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Wait….there is more!

Posted in knitting, tagged , , , , , , on March 15, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Williams Wools +& Weavings

Towards the end of the day we came upon Williams Wools & Weavings….an amazing showing of sheep-related items. This is another booth that I wanted to dawdle in…but didn’t stay long because other booths were “calling” me. This vendor does not have a web-site…..she sells at trade shows only….she says that her offerings are ever changing and that it would be a mammoth job to keep up on an online shop. I kept my pocket-b00k intact….but I coveted many items….will shop in that booth next year. In the meantime I will try to find out where else she might be this year. One never knows where travels may take you. I’m dreaming of Arizona soon with my Colorado friend Mary. We’ve actually begun “serious” talks about it.

Other random thoughts from the delightful Stitches day. Karen and I ran into our knitting friends, Merle and Cameron. It was easy for us to leave the show floor for lunch at the hotel restaurant….we ate, we visited and saw other knitters. Only at a knitting convention can one stare so openly at what the other is wearing. It’s another kind of feast!

Close by was another booth that caught my eye….Green Mountain Spinnery. I bought three things there…two patterns and one skein of yarn. I got caught in an impulse buy…loved their marketing. One of the ladies was wearing a blue scarf that really caught my attention….it certainly wasn’t the color because I don’t like most blues…but I loved the scarf pattern. I ask about the pattern and learn that it is complimentary with a skein of yarn….well, of course, I bought the skein…yeah and got the pattern. The actual pattern purchases were for a sweater that was also being worn in the booth and then there was model of the tank shell.

Kelly (photo from Green Mountain Spinnery website)

The Blue Scarf Inspiration.....and my skein of yarn!

Alpine Lace Shell

I love seeing Stan and his wife Bev from Belisha Cashmere.…they come every year from Australia. Over the years I have purchased lovely woven cashmere garments  and yarn from them…this wasn’t one of those years…and only because I ran out of time and didn’t get to their booth.  I did finish a scarf  last year which was a blend of two colors of Belisha Cashmere (which I purchased the year before that)…red and grey which produced the most lovely heather color. Most of you know that I have a strong affinity for anything Australian….my grandfather was born there…and I lived there for three years as a child. Blend my love of Australia and yarn….and I love Belisha Cashmere!

Wonderland Dyeworks

Karen and I ran across another booth of interest…..Wonderland Dyeworks,The yarn offerings were wonderful and if I remember correctly Karen bought some yarn from this vendor. This dyer is local….hails from Oakland….and you find her goods at her etsy store.

Karen and Elissavet Livitsanos of Wonderland Dyeworks

She's wearing "Day Break" design by Stephen West

Along our journey we ran into a woman (so sorry I have misplaced my note with her name and email) wearing one of Stephen West scarf designs.…Karen stopped her to inquire..we took her photo…we talked about the great designs and that one of our fellow knitters – Bonnie – had recently shown her version of “Day Break” at Skein Lane knitting workshop. Bonnie will be featured in another post soon. Karen and I moved on and it was just moments later that we came upon a booth featuring Stephen West designs.

A Stephen West Design

One of the last booths that we visited….and for the second time that day….was Teresa Ruch Designs. Kimberly called when we were driving to the Convention Center…she had been there the day before and had wonderful buying day….but she remembered one more thing that she wanted and it could be found at Teresa’s booth. This yarn is 5/2 Tencel…you can check it out at this site. We visited another booth…and I can see that it was the end of the day…have photos but no info…hopefully it will flow back into my brain!

We left Stitches around 4 p.m….we’d had a great day…and knew there was more we wanted to see…but we were done! As we drove home on our fiber high we reflected on the day…so much fun. Karen started laughing and said, “I didn’t have an agenda….and I shopped!” Both of our plans were to look, visit…but we did buy. I can hardly wait to see all of Karen’s renditions. Today I ordered the kit for the model I tried on in MaggiKnit’s booth…you can look forward to a knitalong for the new Large MK Cotton Cowlfrom MaggiKnits. Stay tuned for more news about that!

Me - new Large MK Cotton Cowl

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The Saga of Friendship and Stitches woven together!

Posted in knitting, tagged , , , , , , , on March 13, 2012| Leave a Comment »

NiftyThriftyDryGoods Booth

Okay…my usual mantra…can it be possible that another week has gone by?! This post has been on my mind every day since the last one! So….here we go. Karen and I continued to wander through the many vendor offerings…we came upon one of my favorite and I never do it enough justice….that would be NiftyThriftyDryGoods.  I love this booth and always think I will get back to spend more time….I often don’t….but have decided that will be the first stop on my Stitches journey next year. In the meantime I have landed on their website and it is just beautiful…I will be doing some online shopping….I don’t even like online shopping…but this site is wonderful.

So where else did I/we visit? I was eager to stop by Lisa Souza‘s booth….I love her yarn and Lisa. I first met her years ago when she was a vendor at the Live Oaks Fair in Berkeley…of course, I bought yarn. I’ve followed her throughout these many years. Often we were vendors together at Stitches West. At the encouragement at my own knitting workshop customer and friend Jean,  I  recently asked Lisa to match a yarn  that I purchased from her at Stitches a season or two ago…I was inspired by a scarf/shawl that Jean was wearing…it was knit in Lisa’s yarn…Lisa matched one of her yarns to one that Jean purchased. The inspiring pattern was and is the Tavgete Shawl. I’m almost done with mine and will post soon.

We moved across the aisle to another favorite vendor of mine….Cheryl Oberle. She has great yarn, patterns and has written several books…. she’s from Denver. What could be better than that! I always love seeing her and enjoying her yarn and visions for new designs. I am thinking I should go to one of her retreats…okay I am checking it out as soon as I finish this post. How great would that be..a retreat with Cheryl in my “home” state…I would go on to visit family and friends in Colorado. As many of you know I feel blessed to have life-long friends from my teenage years in Colorado.

Karen and I found ourselves moving down the aisles…stopping along the way at more  booths. While I was at Gail Hughes Art Buttons booth buying buttons for my 2-yr old Carson’s top-down sweater I heard my name called out! It was friend and teacher Melissa Leapman who has taught for Skein Lane. I consider Melissa to be one of the knitting and crochet gurus of our fiber world. I confessed that I “stalk” her on Facebook!

Along our journey we came upon another old retailer friend…Connie James of  Fiber Goddess. Connie has re-invented herself…she use to own Yarn Collection in Marin….she’s moved onto another venture…that of being a fiber goddess. Check out her web-site for some of her work.

Connie - Fiber Goddess!

Next we landed at MaggiKnits booth. Who cannot fall in love with Maggi’s designs ( you can purchase at Skein Lane Studio)and her enthusiam? I wanted to walk away with many projects displayed in her booth…I held back only to review what I wanted to market..Karen bought a great kit…and she displayed it at our knitting workshop this past Friday. I can hardly wait to see this results…we will have to share the progress along the way. Here’s what I tried on….

Me...modeling one of Maggi's latest!

I love books…and in particular…knitting books! Of course, I found myself at The Village Spinning & Weaving Shop booth.  It’s always a pleasure to see owner John…we were often associate vendors at Stitches.

John - The Village Spinning & Weaving Shop

It was a wonderful journey this year…great fibers and designs to see…great friends to reconnect with – Skein Lane folks  – Chris Bylsma whom is a treasure….truly a journey of creativity, friendship and stitches. We are indeed woven together!

Somehow at the end of this Stitches journey I am thinking of my grandma Alta….she stitched by quilting and crocheting…she was part of a woven community! Her love of community inspired me!

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A “shout out” about Kimberly’s next event

Posted in knitting, tagged , , on March 6, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Kimberly

As you may recall, I let you know a few weeks ago about Kimberly’s new adventure  for this year. Her next artisan in her line-up is Maia Discoe of Tactile Fiber Arts. You can meet Maia and learn about her fiber journey, her dyeing, her visions…….this coming Sunday afternoon, March 12, from 1p.m. – 4p.m. at K2Tog on Solano Ave in Albany. I’m looking forward to seeing Maia…..she use to be a customer of Skein Lane when it was a store-front business.

Stay tuned for more about the Stitches journey which will appear tomorrow!

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Yes….there is more!

Posted in knitting, tagged , , , on March 2, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Me...Carolyn...with a great knitted model!

As said in last post….Karen and I crossed the aisle into Great Yarns! I think it was at this “crossing” that two women approached me and asked about the design I was wearing. At my retail shop Sandy Lee nicknamed it “The Donut” and to this day if you say that name my knitting circle knows exactly what design that is. In fact, it is the “Round Shawl” from Sally Melville‘s Knit Stitch Book. I have three renditions of this design….and the one I wore on this past Saturday is my favorite…rather rustic and most comfortable to wear! I knit it with Noro’s discontinued Shinano.

What was so amazing about my wearing this was that I was complimented throughout the day. I was approached by the two ladies again….they said were stalking me….they just had to learn more about this shawl. We met up at least one more time before the day was over for Karen and me. The day ended with yet another compliment….”Ma’am” ….I thought I had dropped something. She said, “I just want to ask you about your shawl..the pattern?? the yarn??” I’ve never worn something to Stitches before that has received so many compliments. Thank you to Sally Melville for the design…simple but yet so fun to knit and wear!

Now….notice my companion in this photo. Is that not a great model? This was found in Lion Brand Yarn Studio and I just had to hang out with this model for a moment or two.

Here are my “stalkers”…they were sharing that one of them had just bought yarn for “The Round Shawl aka Donut” and wanted to know what I thought! What a great compliment…I was so flattered!

My "stalkers"

Now…off for a couple of days to a young people treat….I am one of the leaders…I will post about that later. There is much more to share about the Stitches adventure….I’ll be back with two or three more posts…it’s all about sharing the knitting journey.

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More of “So Much to Say!”

Posted in knitting, tagged , , , on February 28, 2012| Leave a Comment »

More of Stitches West! It’s nearing 11 a.m. ….Karen and I have managed to leave Ellen 1/2 Pint booth and cross the aisle to the Great Yarns! booth. This vendor travels from Everett, WA each year to show their wares at Stitches West….they do an incredibly good job….great designs and models. We were captivated with several designs but in particular with a garment that another customer/friend of Great Yarns! encouraged us to try on! Now neither of us would have thought that we would fall in love with Flowers and Ruffles that is featured in the April 2012 issue of Knit N Style.  This garment was seen the night before  on the runway of the Stitches Fashion Show.

Flowers and Ruffles Knee-length Vest

We each tried it on….and OMG I want to knit this…so does Karen. We were prudent…wrote the information down…and I know I will be ordering the yarn soon. …just need to finish a couple more UFO’s in queue. The details of this garment as published online for Knit N Style are: “Sandi Prosser designed a knee-length vest featuring three fibers from Trendsetter Yarns. The body of the vest is knit in Garter stitch using Merino 8 Shadow. Cha Cha is worked together with Merino 8 Shadow to create a ruffle effect on the turn-back collar, which is then adorned with Bodega flowers.”

It’s now nearing noon and we must move on….we had only “surfed” two aisles…and there was so much yarn and so many friends to see!

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Much to say!

Posted in knitting, tagged , on February 28, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I have much to say about my day at Stitches West….it was a knitting homecoming!  Karen H (good friend from Friday knitting workshop) and I shared the journey and the day. We lunched with Cameron and Merle of our knitting circle.

What a fun day….saw so many old friends…saw so much wonderful yarn! I had dreams of a marathon blog post on Saturday night when I got home…and wouldn’t you know it life “got in the way” and I am still dreaming about this blog/post….which will now appear in several installments. Reminds me of my childhood stories that I use to listen to on the wireless. I lived in Australia as a young child at a time when Australia was 25 years industrially behind the United States. I am the only person my age I know that grew up for a few years with a wood burning stove for cooking, a dry-ice refrigerator, an out-house, a wireless radio (my three favorite childhood serials were heard on that wireless)…..my parents had a Model T Ford and then a Model A Ford……I’ve never understood how T came before A….uh oh, more research ahead.

Back to knitting and the wonderful “knitting homecoming”! Karen and I were just getting into line to enter the market when we ran into Megan and her mother Sulvana (drats I know I don’t have the spelling of her name correct). Megan use to work for me when Skein Lane had a store-front and her mother was a wonderful customer. Great to see them both!

Karen

Karen and I entered the market with the other folks in a huge line which moved very quickly. We were barely in the door when we came upon Ellen 1/2 Pint’s booth. When I was a retailer at Stitches West Ellen 1/2 Pint was often the vendor across the aisle from Skein Lane. This vendor stop was nostalgic, exciting and sobering! I loved connecting with Carol and…..,I fell in love with a capelet shawl (Whimsey) and bought the kit… spent a few minutes talking with Carol about her health journey. She went to the doctor for concerns about a mole…. she had many more things wrong. She is now a cancer survivor and strong! I was so glad to reconnect with her.

Drats..must go to bed….this is the end of part of the serial for this week…much to share…stay tuned for next “installment”.

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Guess what I didn’t give up for Lent!

Posted in knitting, tagged , , on February 22, 2012| 1 Comment »

I gave up chocolate (that one is big)….I gave up desserts (only kind of big)….but I couldn’t give up yarn! Tonight I attended the event which Kimberly organized through K2tog that featured Knitted Wit and Fickle Knitter Designs. I missed Michelle Miller of Fickle Knitter speak but I came in time to hear Lorajean Kelly of Knitted Wit speak.

Lorajean is passionate about her all consuming work…the yarn that she dyes and makes available for us…the knitter. Here is what she does with yarn…..spin, wind, dye, rewind, label…take to market! I wasn’t in the market to buy…..we all know how much I have in my stash as well as projects in queue to finish….nevertheless, I became possessed and bought some of her yarn…..2 skeins of Silky ‘N” Plied (60% Merino, 40% Silk) @ 225 yards…1 colorway Beaujolais and the 2nd colorway Orchid. Not quite sure of my vision for this yarn yet…but with 450 yards I have many options. I love wool and silk blends!

If you are going to Stitches West in Santa Clara, you just might want to look for these two – Knitted Wit and Fickle Knitter Designs.

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In honor of Mom and George Washington

Posted in knitting, tagged , , , , on February 21, 2012| 1 Comment »

I have two themes to celebrate in this morning’s post…birthdays and knitting.

Mom 1945 - Martha aka Marty

First….My mother shared the same birth date of February 22 with our first President George Washington. Guess who Mom was named after? Yes…George’s wife Martha. My mom and George Washington didn’t knit…but they were surrounded throughout their lives with the clicking of needles. In the case of my mom she was surrounded by the constant clicking of my knitting needles and sometimes those of my sister’s. While President George might not have been directly surrounded by the clicking of those needles, it is well known that Martha’s needles could almost always be heard clicking.

My second thought of this post….Did you notice I said Washington’s birthday and not Presidents Day? I’ve always known that my mom and our first president shared the same birth date…and I remember being more than a little annoyed that the day to honor the first President’s birth date was changed to the 3rd Monday in February so that we could celebrate it with a 3-day weekend. I don’t like messing with tradition! At the time we also stopped honoring Lincoln’s birthdate on February 12 and like many of us I believed that it was rolled into Presidents Day to jointly celebrate the birthdays. Tonight I was reading the Albany Patch and was enlightened to the fact in the federal register it is written into law that the third Monday is celebrated as Washington’s birthday. However, some states choose to celebrate Lincoln’s birthday along with Washington’s birthday and thus we have Presidents Day. You can read about this at news release in the LA Times. There are a few states including California which chose not to retain the federal title but to call it Presidents Day.

Yesterday we celebrated Presidents Day….tomorrow we celebrate the birth of George Washington and my mom. Happy Birthday!

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Grandma’s knitting book!

Posted in knitting, tagged , on February 20, 2012| 1 Comment »

Grandma's knitting book

My first knitting book was my grandmother’s knitting book….the one she used to knit toddler clothes for me. I coveted that book and when I was about 10 or 11 she gave it to me. Starting this post has just reminded me that somewhere in my “archives” I have my very first knitting books….I treasured those and when I stumble upon them I will have to share.

I’ve always loved to read….and as a kid this knitting book was a regular read along with my novels. Yep, I was already a “knitting geek”! As a young adult it remained my “go to” reference book for knitting instruction and inspiration. The details….

Complete Guide to Modern Knitting and Crocheting by Alice Carroll published in 1949.

The knitters - my maternal grandma and me!

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A Gallery of Baby Surprise Sweaters

Posted in knitting, tagged , , on February 18, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Baby Surprise Sweater - "Prototype"

I remember the first time I saw the beginnings of a “Baby Surprise” Sweater.….a customer came into my retail shop – Skein Lane – with the sweater in progress and a copy of the recently “released” pattern (Knitter’s Magazine 1999 I believe). The original pattern designed by knitting guru Elizabeth Zimmerman was first published in 1968.

Well….I have to tell you I was more than a little puzzled about how that this strange piece of knitted fabric was going to fold up into a such a great baby sweater. Thus, I knit my “Baby Surprise” prototype in 1999….I needed to understand what my customer was experiencing. I chose Noro yarn….a wonderfully variegated wool….I was so excited that after I got the first ball knit I headed over to my store (I was the shop owner and I had the keys)….it was 9 at night…it was dark. I chose what I thought was the same color way…it wasn’t and that mistake was one of the best I’ve made. It added more life to the project. I trimmed it with Brown Sheep’s old offering of Prairie Silk yarn.

Baby Surprise "folded/molded" into sweater!

I’ve knit several since then and have seen renditions from customers. The  most recent creations to share are the two knit by Connie (Friday morning Skein Lane knit workshop) and the one I just completed for Bill’s recently born great grandson Conner.

Be sure to check out ravelry.com for more renditions of this great design! And Kimberly just completed her rendition of this great design that  you can see on her blog.

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