Skein Lane – IN THE LOOP

Cotton Chenille Wash Cloths

Just the other day Marsha from our Saturday morning knitting workshop laughingly said, “I’ve made great progress…I’ve graduated from sweaters to wash cloths.!”  And it’s interesting that so many of us have done the same thing….Susanne, Eleanor, Diane, Terry, and myself to name a few. The wash/dish cloth that is garter and knit on the diagonal is a quick and comforting knit….great for those moments when you want to knit but can’t concentrate because of conversation. I’ve just completed four. Check out Terry’s….she bought cotton chenille and a week later she had enough to decorate a bathroom and then some.

Can it be that it’s been more than a week since I’ve posted? Much like my knitting friend, Kimberly, some of my time has evaporated with my new girl pup, Lucy, and my kittens….that and blogging for my family blog…a memoir of my paternal grandparents on the Plains of Eastern Colorado  And then Bill and I were able to get away to South Lake Tahoe for a long weekend.

Both Kimberly and I, as well as others at our Friday morning knitting, were enarmored with Jean’s latest….hat and mittens…yarn and pattern from Green Mountain Spinnery. You can see Jean and her project both here and at Kimberly’s blog.

We gathered at 9:00 this morning full of excitement….friendship, knitting, eats and  flowers (Eleanor brought sweet peas from her garden)….we were showering Natasha with baby gifts…we knitting “aunties” had knit up a wardrobe for Natasha and John’s son to be born late July.

It was so fun to see Natasha’s joy as she opened the gifts as well as  the joy of the giver. Natasha is a great Cal fan…so you will see that some of the gifts have a Cal theme. I identify the gifts by giver only to share their creativity. Eleanor knit a cap and matching socks…as well Crystal Palace’s Cotton Chenille washcloths. Rebecca also knit a treasure chest of garments – hat and sweater (I think there was something else). Shari knit a bib in Classic Elite’s Provence – 100% Egyptian Cotton (one of my favorite cottons)…the pattern was from One Skein by Leigh Radford. Susanne added the football theme booties. P.J. knit Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Tomten Jacket using Cal colors. She also knit the sweetest sweater. And Natasha’s mother is almost finished with a beautiful alphabet blanket. We as the Saturday am knitting workshop group used Brown Sheep’s cotton fleece to knit the Moderne Baby Blanket from the Mason-Dixon book. In many cases, the gifts were just off the needles or soon to be coming off. In the case of the Moderne Baby Blanket the drying had just finished minutes before we met.

Blocking and color fast tips. In the case of this most recent Moderne Baby Blanket, Cotton Fleece was once again chosen because it is such a wonderful yarn to use for baby blankets. After weaving in the last thread last evening…the next task was washing and blocking. In the case of the  Cotton Fleece blocking  washing was quite successful.

Early last week I had the opportunity to work as a knitting/crochet judge for entries in the Marin County Fair. And, oh, there were so many wonderful entries, in fact at least double from years past. I will post just a few of those that I saw…and these are photos of ones that were eye-catching and my camera was handy.

The caplet that Katie modeled really caught my eye….the colors, the design, the drape, and the frog/clasps in front. It was one of the garments…and there many… that I would like to have taken home. The sock with the target design was unique in that the design appeared to be knit from center out and then incorporated into the sock. And the hat that Barbara modeled caught my eye because I love hats…and I loved the construction of this one…cables, colors, and embellishments.

Having served in this judging role once again reminded me that there are so many creative people. I glimpsed other items (not knitted) that will draw me back to the Fair as a visitor so I can really see all the other entries. If you are looking for something to do over the July 4th weekend….you might enjoy this event.

Natasha has been busy knitting for her baby treasure chest and for herself as a new mother.

Natasha and her baby son's sweater!

I think it’s important to say that she started knitting just a few years ago…and with her quick math mind and nimble fingers she has custom designed many garments for herself. It has been a joy to watch her design and knit! She wears most everything that she knits….and she keeps a great knitting journal. She can refer to it often. And just this weekend she completed her Annie Scarf Stole…which will be most useful to her as a nursing mother…and then many moons past that.

Natasha and her Annie Scarf Stole