Tag Archives: knitting group

What’s on the Needles?

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It’s been a busy crafting week. Last Wed., I went to the knitalong at Art Fibers and we were all treated to a reading of a chapter in a new novel by the author herself. Pretty cool. Then Friday, I went off to my usual knitting group and boy there were some hot properties coming off the needles (more to come), and then that same night, we had a little get together at K2Tog at which people showed off some pretty smashing stuff (again, you’ll see more below). And then Saturday, I went to the Benicia Peddler’s Fair where there were so many creative and innovative things to buy – and I came home with a few real prizes.

Connie's top-down cardigan

Connie's top-down cardigan

So, first, Friday morning knitting. Look what just came off Connie’s needles: a really stunning top-down cardigan sweater knit with two strands of yarn, Brown Sheep’s Lamb’s Pride “Cotton Fleece” and Crystal Palace’s Waikiki. These are two of my favorite yarns. When I was new knitter, I loved to knit scarves from Waikiki and an eyelash yarn, and I still think of Cotton Fleece as my Crayola yarn – lots of  colors, lots of yards, not a lot of  money. Connie used a free pattern from the internet, but she could not remember where she got it. DRAT! But how beautiful, nonetheless.

Darlys and hoodie 1

Darlys and hoodie 1

Darlys was just finishing up a pair of hoodies for some twin babies, working them in Classic Elite’s “Provence” cotton. The pattern was a free pattern, Lion Bran Yarn’s “Playdate Hoodie.” The not-so-good news here is that Darlys was not enjoying knitting with Provence, saying it hurt her hands. I have never used Provence, tho I am major fan of Classic Elite.

Daryls and Hoodie 2

Daryls and Hoodie 2

What we all really loved about Darlys’ work here is the set of stripes she added to the original pattern. We all agreed that this just made the garments and that the original pattern was not too thrilling. Those are some lucky babies!

Speaking of lucky babies, Carolyn started YET ANOTHER group baby blanket for the YET ANOTHER pregnant knitter. Here it is:

Carolyn and baby blanket

Carolyn and baby blanket

Again, this is the ever versatile Cotton Fleece and it is a takeoff of the Log Cabin Blanket in the Mason-Dixon Knitting book. Right, Carolyn?

Then there’s Jean. Jean Jean Jean Jean Jean. Jean is so prolific lately she is beginning to get on my nerves. And she’s economically minded, too, with this latest project – a scarf – made from the odds and ends and leftovers from a larger project. Here it is:

Jean's Felted Scarf

Jean's Felted Scarf

The scarf is on the bottom – unfelted – and the swatch – felted – is on the top. The yarn is from Nashua Handknits. My only solace is how long it will take her to knit all those little yarn ends in. HAHAHAHA. Maybe I can catch up.

In the evening, K2Tog hosted a Friday Night Knitalong – its first – and I think Ellen and I were both pleased by how many people showed up – about 12 or so? And take a look at this gorgeous shawl one woman – I was so astonished by the shawl I neglected to write down her name – made with sock weight Mini Mochi, a Crystal Palace yarn.

Mini Mochi Shawl

Mini Mochi Shawl

Look at that! She used 7 or 8 colors of the yarn and the  “Pie Wedge Shawl” pattern available free with purchase of the yarn at K2Tog. Here’s a close-up:

Mini Mochi detail

Mini Mochi detail

That’s enough for now. I am on my way to knitting at Art Fibers. I will leave you with one final question: does Darlys have enough stitch markers? I bet every lost stitch marker in the world has made it onto this thing:

Have a stitch marker!

Have a stitch marker!

Friday Knitting

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I have not meant to be silent so long. Summer’s here and you’re trying to take a break from your usual routine without really going on vacation or letting things slide and then WHAMMO it’s August. How the heck did that happen?

Oh yes. I remember how that happened:

Taffy

Taffy

Anyway, it’s time to catch up on a lot of what’s been brewing, both on my craft table and on the knitting needles of my friends.

What’s a-goin’ on at the Friday Knitting Group? Lots of cool things. First, check out Jean’s fabulous colorwork mittens and hat.

Jean's Mittens and Hat

Jean's Mittens and Hat

Jean made these from a Green Mountain Spinnery pattern and even though they turned out fab, she said they were a major pain. Doesn’t she look like that kid in “Home Alone”?

Jean Screams

Jean Screams

She used the Melissa’s Hat and Melissa’s Mittens pattern from GMS, both designed by Melissa Lumley. I don’t care how hard they were – they ROCK! I have never tackled colorwork, but Jean has thrown the mitten down, so now I guess I gotta try. CURSE YOU JEAN CANNON!

Okay, what’s next? Ah, yes. A couple of months ago, as I was walking to work at K2Tog, I heard this barking coming from a truck parked outside. In the cab of this huge contractor’s truck was this little tiny dog in a pink dress with a rhinestone heart around her neck. PRAYING the contractor was actually in our store, I went in and asked whose dog this was. This huge, grey-haired man came forward and proudly claimed her and told her name was Lola. And whatever Lola wants . . . you know the rest.

Lola came in and we had a serious love fest. She is a tiny little chihuahua/miniature Doberman mix. And she’s damn cute. And this big guy has no problem driving around all day with a yippy little dog in a pink dress. So I decided she needed a pink coat to go with. Here she is . . . .

Lola and her papa in her new coat

Lola and her papa in her new coat

I actually made two coats for her from one ball of Cascade 220 Superwash – and still had yarn left over. Dare I make her matching booties (barfbarfbarf)? See her little rhinestone charms? Where are her matching pink nails? And here’s a few more shots of her in her new duds:

Lola poses

Lola poses

One of Lola's coats

One of Lola's coats

Someone get me some help – soon. Otherwise I’ll be knitting Taffy one of these.

And one more shot:

Me and Lola

Me and Lola

And some good news – I got a new camera, so no more of these white ghosty blobs in the middle of my pictures. My poor camera sacrificed itself for me in Florence, and some of you remember. It lived a good life, but I have put it to a much-deserved rest. Look for better pictures here on out.

Wedding Invitations and Cards

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My mom and dad are here visiting my husband and me for a few days so we can all go to the wedding of dear family friends. Earlier in the year – before I had this blog – the bride and groom (Allison and Tom) came over to my house and we all made their invitations. They designed them and I cut them out and we all pasted them together. Here’s a pic of what we all came up with.

Allison and Tom's invitations

Allison and Tom's invitations

Mom had this great idea that when she made a wedding card for the couple, she wanted to repeat their color scheme and layout. She brought some fuschia ribbon and borrowed some cardstock, stamps and ink from me. She designed the outside and then we asked Randall – her husband – to design the inside. So Allison and Tom will get a nice card inspired by their own design and created by both my parents!

While they were making their card (and bickering!!! Oh, the bickering! My tender ears! Almost had to separate them.) I made the card you see on the right, also using Allison and Tom’s scraps and design. EASY! The cards measure 4.75 inches by 3.5 inches.

Our wedding cards

Our wedding cards

Meanwhile, I went to my knitting group yesterday and all of us were pretty much in the middle of things, so not too many new and exciting things to report from there. It was probably because Sarah the over-achiever wasn’t there. Probably at home too busy SPINNING HER OWN YARN TO COME AND BE WITH US. But Barbara brought her in-the-works Great American Aran Afghan:

Barbara's Afghan

Barbara's Afghan

And Carolyn was working on a stole (because you know, Carolyn just doesn’t have enough stoles) that she adapted from a Fiber Trends washcloth pattern called “Bathing Beauties” by Evelyn Clark. If you’re interested, we have that pattern at K2Tog.

Carolyn's stole

Carolyn's stole

And I’ve been a bit busy with jewelry and other things – the next post will have pics. And I’ve been in knitting Limbo with a pattern for a tank top I’ve been working on from Classic Elite. UGH. Tell you more about that in the next post. And I can’t wait to tell you about the 96-year-old woman who came into K2Tog yesterday with a needlepoint canvas she had finished. When I grow up, I wanna be an old woman, just like Mrs. Barbara Carson. More on that later . . . .

I Hate People. I Love Crafts

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So I had quite the weekend. While I was at work at K2Tog, two women came in and while one occupied me (the only sales associate on the floor) the other stole my wallet out of my purse, which was just behind the counter.

That’s bad enough. Two hours later, a man called claiming to be an “Officer McGuiness” from Alameda Police and claimed they had caught a woman passing herself off as my daughter and authorized to use my ATM card. He asked me a couple of questions (“Do you have a daughter? Is anyone authorized to use your card?”) and then connected me to someone claiming to be a Bank of America security officer. She spoke with me for 10 minutes or so – using what I am sure was a script (“Well, Mrs. Ligocki, as a platinum card holder with Bank of America Visa/Mastercard, you have 100% coverage”). And then she asked me for my pin for confirmation. Yes, dear reader, I gave it to her.

Then I asked her to connect me back to the “officer,” which she did. He was all understanding when I said I did not care about anything in the wallet but the picture of my dead dog, Bella. “I’ll make a note of that, if we recover the wallet.” Nice, huh? There is a special place in hell for these people.

So, for me it was aHAPPY EASTER!!!! Actually, my sweet husband, Terry, had a nice Easter surprise for me when I got home. he had gone to the store and bought these funny plastic eggs with goofy faces on them and put my favorite Easter candy, Peeps, inside. Then he hid them. Sort of. A Happy Egg

A Happy Egg

My husband and I cancelled all the cards and by the morning we were aware I had been scammed. A call to the Alameda Police Dept. revealed there is no officer McGuiness there. A call from B of A, checking on usual activity on our account, revealed that the woman – and the PHONY CONFIRMATION NUMBER SHE GAVE ME – were, well, phony. These folks are gooooooood. As far as we can tell, they only got away with $492 and we are, indeed, covered. But I tell you, people suck.

Okay, so what else was I up this weekend craftwise?

Friday morning was my knitting circle, and as usual, Ms. Sarah was the big show-off, over-achiever beyotchie-poo. She is making these swell socks – she probably also spun the yarn, but I was so green with envy I didn’t ask:

Stoopid overachiever socks

Stoopid overachiever socks

Sarah Smarty's Socks

Sarah Smarty's Socks

And she is also making these very cool mittens where you are doing double knitting and Fair Isle knitting at the same time. WHAT DID I TELL YOU? SHE’S A BIG OVER ACHIEVER. Hey, Sarah, when you read this – assuming you can stop knitting for a minute – will you put a comment at the end of this post and tell us where this pattern can be found? Ditto on the socks.

Here are the mittens:p4100115

Jan showed off this adorable sweater she is making for her grandson, Owen. Jan – when you read this, leave a comment saying what book it is from. I can’t remember. SO CUTE.

Owen's sweater - by Jan

Owen's sweater - by Jan

Jean came wearing a knitted vest she had made – she called it a “grandma vest,” but I think most grandmas don’t look as hot as Jean does. Jean – leave a comment saying where the pattern can be found:

Jean and her Fancy Vest

Jean and her Fancy Vest

And Ellen K joined us this Friday – a rarity lately, and we miss her very much. She is busy going to school to become a nurse. Ellen is another hot-shot knitter. She is at work on this gorgeous sweater that comes from the book A Fine Fleece. Ellen does not like to have her picture taken and I didn’t want to get poked with knitting needles, so here’s her sweater:

Ellen's Sweater

Ellen's Sweater

This is a pretty talented group, don’t you think? I’ll put pictures of our creation here every week, and hopefully links to all the places where the patterns can be found.

Today – Monday -  I awoke to find that I sold another necklace through my Etsy store. But one catch – I had already sold this necklace to a friend and FORGOT TO REMOVE IT FROM MY ONLINE STORE.  ARRRRRRG! So. After I went to the DMV to get my license renewed (don’t you love the DMV? I tell you, a trip there will ruin your faith in humanity, if it isn’t already gone. Which mine is.) I dashed off to Baubles and Beads to see if – HOPE if, PRAY if – they still had the pendant for the necklace that I bought there more than 6 months ago. Dear reader, I found it. SOMETHING is going my way.

So here’s the necklace, under construction:

Flying Cranes under construction

Flying Cranes under construction

You can see the finished necklace on my Etsy store here.

I bought another few goodies at B&B – my favorite bead store in the entire world – and will post here about them later this week. Perhaps by then my faith in people will be restored.

Look How Talented I am

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I am so talented. I am SOOOOOO talented. I should have my own TV show. Last night, I was so talented, following the ingestion of a Cinzano cocktail, I managed to catch my yarn in the fly of my blue jeans. Yup. Now, I know what you are thinking. That girl must have trained and practiced for years to get that slender piece of yarn trapped in her zipper. And you’d be right. It took YEARS of drinking practice. At least I finally have something to show for it:

p40601171

Sigh. I had to cut it out. Fortunately, it was only scrap yarn. On to other things.

So Friday was my knitting group again. As usual, over-achiever Sarah – remember her from the last post about  Friday? p40301141- was at work on this gorgeous aran-type sweater. Now, that’s a pretty sweater, right? Yep, real pretty. Know what makes it prettier? SHE SPUN THE YARN HERSELF. I told you! OVER-ACHIEVER. But I bet she can’t trap her homespun yarn in her blue jeans!p4030115

And Barbara finished this square from her Great American Afghan. Pretty in pink!

p4030112And Carolyn, the leader of our group, is just about finished with a poncho-type thingie designed by Maggie Jackson, whose yarn she sells through Skein Lane Workshop. Purty!p4030110

And that Friday kicked off a make-a-thon weekend. I had 6 guests for dinner Sat night and served lasagne I made with lamb sausage with wine that I bought at Marin Sun Farms. LOVE MSF. Just joined their meat club. Sunday I worked on my Classic Elite Yarns “Pebbles” tank and finished it today – pictures soon. And when I turned on my computer I discovered that my pal Jeffrey bought four packages of cards from my Etsy store and another woman ordered a set of six birthday cards. Pretty cool!

p3300111Oh – and I finished those Koigu socks I was blogging about and they were immediately purchased by this very nice woman in Philadelphia who bought another pair of socks from me. They should be reaching her right about NOW.

Okay, it’s about 8 and I want to go knit and finish some black-and-white damask greeting cards you’ll see here soon. Hopefully, I can start a new knitting project tonight.

Truck Sweater

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On Fridays, I go to my knitting group for two hours in the morning and we all show each other what is on our various needles as we sit and knit and solve the world’s problems. This last Friday, we were all taken with this little baby sweater Sarah had on her needles.

p3270107The pattern comes from Green Mountain Spinnery and is called “Playful Sweaters.” You can knit a truck version, like Sarah, or a sailboat or a car. We all liked the truck because you get to add buttons as wheels!

Sarah is a consummate knitter and always amazes us with fair isle mittens and fancy lace, often made from yarn she spins herself (bitch!). One of these days she is going to get her own Etsy store and sell her spun goods – one of these days, right Sarah?

A word about my knitting group: it is the highlight of my week. Now, some of you might think that is sad, that a 45-year-old woman with two college degrees and three books with her name on them finds a glorified kaffeeklatsch the highlight of her week. But this is so much more than a circle of women who share a hobby. This is my circle of sisters, of wisewomen, of teachers, of mentors, of BFFs, of friends. The contributions these women have made to my life in the last fuve years since I began knitting and joined them have been rich and beyond counting. I love them very much.

Can’t wait til next Friday.p3270109