Saturday, May 26, 2012

A Piece of History

Every wanted to be part of getting a book published?  Annie Modesitt is publishing "A History on Two Needles" and is looking for some financial backing.  Check it out as it's kind of like an NPR donation; there are prizes attached, like a free e-edition of the book when it's published.  The pieces are amazing.  Go, Annie!
See the Slideshow and her Flickr stream and her website.  



Friday, May 25, 2012

Busy week!

Busy week for the Stockinettes.  It started out with Stitch 'n Pitch.  Thanks to everyone who pulled that together.  Nice tote bag souvenirs and free hot dogs, chips, and sodas for the seniors (I think that happens every Monday).



Sandi and Jude looking like they threw out the first ball, but they didn't.  

Last Sunday Gwen Bortner came to teach us the joys and beauty of Entrelac.  She had a large trunk show with her and the samples were amazing.  You can follow Gwen on her website Knitability and if you missed the class you can take on online version at Crafty.com I hear that's great and almost like having her there in person.  In the afternoon Gwen taught us how to really take our measurements so that the garments we make truly fit and how to turn those measurements and a  proper gauge swatch into a sweater.  Turns out you can't measure yourself.  You need a partner for that and she had lots of suggestions how to fit that into a date-night activity.  Use your imagination.  Both classes were packed with information and had excellent handouts and resources.  Gwen will also be teaching at TKGA in Reno.  Registration is tentatively set to open on June 13th but check the web TKGA - Reno Event to stay updated. I think any of her classes would be a terrific addition to your knitting know-how bag.  Thanks for visiting us, Gwen!


Elizabeth, Lisa, Gwen, Jude and Doris..............



Monday night found about 15 Stockinettes gathered at Lisa's house to sew together all of the strips we have been knitting for the upcoming yarn bombing at the Discovery Museum.  Fiber Event Discovery Museum  Susan cranked out yards and yards on her machine and we all sewed and chatted and had a grand old time.  We even had the help of a few of Lisa's pets.  We will gather again on Saturday June 2nd at 10AM for the installation that will be up for two weeks.  Knit in Public day will be June 9th at the Museum grounds.  Bring your chairs, umbrellas, water, snacks, and your knitting and sit in the midst of the yarn bombing which is really an art installation.  Hope you made or sewed a few strips and get to see them displayed.  I'll post pictures for sure.  

 Susan manning the ironing board 

 Sewers.  Who said we don't like to weave in ends.

 Measuring the distance - this is about 400 yards.

I helped just by being cute and quiet.  



Sunday, May 6, 2012

Leave it to the Experts

Perhaps you've heard stories of copies of "The Principles of Knitting" by June Hemmons Hiatt going on EBay for over $400.  The first edition went out of print in the mid-1990s and was a very hot item indeed. We heard rumors that she was updating her book and here it is!  Principles of Knitting

Currently selling for about $26 from Amazon and so far well worth every penny.  I'll tell you why.  I'm a pretty experienced knitter, self-taught, but experienced.  It's rare that I can't figure something out.  But I have a tool called a 3+2 or a croneedle that I use to pick up stitches if I'm adding a button band or collar or something like that.  It has a crochet needle on one end and a knitting needle on the other end and I never could quite figure out how to get the stitches off once I had picked them up.  I would gingerly knit them off the crochet hook end.



So today, as I went to pick up some stitches, I thought to myself, "Self, let's see what June has to say about picking up stitches" and lo and behold, the truth about this needle appeared right there on page 109.  The trick is that you do a type of long tail cast on so that when you finish picking up the stitches, you just go to the needle end where the end of the yarn that goes to the ball will be.  How could I have been so blind?  I am so wedded to doing a cable cast on that I never consider doing any other kind.  I heard one review of this book that counted her cast-on techniques.  52 of them.  Imagine that.  She has instructions on the Tricolor Braid Cast-On and the Contrast Color Half-Hitch Edge.  How about Wrapped Cast-ons and a Knit Picot Cast-on.  Seriously, this is the book to go to for both experienced and novice knitters.  It's big, over 700 pages and 450,000 words.  It's mostly black and white photos and lovely, clear illustrations for the techniques.  This is a book everyone needs in their personal library, no doubt.  Thanks, June!  Well done.

I don't think this particular croneedle is available any longer from Skacel but a work-around per the suggestion from the nice folks at Purlsoho is to build your own if you have Addi-Clicks.  You can also do the same with  Denise Interchangeables.