Great Teachers

Jill and I are great teachers. We know that and some of you know that.

A couple of days ago I taught two classes at Knitter's Day Out in Central PA. I taught a three-hour class I call Whoops!, which focuses on fixing mistakes. We cover everything from dropped stitches to fixing stitch pattern errors, including dropping down several stitches several rows. It's fun because the knitters get to make mistakes and have support while they learn to fix them. Most of the class were fairly experienced knitters with varying degrees of confidence on this topic. After class, several students went out of their way to tell me how helpful the class was to them and to tell me what a great teacher I am.

After a quick lunch, I taught Short Row Shoulders and Sleeve Caps for three hours. Again, the class was full of competent, experienced knitters ready to tackle one of the more complex techniques in knitting. We knitted, wrapped and picked up wraps, creating beautiful sloped shoulders and sleeve caps. No visible wraps or holes. One woman said, "This morning I took a short row class. After taking your class I know how to work short rows and I understand what I am doing." Another said, "I love the way you teach and it was clear you knew your topic because you never read to us from the handout, you just taught us." (thanks to Jill for the great handout and charts)

Back at the Y2Knit booth after class, several students came to me to tell me how helpful they found the class. A couple want to bring their knitting group to the shop for a class, which I look forward to teaching.

I love these opportunities to teach--at small conferences like KDO, at other yarn shops, at the Y2Knit yarn shop--wherever I can. For me, I hope to help knitters get over whatever keeps them from progressing with a technique. I want to open doors for them. I also love the aspects of working with women to build confidence in this small part of their life. I hope to inspire creativity and ways of being with our knitting and life.

For those of you who couldn't take the classes at KDO, I offer lots of classes at the shop. I'll teach whatever knitting class you want. I know my stuff and more importantly, I am a great teacher!

Knitting for Comfort

Knitting for others has the potential to impact the knitter as much as the intended recipient. Something of us is knit into every stitch and when we knit with special intentionality, the product carries this with it.

I just finished a shawl for my sister Sally who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She is a breast cancer survivor of 13 years and this is a different kind of cancer. What are the odds she would draw this lot again? My thoughts when I learned of the diagnosis is that I wish I could take this one for her (really? probably not--I'm not very heroic), but I instantly realized that's not one of the options.

Turns out the options aren't great, but then, life is. So anything that gives more of that is just wonderful. Sally can see it that way--that's one of the gifts she's been given. She has new/different support this time with a husband, twin boys, and many friends, including other survivors.

Knitting the shawl, which is not particularly remarkable knitting but some great yarn and colors, gave me an outlet for my frustration and anxiety about the situation. I could turn that into peace and comfort for Sally. I shared with her last night on the phone that I kept getting asked by customers what I was knitting and that I must have shared her story with 30 people. Thirty more people to support her in this situation. That was my (unknown at the time) intentionality in knitting this shawl.

It goes in the mail today with this note:

This shawl brings you

• comfort
• healing
• centering calm

Thanks to everyone who asks and cares about Sally. After another biopsy Tuesday, she's still waiting for a treatment plan, which leans towards bilateral radical mastectomy. The only way to ensure that she doesn't get breast cancer again. Because life is so worth it.

New Yarn!

Brushed Suri Alpaca



Picoboo


We usually fax orders to the yarn company, which works great EXCEPT that the fax machine had been storing, not sending, faxes. We caught up with that problem, got the stored stuff sent and had a huge UPS and FedEx delivery yesterday.

* We've got new colors in **Poems**.
* New Frog Tree colors in **Picoboo** (lush cotton/bamboo), the **Suri Alpaca** (perfect for [Tiffany][1]) and **Meriboo** (merino/bamboo, but doesn't it sound like some animal you'd run into in on the tundra?)
* More **Felt Balls**
* More **Sari Ribbon**
* New colors of **Eco Wool** from Cascade


Stop by for inspiration. The new colors are wonderful. (pictured above: Meriboo)

Yak Yak Yak

When I read on Ravelry about YakMan's contest to see what people could do with a Bijou Basin Ranch sticker, my immediate thought was that I would put it over Rachel's mouth. It was one of those momemts when she was talking too much (there are many of those).

Then I remembered she has this t-shirt that says Yak Yak Yak. So put it all together and here we go.

You can participate in the contest too! If you're local, I have a few extra stickers, which, while I could easily use them again on Rachel, there's probably some law against doing that!


I wouldn't do this with just any old sticker, however. We're very fond of BBR and love their yarn. Jill designed Diamond Laces out of the Bijou Spun yak/bamboo. It's too delicious for words.

We've got (Felt) Balls Contest on Ravelry

Check out the We've Got Felt Balls Contest on Ravelry. Show us yours!

The beaded felt balls pictured here beg some creative knitting or crocheting to set them off in some playful accessory.

In the shop, we've got new yarns, felt balls, more on the way. Favorites so far are Nimbus and Opus from Zitron--oh so soft and yummy colors.

We've got sock yarn galore, including Zauerballs (not feltable) and other lovely colors. Do come visit for inspiration.

We're going to celebrate Angela's winning first place in the Dye For Glory contest with her beautiful sock yarns. Join us on October 3 for a Serendipitous Ewe Trunk Show and Celebrations!

My problem with blogging is that I really would just rather work on my designs. I think about them all the time, and get pretty involved in whatever I'm working on, but I'm at such a level of detail that I can't imagine anyone else being interested!

I have several new projects underway for Fall and Winter and as always, have a few things that still have to be finished up. I have a list of projects and have put them into an order of priority, but I am always working on several things at one time.

Yesterday I worked on finishing up a shawl/shrug that is being knit in Rimu from Zealana. I'm really excited about this one, but it required quite a bit of charting before I could figure out how to present the pattern. I have pretty much gotten everything worked out so that will get finished and off to the knitter to finish up. One last little thing to puzzle out, but it seems minor compared to the other issues I've already worked through.

I also finished up a trio of hat patterns, which began as gauge swatches for a pullover in-the-round. Then I just got intrigued by variations in the pattern and next thing I knew, three hats! The pattern is finished and to the knitter, so when samples are finished and photographed the pattern will be available. These are in Kauri from Zealana (see photo). The pullover is coming along, but will take a little longer!

A cardigan I've been working on, but not nearly as diligently as I should, is also readying itself for knitting. Yarn is in the hands of another knitter to swatch. I love the stitch pattern I'm using in this one too, and reworked my swatch on a different needle size last night and can't believe how enjoyable the pattern is to work. This is in Picoboo from Frog Tree. Luscious cotton & bamboo yarn. Can't wait to see this one unfold. Whenever I'm at this stage it is hard not to drop everything to concentrate on the one that is freshest and most unfinished--and therefore the most intriguing to me.

Today I am mostly otherwise obligated so I won't get to work much at all. If only the process of the final product were as easy as the conception and if the days didn't whiz by so quickly. Trying to find more time I cheat everything else.