We had a great trip to Santa Fe, NM stopping at Los Alamos and other great spots.  Here is a picture of me in my jacket knitted with chic ribbon yarn.  I had an occasion to wear this the night we took the Santa Fe Railroad Dinner trip.  These pictures were taken on the patio of our Bed & Breakfast. 

I haven’t written in a while since I haven’t finished projects other than those samples for the classes I’ve been teaching.  I’ll be posting pictures of those items soon.  I taught basic knitting, sweater knitting and I’m scheduled to teach lace knitting.  This has been very rewarding and a fun change of pace from computer architecture and commuter knitting!

I also just got a job offer at another company so I resigned last week and I’m looking forward to taking a little time off to do some knitting and travel to Santa Fe.  If any of you out there know some good yarn shops in Santa Fe, NM please let me know.  I’m planning on making lots of stops.

I’m currently working on a jacket of my own design knitted from cuff-to-cuff with Katia’s Chic woven ribbon yarn.  It’s 50% wool so it’s going to be warm.  However, I’m knitting in the dropped loop stitch which emphasizes the ribbon yarn.  It’s cream colored with gold threaded hilights.  I’ll post some in progress pictures this week…

It has been a while, but I’ve been a busy knitter.  On Sunday for the past two weeks, I have been demonstrating knitting at our local A.C. Moore Craft store.  I’m also set up to teach classes for basic knitting starting 2/21 through April.  I’m looking forward to the chance to pass on the skill to others.

I finished up the copper brown lace shawl which I was working on.  The title is “Concert in the Park” by “Two Old Bags”.  It is worked in Jaggerspun Zephyr wool-silk blend using size 5 needles.  It started from the center and is worked outward.  Finished with an edging which attaches to the last row of knitting.

Here is a picture of the shawl while it is blocking.

A close up.

On to the next project……

The New Year is fast approaching and now that all but a few gifts have been given, it is time to post the photos of the knitting I did for Christmas this year.

I’ll do this in order of completion.  Remember you can click on the picture for a larger view…

In April of this year, I took a trip to Las Vegas and I wanted a good travel project that I could put on bamboo circular needles to carry on the airplane.  Well, I searched through my stash and I pulled out a handpainted silk/rayon called SummerHaze from HeartStrings and decided to make the Alka shawl from Myrna Stahman’s “Shawls and Scarves” book, based on Foroese-shaped shawl design.

Isn’t it lovely?  This was for my Mom.  I thought it would keep her shoulders warm in Florida during the cool 50 degree evenings of winter.  I had it hidden away after I finished it this summer.

These were hats from Elizabeth Zimmerman’s “Knitting without Tears” for my Father-in-law and Brother-in-law.  Made from Baby on size 15 needles.  A real quick and satisfying hat.

The next piece was a german design from Burda Strickspitze (hardcover) page 36.  Special thanks goes out to Marga, Maria and Sigrid on the Lace Knitters list for helping me to translate line 92 for the 11 stitches inside the triple yarnover. 

I used dusty rose 10/2 Tencel on size 0 needles.  I think it came out great even if there are 11 instead of 10 repeats!  Its still round….

Well there you have it!  My busy holiday knitting! 

Now back to my copper brown shawl which I hope to finish in the new year…

Happy New Year to everyone!!

Here’s the finished jacket!  Finally got a chance to take a photo.  I was taking photos of all the Christmas gifts prior to wrapping so I took the opportunity to get this one.

I’ve worn it to work a couple of times already.

I’ve been very busy since I finished this project.  I’ve made 5 projects for Christmas.  Wait until New Years for pictures of these. 

I made a great scarf for my assistant Tracey which was made from Rowan Big Wool.  It was 80″ long with Gedifra Fur yarn on the ends.  I’ve got to make myself one now because it came out so scrumptiously soft!  I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of that since I had to give this to her last week before her vacation. When I make one for myself,  I’ll post it.

This will probably be my last post before Christmas so Happy Holidays to you all!!!

I’ve been extremely busy and haven’t written in quite a while. 

I finished the mohair jacket and I’ve actually worn it to work already. I ordered a dressform from JoAnn’s so I’ll be taking a picture of the jacket (on the dressform) when that finally arrives.

Meanwhile, holidays and birthdays are coming and I’m in a knitting frenzy!!!   I love this time of year.  Lots of knitting opportunities.  I’ve got several projects on needles and I’m working on everything in parallel.  I also finished a few projects earlier in the year so I’m not as frantic as prior years.  Mostly small projects left to do.  One is for the commute, and three while watching TV.  Thanksgiving is coming giving me plenty of non-stop knitting time. 

Obviously, no pictures here until the gifts are given!!  I know that my family is now checking out my blog regularly to see projects.  Well, none of your gifts are pictured here, but I hope you’ll love the gifts and brag about them to your friends. 

After the holidays, I’ll get back to the other projects from my list and post some progress pictures.

I’m going to get on my knitting Soapbox for a little while since I’ve been frustrated of late with this whole “celebrity knitting/urban knitting” marketing that’s underway.  Since this is probably the only forum I have (for now) to voice my views on this topic, I’m going to take advantage of it.  For you folks out there I encourage and welcome your comments on this topic and look forward to the chance to have meaningful discussions on the topic.

When Was Knitting Only a “Grandmother” Craft?

1. My Background

Where should I start?  I know that everyone has their own story about where it all began.  Here is mine…

When I was a young girl, my Italian grandmother would always be seen crocheting delicate lace tablecloths, bedspreads, shawls and other things.   She always seemed at peace when she was doing her needlework.  In fact when she was reciting the rosary, she had the same expression on her face as when she was crocheting.  I guess she seemed to put her spirituality into what she was creating.  Most often, she was creating something for a woman in the family who moved into a new home, had a new baby or was getting married.  With six children and seventeen grandchildren this was often happening.  I was always fascinated by her commitment to her craft. 

When I was around 10 years old, my grandmother was visiting for a week and I asked her if she would teach me how to crochet.  I wanted to create those beautiful lacy things like she did.  However, instead of teaching me with the fine crochet thread, she took out a big fat plastic crochet hook and worsted weight yarn, then proceeded to teach me how to crochet a granny square.  Now it was the 70’s and these were popular, however, I never really got into the granny square fashion scene.  I continued following Nonna’s (Grandmother in Italian) directions and persevered to make something for my family for Christmas that year.

One day soon after learning to crochet, my parents visited a coworker of my Dad’s who did needlework like petit point and crocheting.  Well, it came up in the conversation that I was crocheting.  Instantly this woman said, “Come with me we’ll find some yarn in my stash which you can use”.  Now, years later, I realize how difficult that must have been for her.  After all, how could one possibly spare to give up any of those wonderful skeins and balls of yarn which you always have a plan for using one day?  Being the young newbie to the craft, all I thought at the time was “cool, I can finish the afghan with this stuff”

Well, I never finished the afghan.  I did however, learn how to make those smaller lace items eventually when I learned how to perfect the craft.

For years, I would pick from that bag of yarn which was someone else’s stash and make other things which never really got finished.

2. Knitting

After college, marriage and moving into my first rental house, I spotted a knitting & crochet magazine at the local Five and Dime store in town.  I just loved the sweaters in the magazine.Most often, the ones I admired were knitted and not crocheted.  So I bought an instruction book and knitting needles with the magazine.  I taught myself to knit.

My first attempt to knitting a sweater is still in my stash closet.It was a terrible fit with a grey rag acrylic.  Many other sweaters later I graduated to natural fibers.   After years of that, I began working with either fine lace yarns or super bulky natural fibers

Over the years I’ve developed a certain love for more traditional styles (I guess being a baby boomer, I’m starting to get nostalgic).I’ve been trying to master lace shawls, socks, and stylish jackets.  My stash has grown bigger than one closet and I’ve got a pattern collection that has taken over my bookshelves throughout the house.

I’m an addict.  There, I admitted it.  My stash and my project “to do” list is far bigger than what can be done in a century.  I’m always looking for the next project before completing one and I have several unfinished objects around the house for various reasons.  Most of those reasons were the next project was just itching to get started.  I read today about a “yarn harlot”.  This is someone who can’t stay committed to one project.  Yes, that would be me!  You can see some of my work on these blog pages.  I’m still knitting for others more often then for myself.  I guess this is part of what I’ve taken from my Nonna’s experiences.

3. Urban & Celebrity Knitting

I have been doing some kind of needlework for several decades; crochet, cross stitch and knitting.  Often times I would sit on the train commuting to the office, with needlework project in hand, and find that once in a blue moon someone would sit next to me with their own project, peek over at what I was doing and would strike up a conversation about how rare it was to meet someone else (always a woman) who still practiced the art of needlework.  There would be the comments about how our mothers never did, we learned on our own or from another family member and how we were addicted to the craft.

Recently, there have been several books and articles saying how “Knitting wasn’t just for grandmother’s any more”, “Celebrities are knitters too”, and the “urban knitting” trend.

Maybe they think this is going to attract the younger, hipper folks, but in my opinion, it minimizes the many talented needlework artists that have been out there for hundreds of years.(I’m not about to start a debate here on whether knitting did or did not start prior to the 12^th century).

People have had careers in knitting for centuries.  Knitting brought people together (yes, men too!) during the US Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWI, WWII and many other difficult moments in our history including the recent tragedy of September 11^th, 2001.  I have to say, during that month, I did more knitting than I had done in several years.

What new knitters should realize is that they have an opportunity to learn a craft and become part of history, a community of people who love to “show & tell”, and to experience what their forefathers and mothers experienced when they were knitting.

Knitting is creative, spiritual, rewarding, inspiring, frustrating and many other adjectives and expletives which I’m sure each of you can put into words…..

I want to encourage everyone to remind the authors of these articles and books of these facts.  It’s time to get out of the knitting closet and proudly say, “Yes, I’m a knitter, I always have been, even when it was supposedly something that only “grandmothers do” ..

Here are pictures of my blocking work in progress.  This is the front sides and collar lace.

Here is the sleeve lace.  I have only to pick up stitches from the sleeve lace and knit up the sleeves.  Once that’s done, on to the finishing.  BTW, I have enough yarn in the dye lot to finish this project..  This picture shows the actual color much better.

Well, I got about 70% through the Drooping Elm project before realizing that the rest of the yarn in the bag was a different dye lot…..Boo hoo…...   I can’t bring myself to rip it out yet.  I’ll have to hang on until I can figure out something creative to do with it.  Perhaps it will turn into a scarf….

So, I put that aside…..and started something else in a fall color #68 GGH Soft Kid Mohair http://www.theknittinggarden.com/ggh-softkid.htm in a pattern by White Lies Design: http://www.whiteliesdesigns.com/patterns/lcardigans/104.html for a lace jacket.  The picture in the link shows the duster length, however I’m making the jacket length which is 10″ shorter.   I’ve already completed the back and sides plus the sleeve lace.  After I block the pieces this weekend, I’ll post a photo

Finally got the webrings to come up on the left margin of my site!  Took a while before I realized that I had some bad html.  Check them out and click on the links.  I especially enjoy looking at the sites on the Lace Knitting Ring.

By the way, folks, you can click on any pictures below to get a closer look..