Knot Knecessarily Known Knitting

I wasn't sure if I should blog about this or not, but considering how little traffic it seems to be generating, somebody needs to say something. Schoolhouse Press has organized a series of three auctions of garments handknit by Barbara G. Walker. The first auction is already open. It ends Saturday night 2 November at midnight. The second and third auctions will follow in sequence, ending on Tuesday 12 November and Saturday 23 November respectively. Look books can be downloaded at this link . Right now, I don't know whether to be excited or disappointed. There's a sweater I might bid on, because it is currently listed at under $100, and to me that seems a crime against knitting. As someone on the temporary board for the Center for Knit and Crochet, I hope all the pieces end up in the homes of knitters who will adore and treasure these items for decades to come.

I left Saturday morning unscheduled for sleeping and catching-up. While I like taking classes, I’ve been learning it is helpful to have at least a little rest built into your show schedule. I did hang out for awhile in the knit and crochet lounge. There was a crocheter working on finishing a cookie afghan! This was a motif afghan in which the round motifs were identifiable representations of different types of cookies. It was adorable, although I think it could be dangerous to have such an afghan in the house, unless you are very good at not purchasing sweets. Contents page from Stories in Stitches No. 1. Because of my connection to the Center for Knit and Crochet, at lunchtime Jan introduced me to Ava Coleman. Ava and her business partner Donna Druchunas have started a venture called Stories in Stitches . This is a wonderful journal that tells the stories behind the knitting. Some of the stories are anecdotes, but some are scholarly research about the role knitting has played. T...

On Friday I took an all-day class with one of the sweetest, kindest knitting teachers you'll ever meet, Beth Brown-Reinsel. I had taken classes with Beth several years ago when she came to teach for Atlanta Knitting Guild. This time I decided to learn twined knitting. This is a Swedish technique that dates back to at least 1680. How do we know this? Because a twined knit glove was found under a slag heap. I do not know which is more astonishing -- that a glove survived 300 years under a slag heap, or that the Swedes keep such good records of their garbage! Books on the subject by both Anne-Maj Ling and Laura Farson have been on my shelf for some time. I figured taking the class would get me to spend a little time actually doing the technique rather than just reading about it. And Beth is the sort of teacher who has worked out subtle details in how she teaches. For example, her handout is stapled together except for the stitch chart, which is separate because you will need to knit...

I took quite a few classes during the weekend. I started out on Thursday morning with Joan Davis' "Measuring Magic with Ease." I didn't know anything about Joan, but quickly discovered she is an energetic teacher. Her class handout is about the size of a softcover book! And Joan even gave us bags and yarn. Thank you to Patons for the yarn donation! Lace Sequins is a pretty yarn with a little fuzz and a little bling. Swag from Joan Davis' class. Joan's class covered measuring your body and knitting to fit, but she also covered a lot of material about what will and will not look good on various body types. If we are going to knit or crochet a garment, we should be nice to ourselves and make something in a color and cut that is flattering, and we should adjust it appropriately to fit our figures. No matter what your figure is, you will look better in clothes that fit you properly. In the afternoon I took Galina Khmeleva's class on "Russian Graftin...

I spent the first week of October at the TKGA Fall Show in Concord, North Carolina, just north of Charlotte. It is always fun to attend a show, and this one was no exception. First off, my roommate for the extended weekend was Jan Stephens. Jan has been involved with TKGA for years -- designing, writing articles, and running the course for certified knitting judges -- but has recently retired. I must say that attending with Jan was great fun. Jan knows nearly everybody, and if she doesn't know someone, she quickly introduces herself. Plus, Jan's just a generally pleasant person to be around. She is also a wonderful mentor, as she knows when to poke me. I probably should have made a “ minion hat ” for the weekend, as I was grateful to be Jan’s minion. And on the drive up, Jan introduced me to the joys of Cracker Barrel’s Double-Chocolate Coco-Cola Cake. Yum! Size 10 cotton yarn donated by Universal Yarns It was Jan who poked me about attending the On Your Way to the Maste...

At the beginning of the summer, I mentioned a number of opportunities to view fiber art in the metro Atlanta area. I am happy to report there are more opportunities this fall! Georgia Quilt Show , which this year is at Cobb Galleria. It was open Thursday and Friday, and will be open tomorrow, Saturday 21 September, from 10:00 AM - 5:30 PM. Tickets are $10 at the door. This show has plenty of vendors and classes. But if you just want to view the work, keep walking past the vendors. The back half of the exhibition hall has quilts on view, and the work is stunning. Allow yourself a couple hours to take it all in. "Fantasy in Fiber" is currently on view at Lamar Arts in Barnesville, Georgia.Open hours are Fridays 11 AM to 2 PM and Saturdays 10 AM to 4 PM. The show runs through 31 October 2013. This venue is an hour's drive south of Atlanta. Just follow I-75 south to Exit 201 and proceed west on Highway 36. When the road forks, keep left and follow it into town. The a...

Another scrap-busting project I finished earlier in the summer is the "Keep It Simple Spiral" from Betsy Beads by Betsy Hershberg. If you have a scrap stash and a bead stash, Betsy's book is an excellent addition to your knitting library. Most of the projects are quick, fun, and gift-able. For me, this was a true scrap-bust, as the yarn was a sample of South West Trading Company Amaizing from February 2009 . The beads were already in stash, too. I did need to purchase a magnetic clasp at Michael's. This project begins with stringing beads; but with the proper tool, it should take less than half an hour and possibly less than fifteen minutes. Because the whole project is i-cord and the yarn was a little slick, I increased the coefficient of friction by using my wooden Blue Sky Alpacas double-pointed needles. Mine project is choker length because that's how much yarn I had. But pattern could easily be a longer necklace or a shorter bracelet. It is ea...