Happy Christmas!

Merry Christmas!


(Photo taken at my favorite knit shop, Knitique.)

Holiday Glitter

Simonetta

The Holidays are all about glitter

so I was pretty excited when I saw 

Louisa Harding's new winter collection

Simonetta.  

 I couldn't wait to try Louisa's Simonetta yarn

which has "glittery" metallic fibers
added to the kid mohair.

I was so excited about Louisa's new book and yarn Simonetta,
that I organized a Holiday Glitter Knit-Along
(in the Louisa Harding group on Ravelry)
as a tribute to Louisa Harding
and her new collection.

Madelena

I recently finished my Madelena  scarf for the

Holiday Glitter Knit-Along.

  If I do say so myself...
I think it's the prettiest scarf I've ever knit!

Today is the last day of the Holiday Glitter Knit-Along

and it has been so much fun! 
Knitters have participated from

England, Scotland, Germany, Canada

and the USA. 

I am normally a "flitter knitter" but knew I had to focus

and finish my KAL project by the deadline

 since after all, I organized it. 

Whew, I made it
(with a week or so to spare)
and even with doing my Christmas knitting.  

Teresa's Madelena Scarf

My knitting pen pal Teresa in England

joined in on the fun and

knit the Madelena scarf as well,

only in the two-color version. 

I loved how she styled hers

and wore it with a beautiful blue coat and,

of course, her wellies! 

Holiday Glitter

I styled my Madelena scarf with a vintage rhinestone Weiss pin

that adds just the right amount of sparkle

to the Simonetta yarn! 

Thanks to Louisa Harding...

I'm ready to sparkle for the holidays

and the New Year! 

Happy Winter!

Now, that's a wool coat!

Happy First Day of Winter!

Brixton Plaid Coat

Now this is a wool coat to love! 

Today is also my birthday,
so I'm off to shop...
maybe even for a new wool coat!

(photo credit:  Brixton Plaid Coat: Sundance Catalog)

Granny Square Cookies

Granny Square Cookies

Oh my gosh...

if you're a knitter or a crocheter

you are sure to love these clever crochet-adorned cookies!

These adorable Granny Square Cookies
are the genius of an adorable

baker and blogger

Sugar and Meringue. 

You can find her Granny Squre Cookie 

tutorial and instructions here. 

I can't wait to make these sometime and

bring them to my favorite knit shop, Knitique. 

(Photo Credit:  Sugar and Meringue)

I'm Cable Ready!

 Melissa Leapman

I'm cable ready now...

thanks to Melissa Leapman

 and

her Cable Ready class that I took today.

Melissa flew all the way out from New York City

exclusively for two days of classes for my knitting guild,

the Camellia City Stockinettes. 

I must say,

designer events and classes

are a wonderful perk of belonging to my local TKGA guild.

 Cable Ready

I really liked Melissa's relaxed teaching style.

She has a simple and straightforward approach

to explaining things. 

For her Cable Ready class,
she broke down the basics

 and taught us to knit with charts. 

 She told us,

 "Charts show the way the resulting fabric will look
 and you can knit faster".

 Heart Cable

In our class,

she taught us two simple cable maneuvers (with 4 stitches)

that resulted in mastering the

honeycomb, braid and rope cable motif. 

 Thanks to Melissa's instruction,

I did all my class cable exercises by chart

(a first for me). 

I'm pretty excited to be able to knit cables now by charts.

Melissa also taught us how to knit heart cables,
two-colored cables

and gave us some color stranding tips, too.

The best part of taking a designer's class...

is all the tips and tricks you pick up from them!

Melissa's Books

During class,

I had a chance to ask Melissa a few questions.

She learned to crochet at the age of 4.

She is a "self taught" knitter

who taught herself to knit in high school.

She attributes that to her teaching style. 

She is an east coast gal who ended up in New York in college

 and stayed in New York City.  Lucky her!

Her latest book Stashbuster Knits has just hit the shelves

and she has exciting things planned for the future.
(Sorry I can't tell you about them now.)

You can though keep up with Melissa and her latest news
on her Facebook page.

Melissa is a popular instructor at Stitches events around the US

 and other venues. 

 Take her classes if you ever have a chance! 

It was a pleasure to meet Melissa today

and learn more about cables.

I can truly say...

I'm cable ready now!

Ysolda

 Ysolda Teague

She is just as adorable in person!

 Little Red in the City

I met Scottish designer Ysolda Teague last month

when she was in the Bay Area

for a weekend of classes for her new book

Little Red in the City.

 Fiddler's Mitts

I attended Ysolda's book signing during her weekend classes.

I love her Fiddler's Mitts in the new book
 My Grandmother's Knitting.

Ysolda not only signed my book

but also helped me select the colors of

Jameison's Shetland Spindrift

for my Fiddler's Mitts.

I'm going to knit a pair to coordinate with a

 fabulous Fair Isle scarf

I purchased in Edinburgh, Scotland this year.

Cute!

I couldn't help but comment to Ysolda how cute

her fascinator headband was. 

Guess what knitters...

it's a future pattern! 

Thank you Ysolda for being so adorable

and for visiting California! 

Alice Starmore's Colorful Life!

Welcome Alice Starmore

Alice Starmore
certainly needs no introduction.

She is a legend in the knitting world.

I feel so fortunate to have attended
Alice Starmore's talk
"My Colorful Life"

at
Interweave's Knitting Lab.

Alice captivated myself
and the capacity-filled ballroom of knitters

for over 2 hours

with her delightful Scottish accent,

humor and wonderful stories

about growing up
on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland.

My Colorful Life

"Color, texture and pattern

these are the elements I always work with."

Whether she's designing knitwear, artwork, tapestry, photography or environmental education

Alice always works those three elements.

And so began Alice's speech and slide show presentation

 My Colorful Life.

Alice grew up on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland where she says,

 "The coastline is pounded by the ocean."

According to Alice,

where she comes from and its physical landscape,

 shaped her.

She lovingly called the Isle

"A place that fires the imagination." 

Here's how growing up on the Isle of Lewis

its landscape and colors

shaped her as a designer and artist.

Growing Up on the Isle

Alice grew up in a traditional Lewis fishing family. 

You could sense her "Scottish pride" the way

she spoke lovingly about her family 

and life on the Isle of Lewis.  

She told us,

"My Grandfather was a fisherman in the era

of wooden ships and iron men."

She learned how to knit as a little girl from her aunties.

Her aunties taught her to knit

Gansies (fishermen sweaters).

Alice said , "I was fascinated with Gansies." 

Her father was also a fisherman

who eventually came to shore

(as they say on the Isle)

and became an engineer for Harris Tweed.  

Her father's career at Harris Tweed 

had an enormous influence on her.

 As a child she loved the going to the plant with her father

to see the dye vats and bolts of Scottish tweed. 

There was a lot of fabric at home, too.

Alice's mother was a skilled dressmaker, originally from

 Glasgow, Scotland. 

She continued dressmaking after marrying.

 Alice fondly remembers rushing home from school

just to see what new bolts of cloth had arrived. 

It was her mother who taught Alice Fair Isle knitting.  

Alice's mother had learned Fair Isle knitting

as a young nurse in Glasgow from her best friend from Shetland.

Alice obviously took a liking to stranded color work.

In her teens,  Alice told us she loved fashion magazines

and sewed all her own dresses for the

Friday night Disco dances. 

And how about this...

Alice said she "Always loved knitting."

She called herself "A bit of a secret knitter" as a young girl,

 because it wasn't thought of as cool. 

Hearing her story,

it was easy to see,

that Alice was destined to be a designer.

Signing My Books

Alice also talked about her knitting books
and their inspiration.

.In 1992 she wrote her  Fishermen's Sweaters book
with traditional Guernseys patterns.   

She wanted to "carry on those wonderful garments"

that her aunties taught her.

Her book The Celtic Collection was influenced

by her Celtic past. 

She grew up speaking both Gaelic and English.

She began the design process for this book

with Celtic doodles. 

Alice told us she doodles all the time.

As for her patterns,

she hand draws all of her designs

so they have swing and movement. 

The Celtic Collection has been her most popular book

and has never been out-of-print.

It's now in its 14th printing. 

(My copy is now signed by her.) 

As for Alice's beloved book, Tudor Roses. 

The number one question she is always asked,

 "Will it ever be reprinted?" 

Alice's response in her fabulous Scottish accent...

"You never know!"

Her Colorful Life
 

"My soul is where the moorland is".

~ Alice Starmore

As a child, Alice grew up playing on the moors

during the summer months.

The moors had a profound effect

in her design work and love for color.

Alice says "Color is everywhere."

"Forget the color wheel and look at nature around you."

Today, Alice Starmore is so much more than just a

 legendary knitter famous for color and pattern.

She is also a respected artist,

author, textile designer, photographer,

 environmental educator and conservationist.  

Alice said she was privileged that the

 "fireside craft of knitting"

 brought her to America back in 1985. 

For the next 15 years she came to America every year. 

This was her first time back in over a decade.

All I could think

during her entire talk,

 was how privileged we were at Knitting Lab

and that Interweave brought her all the way back to America 

so we could all learn about Alice's...

 Colorful Life!

Interweave Knitting Lab

Welcome to the Knitting Lab

Hats off to Interweave

for their first annual Interweave Knitting Lab,

November 3-6, 2011.

I was thrilled to head back to my old college stomping grounds

in San Mateo, California on Saturday for their

special events with Alice Starmore.

 The Knitting Lab event appeared to me to be a huge success.

Everyone on the Interweave team wore lab coats and were professional, friendly and helpful.

I met Beth, Interweave Sr. Marketing Manager and she told me that they wanted the Knitting Lab

to be "the magazine coming alive". 

She summed it up best when she said

"the Knitting Lab is an educational conference with a marketplace". 

I chatted with a few fellow knitters and they all raved about the classes and instructors. 

Here is a recap of my day at Knitting Lab...

 Knitter's Market

My first stop was the Knitter's Market.

The Knitter's Market was a small marketplace,

 free of charge to Knitting Lab attendees and the general public. 

I met a lot of nice vendors and retailers walking through it.

 The Habu Ladies

I saw some familiar faces at the Market,

 like the lovely Habu ladies.

 Yummy Yarns

Yes, there were yummy yarns
at the Knitter's Market!

Designing Women

(Left to right: Ann Budd, Joan McGowan-Michael, Vivian Hoxbro & Annie Modesitt)

Of course, the best part of the Knitting Lab were all

the Designing Women!

Each day along with classes,

there were book signings with

favorite knitting authors and designers. 

Eunny Jang

I also ran into Interweave Knits magazine Editor,

Knitwear Designer, Author and TV knitting celebrity...

Eunny Jang.

Eunny was so cute and nice. 

 I couldn't wait to tell her how much I enjoy  Knitting Daily
every Tuesday morning at my house.

Alice Starmore

Naturally, I've saved the best for last...

the legendary Alice Starmore was at Knitting Lab

 as a keynote speaker for "My Colorful Life"

as well as a book signing.

I was a bit curious how Interweave managed to get Alice Starmore to come out for Knitting Lab.  

While chatting with  Karin Strom, Editorial Director,

I found out that Alice is long time friends

with Interweave founder, Linda Ligon. 

Last night when Karen Strom introduced Alice for her talk,

she told us that it took Alice 27 hours to travel from her home

on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland to San Francisco, California. 

Alice said it had been 13 years since she has visited the

United States.  

How grateful we knitters are that she made the extremely long journey.

At the book signing earlier in the afternoon,

I asked Alice what else she will be doing on her visit

to Northern California. 

She told me that she loves the Pacific Coast and Pacific Ocean

and is looking forward to spending time north of San Francisco

at the coast again.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet Alice Starmore

and another knitting dream come true for me.

Stay tuned for my upcoming post on meeting

this legendary knitter. 

Lil' Pumpkin

 Itty Bitty Pumpkin

Isn't this the cutest Lil' Pumpkin you've ever seen?

My Little Pumpkin hat is from Itty Bitty Hats by

designer Susan B. Anderson. 

It's my favorite book for baby
and toddler hats.

Susan's hats are so cute and such easy projects. 

Her patterns are so well written, straightforward
and easy to follow. 

My Lil' Pumpkin is a last minute gift for my little neighbor Mason

who turns one years old today.

I was able to knit it up last night, in just one evening. 

(I won't tell you what time I went to bed!)

I love, love, love this hat...

and can't wait to knit more

Lil' Pumpkins!

I Love Yarn Day

 Louisa Harding Yarns

It's I Love Yarn Day!

The Craft Yarn Council of America has declared today

I Love Yarn Day!

Today is the day to show your love for yarn. 

The Craft Yarn Council is encouraging all knitters and crocheters

to knit in public, teach someone to knit, knit for charity,

wear a knitted item or

have a Yarn-a-bration Party!

Yes, I'll be celebrating and buying some new yarn today
(Louisa Harding, of course)

because I Love Yarn!

(Louisa Harding Yarn photo taken at Ramshambles...

an adorable wool shop in the Shambles, York, England.)

Jane Eyre Cuffs

 Jane's Cuffs

I recently enjoyed my very first KAL
(Knit A-Long)
on Ravelry. 

 Jane Eyre Knit-A-Long

Ravelry's Jane Eyre Group had a lovely KAL called

Tea Time on the Moors. 

Knitting, tea and Yorkshire...

why of course,

I had to get my needles out and join the fun!

 Lady Danio organized the KAL for a tea party on the Moors. 

You could knit (or crochet) tea cosies or lacy mitts

that we imagined Jane Eyre would have used with her tea basket out on the Moors.

 Plain Jane

For the KAL,
I wanted to knit something on the historical period side..
something that Jane may have actually worn. 
I chose the pattern Elm Leaves and knit lacy cuffs which I named
Jane's Cuffs. 

I broke away from my normal pretty blue colors
and knit something more dark and grey…
cuffs that perhaps Jane Eyre would have worn
wondering the Moors
or taking tea with Mr. Rochester.

I  found the perfect yarn for my project
at the Point Reyes Farmers Market
 from Mimi the owner of Windrush Farm.
The yarn is Mimi's Corriedale Cross
and is 80% wool and 20% silk.

Once completed, I thought my cuffs were a bit
"plain Jane" even for Jane Eyre. 
So, I added some pretty French lace trim in a linen color. 
I think it was a wise choice
and even gives them a more period-look. 
I think Charlotte Bronte would approve,
don't you? 

Teatime on the Moors

On September 24, 2011 the KAL projects were finished
and we had tea party on Ravelry in the Jane Eyre group.

We posted photographs of our completed project
along with having tea. 
Since Jane is from Yorkshire,
 I had  Yorkshire tea and scones at my tea party.  

The KAL was so enjoyable
and inspired me to pick up my needles in the summer when I don't knit much. 

I can't wait to do another KAL sometime again. 
Thank you Lady Danio for organizing such a fun event
 and tea party. 

Bring on Fall

"Yes, my Mother...loves to knit!"

Happy First Day of Autumn!

How cute is this photograph? 

I love this photograph of my father-in-law all "bundled up" in his little knit outfit. 

Bring on fall.  I'm ready for sweater weather only...

it will be awhile 'till it gets here in California. 

More Missoni!

 Missoni Style Stitches

I'm obsessed with Missoni zigzags!

The Missoni For Target line has really inspired me knit

my own Missoni "style" scarves.

 Missoni For Target

Yesterday I went to Target to return a few Missoni items

and look what I found...

the scarf I really wanted! 

I couldn't find this Missoni scarf the day
 Missoni premiered at Target. 

Much to my surprise, there were six of these scarves on the rack. 

 I'm figuring this inventory may not have made the actual
Missoni launch date
 or a shopper caught up in the "Missoni Madness" returned them.

So now I want to knit a Missoni style scarf like this one, too.  I really like its design.  I like how the chevron pattern in color is placed on the bottom of the scarf.

I'm not really sure when I will tackle this project. In the meantime, I'm going through stitch dictionaries, Ravelry and the Internet getting more inspired every day.

Here's why I love Missoni zigzags...

PS:  There is also a Missoni Ravelry Fan Club group on Ravelry

for more Missoni inspired knitting. 

Missoni Inspired!

 Knit a Missoni Scarf

Now that the "Missoni Madness" at Target is over...

I'm re-evaluating my Missoni For Target purchases. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm still mad for Missoni style...

I'm just not that crazy about the Target quality and colors of the scarves.

So, what's a knitter to do but get her needles out and 

 knit her own Missoni style scarves!

Missoni For Target

I've wanted to knit a Missoni "inspired" scarf for about a year now. 

With all the Missoni madness going on, now seems like the perfect time to get one started. 

I've been planning on knitting Joelle Hoverson's Chevron Scarf

in her book Last Minute Knitted Gifts.  I even have the Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino

yarn already in my stash that I purchased last year from ImagiKnit in San Francisco for my scarf.

Then I had to go look on Ravelry...

 ZigZag Stripes Scarf

There are a lot of Missoni "inspired" patterns on Ravelry. 

A few of my favorite chevron scarf designs are:

Sock-It-To-Me in One Skein Wonders

Chevron Scarf by Jo Sharp

Ripple Scarf in Luxury Yarn One Skein Wonders

Striped Scarf by Vogue Knitting

Zigzag Stripes by Debbie Bliss

Hmmm, now which one to knit?  I'll probably stay with my first choice in my Koigu yarns

but can't wait to try a few other patterns for more Missoni style!

I hope I've inspired you to knit up your own
Missoni-style scarf

in your favorite colors and yarns...

because you know you...
won't find that at Target!