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 […]
31
Jan
Jan
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 […]
31
Jan
Jan
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 […]
31
Jan
Jan
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 […]
15
Feb
Feb
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!
21
Jan
Jan
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 […]
07
Feb
Feb
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 […]
05
Jan
Jan
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 […]
04
Nov
Nov
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 […]
13
Oct
Oct
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 […]
Experience level – advanced beginner
After I finished my Arctic Lace Knitting Book, I finally allowed myself to explore the world of lace knitting and discovered that is is much more varied and elaborate than I could have imagined. Around the world and over time, knitters in different countries and regions have developed unique styles of lace knitting that range from easy-intermediate (like the knitting of the Oomingmak knitters) to advanced-insanely- difficult (like some of the Victorian patterns designed by English knitters). Other lace styles are used in Estonia, Russia, South America, Lithuania, Germany and Austria, and New Zealand. I’m sure there are even more, but these are the styles I’ve explored so far. – Donna Druchunas –
Experience: All skill levels, basic knitting skills required.
Have you ever wondered why some people can read charts easily and others find them incomprehensible? The truth is, charts are written in a code that can be deciphered by knitters who learn the symbols on the page and in their knitting. Charts do not use arbitrary symbols, but each symbol includes the instructions on how to make the indicated stitch! In this class, you will learn the secrets of interpreting chart symbols for texture and cable stitches.
A mystery knit along (MKAL) is a type of knitting project in which a pattern is released in stages over a period of time, typically a few weeks or months. Each stage of the pattern is released at a specific date and time, and the final design is not revealed until the end of the project. This adds an element of surprise and excitement to the knitting process, as knitters do not know what the finished product will look like until it is complete.
