Yesterday???

It seems like yesterday when last I posted. My how time does fly. I have been busy knitting and doing a bit of sewing. Nothing all that exciting about the sewing. The knitting is in preparation for a class on Saturday in Rochester, NY. I will be teaching the Sami mitten at Spirit Works Knitting Store. I have previously posted the first mitten I knit after taking Susanna Hansson's wonderful class and reading the Piecework magazine. I felt this mitten to be a bit larger than I wanted for myself. Therefore I dropped the needle size and went to finer yarn and began again. This all worked out just fine. Here in lies what takes me so long. In order to teach a class I must write out directions, not just the little scribbles I use for myself. Then there are the charts as well. If there are two sizes of mittens it means two charts. I find it hard to believe how long it takes to get what is in ? I am teaching this mitten in two classes a month apart. Hey it is summer and there are so many things to do. This will give all of those participating plenty of time to get the pattern on the hand finished. Then we will move on to cuffs and thumbs. This is why the mitten shown is missing both of those parts.

I can't blog without showing you what a talented husband I have. He does the garden thing when I am knitting. I went outside a little while ago and snapped a few pictures for you to see. I kept thinking each day I would do this and then the rain arrived to beat the petals off all the flowers. This is only a portion of the yard he has done so beautifully. I do not garden but love the flowers.

What have I been doing?

I have been on the road again. A visit to the Grandchildren. But always knitting. I worked on a Wallaby sweater for Miss Llillie. I love the yarn. Classic Worsted LP from Universal Yarns. in a color called "baby shades" This is such a great pattern for travel knitting for me. I have made so many of these that it is mindless at this point. In child size not large to tote around either.



Now I am working on the dullest project in a very long time. I have no idea what the final plan for dish cloths might be, however I have a request from the best grandson in the world for 20 before the end of the school year. I am sure any ideas any of you might have for a clever presentation would be greatly appreciated. I am sure there are some wonderful ideas out in knitting land.

MITTENS

I have at last found a few minutes in which to fill everyone in on what is going on in my knitting life. Last week I had the great pleasure to present a program on mittens to the Rochester, NY knitting guild. What a warm welcome I received. How nice to be able to share my great passion of knitting with all the members. Their interest was wonderful to see. I will from time to time show some of the mittens we talked about here. First I would like you to see some of my collection of mittens knit by others. In Minneapolis, MN there are a group of women from Latvia who knit these delightful mini-mittens. Hard to imagine doing these tiny little things. Thanks to Lizabeth Upitis I have a nice little collection I would like to share with all of you. Enjoy!

I am working on a pattern and workshop guide for the Paula mitten and preparing to teach a class on this mitten. If that were not enough I am also working on a lesson plan on the "Wonderful Wallaby " sweater by Carol Anderson. Over the years I have made many of these and done classes as well. I have a few things I do differently when knitting this most practical of sweaters. Soon but don't expect it over night. I will have a little pamphlet to go with your wallaby pattern. This has been a request from students and daughter alike. Now I am knitting a wallaby for Miss Lillie and doing the notes.

You can always be sure when I don't blog I am knitting on something or other. I can not remember a day I did not knit. It is my passion and sanity.

Have a great weekend and I am off next week to get a grandchildren fix.

JUST TOOOOO CUTE!

I just finished this little sweater in time to take to Miss Lillie tomorrow. I fell in love with the pattern the minute my friend Sally found it in Australia or was it New Zeland. I just thought it was so precious. I used yarn from the stash. (can I hear a cheer?) It is a DK weight chenille from Sirdar in a color called Rosetree. It was wonderful no brain knitting, all that garter stitch. I found that each time I reached a new part of the pattern if I put in a little plastic safety pin. I could then count the ridges all the directions were in rows not inches. After all one ridge in garter stitch equals 2 rows. How neat was that. It was also so easy to seam up as nothing is easier than garter stitch.

Buttons also came from my stash, I purchased them last June at TNNA. I am most sad I don't get to go again this year it was a wonderful experience. At any rate I had just enough of the large buttons. Then comes the question of the small one on the pocket. I took a white button from that old button box and used a colored sharpie to make it match. I remembered what my daughter said about that ink. "I have yet to find anything that will remove it". I think perhaps Miss Lillie did a little art work somewhere she should not have with one of these magic pens. I know it will not bleed so we shall see how the laundry treats this button. I can always color it once again.

Teddy was the most fun of all. All soft and sweet. The directions were very interesting, it was one of those things you follow one step at a time and have no clue where you are going. However it came out perfect.

Now for a picture in the sweater! All this and I did not have to purchase one thing. Makes me feel quite good to be honest.

THE PAULA MITTEN

Well it is finally finished, now to write the pattern. As I am sure you remember I went to Wisconsin a few weeks ago to take the wonderful class from Susanna Hansson on the mittens from Lapland. I came home with all sorts of knitting in my mind. I have at last done the first proto type of the mitten I designed based on the class information. The final one will be with different colors as I have named it in honor of my dear friend Paula who was an exchange student with me in high school many years ago. I so well remember the beautiful pink shoes she wore. The final one in the pattern will be done with pink. I have the colors and now to write the pattern. It was great fun to design this mitten. The cuff features ribbing under the pattern band. I used a chart from a wonderful book Handplagg which is in Swedish and no I can not read the words but a chart I can knit. This chart is what is shown on their mitten from Finland . I am following Elizabeth in knitting mittens in May.

I BIG SURPRISE

When I posted the previous blog I was just taking pictures from the" My knitting museum". As I am working on mittens for a presentation for the Rochester, NY guild next Monday night, I was searching for what Elizabeth Zimmermann said about knitting mittens. I turned to my trusty copy of "Knitter's Almanac", checked out the month of May and indeed she suggests we knit mittens in May. Now let me go on to tell all of you I have owned this book over 25 years. It is a first edition hard cover which "the Elizabeth" herself signed. LO and BEHOLD there on page 23 is a picture. What did I see the mitten I photographed for you a few days earlier. Sometimes I miss what is right before my eyes. This has always been a treasure and now even more so. Just thought you all should know what a wonderful discovery I made today.

SOME INTERESTING OLD THINGS

I have been so blessed by wonderful friends who embrace my passion for knitting that they pass wonderful things on to me. First there is Diane who shows up at my door with such really neat things. This old ledger book from Salamanca, NY re-used as a place to save patterns. There are knitting patterns cut and pated in from newspapers and magazines. I have scanned one where there is a knitting pattern and also a plain page to show the date of the book. It must have been from a general store as there are lots of items listed. I find the #100 pounds of feed at $1.35 something to think about. Also found an entry baking powder was .20, 4# sugar .28, and are you ready 6# pork .60. This is truly a treasure. I have as yet to knit from this but there is a pattern for a lace button bag that seems to be calling me. Once mittens are finished I shall move on to some fun things.

While I am showing wonderful old relics I thought you might like to see the mitten knit by Elizabeth Zimmermann, when I am not at all sure. It is vintage Elizabeth as you can see the many techniques she was trying out on this mitten. After Elizabeth died Meg cleaned out her wool room and put it all in a black garbage bag. At camp that year after doing your show and tell you reached into the bag and pulled something out. I was truly fortunate to receive this mitten. I have had it framed with glass on both sizes so you can see the entire mitten. Most interesting I think.

In the photo back ground is just part of the large diagram of the Stonington Shawl It is framed but way to large for me to get down and photograph. Perhaps sometime when I have help I shall do this to show you as well. There are also lots of other interesting knitting things on my wall. I shall try from time to time to show these to you as well.

Now I am back to work on the "MITTEN PROJECT" This is to be a presentation on May 12 at the Rochester, NY knitting guild meeting. After that is finished I will show all of you who take time to read my ramblings what I have been knitting.