarn can be a challenge. Because the yarn is so fuzzy and the fibers are clingy, the yarn will stick to itself as you knit, making it almost impossible to rip out. If you do have to rip, slowly unknit the piece stitch by stitch, using a sharp scissor to separate the furry halo if it gets stuck together. But be careful not to cut the core of the yarn!
Two things happened this weekend that made me think of this: On Facebook, Gaye Glasspie aka GGmadeit, has a weekly knitting Q&A and she asked who was going to Vogue Knitting Live. Well, I’m not, and it’s because I can’t afford to go to a knitting event unless I’m working the show. People often make assumptions […]
Yarn speaks to me. It tells me what it wants to be, and so much more. The yarn I love most is made of wool, the wool of sheep. I love its accent, how it tells me where it grew, about the sheep it insulated, about the pasture it roamed. Each breed of sheep has its […]
Are you ready for a new season of Sherlock? Season 4 started this week on PBS (in the USA). This year, while you’re watching, you can get inspired for some great new knitting projects. Sherlock Knits, a new book by Joanna Johnson, includes ten patterns inspired by the series. But it’s even better than that! The book has […]
We’ve just wrapped up our fall teaching season with the Vermont Fall Knitting Retreat at Trapp Family Lodge. What a fantastic time and a wonderful group of knitters. Anne Berk, author of Annetarsia Knits: A New Link to Intarsia joined me and we spent the weekend on colorful knitting techniques, enjoying the beautiful lodge, and singing songs […]
I like to make small projects. I like them in summer, when it’s too hot to have a big wooly sweater or afghan on my lap. I like them in fall and winter when I’m rushing to get something warm to put on my head or gifts to hand out to friends and family over […]