Last June, while teaching at the Houston Fiber Fest on my first trip to Houston, I had a chance to see just how flat the terrain is. And now I’m trying to picture much of it being underwater, trying to imagine what my kind hosts and students are dealing with right now. It’s harm to fathom.
But it’s not difficult to take action. That’s what the fiber community does, right? I’ve already donated to the Red Cross, and I plan to make a blood donation soon. And I’m taking part in the Stitches “We Care” initiative.
XRX is donating half the Stitches Texas Market ticket sales to the Houston Food Bank. Many of the Market vendors are donating a super-generous 5% of their sales. And the teachers are joining forces to raffle off a quilt and a two afghans.
Me? I’m busy knitting an afghan square, out of Trendsetter Merino VI provided by Barry Klein.
You’ll notice that I’m knitting from the center out – it’s my favorite way of knitting a square without having to determine gauge and stitch count up-front!
|
|
Stitches West isn’t until next February, but I wanted to share with you the details of a new class I’ll be teaching there, Not Your Grandma’s Long-tail Cast-on.
So many of us learned the long-tail cast-on early in our knitting careers – but only one way of doing it. In this class, we’ll go over several ways of doing it. These variations feature superior sproing (yes, that’s a technical term), a comfy rounded edge, and extra decorative appeal. We’ll even go over ways of casting on so that you can work your first row as a right-side row, and still get the smooth side of the cast-on on the outside of your work. It’s just a short 90-minute class, but I promise to fill it to the brim!
|
|
Good news! Emma is now available on Ravelry.
That’s the crescent wrap I described in my last newsletter, the one that starts with a strip of edging, gets shaped via short rows and decreases, and is finished with an I-cord bind-off. It started as an experiment – and when I asked last month if I should write up the pattern, the answer was a resounding, “yes, please!”
No surprise here: the pattern presents Emma’s edging as a stitch map. But don’t worry – if you haven’t yet(!) become a stitch maps fan, the pattern also provides complete written instructions.
|
|
You already know that Hunter Hammersen does amazing work, right? Did you know that she’s updated Silk Road Socks?
This second edition features expanded sizing for the original twelve patterns – that is, sizing for both fingering-weight and dk/sport-weight yarn – plus two brand-new patterns. I think my favorite might be Gordes.
Such lovely detail, no?
Bonus: every print book includes a unique code, printed in the inside back cover, that gets you a free copy of the electronic version of the book. Hmm, I’m going to have to ask Hunter how she pulled that off..
|
|
Stitches Texas is next week, and soon after that is the Loopy Ewe Fall Fling. I’m also looking forward to Myrna Stahman’s Boise Lace Knitting Retreat, which is in its 19th year. Twenty lace knitters get together for four full days of classes and sharing. This year’s retreat is also scheduled to include a visit to a mohair farm. Sounds good, right? If you’d like to join us this October 22-27, email Myrna.
Further out, there’s the Fjords and Highlands Knitting Cruise. Whoo hoo! Is it too early to start packing?
As always, you can view my entire schedule at any time on my website. |
|
If you follow the Stitch Maps page on Facebook, you know that I post a “Tidbit” every week, a link to something special that I think will be of interest to stitch maps fans. Well, two of the recent Tidbits were special enough that I decided to share them here as well.
First, NeSpoon’s lace-inspired urban artwork:
The scale of one body of work is macro, the other micro, but they’re both stunning.
On the Stitch Maps Facebook page, I can’t promise links this spectacular each week – but I’ll try! Like the page to see what I come up with.
|
|
|
|
