Knot Knecessarily Known Knitting

Update: Since I've signed the contract for Blue Ridge Fiber Festival, I've added that information. There are a lot of fiber arts gatherings coming up in 2019. Many of them have just opened for registration or are about to open for registration. Here's a rundown. Kanuga Knitting and Quilting Retreat , Hendersonville NC, Thursday through Sunday 17-20 January 2019. This retreat at the Episcopalian campground is a great way to de-stress after the holidays. Accommodations are in cabins or at the inn. All meals are served in the cafeteria. The long weekend is an opportunity to make progress on a project. Knitting instructors include: Boykin Exum teaching beginning knitting. Master Knitter Heather Storta teaching an Estonian lace shawl. Mimi Kezer teaching sliding loop entrelac. Varian Brandon teaching a colorwork hat. I'll be teaching a versa lace scarf. South Carolina Knit Inn , Greenville SC, Thursday through Sunday 31 January through 3 February 2019. Many Atla...

I must admit, this is another of those projects that probably doesn't have enough "Wow!" factor given the amount of time. The pattern comes from a 1989 Annie's Attic pamphlet titled "My Wild Irish Bows." As you might guess from the name, the collection of seven designs are all hair accessories worked in traditional Irish crochet motifs. The samples in the booklet were worked entirely in white size 10 crochet cotton, with the exception of one project worked in size 5 crochet cotton. I got the pamphlet at a North Georgia Knitting Guild meeting. I believe the guild library was destashing. Since this booklet is all crochet projects, it didn't really fit in. For some reason, I looked at the project labeled "Flower Fall" and thought it looked like a spray of African violets. I decided to work it in color. I finished the little violets in short order (using a 1.65mm metal crochet hook). But then I tried the leaves and wasn't happy with the ...

As stated previously, 2018 was a surprisingly unproductive year. I can't really explain why it was so unproductive, other than a lot of travel and the Mensa regional gathering. I've been looking around the house at stacks of unread textile books and magazines as well as unfinished (or unstarted) projects. I was looking for something small and quick to get me back into the groove. I purchased issue #138/October 2015 o f Simply Knitting magazine when I was at Unwind back in April . There was a silent auction to benefit a local charity. I think I bid $1. Nobody bid against me. The magazine came with the yarn pack to make a cute little knitted holiday polar bear. The pattern is by Alan Dart, who is well-known in the United Kingdom for exactly this type of knitting pattern. He has many, many patterns for cute little knitted people and animals as well as a fan group on Ravelry . If you have a large stash of scraps, Mr. Dart's pattern oeuvre could be just the thing to clea...