The Yarn Harlot Was Here!

The Yarn Harlot Was Here!

Recognize those hands? Yep, they belong to the one and only Stephanie Pearl-McPhee aka the Yarn Harlot.

Yes, she was here!

We all know just how legendary Stephanie is in the world of knitting. Did you know that her recent California visit was exclusively to teach for our knitting guild the Camellia City Stockinettes? How lucky are we?!

Knitting For Speed & Efficiency

Stephanie at the mic..."she is the rock star of knitting!"

says Sheila Igoe.

Stephanie taught three sold out workshops for our guild last weekend. She taught back to back Grock the Sock classes on Saturday. On Sunday she taught a 6 hour workshop called Knitting for Speed and Efficiency.

I had a chance to chat with Michele Carotti about Sunday's workshop. Michele really enjoyed Stephanie's presentation on the History of Knitting. "It was quite interesting" she said. "She explained the knitting styles of different cultures and that many early knitters had to production knit for a living."

On another little note of knitting history...did you know that Stephanie learned to knit at age four from her Nana? Her Grandmother was a professional knitter who knit lever style referred to as Irish Cottage Knitting. For those lucky students that took Stephanie's Knitting For Speed & Efficiency Class they were taught the skills for lever knitting.

Knitting For Speed & Efficiency

Want to knit faster? Than Stephanie's Knitting For Speed and Efficiency class was for you!

Kelly Hechinger owner of The Lake Tahoe Yarn Co. attended this unique class. This is what Kelly had to say about attending the class excerpted from her blog:

"Yep, I was there. It was a really cool class. Lots of historical information that I had no idea of and an amazing new concept of knitting. I really like it!

The Homework Assignment

Yes, there was even a homework assignment. Attendees of the class were instructed to practice their lever knitting on a practice scarf. They are supposed to knit on it every day for 21 days.

Kelly is taking Stephanie's advice and working on a 1×1 rib scarf. "I can tell this is going to take the FULL 21 days. My hands are trying to figure out what the heck i’m telling them to do now. I kind of think of it as playing the guitar and then playing the piano" says Kelly.

Lever Knitting Technique

Stephanie Pearl McPhee can knit really fast! To see how fast she can knit be sure to check out her lever knitting technique or Irish Cottage Knitting technique on YouTube. It will knock your socks off!

Stephanie & Beth

This incredible event would not have happened for our guild if it wasn't for the perseverance of our Secretary Beth Callahan. Beth never gave up on bringing Stephanie to Sacramento. Beth actually worked on this event for three years.

Behind the scenes of bringing Stephanie to Sacramento was somewhat like bringing a rock star to Sacramento. Sheila Igoe said it best in our Ravelry Stockinettes group page:

"Beth and Cindi deserve HUGE kudos for setting this up. What a lot of work they do before and during events like this! Airport runs, yarn shop visits, sightseeing, dining out, caterers, security (it’s like escorting a rock star around!), hotel accommodations, back-up plans, etc., the list goes on and on."

"It was so well planned that, I believe, it was a absolutely wonderful for the attendees and for Stephanie. - Oh, and the Sunday class was one of the best I’ve ever taken. Thank you, thank you, thank you. This guild and SPM ROCK!”


*** Special thanks to Kelly from Lake Tahoe Yarn Co. & Sheila Igoe for providing photos from the workshop, to Beth and Cindi for making the event happen and, of course, to the Yarn Harlot for coming to Sacramento to see the Camellia City Stockinettes! ***