Resolutions

Bloomsbury Gauntlets

2015 Knitting Resolution:

To finish up my unfinished projects like these beautiful Bloomsbury Gauntlets that I nearly finished way back in January 2010!

Even the designer herself, Kristin Nicholas, commented on my project in Ravelry back in January 2011.  Kristen commented:   

"Love these - keep going. Wait til you see how fun the embroidery is! 
And thanks for using my yarn!"
Best, 
Kristin Nicholas

If that wasn't encouragement enough to get them finished.  I believe the reason these have been tucked away in a project bin for so long is that we just don't have really cold winter weather here in Northern California where I live.  

This month though as part of my knitting resolution,  I am going to dig the gloves out of hibernation and finish them.  Then I am going to ask my husband to take me to Lake Tahoe so I can wear my pretty Moksha wool scarf and my Bloomsbury Gauntlets that I made to go with it.  The weather should be cold enough up there!

Wee Folk Hats

 Sibling Hats

If you're 5 years old and have a new little baby brother...

I think you should have matching winter hats.  And Woolly Wormhead's Quynn hat is the perfect hat pattern for siblings and wee folk.  Quynn is by the talented hat designer who calls herself Woolly Wormhead.   Woolly is British, so I love that she says her baby and childrens hats are for wee folk.  

Lately I've been knitting a lot for wee folk.  I really should be knitting Christmas gifts but I just can't help myself and have been knitting hats for little ones instead.  I love knitting hats for babies and children.  Off the needles this week are these adorable pixie-style winter hats for one of my husband's employee's wee folk.     

Baby Quynn

Woolly Wormhead's adorable Quynn hat is designed in Noro's Kureyon yarn.  I agree, Kureyon's color palette and striping is a winner for this hat pattern.  I chose my Kureyon yarn in boyish colors of variegated browns and greys,  color #149.

For the new baby (born just a month ago) I knit the 16" newborn/3 month size.  I am a tight knitter so I cast on with size #9's and knit the hat in size #7's as the pattern recommends.  

Big Brother Quynn

For the big brother hat, I knit the child size 20" diameter hat.  To properly finish the hats,  I soaked them in Soak liquid wash to soften up their Kureyon wool.  It does the trick nicely.  Then I pinned and blocked the hats on my knitting blocks.  Lastly I fully air dried them on a sweater rack. 

This was my first Woolly Wormhead hat project and I loved knitting this pattern.  I not only love the design but love that you can knit this hat in so many different sizes for siblings.  I've always loved matching wee folk hats...

because growing up, my little sister and I always had them!  

Chasing Sophie

Swoon

I've been stalking Sophie Digard for a few years now.  From Paris to Carmel, CA...I'm always on the look out for Sophie. 

 Drool

My latest Sophie "spotting" was in the San Francisco Bay Area.  I love shopping on 4th Street in Berkeley, CA and always "pop in" the "girlie girl" Jest Jewels boutique.  Low and behold behind the Jest Jewels counter there they were...

those gorgeous Sophie Digard scarves!  

Sassy

Sarena from Jest Jewels was a doll!  She understood my admiration for Sophie and let me swoon over the scarves.  And here she is even modeling one for me!  We chatted about knitting and her website Christmas Cancer.  Sarena beat ovarian cancer and is interested in starting a chemo hat program.  Stay tuned for future details.

If you're headed down to 4th Street,
here are a few of my other favorite shops:

The Pasta Shop (carries Mariage Freres teas) 

Sur La Table

Anthroplogie

Castle in the Air

Teance Fine Teas

Nest

Great Scot!

My Scottish Souvenir 

A souvenir from Scotland...

I've just finished knitting my Rose Red beret by 

Scottish designer, Ysolda Teague. 

 K1 Yarns Knitting Boutique

On holiday in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2011,

I brought along a shopping list to buy Scottish Orkney Angora yarn so I could knit Ysolda’s Rose Red beret.  After a morning tour of Edinburgh Castle, I couldn't wait to find K1 Yarns Knitting Boutique and shop for yarn!  It was an easy find for a tourist..just off the Royal Mile in Old Town.

 Orkney Angora St Magnus DK

Oh, which color to choose for my Rose Red?  Ysolda's version in scarlet red is divine but since I don’t wear red, I naturally chose my favorite color turquoise instead.

Getting Started

The Rose Red pattern is knit from the top down beginning with an i-cord. It’s a bit fiddly at first on the double point needles but it gets easier every round. Since this is a lace and cable pattern, I used stitch markers for each lace repeat to help keep me on track.

My Rose Red

I loved knitting with this yarn, love Ysolda's pattern and love my Scottish souvenir!

Hey Bidder, Bidder!

 Silent Auction 

Benefiting Macmillan Cancer Support

My Silent Auction is in full swing now 

at Knitique, A Yarn Boutique in Elk Grove, California. 

Together Danielle, the owner of Knitique, and I are raising more funds for Louisa Harding 

while she is on her Team Macmillan Nepal Hike
through November 11th, 2012. 

All auction proceeds will be donated on Louisa's Just Giving Site 

benefiting Macmillan Cancer Support. 

There are so many fabulous goods to bid on that were donated 

all the way from England by famous British designers
and Louisa's friends.  

Don't by shy to bid.  You can even place telephone bids over the phone and we will be happy to ship your items to you.

Here's a look at the Silent Auction:

Snowy Snowflake Scarf

& Flower Brooch

by Designer Nicky Thomson

British Designer Nicky Thomson donated her gorgeous Snowy Snowflake Scarf and Flower Brooch in color Royal Azure.  I've been a fan of Nicky's for quite some time now.  

I have several of her wool scarves and flower brooches and always receive compliments when I wear them.

Nicky has developed a unique way of gently felting her wool designs and is a supporter of the UK's Campaign for Wool.  I love that she recycles and donates her wool scraps to local schools for children's arts and crafts projects.

When I contacted Nicky about a donation she told me:

 "I have actually always supported Macmillan Cancer Support.  My mum runs quite a number of events here in the UK.  It is such a good cause."

Thank you Nicky for your lovely donation!

Debbie Bliss Books & 

Emma Bridgewater Polka Dot Mug Set

Knitting Fever 

(Louisa Harding and Debbie Bliss' American Yarn/Book Distributor)

generously donated the Louisa Harding Thistle Yarn for my charity event also sent two Debbie Bliss books for my Silent Auction.  Debbie told me in an e-mail, that she wished she was in the US so she could sign the books for us!

Another fabulous British Designer, Emma Bridgewater donated an adorable 2pc Polka Dot 1/2 Pint Mug Set all the way from the Potteries in England.  The Emma Bridgewater company is a strong supporter of Macmillan Cancer Support and has regular events at their factory and retail stores to raise money for Macmillan.  

 Rowan Books

Louisa 's knitwear career actually began with an internship at Rowan so naturally Rowan wanted to donate for the auction.  Rowan sent three of their latest books for the auction:  Sarah Hatton Knits, Parisian Nights and Kidsilk Haze Trio.  

 Sardi Hat

You can even help raise funds at the auction even if you're not a knitter!  I have donated my Sardi hat that I knit as a sample for my Himalayan Hiking Hat Kit fund raiser.

The Sardi hat is Louisa's pretty heart cable design and it's knit in Louisa's Thistle yarn which is a luxurious blend of Merino Wool and Baby Suri Alpaca.  

I wonder who the lucky winning bidder will be?

Kim Hargreaves Books

(Autographed by Kim!) &

Nicky Thomson Flower Brooch

Louisa and Designer Kim Hargreaves have been wonderful friends for over 20 years.  Kim graciously sent her two latest books, Quirky and Enchanted, from Yorkshire England and even autographed them for the auction.  This is such a treat for Kim's American fans because I don't believe Kim makes many (if any) public appearances in America.  

Also in the photo above is a darling Nicky Thomson wool flower brooch in Bluejay Khaki up for bid!

So please don't be shy to bid.

If you live out of the area, you can place a telephone bid by calling Knitique and we will gladly ship your winning item/items to you with just the cost of the postage added to your winning bid.  

This is all really for such a wonderful cause and such a fun way to go shopping for fabulous British goods that are often not readily available here in the US!  

For telephone bids:

Knitique, A Yarn Boutique

(916) 714-7719

Hail Britannia!

 Hail Britannia!

You don't have to be a Brit

to be excited about the 

Queen's Diamond Jubilee!  

I'm quite excited and plan on celebrating

 with tea parties and luncheons

all Jubilee Weekend long!

I had planned on knitting Debbie Bliss' Union Jack flag

and her retro Tea Cozy  for my Jubilee tea parties.  

Unfortunately due to my ganglion cysts and hand surgery, my knitting projects of the last six months have been put on hold. 

In the meantime, 

since I'm not knitting much,

I have enjoyed seeing the Diamond Jubilee 

patterns that have debuted in the past few months.  

I thought I would share a few of my favorites. 

Here they are:

 Diamond Stole

I adore lace 

and love Susan Crawford's Diamond Stole. 

It's one of 14 designs in Susan's Coronation Knits 

collection featuring designs inspired from 

Queen Elizabeth's 1950's Coronation era.

Jubilee Bunting

No Jubilee celebration is complete unless you have bunting!

I love this Jubilee Bunting pattern

 by Gemma Atkinson 

for Rowan.
And, it's a free pattern!

Jubilee Placemat

Naturally, the British knitting magazines have special 

Jubilee projects in them. 

I love this Jubilee Placemat 

from the UK's The Knitter, Issue 45.  

I love the placemat's photo styling, too.  

I would love to sit down at that table for an English breakfast!

Knittania!

And, in case you're wondering about my adorable 

"Knittania" Union Jack tea mug...

my Ravely pen pal Jo sent it to me 

all the way from England

 to "cheer me up" after hand surgery.  

If you love knitting and Britain like me,

you can find the Knitannia tea mugs by Mason Cash

 at Lakeland. 

Hail Britannia!

(Photo Credits:  Diamond Stole/Susan Crawford, Jubilee Bunting/Rowan 

and Jubilee Placemat, The Knitter.)

(In the photos:  Brick Stitch Tea Cozy hand-knit by me and Union Jack bunting by Betty and Barclay. 

Fit for a Queen!

 Fit for a Queen!

Ta da...

here's my first "post surgery" project,

a knit and felted hat

that even Queen Elizabeth II 

would look lovely wearing!

I haven't been so excited about knitting in such a long time...

this hat was so much fun to create and embellish!

The hat pattern is Vivian by Designer, Lisa Cruse.

Vivian is Lisa's signature hat and is named for her grandmother. 

I have admired Lisa's felted hats for quite some time and am so excited that I finally made one.  

I think Lisa's hats could very easily become addicting.  

The possibilities of embellishing them are endless.  

I had the chance to chat with Lisa by phone yesterday. 

I found out that we both share a love for Victoria Magazine,

tea, cooking, travel, romantic style and pretty hats. 

Lisa is really more of an artist than a knitter. 

She has been artistic all her life and her love of color, fiber and creativity are evident in her designs. 

I admire her ability to turn a  felted design into a work of art.  Her trademark style is magnificent embroidery, wool needle felting, applique and silk flower embellishing on her designs.  

Her most recent design is her sweet Bertie Bonnet....

which looks like it stepped right out of a Jane Austen novel from
the Regency period.  Lisa travels the world and does workshops on her embellishing techniques.  

I would love to take a workshop from her someday!

Pre-Felting

My Vivian hat is a test knit for my lys Knitique. 

Knitique is having a class called "Fit for a Queen" 

where you can learn how to knit, felt and embellish your hat.  

The hat class will celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee 

with a tea party on the Jubilee Weekend where we will all wear our hats, of course!

Lisa's hat pattern is well written and an easy knit. 

Most knitters can probably knit it in just a few days. 

The magic begins for this hat once you felt it and then 

embellish it. I've done a bit of felting before and am always

 a bit nervous during the felting process, fearing that my project may shrink, too, much.

I kept a pretty close eye on my hat during felting.

After the hat is felted, it's time to block and shape.

Lisa has great tips and  techniques
for felting and blocking on her website. 

For the Vivian hat, she recommends blocking the hat
with a dessert plate "right side up" 

in the brim to make it flat.
I followed her advice and it worked like a charm!

Fit for a Queen!

I think the most fun of this entire hat making process is 

embellishing the hat!

I've had interest in millinery and flower making so I chose to decorate my hat 

with silk style "raggedy roses".

I was inspired by Lisa's Raggedy Ribbonry Roses kit 

that you can purchase on her website to decorate hats. 

I used "regal colors' and tartan trim, 

 "Fit for a Queen", of course!

Now, I can't wait to wear my hat 

to the Diamond Jubilee Tea Party!

(In the photos:  Adorable hand-made Union Jack bunting by Etsy seller Betty and Barlcay, 

Emma Bridgewater Union Jack Tea Pot and vintage Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Mug.)

Not Your Grandmother's Knitting!

 Designer, Joan McGowan-Michael

I love the family stories by top designers in,

My Grandmother's Knitting.  

I bought the book last year as soon as it hit the shelves.  

My favorite design in the book is the 

Angelina Shrug.

This pretty vintage-inspired knit 

just happens to be designed by,

(a favorite local Designer)

Joan McGowan-Michael. 

I often travel miles to meet my favorite designers.  

Yesterday I didn't have to... 

because my favorite LYS,  Knitique

hosted a book signing and fitting clinic with Joan.  

 Angelina Shrug

I loved reading Joan's story in the book 

and how she named her Angelina Shrug

 after her Mother.

The shrug is a tribute to Joan's Mother's fabulous 1940's style 

and is modeled after the bed jackets of that era. 

Joan says in the book:

"My Mother was a 1940's fashionista."

Well, Joan is quite the fashionista  herself!

Throughout the afternoon,
I had a chance to chat with Joan.

 I found out that it was her mother who taught her to knit.  

 Her mother taught her the garter stitch and Joan was hooked.  

As a young girl, Joan went on learning more about knitting 

with the help of Girl Scout books at her local library.  

At the age of 20,

 Joan became a professional fashion designer
after finishing design school. 

She landed her first job with Frederick's of Hollywood. Wow!  

That job obviously had a big influence on Joan because her first book (2007) is titled,  Knitting Lingerie Style!

White Lies Designs Trunk Show

In 2001, Joan founded her company White Lies Designs. 

She is well loved for her romantic designs 

that will "fit and flatter" ladies of all sizes.  

Joan credits working as a 

Custom Bridal Wear Designer (later in her career)

 to really helping her understand fitting different body types,

 including plus sizes.  

Joan took her knowledge from the fashion world 

and transferred it to her knitting designs and patterns.

During a brief talk at Knitique,

 Joan mentioned tips about "tweaking patterns" for knitting. 

She shared tips about:  

raising or lowering waists, nipping a waist and widening straps.  

All helpful tips depending on your body type.  

Knitique is also hosting a Trunk Show with 

Joan's White Lies Designs garments.  

The most talked about patterns yesterday at Knitique,

were Joan's Angelina Shrug, Krista Tee 

and her Angelina Vintage Jacket .

I want to knit them all!

Danielle & Joan 

Thank you to Danielle, the owner of Knitique

(and my knitting teacher)

 for such a fun event yesterday with Joan. 

Thank you to Joan,

for being so fabulous and 

for sharing your fashion tips with all of us yesterday!

PS:  I can't wait to knit my own Angelina Shrug...

it just has to wait awhile due to my upcoming hand surgery. 

Knitted Lace of Estonia

Estonian Lace

Knitting historian and designer, Nancy Bush
wrote the book Knitted Lace of Estonia

and 

there's just a few weeks left to see her personal collection of 

Estonian lace 

at 

Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles

in Berkeley, CA.  

I had the pleasure of seeing the exhibit recently and 

even lucked out with a personal tour

 by Lacis owner, Jules Kliot. 

Here are a few photographs to give you a feel of the exhibit.  

Please note, 

my photographs do not do the lace work justice.  

The lace work details are incredible to see up close and in-person.  

I highly recommend visiting the exhibit before it ends!

 The Shawl Wall

The lace shawls are so beautiful to see in person.

Many of the shawls are from Haapsalu, 

a small seaside town in western Estonia. 

The work on the Haapsalu lace shawls seemed flawless 

and almost appeared to be machine made...

even though I know they are not. 

Haapsalu Shawl

This was one of my favorite lace shawls.

Haapsalu Lace Shawl

Pasqueflower Pattern 4

It's a traditional rectangular wool shawl with a sewn on edge, 

20" x 62".

Maker unknown. 

 The History of Estonian Lace

This is a lovely wall display featuring Estonian Lace shawls 

along with the history of Estonian lace

told through photographs.

 The Nupp

The nupp is a common motif in Haapsalu lace.  

According to Nancy Bush,
the nupp is a stylized bobble of sorts.
It is used for adding texture and creating figures in openwork. 

Jules told me on my tour,

that he had Nancy knit the large sample above of "the nupp"

so everyone could easily see it and it's details. 

Lacis Owner, 

Jules Kliot

For a knitter, like me,

the Estonian Lace exhibit is quite inspiring.  

I know someday now, 

I will knit an Estonian lace pattern 

or take a class from Nancy Bush. 

Thank you to Jules Kliot of Lacis Museum 

and 

Nancy Bush for this incredible exhibit 

and the opportunity 

to see such beautiful Estonian lace work in person.

Laku

Oh, Baby!

Hats off to Designer,

Yaeko Yamashita 

and her delightful shop, 

Laku.

 Laku

I had the pleasure of visiting Laku 

last Christmas Eve when I was in San Francisco.

The moment I walked in,

I knew I was in a magical place!  

Laku is a whimsical boutique 

where every nook and cranny is filled
with one delight after another!

Besides their magnificent hand-made hats, gloves, scarves, slippers and brooches, 

they carry a wonderful array of vintage jewelry
and antique buttons. 

 I could have spent hours there,

 meandering around...

just like a kid in a candy store!

 Hats & Gloves

I grew up in the end of the era when wearing hats and gloves
 to the city were a must.  

I think it's high time we bring back that tradition and 

Laku's luxurious cashmere gloves could do just that.  

They are scrumptious and the reason I sought out the
Laku boutique.

A year or so ago, while shopping with my knitting friend Daniella in the California wine country we stumbled upon the prettiest hand-made cashmere gloves.  Daniella purchased a pair for her daughter, and the nice clerk told us that they were hand-made by a designer in San Francisco.  

Laku

(Seated left: Design Director, Yaeko Yamashita) 

So, I did a bit of research and found the designer, 

Yaeko Yamashita 

and her lovely store, Laku. 

I'm so glad I found Laku and can't wait to go back.  

If you're visiting the city,
this is the place to treat yourself to a pair of gloves,
a hat, a brooch or

 a delightful hand-made gift
for a friend or loved one. 

Laku 

1089 Valencia Street

San Francisco, CA 94110

(415) 695-1462

Laku is located  in San Francisco's Mission District 

and I highly recommend stopping at nearby Tartine 

for lunch or a sweet treat!

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!