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A different way of blocking

November 5, 2013 by Carolyn

A couple days ago I “shouted out” about my finished purple poncho shawl.  Now here is the blocking method I used. I washed it on the gentle cycle in the washing machine. I then dried it on the air fluff cycle moving it up to ultra care towards the end. The end did not mean dry…just damp. As I laid it out on the drying table, I wasn’t pleased with the way it was going to dry. There were would be lines that I didn’t want. The solution was the dress form….it has dried/blocked beautifully! I also washed/blocked the original version.

I was asked about the pattern…here are some more details. The yarn used was MaggiKnits cotton linen, the 4-row mini-mock cable  pattern came from Weekend Knits, and the sizing was 18″ x 54″. You can choose your yarn and stitch pattern, i.e. mini-mock cable pattern. Once you have knit this long piece you bring a cast on or cast off edge over to a selvdage edge and sew the edges together. In fact, the detailed instructions  for  assembly are posted on the Skein Lane site. Scroll to Poncho Fever and you will be set!

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Happy Halloween “Shout out”!

October 31, 2013 by Carolyn

Some things to share!

Oh no…..I’ve been off candy for weeks now and I just succumbed to a Snickers. I don’t know why I thought I would see a trick-or-treater here. They usually don’t arrive before I play Halloween hostess at Bill’s front door.

It's done!!!

It’s done!!!

This knit poncho shawl was meant to be a quick knit….one of those that I would pick up and knit mindlessly and be done quickly. Where did the time go?!

I started this project, knit in MaggiKnits cotton/linen, in Oct 2012. No trick or treat here! It’s done. I am driven to post this today to celebrate Halloween and the completion of this simple knit. I have been involved in many knitting projects and I must confess that my trusty friend, the iPad, has consumed some of my time as I reconnect with friends and family…as well as do family research. Last week my Thursday knitting workshop group helped me pick out decorative buttons for accent to this knit. But, the more I thought I about it I realized that I want to accent this piece with brooches, pins, etc. The last one I knit about 6 years ago is embellished with ribbon. I’ll post that photo later for comparative design purposes.

For now I am on a mission to share this completed project with you and to wish you a Happy Halloween…..and then off to dinner with Bill and then a farewell drink with my cousin Dana, from Hawaii, who has been in the Bay Area this week for a health compliance conference. We played last Sunday but now it’s time for a farewell.

So….Happy Halloween!!!!

Of course….stay tuned! There is much to share and I am almost “back” to the sharing….so many of you do such creative and lovely work.

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The Sweater, the Bride and the Groom

October 5, 2013 by Carolyn

The Sweater - and the bride and groom

The Sweater – and the bride and groom

Do you recall the recent post about the sweater knit for the bride? This morning the bride’s mother – the knitter – sent a photo of the bride wearing her lovely sweater.  In Alice’s words….”Thanks for your help, Carolyn. The fit was perfect and Kristina was so happy with the sweater. It was just what she had hoped for with the modifications that were made. ”

Alice, she indeed looked beautiful and how fun for me to be able to chat/work with you re: this lovely project which is truly a work of art. Thanks so much for sharing. Congratulations to the bride and groom!

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Skein Lane Studio Etsy Store “opened”

September 30, 2013 by Carolyn

Good morning!

Just in case you didn’t see last night’s announcement, Skein Lane Studio now has a “store” on Etsy. The first offerings are some knit kits from MaggiKnits. Check it out!

Back View
Looped Stitch Collar
Added dimension with acccent on behind buttons
Debbie and Carolyn
Carolyn
Front View

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Textiles at Monticello

September 25, 2013 by Carolyn

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This quick glimpse into life on Mulberry Row at Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, shows that the art of craft has been with us throughout history and all walks of life. As with all new experiences….particularly history I find myself wanting to learn more. Now the search is on for period pieces of handwork made on Mulberry Row.

It was said that Mulberry Row was one of major commerce….textiles, produce, meats, blacksmithing, leather making, nail making……folks came from the surrounding valleys.

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A wedding in our midst

September 24, 2013 by Carolyn

The Finished Shrug

The Finished Shrug

This message was posted on Facebook by longtime Skein Lane customer and  friend Alice Varga. Her daughter was married this past weekend.

“O, yesterday was truly the best day ever with Kristina Kenney and Jason Holt getting married. There was just so much love in that room! It was incredible and a fantastic way for them to begin their journey through life with such a wonderful commitment with family and friends to share their joy!  Their ceremony and vows were beautiful!”

Alice and I met a couple times this past summer to consult over the sweater/shrug design she and her daughter chose for Alice to knit for this happy event.

The Wedding Dress
The Pattern
The Written Word Pattern
Gauge Swatch
The body is done
Almost Finished
Almost Finished Close-up
The Finished Shrug 
Alice and I met on August 24....she came to me with pattern, vision, and measurements.  With the following information....the knitting journey began. 
  • Bust = 44.5 
  • Lower edge = 40 
  • Armhole to waist = 6 
  • Stitch pattern = 12 + 1 
  • Gauge = 5 
  • CO 108 +1

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It’s Thursday – let’s knit! Find out what else we did!

September 19, 2013 by Carolyn

Well….we did knit for a bit. Tonight was scattered…many of us were traveling or had other commitments. One of us, Marsha, had a commitment  to hear Robert Hanna, the great, great grandson of John Muir, speak at REI.  Along with my knitting I joined Marsha for the presentation. I knit but only until the lights went out…I was on a design row and I couldn’t proceed without the lights. The truth of the matter is that the speaker and his presentation were so great that he captivated his audience of 50 people or so for an hour and a half. We “traveled” through John Muir’s biographical timeline. It was meaningful from a historical perspective as well learning more about his love of Yosemite and the outdoors. I was one of those who did not know about his very creative mind for invention in his early years.  And John Muir walked many miles in his youth. Did you know that he walked through Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Canada on one walk? Another one of his walks took him from Wisconsin to Florida traveling though country that been wounded by the Civil War. When he arrived in San Francisco in 1868 he was over come with the density of population and immediately asked for directions to Yosemite. Along the way – he walked – he worked at ranches.

As a family historian of my family, I so enjoyed the family history style presentation…..photos through the generations and the life works of John Muir. I can hardly believe I’ve lived all these years in the Bay Area and have not seen the historic Muir Mansion in Martinez. Guess what I will be doing soon?

Many thanks to Marsha for mentioning her plans for the evening. Now I need to make those needles click. I realized a couple of days ago how long my purple poncho/shawl has been on the needles!

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A Historical Photo Shoot of Singer Castle

September 15, 2013 by Carolyn

Mom's 1954 Singer

Mom’s 1954 Singer

My hometown friend Don Churches just posted photos of the Singer Castle. Be sure to check out this album for an “armchair” historical tour . Who knew there was such a castle? I think my Singer (Mom’s 1954 Singer) looks like it’s part of this collection. Have to say Mom’s singer has performed for us all of these years….it was the machine I used when I first learned to sew….and still use from time to time.

Who still sews? Anybody want to share some of their accomplishments? We knit, we sew, we craft, we bead, we make glass…and that’s just a sampling of the creative talent that abounds.

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We have glass artists in our midst!

September 4, 2013 by Carolyn

A few weeks ago Jan and Rachelle both brought their latest creations to share…….infused glass work.

Just a few minutes later Jan arrived with her beautifully crafted infused glass jewelry….bracelet and necklace. We were all in awe.

Jan introduced us to her glass creativity abilities last August when she showed one of her first pieces made in her class at Bulleyes Glass Co. She has made several since….I fear my camera didn’t capture many….darn it! The last of today’s show and tell belongs to Rachelle. I saw this while helping pack moving boxes. It was a recent creation!

They knit too!

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Fridays Celebrations

August 31, 2013 by Carolyn

I am working backwards on catching up with posts…this morning’s post was about today’s celebration. Now let’s talk about Friday’s celebration.

My latest braceletFirst….it was Debra’s birthday! Champagne was poured as Debra gave us gifts…remember I just said it was her birthday…..she gifted us with bracelets that she brought home from trip to Peru…Debra did I get the country right? It was great to see Debra and toast her birthday. I love my bracelet! We all quickly dived into the bracelets to pick the colors that we love.

A second toast (more champagne) was to Sheri….she is embarking upon a new business. Plans are underway and as soon the name is “nailed down” we will do a shout out here.

Other things to celebrate….Patricia returned from her trip to Africa. We were so animated on so many topics this morning that we didn’t all share in her travel experience. She will be back from Colorado in a week or two and she will be first on to tell us more about the trip. She sent out the most wonderful photos. Looking forward to the rest of the story!

We also rejoiced that Bonnie was back with us…..much going on with home construction and family life and she had to be gone for a bit…she’s back and we are all happy.

We did manage to get some knitting done during our two hours together. We are often asked, “What is so interesting about your knitting sessions?” Well, we knit, share our techniques and then we “travel” over the world. The week before Kimberly told us about her trip to Seneca Falls….more specifically about the Freethought Trail. I do believe we could have our own “teaching/learning” circuit. We all walk away from our knitting with more than our love of knitting!

Stay tuned for more back tracking for the summer and a look into some of our knitting projects.

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