Knitionary

The Y2Knit MidWinter potluck and cookie exchange was fun...good eats and yummy cookies (how many did we eat!!!?).

The batteries on my camera were dead, of course, so you'll just have to imagine Terry Thorson acting out "stripping" when we played Knitionary, Audrey's latest game creation. It's like Pictionary but with all knitting terms. Terry was supposed to be drawing, but we were amused enough to let her keep acting. For sure, there are some wits among us.

Happy holidays--we hope everyone has a wonderful time with family and friends or however they choose to spend the time. May you arrive at the new year refreshed and ready to knit through 2008!

HOliday Open House

As my mother would say, " a fun time was had by all." At the Y2Knit yarn shop Holiday Open House, we started celebrating with Old Tyme Christmas in Funkstown on Friday night. Revelers of all ages came through the shop checking out the yarn and gift items in the back room, which included:

• Frankie's silver jewelry, all set with beautiful gems
• Allison Severance from Coles Pottery with her earthy, salt-glazed pots
• Joan Taylor of Cedar Ridge Soaps with her handmade, all-natural soaps and lotions

We continued the Open House all day Saturday with a steady stream of customers. Everyone loved the "one-stop shopping" and the opportunity to support local artists.

Thanks to everyone who shopped!

Projects that take on a life of their own

This year I had a new inspiration for holiday giving. I don't like the commercialism of the holidays and rebel against the extreme gift giving. Actually, against most gift giving, truth be known. I prefer heart felt gifts, whether handmade or thoughtfully purchased.

I decided to make hats for the homeless. I wanted to make hats with quality yarn so the recipient could feel the caring in them. I decided I would make the hats and give people on my gift list a card indicating that a hat/hats had been given in their honor. I would decorate the cards with a mini-hat! (I love whimsical knitting).

So the project began, and I was using up yarn I had around, another compulsion of mine (everyone's winning here!). Hat after hat rolled off the needles. Some leftover self-striping yarn became mini-hats. One mini-hat for every hat. I lined the mini-hats on the window sill, moving to the other window every time a hat was completed. Customers who were in on the project checked the hat progress and movement.

FO - Marge Brake's mohair throw

Since I opened the shop in 2003, Marge has made several afghans as wedding gifts. This one is for a niece/goddaughter. The Social Knitting group talked her into using Claudia Handpaints mohair boucle. This colorway is Ingrid's Blues. It's just knit, with fringe, and she didn't quite use three hanks.

It will be toasty warm for the newlyweds to cuddle under this winter. The colors are so pretty that it will look lovely draped on a couch or chair.

Stay tuned for her next project--a chunky knit cable afghan for her daughter.

The last of Autumn

This is the view out my side window. These are Bradford Pear trees, which are one of the last to change color and lose their leaves. I like having this lasting color. The downside of this is that they fall AFTER I have raked all of mine, then the wind blows them over to my side of the street and I have to rake all over again.

It's kind of like frogging my knitting!

Friends of Y2Knit

I'm going to post occasionally here about friends of Y2Knit: people we know who are sharing knitting and crocheting with others in some way.

Frankie Yourgulez-Buhrer, who lives near Funkstown in Smithsburg, MD, is one of the most generous people I know. She often comes into the shop to help fold patterns and price yarn. When I was contacted by Kathy Fisher at the Washington County Commission on Aging who was looking for someone to teach knitting and/or crocheting to seniors, Frankie volunteered. I knew she'd be perfect as she has a deep respect for "elders", as she calls them.

Frankie has been going to the Potomac Towers Senior Site in Hagerstown for a few months now. She took pictures the other day and I was amazed at the projects. She has taught knitting, crochet and cro-hook. She's obviously a good teacher!

Home again

I am pleased to be at the end of my traveling season, though I've been on the phone with my sister, Sally, planning travels for the holidays. Today I unpacked suitcases and got samples back on the walls and put yarn away.

I had fun knitting this weekend when we weren't busy at the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival. It was so cold on Sunday that I was highly motivated to finish my second glove--the first having been completed in early spring, then the project abandoned when the weather got warmer. I also finished a baby hat--the socks were already done. I knit a second sock to create a completed pair!

Bonnie Bailey, who accompanied me to the SVFF both days, also got some knitting done. I remember her binding off on a sock. We both planned lots of projects--enough to keep us going through 2008, I'm sure!

Sterling now available in black!!

Jill and I toured Kraemer Textiles mill last Wednesday. What fun to see all that fiber being spun into yarn. This mill, one of the few left in the US, employs about 70 people, some who have worked there for many, many years. George, in the lab, has worked there for 51 years!

Of course, one of our questions was when Sterling Silk & Silver would be available again, since we had run out and the mill had no more to sell us. When we got to the part of the mill where yarn is put into hanks, we discovered 83 hanks of Sterling had been made. We told Victor we'd take 40 to Stitches, so he carried 40 hanks (these are all hand twisted) to Olga, who put labels on them. We sold 37 of the 40 and have some on order.

Yesterday Victor called to say that they had produced black and he could add it to my order. It arrived today! This won't last long, so if you were waiting , don't wait long. We hope to have some hand dyed Sterling, but no ETA on that yet.

Lobster Claws

No one seems to recognize this style of winter hand covering. They are called "Lobster Claws" and are used by cyclists as you have the brake fingers free from the others.

Mittens are warmer than gloves as your fingers keep each other warm. Lobster claws are warmer than gloves and have more flexibility/usability of the fingers than mittens. They are also easier to knit than gloves, almost as easy to knit as mittens.

The yarn? Autunno by DiVe. Dreamy soft merino in a self-patterning colorway. Guage was 4.25 sts to an inch, so these knit up quickly. I'll get the other done soon!

Another Finished Object

Here's a great look in my favorite color combination. Terry Thorson knitted this shrug from Glam Knits in Blue Sky Organic Cotton. Terry is a meticulous knitter. Her daughter will love this!

If you're having trouble getting projects finished, consider the third Saturday drop-in sessions at Y2Knit. The UFO Conversion is designed for those who want to turn UnFinished Objects into Finished Objects. Bring any type and any number of projects, regardless of how long they’ve been languishing. (we won't tell!)

Focus will be on:

1) figuring out how to get projects on track,
2) finishing techniques (seaming, working in ends, picking up for edges) and
3) “corrective measures” that might be needed.

Third Saturdays, drop in, 1:00-5:00. $10/hr

Knitting Events

My daughter Rose and I went to Knitter's Day Out in central PA a couple of weeks ago. This is a picture of our booth. I also taught a class, Knitter's Math. This was the first of many events Jill and/or I will attend in the next month. We're hardly at home as we travel about spreading knitting goodwill and educating knitters.

It's fun to go to a knitting event as we meet knitters and get feedback on our designs. We see old friends, make new connections and get inspired by all the knitting energy around us.

This week we're in Oakland, CA, overnighting at Jill's in SF, at the Knit and Crochet Market and Show sponsored by The Knitting Guild of America. Jill and I are teaching several classes and we'll have a booth to sell patterns and Shokay, the lovely yak yarn. A bonus for me is that I get to spend some time with our mother, who also lives in SF.

Fall Knitting

It's fall, but it's sunny and warm. I want to get away from this computer and sit out in the sun and knit! I am thinking about hands today. My daughter, Rose, wants fingerless mitts to wear in her cold office. She requested, "A color that will go with everything, either black or hot pink". Not too many people think that hot pink goes with everything. In her case, it does.

I've wound a skein of black cashmere--I think I'll do those in a rib. Then I'm going to work up some 220 Superwash, an odd ball I have in a fuschia, which I know Rose will accept as it's in the bright pink family. I'll do that pair in a lace pattern I'm eager to work on.

I'm also eager to work with Autunno (pictured here), a lovely merino wool from DiVe that stripes. I was thinking about mittens, but I'm going to try to make lobster claw gloves. I have a pair for cycling and I like them...and they are different. Stay tuned.

Sterling Lace Shawl

Kraemer Yarns is making this yarn as fast as they can. I have a few skeins left in the shop and anxiously await more. We're finishing up the pattern for this shawl--isn't it fabulous! The knitter who knit this for us, Shannon Rose, couldn't say enough good things about this yarn --soft, smooth and blocked perfectly.

Susan's Kool-Aid Socks

You're probably wondering what line of yarn this beautiful handpaint came from! This is Susan's Kool-Aid dyed yarn. I dyed the wool/bamboo Pro Natura from Zitron. It comes white and the rest is up to us! I prefer yarn dyed by others, but it's fun once in a while to apply color and see what happens. They smell good while knitting too--at least when using Kool-Aid.

Neighborhood Fiber Co Trunk Show

We had a blast last weekend with Karida from Neighborhood Fiber Company visiting with a trunk show of fabulous yarn. Many of the yarn junkies turned out on this hot day--I think it was worth it for everyone. Karida names all the yarns after Washington, DC neighborhoods. I'm in love with many, but my favorite is LeDroit Circle. She's dyeing some sock yarn in this color that will become my "mother of the groom" sweater.

For others, like Kim, we helped with color choices. She went with the green (several of us chose Logan Circle).

More Knitting in China

Anna Wong from San Francisco wrote me this about her trip to China:

I was in China in June & though we weren't on a shopping trip but on a "roots" journey, I told my family that the one thing I wanted to look for was dp needles.

I speak no mandarin & very bad cantonese. During the trip, I encountered 3 knitters while we were roaming local neighborhoods & though we couldn't actually converse, with limited words, much sign language & pulling out my sock work in progress, it was amazing what a common bond knitting is - they loved my self striping yarn while I was awed at their sweaters/skirt on the long needles. I finally was able to get enough info from one of the knitters to direct me to a shopping area where there was a stall full of crochet, knitting & sewing notions. I got both metal and bamboo 14" dp needles - ended up buying various sizes & enough to give as gifts to my knitting buddies - the cost was unbelievable, I got 14 sets for US $7.00.

Bottom line, thank you for sharing your experience which in turn gave me an experience I will treasure.

Sterling Silk

Take some fine merino superwash, add silk and a touch of nylon and you've got a luxurious sock yarn. Add a bit of silver - yes, that kind - and you have lovely Sterling Silk& Silver.

Kraemer Yarns in Nazareth, PA has brought this wonderful yarn to the knitting world. It's being sold as "suitable for socks and more." The silver has antibacterial properties, enhancing the functionality for socks.

We're knitting this up in a lace shawl, and will post pictures as soon as it's ready!

Bon Voyage

Last night we had a party to say farewell to two of our friends. Sonja and Kathy both left us today to move on to the next phase of their lives. Sonja (left) heads home and then back to college. Kathy (right) is moving to Seattle to be close to family.

Sonja was a summer intern at Y2Knit and Kathy has a been a friend and helper to Susan since the day she moved to Funkstown and opened Y2Knit. They will both be missed by all of us. Both were regular attendees of Friday Night Social Knitting and KnitFlix.
After everyone had stuffed themselves with wonderful salads, Vietnamese dishes, fresh veggies and hummus dips,
cobbler, cheese cake, etc., we played Knitting Jeopardy. Audrey really knocked our socks off with this board she created. The cards flip over to reveal an answer on the back. We divided into teams and Audrey draw team numbers to determine the order. We had a blast!

Here's what the board looked like after the game. That's Audrey on the left and Susan holding the board. Then we played a game that required us to match the fiber to it's source and another one that required us to "name that fiber".

Then we moved on the presents! One of the presents Kathy received was a membership in the Y2Knit e-Connection, which is a one-year subscription program that provides an opportunity to experience eco-friendly and sustainable products in the yarn industry.

Sonja received a t-shirt and mug from our favorite late-night hangout, Krumpe's Do-nuts. We usually made a Krumpie's run every Friday after Social Knitting. She also received some yarn, needles, some dvd's, a Funkstown cookbook, some local memorabilia, and a big basket of fresh Leitersburg peaches. Frankie gave her a beautiful lizard pin that we all took turns wearing before giving to her so that some our knitting wisdom will go with it.

We're all really going to miss these two. We hope that Sonja comes back again in the future. Some of us a hoping to get a chance to go out to Seattle and visit Kathy someday. I know it's numero uno on my list of places to visit. We wish them both safe journeys and happy times!

Some finished projects

I knit a lot, but I don't always have finished projects. All week I've been swatching, but I realized I had finished these projects in the last couple weeks.

Pictured here is a "healing shawl" I knit using this fabulous merino cable yarn. It never sold well in the shop for some odd reason as it's a lovely yarn. So I've been enjoying it. I longed to work these three colors together. I go to a knitting group once a month at River Road UU church in Bethesda. This will be blessed and given to someone who is ill.








This hat uses the new ruffle yarn, Aloha, from Skacel. It's different to knit with and the results are fabulous.
The ruffle yarn is a wide knitted tape and you knit into the edge at 1-1.25" intervals, creating the ruffle. The tape has three colors, so depending on how you use it, different colors show up.

A more prolific knitter than I am, Sandy D'Onofrio brought some finished projects by for pics the other day. The Fibonacci sweater used a pattern from the knitting calendar. She knit it in Sierra from Cascade, in various shades with a great effect. The socks are in Lifestyle from Skacel and the Snazzy Hat is Squiggle and Lamb's Pride Bulky.

Tea Dyes

I'm experimenting with alpaca/cotton quilt batting from BacktoBack Alpaca. I want to make a vest. I've made a bag already and will be teaching classes around the techniques I'm using. The batting is off-white and I want it to be a pale color for my vest. What you see here are swatches dyed in (l to r) pink lemonade Kool-Aid, black tea and green tea. The green tea wins, as much as I like pink! Sonja says the pink reminds her of home insulation, so that color is now completely ruled out.

Tea dyeing: I soaked the fiber in warm water until saturated, then squeezed the excess water out and placed in a flat bottomed container. I made a strong tea--two tea bags in 6 oz of water, which I poured over the fiber, covering it completely. (I had let the tea sit while I took a shower). I let it sit for awhile--I checked email and forgot I had started this project and came back to it when I returned to the kitchen to do the dishes. The water was room temp by then. Then I put it in the microwave for 2 minutes, removed and let sit for another forgettable period of time. I then pressed the water out, rolled up in a towel to further dry and set out to air dry. Total time I spent on this project, by the clock, about 1.5 hours. Total time I actually was doing something, about 5 minutes. I have yet to work out the logistics of larger pieces. I think I have to buy some bulk tea first--this will take more than a couple of tea bags. Seems like a good excuse to check out the new tea shop in Hagerstown!

More Field Trip Pictures

More pictures and story.

Y2Knit Field Trip

Janis and Marge

The social knitting groups from Y2Knit got together and went on a field trip Monday. We piled into cars and vans and headed south to Virginia. Janis and Marge rode with Doug and I in the Outback and we knitted and talked the whole way to Staunton, Virginia.

Our driver: my husband Doug (the only male in the entire group)

First stop: Chester Farms, home of Cestari Yarns. Mr. Chester (below) took half the group on a wagon tour of the farm while the other half toured the mill. Only a part of the operation is at this location. Most of the sheep are on another nearby farm. He talked about his sheep, Merino and Columbia, and it was clear that he really loves raising the sheep and improving the bloodlines and the wool. He was very enthusiastic about the whole process.

We got to meet Reggie, a partially shorn cat (matted hair removed) and some of the rams.

The whole yarn making process was fascinating. The machines used are all from a mill in Maine and were made in the 1940's. I saw a date of 1947 on one of them.



They send the wool to Pennsylvania to be dyed and it comes back in 700lb. bales.

They spread them out and feed them into a machine that mixes and fluffs them. Then they go into a huge machine that cards and combs to wool. It comes out the other end a pencil roving on long rolls.


The rolls are then taken to another machine that spins the roving onto spindles. The spindles are taken to another machine that plies them onto other spindles. Those spindles are taken to another machine that winds them onto really big spindles. The big spindles go to the last machine that winds them into center-pull skeins. I think. I could be wrong about any of those steps.

I took lots of video of the machine running. I hope to upload it to YouTube soon. Stay tuned for more later...

Yarn Sex

It was quite a sight at Social Knitting last night. I don't have a picture, regrettably, to share.

The Malabrigo yarn had arrived late and Sonja and I did not get it put away, rather it was on the table in the room where the social knitters meet. I left the room to get more chairs at some point and came back to find a bag of the lace weight (that beautiful teal pictured at the far left) ripped open and yarn being fondled amid a chorus of "oohs" and "aahs". Kim had looped the hank around her neck and was cuddling it. I think they liked it!



A couple of hours earlier, Sonja looked through the colors. We wanted to pick favorites, but it's too hard.

Heirloom Lace by Gwen

Gwen Grisham, a customer and knitter for Y2Knit, brought in her fabulous Fir Cone Square Shawl from Cheryl Oberle's Folk Shawls. Gwen got the merino/silk laceweight yarn earlier this year, first purchasing a jade color, then deciding she needed more, she got what she thought was the same color. It's slightly different so she ran both strands together for a beautiful tone on tone green. The results speak for themselves.

One of the things I admire about Gwen is her belief that she can knit anything. I have never heard her say she finds a piece intimidating.

Rather, she'll indicate she'd like to challenge herself. She knits what she wants, regardless of perceived difficulty or challenge.

When I said that the shawl would be awesome with dark skirt or slacks, Gwen replied that she just wears it around the house with her sweats. You won't find this beautiful shawl draped over furniture just to be admired!

That's another thing I admire about Gwen. She's so real and unconventional. I look forward to seeing her next creation. She's spinning the yarn for another lace shawl.

Sonja's Pullover

Sonja and I have been busy! One of the things she is working on is designing a pullover. With Jill's guidance we have started a top-down sweater that will have NO seaming. The yarn she is working with, Autunno from Cascade Yarns, is a dreamy soft merino that has subtle patterning when you knit.

We're also busy getting ready for the sale next week. We're celebrating the yarn shop being open 4 years.

We have one space left for our two weeks in Tuscany. I can't believe we have to wait another year! We've put together the Experience Tuscany Armchair Traveler portion and that information is now online. We do have fun!

I fell in love with this thick and thin wool from Neighborhood Fiber Company, hand dyed by Karida. All of her yarns are named after DC neighborhoods--don't remember this one, but it matches my hair.

I wanted to do something in scribble lace, so I took some black kid mohair and worked a few rows, then knit a row with the Victorian Bulky. I left the tails at the beginning and end of the row to add texture to this scarf/collar. One end has a loop and the other a ruffle of the mohair, twisted into a flower, which goes through the loop. This will dress up a t-shirt. Perfect for travel (like Italy), evening or funky casual wear.




Since I had yarn leftover, I felt that the look would be complete with a pair of fingerless mitts. I made a ruffle at the cuff with the mohair. Total knitting time: 75 minutes! Knit today, wear tonight! (except that it's 90 degrees out, but these will be great for cooler weather).

Like everyone, I don't get to knit all the time. This morning I worked in the garden. I had to cut a rose bush all the way back as it's diseased. That's why my arm in this picture has a red rash look. It's rose prickle. The underside has poison ivy. My arm may not be lovely, but the garden is!

Product Review: KA High Quality Bamboo Needles

I'm using the KA High Quality Bamboo Needles in size 0US/2.0mm instead of my usual KnitPicks dpns on my latest pair of socks and I really like them. The Brittany size 0's that I used in the past were too weak to pick up and knit the wraps on my shortrow heel. I snapped one on the first sock I knit with them. But these KA's are tough. Almost no bending, even on the k2tog's. They're made in Japan of aged bamboo and I guess that makes all the difference.


Here's a picture of the points for comparison. The KA's are a little blunter but sometimes that's a good thing. The KnitPicks are capable of drawing blood and are very slippery. I dropped one while I was sitting on a straw bale at the Fort Frederick Market Fair and it took Doug and I about five minutes to find it. The legendary needle in the haystack. The KA's stay in my knitting and in my hand but aren't grabby like some wood or bamboo needles. They have a smooth finish and feel good in my hand.