Lorna Miser: Local Girl Makes Good!

Faith, Hope, Love, Knitting

Lorna Miser, local girl makes good is today's headline!

Today marked Lorna's local book stop # 4 for Faith, Hope, Love, Knitting at Sierra Knitting Co. in Cameron Park, CA. As usual there was a great turn out for the book signing and trunk show. One lady from Seattle was visiting the area and was thrilled to meet Lorna and get the book autographed for a special friend back home.

Lorna Miser

Local Girl Makes Good

Lorna lived in the Sierra Foothills for 25 years so she is well known and loved in this area. Everyone is so excited for Lorna, our local girl, making good with the success of her first book. Lorna's publishers are thrilled, too! In just a few short weeks Lorna's book made #13 on the Best Sellers List for craft books. Way to go Lorna!

Heart Pillow

I love the heart warming stories in Lorna's book. Debi Padlicki the owner of Sierra Knitting took a cue from the Heart Pillow in the book and made a purple heart shaped cake for Lorna. If you haven't noticed already...purple is Lorna's favorite color.

Lorna Miser & Debi Padlicki

Knitting isn't just about yarn, patterns and needles. Knitting is also about friends, conversation and heart warming stories. At today's event we all gathered around Debi's big round table and enjoyed knitting stories. I loved the story that Lorna told. Debi opened her shop about three years ago, and before her shop was officially opened, Lorna pushed a note through the door wishing Debi good luck and success. That's a knitter for you!

Sierra Knitting Co.

Debi's store is really cute. I love all the purses she has hanging around the shop. 

A few months back, 

I took a felted purse class from Debi and loved it. 

2012 Update:

Sadly Debi's store is now closed. 

You can find Debi Padlicki designing patterns now though. 

Lorna Miser is everywhere!

Good Day Sacramento

Sheila Igoe, Reporter & Lorna Miser

Lorna Miser and her new book Faith, Hope, Love, Knitting are everywhere these days!

Her book is flying off the shelves at all my LYS (local yarn stores) national book and craft stores, too! Today she was even on TV! Lorna Miser and her good friend Sheila Igoe (whose mitten story "Helping Hand Mittens" is in the book) were on Good Day Sacramento today chatting about her book.

Lorna and Sheila both did great on camera...it was the professionals who kept flubbing up. They just couldn't seem to get both of their names right! That's okay Lorna and Sheila...we know who you are!

Knitting Expert
Lorna Miser

Yes, Lorna was on TV today! Those of us who know her are so excited for her and her book's success!

Knit 'n Style
June 209 Issue

Lorna is not only on TV and in books these days she is a regular featured knitwear designer in national knitting magazines. Look for her in the June 2009 issue of Knit 'n Style magazine on magazine stands now.

Lorna's Helpful Hints!

I am new to knitting in hand dyed yarns so I loved reading Lorna's article on how to knit with hand dyed yarns. Since Lorna is the original founder of Lorna's Laces hand dyed yarns, she certainly knows a thing or two about hand dyed yarns!

For lace knitting in hand dyed yarns, Lorna recommends using colors that don't compete with the lace pattern. I love this advice from Lorna too, "colors that work well with any lace pattern are ones that are monocrohromatic or all the same hue".

Purple Diamonds Please Scarf

Lorna's Purple Diamonds Please scarf is a wonderful lace scarf featured in the magazine. It is a small repetitive diamond pattern knit in Aurora Yarns, Acqurello yarn.

Faith, Hope, Love,Knitting

Congratulations Lorna and Sheila, too!

Enjoy the spotlight!

Lorna Miser Book Tour Stop #3

Lorna Miser 

Tonight marked Lorna Miser's third stop in her local book signing and trunk show for Faith, Hope, Love, Knitting. Knitting friends, Sheila, Michele and I are going to as many of Lorna's local book signing events as we can. I think we are now known as "Lorna's Groupies"!

Tonight's event was held at Spin a Yarn in Vacaville, Ca. Lorna told me that I would love this shop because the owner Parri Shebley has decorated it with antiques and vintage displays. Lorna was right...the shop was darling. It even had a self serve tea bar. I loved that!

Sharing Knitting Stories

Every knitter has a story. I love Lorna's book and her heartfelt stories of knitting in it. The customers at Spin A Yarn were thrilled to meet Lorna in person tonight and share their own stories about knitting, too. As Lorna says "knitting does bring people together!"

Faith, Hope, Love, Knitting

Lorna Miser book signing

Lorna's next book signing will be Tuesday April 21, 2009 at Sierra Knitting in Cameron Park from 3:00 PM to 7:00PM. And, yes, the Lorna's Groupies are sure to be there!

To keep up with Lorna's appearances be sure to check her calendar on Lorna Miser Designs. 

Update 2012:

Spin a Yarn has moved to 

Winters, CA

Beachcomber Bay & Summer Knitting

Beachcomber Bay

&

Summer Knitting

It's time for summer knitting!

Summer is arriving early in California. We are supposed to reach temperatures in the 90's this weekend! So this week, I put my wool knitting projects aside. I have made the switch over to summer knitting. I currently have two summer knit projects on my needles and both are from Louisa Harding's Beachcomber Bay The Accessories Collection.

Mermaid Purse

by Louisa Harding

Being a California girl, I grew up going up to the beach at Santa Cruz for fun (at the Boardwalk) and beach combing. The beaches south of Santa Cruz were always scattered with sand dollars and sea shells. I loved collecting them. I still love beach combing.

Another knitter grew up loving beach combing, too, only in completely different part of the world. That knitter is Britain's knitwear designer, Louisa Harding. Louisa's Beachcomber Bay The Accessories Collection is filled with inspiration from the seaside and her own memories of beach combing. I believe this is Louisa's fourth book for her Louisa Harding yarn line.

Yesterday I cast on for the Mermaid purse. It is knit in Louisa's Flotsam yarn. In her book, Louisa describes this yarn as "reminiscent of washed up ropes and fishing lines." I agree and like it's lofty and slubby texture. I lucked out and found my yarn in a discontinued ocean blue colorway (No. 2) at my LYS.

I am knitting my purse for our summer vacation on the Oregon Coast. I can't wait to beach comb on vacation and embellish my Mermaid purse with shells and bits from the Oregon beaches.

Periwinkle Wrap

I am also knitting Louisa's Perwinkle wrap pattern. The Periwinkle wrap is the reason I bought this book. It is the gorgeous wrap featured on the books' cover!

The Periwinkle wrap is knit in a feather and fan pattern. It is knit in four Louisa Harding ribbon yarns: Sari Ribbon, Kimono Ribbon, Fauve and Glisten. (I modified my wrap size and cast on 76 stitches instead of 40.) I love this gorgeous color combination of yarns! They certainly do remind me of sea waves.

Beachcomber Bay

Accessories Collection

by

Louisa Harding

I highly recommend the Beachcomber Bay Accessories Collection book. It is one of Louisa's early spring/summer collection books from 2006. You are sure to love the "beachy" purses, hats and beach cover ups which are all timeless summer designs.

Louisa says it best in her book's introduction, "I hope the ideas and patterns are a starting point to inspire your knitting this summer". "Next time you look at the beach, look really close and see what you can find to inspire you".

I've been inspired. How about you?

Bunnies & Beatrix Potter

Flopsy Bunnies

"Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits and their names were, Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter". And, so begins the story The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

Beatrix Potter

(1866-1943)

Easter time makes me think of cute little bunnies and the charming children's stories of Beatrix Potter.

To many, Beatrix Potter is known and remembered by Peter Rabbit and her children's books. She was so much more than a children's book author. She was truly a Victorian woman ahead of her time. She was also a conservationist, botanical illustrator, respected farmer and sheep breeder.

Beatrix Potter was born in London, England in 1866. As a child she was home schooled and encouraged to paint and draw. As a child she would smuggle mice, rabbits and hedgehogs into the house. She also had a pet rabbit, named Peter. (Now we know the inspiration for all her adorable animal characters in her books!)

Every year her family spent holidays away from London in the countryside. Beatrix drew and painted everything she could. She loved animals and being in the country.

Hilltop Farm, Cumbria, England
17th Century Stonehouse

In 1905, Beatrix left London and moved to Cumbria, and English county in the Lake District. Thanks to royalties from her first few books, she purchased a working farm called Hill Top Farm. This was the start of her deep interest in farming and preserving the land.

In the 1930's and 40's she and her husband were sheep farmers and breeders. Their Herdwick Sheep won many prizes at county shows. Herdwick sheep are a breed native to the Lake District. Beatrix was also the first woman elected President of the Herdwick Sheep Breeders Association. She also helped save the breed from extinction.

Herdwick sheep are a dual breed who produce a thick, coarse grey fleece due to their harsh environment. Sorry knitters since their wool does not dye easily it is mostly used for carpet wool. There is a co-operative of women farmers, dyers, spinners, weavers and knitters though in Cumbria today called The Wool Clip .

Beatrix passed away in 1943 at the age of seventy-seven. To ensure the conservation of her beloved Lake District, she willed to the National Trust, 15 farms, over 4,000 acres of land and her Herdwick sheep flocks. One provision was that her Hill Top Farm had to remain exactly as she left it, complete with her furniture, art and china. It remains open today for the public to enjoy.

My husband and I love travelling to England. We visited the Lake District in 2003. We made the special journey to Cumbria to visit Hill Top Farm.

So in honor of Beatrix Potter, I would like to share a few photos from a knitting book called The Beatrix Potter Knitting book. All the patterns were inspired by the art and life of Beatrix Potter. Since it is Easter, I selected the cute little bunny ones to share today.

Benjamin Bunny

Sweater, Pull-Ups

&

Tam-O-Shanter

Benjamin Bunny
Sleeping Bag

Flopsy Bunnies
Baby's Jumper (Sweater)

The Beatix Potter Knitting Book

The Beatrix Potter Knitting Book by Pat Menchini was first published in 1987. It features more than 50 delightful handknits for all ages. Many of the book's photographs were taken on location in Beatrix Potter's own English, Lake District.

If you ever find yourself in the beautiful Lake District, I encourage you visit Hill Top Farm. You might also enjoy the movie Miss Potter starring Renee Zellweger as Beatrix Potter, which was filmed in the Lake District.

While visiting the Lake District, I also highly recommend having Sticky Toffee Pudding and afternoon tea at the nearby Sharrow Bay Hotel.

Vintage Crochet Mini Dresses

Vintage Crochet Mini Dresses

My Mom's 1970's crochet mini dress got a lot of attention. Thanks for all the nice comments here and on Ravelry.

Besides knitting I have an obsession for collecting vintage knitting and crochet patterns. I knew I had some "mod" patterns from the 60's and 70's so I went looking through them today. Can you believe I had this pattern which is pretty darn close to my Mom's dress?

The vintage pattern is Big & Little Crochets, Leaflet # 2519, by Columbia-Minerva. (Original price, 35 cents.) I can not find a date on it but it appears to be from the same era, the early 1970's. The hot pink dress is pattern # V-15 and the turquoise dress is # V-16.

The pattern for the pink dress can be found on Ravelry or at Vintage Creations for free.

My Mom's 1970's Crochet Mini Dress!

My Mom's 1970's

Crochet Mini Dress

Today just happens to be my Mom's birthday. In honor of my Mom, I thought it would be fun to share her 1970's crochet mini dress with you.

Now keep in mind, my Mother did not save this dress. I did. I love the fact that I did not knit or crochet since I was a young girl yet I saved everything we had in our house associated with the needle arts my entire life. Even though I did not knit again until I was in my mid 40's, I know that knitting and crochet were dear to my heart or I would not have saved everything that I have saved all these years.

1970's era mini dress!

Today I asked my Mom where she bought this dress. My Mom said she received it from her mother for Christmas back in the early 1970's. My Mom said "she probably bought it at Goldman's or Joseph Magnin's back then!" My Mom loved the dress but wasn't sure when she would ever wear it. Then the perfect event presented itself, her high school class reunion.

My Mom and Dad

&

the Chartreuse Mini Dress

I've always loved vintage so I am thrilled that I saved this dress. I think my Mom wore this around 1970 - 1971. It is in remarkable great shape for being stored in a plastic dry cleaner's bag (in a box) out in the garage all these years. I just love it's 1970's chartreuse green color!

Vintage Tarrri Dress Label

The designer dress label says Tarrri (I think). It is 100% wool. It was made in the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong. It must have been hand made. The crochet work is beautiful. The mini dress is 33" in length. And yes...my Mom was quite "foxy" in it back in the day!

Crochet Shell Pattern?

I hope you have enjoyed this look back at 1970's fashion and my Mom's mini dress. I am so glad I saved it! Someday I hope to become a better crocheter. I would love to crochet a scarf in this crochet shell pattern in a chartreuse for my Mom to wear and me to borrow!

Maybe an avid crocheter can help me to identify it's shell pattern? I would love any tips or comments!