Posted in knitting, knitting techniques, tagged Knitting Journey, Top-Down Sweater Class on January 3, 2012| Leave a Comment »
It’s time to knit a top-down sweater! Join us this Saturday, Jan 7 at 1pm to begin this knitting journey. You can reserve a space by sending email confirmation to skeinlane@aol.com or pay at PayPal to confirm. Check here for all details.
Hope you can join us.
Posted in knitting, tagged Daybreak Shawl, Elizabeth Zimmerman, Friday Knitting Workshop, Summer Flies Shawl, Surprise Sweater on January 1, 2012| Leave a Comment »
During this past month of December we saw some beautiful garments at the Friday Knitting Workshop Group. Janie was wearing her “Jeweled Mini-Poncho“….Bonnie was wearing the “Daybreak scarf/stole“…Kimberly donned a couple hats (hats will be posted on their own). We’ve seen Sarah in her “Santa Hat“. Sheri showed her recently finished fingerless gloves “Pluviose“…I have been inspired to knit these for my sister Betty. She’s seen the pattern and knows they are coming. Finished one today. I might be able to deliver by Thursday when I meet up with her.
Connie finished and showed two lovely baby sweaters inspired by the Surprise Sweater pattern that comes to us from Elizabeth Zimmerman. Just today Kimberly posted that she is embarking on this garter pattern…what’s unusual about this is that she does not love the garter pattern…ironically, I too, am embarking on that same pattern. Bill’s granddaughter is having her first born at the end of the month…so I better get “cracking” with getting this sweater done. Oh….knit, garter, knit, garter…I will be done!!
Jan has been seen wearing her Summer Flies Shawl. That too will be a separate posting….several other folks have knit this beautiful shawl including myself and I forgot to post…what the heck?! This lovely shawl was brought to our attention by none other than Kimberly.
So…let’s enjoy…there is so much to share!
. We are designers and knit handmade items…as they say…we rock!Posted in Christmas, knitting on December 31, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Some of our Friday knitters...sending their cheer!
Some of the Skein Lane Workshop knitters gathered Friday and Saturday mornings to share the Christmas week and to greet the new year! Sarah donned her Santa hat for us.
Sarah in her knit Santa hat!
They and I send their best cheer to all. Watch for more of us to gather in the New Year to share our knitting and tales….and to send cheers to all! The knitting journey continues!
I am grateful for all the friendships that have come together through our knitting…and grateful for the wonderful sharing and creating of beautiful garments. We have much to share. It indeed is a treasure!
Posted in Christmas, knitting, tagged Christmas, family, knitting, tattoes on December 31, 2011| Leave a Comment »
On Christmas Eve thirty-five of us gathered at the home of my niece’s brother-in-law Bill and his family. As often happens when it was time to gather at the two tables for our sit-down meal we grouped in usual family groups….our immediate group was niece Honara and husband Scott with two of their children….Betsy and Daniel; Scott’s parents Pat and Don; Scott’s sister Stephanie and husband Kevin with their two adult boys…Kyle and Kris. We dined, we wined and we talked. We got to hear about Kyle’s work and training in the investment world of New York and delighted in the news that he is moving to San Francisco soon….Kris talked to us both in Russian and English about his 6 months of schooling in St Petersburg….Daniel shared his plans for college applications….and Betsy talked about some of her experiences at Fresno State.
Then we moved on to the big stuff….”tats” as we hear it said. Betsy is telling us about wanting a tattoo….we are all trying to convince her not to…but if she does be discreet! Just a few days ago she added a jewel to her nose….I must say it is discreet and attractive. We are all giving Bets lots of advice and then the conversation takes a turn….Kevin is really laughing as he says, “Why Carolyn I would have thought you would have a tat of knitting needles right over your heart!” We were off the chair laughing!
..hmmmm, should I?
Posted in knitting, tagged The Leaflet on December 29, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Here's Bonnie
Bonnie has been part of the Skein Lane community for several years…and just recently she decided to join the Friday Morning Knitting Workshop Group….she is a natural fit for this group….she knits and knits…and she has many great opinions…unlike the rest of us….lol! She recently finished a great looking sweater…which she has shared here as well as on Ravelry.com.
Here are some of the photos that I took of her most recent creation “The Leaflet”…but you can certainly get a more comprehensive look and detailed description at Bonnie’s Ravelry.com site.
Bonnie - The Diamonds in her back!
Bonnie in "The Leaflet"
Posted in knitting, knitting techniques, Knittng slide shows, MaggiKnits, tagged Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, Maggi's Merino Chunky, Malibrigo Rasta, Rosarios 4, Seed Stitch Multiples on November 22, 2011| 3 Comments »
Need to have a quick knit on your needles for this Thanksgiving weekend? Check out these possibilities for a cowl scarf.
About three weeks ago Phyllis came to our Thursday night knitting group with the best looking cowl…simple, good looking and a quick knit. Her pattern called for a larger yarn on a size 17 needle.
The following week Debbie H. came with her three renditions of this cowl scarf. She had a wonderful knitting week! Notice the buttons…a lovely addition/embellisment! You can take any stitch pattern that pleases your eye…using the needles appropriate for your yarn cast on the number of stitches needed (gauge: number of stitches per inch x width) to create width of 5 to 5 1/2 inch….knit your pattern for 30 inches. You can end by including buttonholes, or not, join and add the buttons for embellishment. Phyllis used 1 skein of Malibrigo Rasta, Susanne used Brown Sheep’s Cotton Fleece, Debbie used various yarns from her stash and I’ve made several with Maggi’s Merino Chunky and another one with Rosarios 4 (both types available at Skein Lane Studio….used 3 balls for each one.)
To see the styles up and close you either click through the photo to the larger image or scroll to the slide show which is in larger image. Enjoy!
Posted in knitting, knitting techniques, Knitting Videos, tagged Jean, Lisa Souza Dyeworks, Taygete Shawl, Trinity Stitch on November 21, 2011| 2 Comments »
Jean wearing her Taygete Shawl
While it’s only been a few days since I posted about Jean and her stealth knitting, this post is about more of her work. The same day that we saw the ribbon sweater she was wearing a new shawl/scarf – Taygete – a design by local artisan Rosemary (Romi) Hill. I loved the design and the colors. I asked Jean more about her yarn choice and here’s what she had to say.
Taygete Shawl close up
“Probably the best thing to say is that I had a skein of her (Lisa Souza’s hand-dyed sock) solid colored yarn that I bought at Stitches and decided to add another color for the scarf. I asked Lisa Souza if she would select a variegated color to coordinate with it. She sent me one that I just loved!”
I’ve had a skein of Lisa Souza’s sock yarn in my yarn collection for at least a couple of years that I too bought at Stitches. Jean’s creation has caused me to act. I now have the pattern, I’ve contacted Lisa for a solid yarn to match my variegated Paprikash. I couldn’t find a solid to match…I contacted Lisa…of course she knew which red was used in the variegated….it wasn’t listed as one of the colors on her web-site…she is hand-dyeing a skein for me tomorrow. I am so excited….is that the best customer service?!
Jean - Trinity Stitch Cowl/Scarf
One more thing! Jean was inspired by a cowl scarf that she recently saw. We were able to recreate the pattern…I knew it was a trinity stitch pattern (a multiple of 4 sts)… and Jean knew the size – 5 inches x 56 inches. I love this pattern stitch…..for little effort it creates a beautiful textured fabric.
The pattern:
Row 1 (right side): Purl.
Row 2: *(Knit 1, purl 1, knit 1) all in the same stitch, purl 3 together. Repeat from * across.
Row 3: Purl.
Row 4: *Purl 3 together, (knit 1, purl 1, knit 1) all in the same stitch. Repeat from * across.
Repeat these four rows for pattern.
Any yarn can be used for this lovely design. Simply work a swatch and determine your stitches to the inch, multiply that number by the width that you want…and round to nearest multiple of four stitches.
You can finish the project with a kitchner stitch or a 3-needle bind off. While I don’t particularly love doing the kitchner stitch join I do think it’s the best for this project.
There’s still time to knit gifts for this magical spiritual season! Tomorrow I will post about a simple, quick cowl that many of us have on….and in some cases…off our needles.
Happy clicking!!!
Posted in Cats, Dogs, knitting on November 17, 2011| 1 Comment »
Meet Jack - Now 7 1/2 years old
No….it’s not Lucy…it’s Jack. I met Jack when he was a little more than a year old…a puppy…important to note for this tale.
Almost 6 years ago Mary and I traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to celebrate our life-long friend Peg‘s birthday. We always found time for a card game or two when we got together…this card night was at her daughter Shirley and husband Pat’s home….we met puppy Jack. This lively Jack Russell Terrier was beside himself with him joy to have yet more people to entertain him. We finally settle down to our card game…and the next thing we hear is Shirley’s laugh (it’s a lot like mine…not too quiet) and then Peg’s and then we were all in hysterics.
Jack was decorating the house with my yarn…who travels without their knitting projects…not me?! It’s been nearly 6 years…Shirley and I are still laughing about this.
Here’s our FB conversation today.
Shirley: “Pat and I still laugh about that night…..Jack running off with your yarn/string…sorry don’t know what it is called!!!”
Me: “That made me break out laughing….I will have to post about this on the Skein Lane blog and link it back to the blog about your mom. It was really funny to see Jack running with my yarn. Sometimes Lucy and both cats will still have a “field” day with my yarn. OMG…the first year it was like I was always being teepeed…is that how you spell it?”
Posted in Japanese Inspired Knitting, knitting, knitting techniques, tagged Japanese Inspired Knits, The Fan Bolero on November 13, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Lucy, me and the "Fan" Bolero
…oh you must click through on this link of the Fan Bolero to see the many views of this delightful garment that some of us are knitting. We were inspired by Terry…..several of us tried hers on and it looks wonderful on so many of us. I’ve started mine and I am on row 5 of 34 for the fan shell edge….the foundation is now set and I should “fly” through the next 30 rows of the edging…after that it is basic knits and purls and some shaping.
Join us if you can for this knitting journey (call Skein Lane @ 510.525.9276)
We did indeed have a lot of knitting fun this past Saturday…more to follow.
Posted in knitting, knitting techniques, Mason-Dixon Knitting, tagged Moderne Blanket, No Yoke Ribbed Sweater, Saturday Morning Workshop, Socks on November 12, 2011| 1 Comment »
Can it be a week has gone by since our last highly energized Saturday knitting workshop? Last week it was an explosion of energy…..tales to share, work-in-progress to share, and in some cases finished garments. Each tale was delivered with its unique sense of glee.
Susanne and her latest Moderne Blanket
Susanne showed her latest Moderne Blanket (featured in Mason-Dixon Knitting) that is on her needles. Both of her sons have married in the last year or so and each has received this lovely blanket as a gift….well this latest one is to be delivered soon. You can check out the first one here. Once again she is knitting with Brown Sheep’s Cotton Fleece…..and finds this blanket to be great “comfort” knitting…..garter stitch that can be knit without a lot of effort…simply the joy of knitting and watching the blanket grow and the colors unfold.
Check out this silly moment…. Susanne modeling this creative teapot cosy.
Susanne in teapot cosy knit by Debbie H.!
The Sock Showing
The Sock
Then there was Diane….feet in the air….showing her sock…gathering looks of awe.
PJ - Happy Knitter!
PJ wore her No Yoke Ribbed Sweater. It was knit in Queensland Collection’s Kathmandu Aran. Her sweater is a perfect fit and she enjoys wearing it now.
We had a bit of “technical” grafting under the armhole that turned out just fine.
PJ - The details
Another knitalong can be set up for this sweater….let me know and it can be scheduled to start in January.
There was more show and tell of items on the needles…and a welcome back to Carol C who has been absent for this last year raising dogs and caring for grandchildren. Imagine her surprise when she found that the sleeve to her top-down cardigan was safely here at Skein Lane Studio.
Rohan with his show and tell
And through all the tales, show and tell, and laughter young Rohan kept on knitting.
…..now onto other Saturday of knitting. Today it’s the Saturday morning workshop – noontime mini-top down series – and the Fan Bolero workshop.
Let the knitting day begin!
Skein Lane - IN THE LOOP 