Holiday Week

Hi. There is no class this week.

Extension begins on January 10: same time, same place. Bring felting yarn if you plan to start the backgammon set.

Spring catalogs for new class should be coming out next week, I think.

Wishing you a Happy New Year!

Winter Holiday Knitting

Hope your Christmas week is going well. It snowed today making it a wonderful day to sit inside and knit.

On Christmas Eve day, I went ice skating in South Lake Tahoe and wore the mittens from class for the first time which made it a double whammy of a special day: learning to ice skate and wearing mittens I made myself.

By the way, are you working on any knitting projects during the holidays? My plan is to make two more open finger mittens and two hats by the end of next week. I've started over on one hat three times now.

I'm still waiting for 100% wool yarn to go on sale for the backgammon set. Have you seen yarn on sale lately? I found three in my yarn stash, but the colors don't look right together.

Can't wait to see you all on January 10; I miss you. It seems to early to say "Happy New Year!"

Knit & Crochet Today Program on PBS

Hi. Thought you'd like to know that a new knit and crochet program is already airing on PBS in some areas of the US. Unfortunately not our area yet; you can help get the following show aired in our area through submitting a request at http://www.knitandcrochettoday.com/pbs.html

Here is a copy of part of the article from the site above:
"PBS Station Listings
The Knit & Crochet Today program is now playing on many local PBS stations, with more stations adding our program in the coming months. Check back often, as we will update this list and keep you informed.

KRCB (SF/Santa Rosa, CA) Tuesdays at 9:30am, Starts Sept.
WBCC (Cocoa, FL) - Fridays at 1pm, Starts Sept. 7th
WSRE (Pensacola, FL) - Tuesdays at 1:30pm, Starts Sept. 11th
WILL (Champaign-Urbana, IL) Mondays at 1pm, Starts Oct. 29t
WEIU (Charleston, IL) - Saturdays at 10am, Starts Sept. 8th
KET (Kentucky) - Tuesdays at 11:30am, Starts Sept. 4th
MPT (Maryland) - Saturdays at 8am, Starts Oct. 6th
WTVS (Detroit, MI) - Saturdays at 6:30am, Starts Sept. 8th
KAWE (Lakeland, MN) - Sundays at 12:30pm, Starts Sept.
WPTO (Dayton, OH) - Fridays at 2pm, Starts Sept. 7th
PBS 45/49 (Kent, OH) - Saturdays at 7am, Starts Sept. 8th
OPB (Oregon) - Saturdays at 12:30pm, Starts Sept. 22nd
RMPBS (Rocky Mountain) - Saturdays at 8am, Starts Sept. 22nd
KWBU (Waco, TX) - Sundays at 5pm, Starts Sept. 2nd
MPTV (Milwaukee, WI) - Saturdays at 12:30pm, Starts Sept. 8th

COMING SOON
KTEH (SF/San Jose, CA ) Starts Jan. '08th
WTVP (Peoria, IL) Starts November or December
WNIN (Evansville, IN) Sundays at 8:30am, Starts Nov. 25th
NCAR (Research Triangle Park, NC) Mondays, Starts Jan. '08
NDAK (Fargo, ND) Starts Jan. '08

Adding the Show -- Submit Request
Interested in having Knit and Crochet Today added to your local PBS line-up? Contact your local station, and ask them to add the show, or take a minute to submit your request below." Go to the first link above; there is a short form.

Holiday Gifts Week 12

Half of the festive potluck above.

There was a lot of great ideas for the trim challenge below.

The winners are Teri, Julie, and Barbara. (I'm not sure why Santa is sideways below).

Barbara's beautiful projects above.

Thanks to Louise for taking the following pictures of all our projects.

The Christmas party was festive and fun. There was a lot of good food, wonderful gifts for the exchange, and tough competition on the challenge. It was so nice to be together; I think everyone had an enjoyable time. There is no homework to do during the holidays.

Linda passed around a catalog from Halcyon yarns for our perusal. She said there are some interesting projects in it, and we might want to be on their mailing list.

The backgammon and dice cup patterns were reviewed emphasizing the short row “wrap” so there are no holes on the game board. Liz sent an email today on how to work the short rows; here is the link, http://www.stitchdiva.com/custom.aspx?id=143. We will start on this project on January 10, and we are not to begin before then please. The pattern calls for five different colors of yarn; Linda used only three colors of Cascade 220. One of the colors will take almost the whole skein of yarn with about 1 yard to spare; the dice cup and points will not take a skein of yarn. Noelle pointed out that the discs can be made from one I-cord cut into pieces. For those of us who do not know how to play the game, Linda and Teri will teach us on January 10 – no gambling will be involved. :)

Round #2 Trim Challenge
I can’t remember when this second challenge will take place; it is either the 10th or 17th.

Extension
See you at the extension on January 10. By the way, it may be extended to 3 weeks instead of only 2 (January 10, 17, and 24). It is open to new students as well. Remember to bring yarn to start the backgammon set.

I forgot to mention a very happy birthday to all December knitters. Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s season.

Linda L.’s Holiday Wassail Recipe sent by email today.

1 Gal. Apple Cider/Juice or 3 cans frozen concentrate
1 Can Orange Juice (frozen concentrate)
1 Can Lemonade (frozen concentrate) or Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Cup Brown Sugar
3 Cinnamon Sticks
Water

Combine in a spice bag or a large tea ball: 1 Tablespoon Whole Cloves
1 Tablespoon Whole Allspice
1 teaspoon Nutmeg

Mix all together in big pot and hang spice bag over side. Add lots of Water to taste. Heat to a simmer for 10 minutes or more. Longer it simmers the better it gets! Serve hot.

New Announcement regarding 12/13 Party

Hi Knotty Knitters!

One new addition: there will be a gift exchange at our Christmas Party on Thursday night, December 13. If you would like to participate, bring a wrapped gift of about $7 in value.

Other Things to Bring
Bring an appetizer or dessert to share and your own drink. We will have a hot drink for you--Wassail.

Linda will be awarding a prize for the Trim Challenge, so bring in your project if completed!

Bring in all completed projects from this semester for a display & photo op.

Bring yarn to share if you are making the moppet slippers and a fringe maker.

Please help us out by passing this info along to other class members who may not get this message. I hope all of you are being blessed as you prepare for Christmas and that you are able to find some time to relax and knit! Am I just dreaming? Knit On---Linda L.

Also, I asked Vicki to bring in some polished rock items to purchase such as necklaces, zipper pulls, key chain, etc. Excellent prices and great stocking stuffers, so don't forget extra money if you are interested. See you Thursday. Irene

Holiday Gifts Week 11

Bea and Candi's lovely cornucopia
Jolly stockings by Barbara, Bea, and Pat
Beaded pouch by Sharon
The moppet slipper in progress by Linda P

As Snoopy wrote, “It was a dark and stormy night…” but the rain did not hinder many of us from coming to knit. Just in time for Christmas, stockings are starting to appear. Linda L. brought us a copy of the updated phone list and more delicious mandarins. We received the improved checkerboard and pouch patterns, and Linda P. showed us one of the vest patterns we might want to order ahead of time.

Regarding the star stocking pattern, the yarn is not stated. Use either chunky yarn or two strands of worsted weight.

Extension
The extension has been approved for January 10 and 17. There is no registration and no fee. Wow! However, we must show up. If the attendance is low for these two classes, no extensions will be granted in the future. Attendance is very important. By the way, do not stay home because you did not knit a thing during the week.

Last Class
Next week is our party. Bring either an appetizer or dessert, plus your own drink. Linda will furnish the paper products.

Other things to bring are all your projects for group photos, scrap yarn to share for the moppet slippers, a fringe maker, and your trim challenge. In case you do not finish the trim challenge by next week, there will be another judging on January 17.

Reminder
The Placer High School sales event is this Saturday. Info is on last week’s blog.

Take good care. Happy knitting!

Holiday Gifts Week 10

Pat's pouch and checkerboard, Louise's purse and tomato pin cushion, Dolls by Diane's 2nd Grade Class

Diana's light bulb purse, Julie and Noelle's cornucopias, Barbara's felted bowls, Georgia's felted slippers, and Teri's kool-aid dyed mittens

It was nice to be together again. There are only two more classes to go, and many projects are being completed in time for the holidays. Congratulations to Carolyn for finishing the entrelac tote bag that was introducted to us in the Spring class. Linda L. brought us sweet, juicy mandarins from her own yard, and Linda P. went over two new patterns with us tonight. She added that she will rewrite the checkerboard pattern for us since it results in vertical stripes instead of checkerboards.

The patterns are a star stocking and moppet slippers. Although it is not mentioned at the beginning of the pattern, the stocking takes two colors of yarn. This pattern can be made bigger or smaller by adjusting the size of needles you use or by adding more rows to the leg portion. For a smaller stocking, use worsted weight yarn on size 8 needles; for a larger stocking, use double strands of worsted weight yarn on size 10/11 needles. We learned that a Jacquard is another word for fair isle and wyif means "with yarn in front" such as slip 1 with yarn in front. Linda wants us to be creative with this piece and “wow” her with our own design and embellishments.

The moppet slippers look like a colorful mop on your feet or Cousin It from the Addams Family or one of the Beatles' wig. For the fringe, use a crochet hook to loop the strands onto the slipper. Linda will bring extra scrap yarn two weeks from tonight for us to use. She suggests everyone bringing scrap yarn to share and to purchase a fringe maker for making fringe fast and easy.

Party
A party is scheduled for December 13. The menu is appetizers and desserts, plus bring your own drink. Linda will furnish forks/spoons.

Trim Contest
A prize, all the way from St. Louis, will be offered for the best trim on a project contest. Judging will take place on December 13.

Extension
The extension is tentative for January 10 and 17; we may know by next week.

Support Our Classmates at These December Events
Placer High School will be hosting a craft and food event on Saturday, December 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the cafeteria. Come support Diana and Julie as they will be selling there.

Colfax High School is presenting Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol on December 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, and 15 at 7 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for students. Vicki’s daughter is in this production as one of the Christmas ghosts. Address: Colfax Performing Arts Center, 24595 Ben Taylor Rd at Colfax High School. Also, don’t forget about Vicki’s polished rock necklaces, key chains, magnets, and zipper pulls; they make nice Christmas gifts.

See you next week. Knit away!

Holiday Gifts Week 9

Barbara's beaded cornucopia front and back.
Teri's cornucopia below. See the carpet thread on the corn.

Gloves and mittens by Teri, Irene, and Joyce
Vicki's soft, double stranded washcloths

As you can see in the photos, Barbara’s cornucopia is a hard act to follow; it is beautifully detailed with beads. In addition, Julie wrote her own pattern for a felted pomegranate for the cornucopia. Diane turned her cornucopia into a doll's hat and the corn husk into a coin purse. Joyce will be going to Peru in January, and Candi shared that De Colores, a shop in Davis, sells colorful alpaca clothing and accessories from Central America for a great price.

A new project was started: Checkerboard and Pouch. Linda went over the two patterns which were given to us in the packet during the first day of class. The pouch pattern is knitting inside out, so it will be rewritten and displayed here on this blog as soon as Linda works it out. (Updated 11/17 & 20, here is the correction to the pouch pattern; it should read K1 YF S1 purlwise then YB to start K1 again. Before every Slip 1 stitch, add a Yarn Forward stitch. Thanks to Diana for the phone call!)
(Update 11/21, I think Linda mentioned at the very end of her lesson that when starting the alternating checkerboards, the color must be reversed. So, Row 1 becomes Using B, do row 1; Row 2 becomes Using A, do row 2. When you first start the next set of checkerboards, the first row will be all one color. Then the next row begins alternating colors. Thank you to those of you who responded to my email.)

If you finish your checkerboard set before the next class, bring acrylic yarn (this will be knitted as a double strand), 10.5 straight needles, and a crochet hook to start a new project. Linda will give us new patterns for a Christmas stocking, slippers, and something else she did not mention.

Extension
There are only 3 more classes left; however, we voted on an extension for January. Yeah! We will work on the backgammon set then.

Schedule
No class next Monday & Thursday for Thanksgiving week.
Week 10, Nov 29 (plus Monday, Nov 26)
Week 11, Dec 6 (plus Monday, Dec 3)
Week 12, Dec 13 (plus Monday, Dec 10)
Extension 1, Jan 10
Extension 2, Jan 17
Registration for the Spring classes starts Jan 8.
Spring class starts Jan 25, I think.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Holiday Gifts Week 8

Sharon's cornucopia with pumpkin, corn, tomato, and eggplant. The outside of the cornucopia has a vine with leaves. Did you know that if you double click on the picture, you will get a larger view?

Irene's cornucopia with gourd and corn. Trim from Ruth is used on the rim.

Candi's mittens.

Diana's bowl.

Time is quickly going by; it is already the 8th week. Tonight we had a lovely time knitting cornucopias and mittens. I'm sorry that I forgot to take pictures of Bev's whimsical mittens, Barbara's cat bed and mat, and Noelle's cable mittens that they shared during show n' tell. Linda L. sent everyone an email with the new updated email addresses. If you did not get an email from Linda today in either your mail box or spam folder, please let her know. Also, Noelle gave us a copy of a braided neckpiece pattern that is very pretty.

There will be no Monday night classes for the next two weeks in observance of Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving Week. The Monday class will resume on November 26.

New Project

Next week Linda will go over the checkerboard game and pouch pattern. Two new techniques will be introduced: double sided knitting and knitting in the round on two straight needles. Scrap yarns and acrylic such as Wool-Ease are okay for this project.

There are only three more sessions after Thanksgiving. Projects include a backgammon set and retro slippers from the '50s and '60s.

January 2008 Class
Already thinking ahead, projects for the spring semester include free form knitting and vests.

That's it for now. Knit on!

Holiday Gifts Week 7

Pumpkins are so cute. Pat made three of the above including the big one. (Diana mentioned that she received 2 more orders for them.)

Yeah, we can knit mittens and gloves! Louise made the bowl and clutch. Linda L. made the Denise needle pouch.

Joyce shared how she made this beautiful red-felted hat. And, look at Teri's perfect wrap; she also dyed the yarn on the table with kool-aid.

The holidays will be here soon, and the weather will be just right for mittens and scarves. There were more mittens and pumpkins for show 'n tell, plus extra knitting projects that always inspires me to knit more. Interesting stories were told of beloved pets in the freezer, a touching moment when we realized that many of us share a common bond regarding not being able to please our mothers, and Julie's alien glove. Linda thanked everyone for the surprise birthday party last week; she spent last year without family so she was very touched this year.

Present Project

Here is a picture of Linda's cornucopia to give you an idea of our latest project (click twice on the photo for a larger view). We went over the patterns and made a few changes to them. Here is what Linda suggests:

1) The cornucopia. She suggests using two strands of yarn and adding more rows since it came out smaller than she desired.

2) Gourd. Under line 16 (correction: under line 17) of the pattern, Linda changed to 3 double point needles (5 st, 6 st, 5 st) to start knitting in the round. And, before felting tie a plastic bag in the hole so it does not close up.

3) Pumpkin. Under line 2, instead of "as I-cord" change to "in the round." Linda also suggests adding a contrasting color with a running stitch to make rims before felting. Otherwise, it looks somewhat plain.

4) Corn. Under line 7, change 15 rows to 18. Linda used two strands of color and knitted in the round with the purl side out. So the knits become purls, and the purls become knits. The hole to stuff the corn is very small so make sure to tie a plastic bag to keep it open before felting.

All veggies were stuffed with fiber fill after felting. Bea also made copies of extra fruit and vegetables for us.

Next Project

I also took a picture of Linda's gameboard and pouch to give you an idea of what it looks like. We will be making the smaller one and learning a new technique. It is darling.

Happy Birthday November Knitters! Have a great week!

Holiday Gifts Week 6

It was a special treat celebrating Linda’s birthday and having the opportunity to watch an old classic TV show, “The Avengers;” the episode was, I think, “The Girl from Auntie” which included a group of knitters using the continental style. We continued working on mittens this week, and they are turning out pretty good.

Special Message To Everyone from Linda
"I can't begin to tell you how overwhelmed I was by your kindess in throwing a surprise party for me. No one has ever done anything like that for me before. I was frankly dumbstruck. Thank You! I am really wrestling for the right words to express my deep gratitude."

Next Project
The cornucopia begins next week, and the patterns will be distributed at that time. Linda showed us the ones she knitted (prior to felting): the cornucopia, gourd, and pumpkin. A list of supplies is under last week’s blog; however, you do not have to use Lite Lopi yarn. The cornucopia will take one skein; the rest of the veggies will not take as much. Diana brought in a wonderful book by Nicky Epstein called “Knitting Never Felt Better: The Definitive Guide to Fabulous Felting.” There are many more veggies and fruit in this book to create a lovely centerpiece. Bea is working on getting more patterns for us. Linda says this project goes very fast, and we will be done in two weeks.

Sooo, she asked us what we would like our project after that to be. It was voted to do the game set since it takes longer and we could work on it during the Thanksgiving holidays. For that project only two contrasting colors of yarn is needed (one skein each), and acrylic is okay such as Wool-Ease. By the way, Wool-Ease is on sale at Joanne’s this week for 2 for $4. Linda used pink and brown colors on size 8 needles.

News
The Auburn community festival was a hit; both Diana and Vicki did very well selling their items. They were happy to see many from the class. In addition, Diana was asked to teach knitting to teens and adults by the Auburn Recreation District. :)

Have a fabulous week. Keep on knittin’.

Holiday Gifts Week 5

Aren't these lovely? All by Diana for sale at the Community Festival

Candi made these darling slippers for her daughter: felted, embroidered, and beaded.

All pumpkins bright and beautiful from three sides. Candi brought the tablecloth to color coordinate with the pumpkins.

As you can see, we viewed sweet little pumpkins tonight all from only one pattern but in 20 different ways. It is Diane's birthday today, and she brought us carrot cake to celebrate. Bea mentioned that she has knitted 15 flower power washcloths -- Way to go!

Linda went over the first mitten pattern to teach us how to tweak it for knitting in the round since it is written for making two sides on straight needles. A pattern for mittens with a cable design was given to us. This pattern is a level 2 on straight needles and a level 2+ in the round. Be glad that you were not a single gal of long ago Norway -- Linda shared with us the history of Selbuvotter and the amount of outfits an engaged woman had to make in order to get marry. Oh my...

Community Festival
Come support Diana and Vicki at the Community Festival in Auburn this Saturday, Oct. 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Recreation Park. It is off Auburn-Folsom Rd and Racetrack Rd. There will be live music, contests, crafts, food, and fun. Diana will be selling her beautiful felted wallets, and Vicki will be selling polished rock items such as zipper pulls, jewelry, and goodie bags.

Homework
Continue knitting mittens for the next two weeks.

Supplies for Next Project
On November 1, our cornucopia begins. This project consists of a felted cornucopia with a vine and leaf, a gourd, pumpkin, Indian corn, and perhaps some other veggie. Here is a list of supplies:

10.5 double point needles
Lopi Lite wool yarn (worsted weight, single ply) in the following colors:
Orange #1410
Pine #1407
Crimson #0434
Hazel #1401
Goldenrod #0435
White #0051

Wool of the Andes and Knit Picks were two places mentioned where you may want to order yarn. Linda dyed her own yarn from kool aid for this project. She also suggested splitting the yarn with someone to make it cost effective; I think she said each skein makes two.

Anyway, come back next week. We miss you knitters on the road. As Linda L. says, "Knit on!"