Kathleen Taylor's Tips and Tricks

Yesterday was Kathleen Taylor's class 'Little Tips and Cheater Tricks for Knitting' (that's unaware me, top photo, way in the back corner, in the red shirt ~ when did this photo get snapped?!) at Great Yarns in Everett.  The 2 hours flew by and we learned so many valuable things that only years of experience can provide.  I couldn't wait to come home and pull out some projects, both finished and unfinished, and put some of these great ideas to use.  We learned how to hand-wind a center pull ball (love this tip ~ I've always balled my own yarn up until about a year ago when my husband got me a swift and ball winder but I never knew how to get a center pull going!), spit splicing (thankfully after the demonstration Kathi was nice enough NOT to pass the example around for us to touch ~ yuck!), an amazing embroidery trick to correct an errant cable when you don't want to rip out an entire garment to fix the mistake, adding beads to your knitting with wire (I think I'll stick with the crochet hook method but only because it's the way I was taught and it works for me), and 'knitting back backwards'.  The last one took me a few minutes to wrap my brain around but once you get it, it's the coolest thing.

So, now I have 3 projects pulled out that I want to fix and finish with my new skills:

1. Cabled Piper Purse - I got 1/3 done and put this simple project down since the bobbles were so tedious but now that I know how to 'knit back backwards' bobbles are actually quick and fun so I'm definitely going to finish this up now.
2. My Ingeborg - if you look at the pictures, this vest was great right after I finished it but after one wearing, the yarn on the lower 1/2 is heavy enough that it pulled away from the solid color yarn and there is a gaping sloppy seam that I now know how to stabilize on the inside with a quick single crochet.  I'll be able to wear this again!
3. Hot for Teach - the button band on the sweater has plagued me since I made it ~ my button holes are loose (I've already put bigger buttons on it to make up for this problem) and the button placket ribbing has no structure and I learned yesterday how to tighten a loose ribbing that doesn't need elasticity.  I can use this trick on the button band and the button holes themselves so I can finally get more use out of this really cute sweater, also!

I'm glad Lois from the guild told me about the class or I may have missed it!  And of course, afterwards I had to do a little loitering in the shop and I lucked out and found some lace yarn to make curtains for my knitting attic.

Baruffa Cashwool Decatito

It's Italian 100% extra fine merino laceweight ~ I'll double strand it (the darker color is Cocoa and the lighter color is Latte ~ mmmm, coffee!).  I think I'll come up with my own pattern for this project ~ time to go pull out my lace books and do a little dreaming ;)
Melissa

ETA:  The spit splicing came in handy ~ I wound my yarn tonight and four, yes FOUR snaps, all spit spliced back together, good as new!  Thanks, Kathi!

Oh, the blather....

I love that word.  We had Kathleen Taylor, author of Fearless Fair Isle Knitting and self-described blatherer (the word even sounds blathery!) speak at our guild meeting last night.  She was wonderful, although after having been through the public speaking experiment a few months back, I will always say that anyone that can get up in front of a group of strangers and speak for an hour without the slightest of a swoon will always be wonderful in my book.  She shared her story of how she became who she is and how she is still evolving into the next phase of her knitting journey.  She talked a bit about her new book that I mentioned above and although most of the sample knits that are in the book are out on a trunk show, she was wearing the hands-down masterpiece ~ this beautiful Fair Isle piece (or stranded if you so choose to arguably call her work) that she designed and knitted herself ~ you'll have to click on the link to see it since I cannot find a single picture of it to download and share ~ Dragon Ride Shawl.  That's her wearing it ~ isn't it amazing!?  I have said before that one of the things I dislike about stranded knitting is the look of the carries on the backside ~ I know, I know, you don't see them but I know they're there and they bother me.  They just look plain messy and unfinished, but I discovered last night that it's not the carries I don't like, it's my carries!!  The backside of this shawl was like artwork ~ I definitely need lots more practice and some technique tips. 

Which is why I signed up this morning for the 'Tips and Tricks' class she's teaching at Great Yarns this Saturday.  I haven't taken a class for awhile so it will be fun and I'm sure I can learn a thing or two...or ten from her.  Plus, there's a wine and cheese reception afterwards so what could be more fun than spending the day in my local LYS, surrounded by yarn, and wine, and cheese and amazing people?  Sounds like a great way to waste away a stormy Pacific NW day.

I am getting some knitting done and I reached the halfway point on my Mondo Cable Vest last night.

  I'm getting better at talking and knitting at the same time, a skill I completely lacked until very recently.  Which reminds me, I sat and chatted with a fellow guild member last night for quite awhile and after a bit she said that I reminded her of a girl that had come to speak a few months back and that I looked so much like her that I could be her twin ~ we had quite a laugh when I told her that WAS me!  She said 'you're the shy girl?! ~ I don't believe it!'.  Kelli, that story is for you ~ the turtle has her itty bitty shy head poked so far out of the shell these days people don't even recognize me (the baseball cap could have had something to do with the confusion, though!).  I'm sure enjoying the guild and my new friends and all the encouragement and getting to see so many talented people sharing what they love with each other.  It is such a creative and supportive environment to be in.  I highly, highly recommend everyone that isn't part of a local knitting group check out what's available in your area and get involved.  I always leave so inspired and anticipating the next get together!