Holiday Gifts Week 2

Flower Power washcloths by Vicki, Diane, and Diana

Diana is passionate about felting and is starting an online business. She will be debuting and selling her beautiful creations at the October festival in Auburn.

Julie knitted this warm and lovely lace shawl to commemorate her year with breast cancer.

It was a lovely and lively evening knitting and chatting away. We would like to welcome Rosie and Roberta to the class; they would have made it last week, but they could not find the building. The majority of the class is still working on petals, so no one is behind. Some new ideas for the flower power pattern were mentioned such as making a pillow, bathmat, placemats, or rug. If you would like to try flower washcloths with different knit designs in the center, Bev found photos and patterns at http://whimsicalknittingdesigns.blogspot.com/2006/10/flower-power-washcloth-patterns.html. Linda L. bought her cotton chenille yarn online from yarncountry.com at $7.35 a skein, no tax, and low shipping; there were a lot of nice colors to choose from and they arrived pretty fast. Linda, our instructor, mentioned not to use acrylic or polyester for the purpose of washcloths since they do not have absorbency; cotton yarn is best.

We also learned about natural dyes. Linda brought yarn and the natural material that made its color: coreopsis, indigo, and bugs.

Big News
There is no class next Thursday, September 27. Linda will be teaching several gourd classes at a festival in Folsom that day. However, we can come on Monday and knit in the peanut gallery during the beginners' knitting class. There is no extra charge, and we must be very quiet while she is teaching.

Next Project
We will begin the pumpkin project on October 4. Supplies needed are:

1 skein of orange or any color you want (Cascade 220 or Lamb’s Pride)
1 skein of green or any color you want (Cascade 220 or Lamb’s Pride)
1 contrasting color of scrap yarn just as rust (Cascade 220 or Lamb’s Pride. Georgia & Bea volunteered to share their yarn since only a little is needed. Also 100% wool embroidery yarn is okay.)
Waste yarn (any scrap acrylic worsted weight yarn)
16” circular needles size 11
Double point needles size 11
Yarn needle
Stitch markers
Row counter

News
Cat Bordhi has a new book on socks. See Diane if you would like to take a look.

Have a great week knitting. See you on October 4.

Holiday Gifts Week 1

Welcome Knitters
About 22 knitters were present for the first class. Welcome to new classmates, Marlene, Barbara, Liz, and Sharon, and welcome back Joyce and Carol. We had a wonderful time hearing about everyone’s vacation, summer knitting projects, and getting to know each other better. (Louise, we missed you; hope you will be there next week.) By the way, if you are reading this blog and you were the one that the Placer School for Adults (PSA) office told you that the class was already full so you didn't sign up, Linda would like you to contact her.

Attendance/Opportunity
Please keep in mind that attendance is very important. Our attendance helps keep the class open and the fees low. This year Placer School for Adults is allowing us to attend Monday night’s class as well for free. We can sit in the peanut gallery (the side tables) and work on our projects as Linda teaches her beginning knitting class.

Help for Middle School!
Linda is looking for white muslin or old white sheets to be donated to an art class if you have any lying around.

Syllabus/I Need Help/Pacing
The class syllabus was distributed tonight with patterns for future projects. At the end of this blog, you can take the oath to never, ever go ahead of the class and work on the projects for the weeks ahead.

Reminder: there is an “I Need Help” list on the chalkboard. If you need Linda’s help, please write your name on the board. She will get to everyone on the list in order during class.

This class is self-paced. It is not necessary to keep up with the schedule or do all of the projects. Please do not drop out or feel stressed if you feel you are getting behind or feel intimidated. We are all at different levels from intermediate to advanced and some have more time than others; all you need to know is what Linda required in the PSA catalog. Everyone is really nice, friendly, and loves to share their skills.

Summer Vacation in the Ozarks
Linda wanted to show us the DVD of this summer’s folk art camp in the Ozarks, but the DVD player wouldn’t work. Good news is that we will see it next week. If you are interested in attending this camp next August, Bea will be driving there and will take passengers.

Flower Power
Our first project is a soft chenille flower-shaped washcloth. This will make a nice gift with a beautiful bar of soap or liquid gel. We started on the first petal. Homework: Just work one or some of the petals. No need to rush or finish the project. We will continue on the petals next class.

Tips for this project:
Regarding the pattern, it takes less time to count stitches than to rip them out later.
Really, really work those ends in and tack with thread when finished, chenille comes loose easily. When finished with the flower, it will be bunched up. Dampen the flower and simply smooth it out with your hand to dry flat.

Questions asked during class:
When used, this cloth can be machine washed, but hang dry is recommended. Do not use dryer.
Cables should be measured from tip to tip if you don’t know how long the cable is.
If you are a tight knitter, go up a size on needles. Cotton yarn makes you knit tighter.

Pledge
"I, (your name), solemnly swear to work on the present project only and not to work ahead on future projects. "

Supplies for Next Project
Even though you promise to not work ahead, you can purchase the supplies needed for it. The next project, which will be in a few weeks, is a cute little felted pumpkin bowl.

1 skein of orange or any color you want (Cascade 220 or Lamb’s Pride)
1 skein of green or any color you want (Cascade 220 or Lamb’s Pride)
1 contrasting color of scrap yarn (Cascade 220 or Lamb’s Pride. Georgia volunteered to bring this since she already has some in dark orange.)

News
Congratulations to Mary Jane who placed 1st and 2nd at the Nevada County Fair, and 2nd and 3rd place at the Gold Country Fair for her entrelac tote bag and tea cozy.
A big thank you to Teri who drove home and back for the flower power pattern for us to have for class.
Thank you to Carolyn and Linda for having us over for summer knitting parties.
Happy Birthday September ladies!

Regarding This Blog
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Looking forward to seeing you next week.

Class Begins

Don't forget class starts this week. The supplies list is below. Looking forward to seeing you.