Look What I Made!

The things I love about knitting are endless. They rhythm. The meditation. The gratification of a project finished. The promise of the potential of a project not-yet-started. I love the gadgets, apps, doo-dads. I love my ever-growing bag collection-- big bags, little bags, bags that proclaim the names of knit shops I've been to all over kingdom come.

And sometimes? Sometimes I just love whipping out a one-day project, something silly and whimsical. And then, icing on the cake (an especially fitting metaphor in this case) I love, love, love showing off the silly results. That's been the case for two doughnuts I knitted recently, following the incredibly easy, incredibly fast "recipe" in Knitted Cakes. If you want to knit some sweets, there are a couple of copies of the book in stock at the shop.

One hint if you choose to make this doughnut-- for my first one, I sewed on the bead "sprinkles" after I stuffed and assembled the finished product. That left me with lots of little ends of thread sticking out. For my second doughnut, I went ahead and sewed the beads on before I stuffed it and sewed it closed. That way, I just used one long thread, and tied the final not on the inside/wrong side. Looks much better that way.

Bon appetit!

Knit Collage In the House!

Hope y'all had a blast at the off-site sale this past weekend. Now, it's time to refocus on in-house inventory. I'm happy to announce that we recently got in an order from Knit Collage. The company is based in Hong Kong and was founded by Amy Small. Suzanne and I met Amy at Market in January and her booth was the brightest one in the room. She herself is incredibly bright-- between her smile and her pink blouse she fit right in with all the cheery, zippy yarn she was showing off.

For the full story about Amy and her company, check out the Knit Collage web site. Let's just say she looks way too young to have done so much already-- five years as a designer before starting her own company, lots of world travels, and these days, focusing on sustainable and ethical fashions in her "side" gig as the Fashion Director for EcoChic Fashions, an annual fashion show fundraiser in Hong Kong.

The stuff we just got in, as you can see from the pics below, is super playful and eye-catching. Knit Collage employs four women in Hong Kong who, using wool and mohair from Australia and South Africa, weave in sundry doodads from local trim vendors. Some of you might recall that massive, kooky roving sweater I made in Argentina. Knit Collage yarn reminds me of the stuff I used for that and I'm feeling suddenly inspired to take on another non-traditional project.

Here are some pictures:

Friendly Reminder: HUGE OFF SITE SALE THIS WEEKEND!!

Don't Miss It!

Details (include weather info) below:

POP ON OVER TO THE OFF SITE ANNUAL WAREHOUSE REDUCTION SALE APRIL 23 and 24 10 - 6 The show must go on--within reason of course!Don't let April showers keep you away from "May Flowers" (our Warehouse Reduction Sale)! But hail in the yarn probably isn't a great idea. So if it's hailing or raining extremely heavily please call us at 707-7396 for weather related updates. 40% - 80% off of retail prices & featuring these classics!! Louisa Harding Araucania Ella Rae Kollage Berroco Debbie Bliss Noro Rowan Dale Yarns Karabella Lexie Barnes bags Cool summer cottons Awesome sock yarns Lots of good basic yarns! Additional yarns not previously seen at HCW will also be featured at this sale. IMPORTANT INFO REGARDING SALE LOCATION Address: 11313 Yucca Drive (corner of Yucca and DK Ranch Road) contact HCW at 707-7396 or info@hillcountryweavers.com for additional information. Maps will be available at HCW or use Google Maps EVEN MORE IMPORTANT... Do not even think about showing up early!!!!!!! P.S. Go green with HCW and BYO large shopping bags!!

Mark Your Calendars: OFF SITE ANNUAL WAREHOUSE REDUCTION SALE

Y'all! Great News! This Friday and Saturday is the big annual sale with ridiculously amazing discounts. All the info is below. Do not miss it. Do note that if it's raining really hard, you need to call the store and see if Suzanne has decided to reschedule. See you there! OFF SITE ANNUAL WAREHOUSE REDUCTION SALE APRIL 23 and 24 * 10 - 6 40% - 80% off of retail prices & featuring these classics!! Louisa Harding Araucania Ella Rae Kollage Berroco Debbie Bliss Noro Rowan Dale Yarns Karabella Lexie Barnes bags Cool summer cottons Awesome sock yarns Lots of good basic yarns! Additional yarns not previously seen at HCW will also be featured at this sale. IMPORTANT INFO REGARDING SALE LOCATION Address: 11313 Yucca Drive (corner of Yucca and DK Ranch Road) contact HCW at 707-7396 or info@hillcountryweavers.com for additional information. Maps will be available at HCW or use Google Maps EVEN MORE IMPORTANT... Do not even think about showing up early!!!!!!! P.S. Go green with HCW and BYO large shopping bags!! * If it's raining cats and dogs call HCW 707-7396 for possible rain date.

You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman...t

Hey Y'all,

I just got back from five days in West Texas and boy was it inspiring. If you've been, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, here's hoping some of the pictures here will prompt you to plan a trip soon. Hard to describe the incredible beauty out there. I'm not one who easily understands which colors work together when it comes to picking yarn-- which probably is why I prefer to knit projects in solid colors or using self-striping yarn. I do know a lot of designers turn to nature when deciding on what dyes to use. While I was out in the desert, where the cacti happen to be in bloom and the sunrises and sunsets are so magnificent, and the huge blue sky goes on forever-- well, I did have moments where I started to get it. And I think I might just try to get up my nerve one of these days and pick out some different yarns to use together, taking the big hints Mother Nature so readily supplies.

Some of these photos were taken by my sidekick, Warren. He makes fun of me for always bringing knitting along, even on strenuous hikes. To each his own-- I often tease him for bringing a four hundred pound camera along. He did take a few shots of me working on my latest obsession-- right before I left I stopped by the shop and, with Kathy's help, settled on the perfect vacation project. I picked up some of that new Alchemy I was telling you about, which is so incredible I want to cry every time I touch it/look at it/work with it. Kathy got me going on a Lacey Stole-- you can get a free copy of the pattern at the store.

This pattern is a Feather and Fan. When I was at the knitting retreat hosted by Robin last week, someone was wearing a finished Lacey Stole, and I just loved it. Here's a pic of a F&F in progress:

Everyone at the retreat insisted this was a really simple pattern. Lace is not my strong suit, but after hearing over and over that this lace is totally doable, I decided to give it a shot. They weren't kidding. Once you do your set up rows (mostly garter) you follow a very basic pattern-- worked 18 stitches at a time in 4 rows-- you can make it as wide and as long as you want. It goes like this:

1st row: Knit

2nd row: Purl

3rd row: K2 *(K2tog) 3x, (YO, K1) 6x, (K2tog) 3x, repeat from * 5x, K2

4th row: P2, Knit across, P2

I had it memorized by the second set of four rows, and am hap-hap-happily knitting away on it. There's something about sitting in a stunning canyon, looking out for miles and miles, that adds to the fun so, like I said, you might consider a trip out West as an ideal way to work this project.

Suzanne made one of these in linen-- another lovely option, and good for summer knitting. You can see the sample on display when you go pick up your copy of the pattern. Here are trip pics-- I even spotted some recently shorn sheep (thank you sheep, for all the wool...):

Baby It's AWESOME Outside!

Hello Everyone,

Wow! I had the great pleasure of driving out yesterday to Moriah-- that set of cabins in Marble Falls where Robin is, as I type this, hosting a splendid knitting retreat. Alas, I couldn't stay over night, but there's a good mix of folks out there spending the whole weekend or just spending a day. The place is so splendid and serene, I could've sat knitting on the porch for 72 hours straight. If you couldn't make it, but want to have some knitting camaraderie this weekend, I have GREAT NEWS. Tomorrow at KnitBuzz the troops will gather. And, besides our usual fun, we've got a special treat-- Kathy's bringing the baby! So do stop by. Below are details for the Sunday gathering, and some pictures I took out at Moriah. I insist that, once you're done admiring my photography skills, you GO OUTSIDE AND KNIT!

SECOND SUNDAY AND KATHY RETURN!!

Join us Sunday for the return of SECOND SUNDAY and to meet Kathy's precious princess, ATHENA ROSE!!!
Sunday
April 11
11:00 - 1:00

SECOND SUNDAY resumes for 2010 every second sunday of the month from 11-1 at the BUZZnext door to HCW in the blue house!

So Big, So Small, So Fast!

At the end of this post, I'm going to tell you about some upcoming classes. I probably sound like a broken record here, but taking classes totally changed my knitting life. Case in point-- see those itty bitty socks in the picture above? I learned socks by taking a class, can't imagine having learned them any other way, and being able to make socks is one of those things that makes me feel smart, and happy, and accomplished. So think about it-- classes!

The next picture you're about to see is a sweater. I made my very first sweater on my own, struggled through it, and wasn't enchanted by the process. Then, you got it, I took a class, and then another. Now I love making sweaters.

There's something else I want to tell you about the socks (and hat) and the sweater below-- all of these things I knitted up super, super fast. Now, I used to be such a slow knitter that one time, at a dinner party, a woman sitting next to me said, "Before I got here I didn't know how to knit. But watching you all night, I learned." By which she meant I went SOOOO slow she could figure it out just by observing. I'm still not a speed knitter. But from time to time, I like to take on projects that move really, really fast. It gives me a great sense of satisfaction-- instant gratification-- to get something done. Often, I'll keep a couple of projects going: one very simple that I know I can finish up in a reasonable amount of time, and another that I know will make me wait for the payoff. As you can see from the pictures, the projects I've worked on recently ranged from incredibly tiny (aren't those socks adorable) to absurdly huge. The sweater is the one I made in Argentina, in about four days (just two hours a day maybe), using roving. Everyone loves it because it's so nutty. (That's my friend Shannon, modeling it-- and I'd like to thank my friend Bug for shooting the pic.)

So since I'm on a high from making several back-to-back super fast projects, I thought I'd recommend you try the same. In a couple of days I'll show you another little something I've been working on, something VERY funny, that is inspiring me to consider some ongoing theme projects. Okay, now for class info:

CONTINENTAL KNITTING
April 10
1-4
all levels welcome: Beginner to Seasoned!
Fee: 40.00

Continental knitting AKA German style or pic knitting is a popular, fast, fun and very efficient way to knit!
Deb will teach you the continental way to knit, purl, and yarn over while creating a colorful market bag or these fun and fast washcloth/dishcloths.

Learn how to knit and purl by carrying the yarn in your left hand. Continental knitting is often used in color (fair isle knitting) and can help alleviate strain by using both hands to knit.
Patterns ranging in difficulty have been selected and revised to allow the new continental knitter to practice and hone their new skill. Students will receive copies of all patterns.

WASHCLOTH MATERIALS: Student will need 90-125 yards (per cloth) of any cotton or cotton blend yarn with a gauge from 4.5 - 5.5 stitches per inch. Needle size per yarn label.

MARKET BAG MATERIALS:
1 skein Araucania Pomaire or comparable gauge cotton
2 skeins in 2 different colors of Cotton Classic that compliment/contrast variegated Pomaire,
US # 9 needles, 16" length (some like to switch to 24" as the bag gets larger)
4 Split ring stitch markers

Bring some wool or acrylic scrap yarn for practice and your knitting gear.

INSTRUCTOR: Deb Marvin

LACE 101
April 17
1-4
45.00

This class is designed with the new knitter in mind, who would like to experience lace knitting. Learn the basic lace stitches as well as simple chart reading and symbols. This class includes 5 lace patterns that can be incorporated into a lace edged bag or a beautiful scarf.

Prerequites: Basic knitting skills (knitting, purling, casting on and off with ease), as well as some experience with simple pattern reading.

Materials: 1sk Katia "Linen" (137 yds at 51/2 sts per 1") for lace bag, 3 sks for scarf.
#5 needle for bag, #8 needle for scarf, stitch markers and gauge check or tape measure.

INSTRUCTOR: FRAN GOOCH

WET FELT FRIDAY GROUP
second friday of every month
April 9th
50.00
10-2

We will explore the methods of wet and nuno felting and create lovely one of a kind masterpieces,
from bags to hats, scarves to booties and much more.
This class meets the second Friday of each month from 10 am to 2 pm (that includes a short lunch
break)

You will need wool fleece, which you can purchase at HCW. Bring a few old towels and dress in
comfortable clothes. Wet felting can be quite a workout.

Easter Treats!

Hey Y'all,

Well Happy Easter/Passover/Spring! Today's post is your virtual basket of goodies to celebrate this smashing weather, the time-honored tradition of eating too much candy courtesy of the Easter Bunny, and the promise of so many exciting summer projects waiting to be knit!

First of all, pictured above: the latest Be Sweet! collection is in. I posted about this awhile back-- at Market, Be Sweet! had this awesome, candy-themed display. As you can see, these balls of yarn look like hard candies. There are six variations, all self-striping, and the label includes a free pattern for Sweetie Pie Baby Hat. This stuff is 70% organically grown cotton and 30% bamboo, and it's hand spun-and-dyed in South Africa with some of the profits going back into the community to educate the kids there. Each ball is 50g/100 yards/5 st per inch on size 7US needles.

Next treat, a free pattern for an East Egg Cozy.

And how about some Easter bonnet patterns:

Here's one.

Here's another.

Here's a third.

Finally, for now, here's my favorite new YouTube video-- you absolutely MUST take a couple of minutes to watch this totally magical, knitting-themed commercial. I promise you'll love it.