Inspiration at Knotty Knits

Adorable bear!

http://tracykm.blogspot.com/2013/05/bear.html

Upcoming Northern Virginia Seminar

I am going to Northern Virginia at the end of June to teach a two day seminar.  This should be especially fun since this group asked me to focus on non-beginner, more interesting, unusual or challenging stuff.

So, I went through my past seminars for the demos that the knitters liked best, then added in some new ones and some bonus materials in case I go fast.  The last seminar I did, I got through everything in my demonstration books, and I really believe people were following along just fine.  I always do bound handouts for the participants.  Here's the plan:

NORTHERN VIRGINIA SEMINAR AGENDA

 

All “As Time Permits” Items are Included in the Handout Book

 

DAY ONE - June 22, 2013 - BULKY MACHINE:

Machine Knitting Tricks & Tips:

Improve, Simplify Cast-Ons & Cast-Offs

Hand-Knit Look Cast-Off

Cap Sleeve Knitted-In Armhole

Idiot Cord Edgings

Crocheting to Cast-Off & Piecrust Stitch

Practically Perfect Gauge Swatch

Convert Pattern Gauges to Your Gauge

 

Knit Leader:

Multiple Knit Leader uses, such as knitting crafts, intarsia, use with sewing patterns, use with bulky machine

 

Happy Feet:

Sew-As-You Go Sock or Slipper

Everyone’s Fave:  SAYG Lined Slipper

 

Garter Bar – Stopper + Savvy:

Easy, Fast GB Moves

Quaker & Garter Stitch

Increase/Decrease Evenly Across Row & Round Yoke Principles

Easiest Cables & Lace:  Move Desired Stitches

Amazing!  Speed Ripping

 

As Time Permits Demonstrations:     

Floatless, Vertical Fair Isle

Helix Laid Cables

Twisted Fringe

Shaped Entrelac Hat

Ruched Heart Trim

Diana’s Tam

 

DAY TWO - June 23, 2013 - STANDARD MACHINE:

 

Standard Gauge Lace:
Stitch World Scalloped Lace
Diana’s Automatic Scalloped Lace
Mirror Image Lace

Ribber:

Improved Cast-Ons & Bind-Offs
Simulated Simulknit
Quilted Ribbing
Mitered Ribbing

Ribber Demos, As Time Permits:

Ribber Sock Techniques
Release Stitch Lace
Bubble Wrap Stitch
Vertical Buttonhole

Bonus Directions in the Handout Book:

            Circular Baby Blanket

            Lined, SAYG Slipper
            Shaped Entrelac Hat
            Scalloped Lace Scarf
            Ribber Checkered Baby Blanket
            SAYG Sock
            SAYG Lined Slipper
            Diana’s Tam

Want to come?  I understand from Diana Guenther, the organizer, that there are still some spaces.  Here's some information from Diana's registration flyer:

Date: June 22-23, 2013 (Saturday and Sunday)

Time: 9:30AM – 4:30PM

Place: Sandy Spring Museum 17901 Bentley Rd, Sandy Spring, Maryland 20860

Lunch: Potluck lunch both days! Everybody bring something…or make arrangements in advance

Cost: $60 for 2 days if registering by June 1

 

$65 for those registering after June 1

 

Only checks will be accepted. Please make check out to "NVMKC". Registration deadline is June 15, 2013.

Please mail this form and your payment to: Diana Guenther

2917 Peregoy Drive

Kensington, MD 20895

Contact Diana at 301-933-3980 or dianaguenther@comcast.net with any questions

           

Tuck Lace @ Yet Another Canadian Artisan

I tend to forget all about tuck lace as a technique, and there's an interesting writeup about it over at Yet Another Canadian Artisan.  Makes me want to go run up samples and see what they look like:

https://cutlermac.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/tuck-lace-using-the-knitting-machine/

Keep Us In Your Prayers

Since we knitters are like family, I feel the need to share this.  My husband John's brother Timothy is desperately ill and has been in the hospital the last few days.  He is so much worse today that now he is not expected to survive.

Those of you who pray, please pray for Tim, John, their sister Laura, and their mom Barbara.

Update:  Tim passed away a little while ago. 

Cute Preemie Hat on Machine Knitting Fun

Well, the hat's cute and the baby in the picture is adorable...

http://machineknittingfun.blogspot.com/2013/04/preemie-hats-on-sunny-day.html

Patterns on Rett og Vrang

I see that Synnove is putting patterns on her blog.  I just love to look at the pictures and enjoy her beautiful work.

Trouble reading blogs in other languages?  It can certainly help to right-click and choose the "translate" option.  Your browser will usually offer to either translate with Google Translate or translate with Bing.

http://rettogvrangstrikk.blogspot.com/

Oh, My! Check out Katherine's Wonderful Machine Knitting Tables

I really like these!  I like the tilt, the ability to stack the lids on the bottom legs, and the sizes sound quite practical.  So, if you need a machine knitting table, here's the link:

http://www.knittingmachinetables.com/index.html

Inspiration at Rett og Vrang

Double Jacquard Justin Bieber:

http://rettogvrangstrikk.blogspot.com/2013/04/knitting-justin-test.html

Inspiration at My Blue Heaven

Lovely dress...


http://myblueheavenknits.wordpress.com/2013/04/18/new-way-to-do-ripple-top-make-it-a-dress/

Inspiration at Rhythm of the Needles

Three beautiful projects underway!

http://1-step-up.blogspot.com/2010/10/tuck-lace.html

Ever Feel Like This?

Update on Current Projects

We've had another extremely busy weekend, attending a non-profit conference on Friday out of town, which took the whole day.  Left at 7:00 a.m., got home about 7:00 p.m.

Then we came home and hit our projects Saturday, hard.  John is working on an antique motorcycle and I am working on two new products at once.

My Knit Leader course is nearly finished.  I am down to last edits, menus, and the covers for the packaging.  In the course, I did a long cardigan sweater with fair isle borders on the standard gauge and a crafty bulky intarsia project.  I also included some lessons on other shaping challenges and how to take them on with the Knit Leader.  It worked out to fill two DVDs - and DVDs and not writing, but I may include a file in case someone w

I am also writing a general MK book that won't have a video, but more about that later.  I can see that I'm going to finish the Knit Leader course first.

Now, just for fun, here's a photo of monkey hats that I knitted for our club's project.  The one at 4:00 is a pattern given to me by the San Diego guild, and then I started playing around and making all kinds of changes to the idea of knitting monkey hats.   After looking at all the sock monkey images I could find, my version ended up with doubled, lined earflaps and hat area with red inside, different crown shaping, and an intarsia face with a bigger snout and smiling mouth.

Difficult Yarn

We were knitting chemo hats at Knit Natters using Fun Fur yarn.  It really seems as though Fun Fur has changed, that the eyelashes are longer, and the texture is different.  We found it very, very difficult to knit, even though Joan had knitted quite a few in the past without these difficulties.

I couldn't get the two colors I tried to knit in my 270 at all.  I had not brought the ribber to the knit-in, but one of the things I plan to try is knitting with the ribber.  I'm thinking the wheels and brushes on the 270 may be catching the eyelashes.

Another thing I'd like to try is using the intarsia carriage with it.  I didn't bring any Fun Fur home to try, and I'll pick some up next time I'm in the shops.  I thought I'd also look through the other yarns to see if there's a shorter and hopefully easier-to-knit eyelash yarn.

We did get quite a few hats knitted, though.  Several of the ladies were doing fairly well with the Fun Fur, although it was slow going, pulling down after every row. 

John came and took apart a Passap console, changed the battery, cleaned the contacts and reseated the chips for one of our friends.  It was starting to act up, which John says is often a symptom of a very weak battery.

Another friend is experiencing some dimming with the Brother 970 control box.  I've heard of this problem before.  John is intrigued.  He and I did a web search to see if we could locate a service manual.  Any leads, friends?  Also, he'd love to get his hands on a dim, broken or dead control box and do a motherboard autopsy.

Knit Natters Knit-In Tomorrow

We're knitting charity hats, most of the day, at the Crystal Lake Baptist Church in Leander, Texas.

I'm really counting my blessings with the changes to our knit club - that this church has "adopted" us and is letting us use their space; that we have new people, who started coming relatively recently; that we have some terrific new beginners; that our members are so generous with doing charity knitting; that Sylvia is president and keeping us organized with demos, refreshments, and announcements. 

The Knit Natters knit club is better than ever!

Tomorrow is going to be primarily knitting hats.  Barbara Deike has a great Passap hat she cooked up with no seams.  I'm bringing along a wacky intarsia hat pattern I've been working on.  Some of the ladies are working fun fur chemo hats, and I might try that. 

Marg Coe's Raglan Comparison

Have a look -

http://margsknittingplace.blogspot.com/2013/04/raglan-pullovers-two-different.html

I'm a Jody Raymond fan myself.  Absolutely wonderful patterns.

Lovely Note from Sally Cooper

This was in my inbox:

Hello!

I'm Sally Cooper using my mom's email to thank you for your help learning how to knit. I wanted to learn so that I had something fun to do with my grandma when she visited in summer.  Only thing is, my mom isn't very good at knitting, so I needed to read some on the computer after she showed me the basics.

Your page (http://knitnatters.com/links.htm) had some great stuff!  I really liked some patterns I found because I'm just learning how to use them.

My mom also found me another page that was my second favorite: (http://www.paradisefibers.com/knitting_and_other_craft_activities_for_kids.)  It is made for kids and has llama finger puppets on it that were so fun to make.  My mom said that if I sent a good email, you might put it on your page and other kids could learn from one place!  That would be so cool!

Let me know if you like the page.

Thank you!!!!!!!!

Sally Cooper

12 years old

 

I think Sally's email is absolutely terrific.  Does anyone out there have some more fun links for young knitters?

 

I hope she comes over to the blog and has a look around.  I think Sally might enjoy making a bunny, for starters.

Humor

My work buddy, Laura, knowing what a knitting fanatic I am, gave me this:

New Video - Kitchener Stitch from the Knit Side

I put this video up for April early - around last week.  It was my answer to a question on the sock knitting machine list, about how to Kitchener stitch (graft) a seam from the stockinette, or knit side.  Typically, machine knitters graft from the purl side, but learning to graft from the knit side can be quite useful. 



This is a little bit like "smiles and frowns" stitch, and even if you are a great grafter, learning to do it this way will undoubtedly help you with your grafting tension because you can see the formed stitches from the right side.

Inspiration at Il mio Mondo

Something elegant at Vanda's blog.

http://ilmiomondodilana.blogspot.com/2013/03/giacca-2-colori-tuk.html

At Rett Og Vrang - Adorable Booties

One of those website where I always enjoy looking at the things she makes!

http://rettogvrangstrikk.blogspot.com/2013/03/waiting-for-yarnventer-pa-garn.html