Vest & Free Form, 11

Pat and Irene finished their vests! The back of Pat's vest is beautiful too; click to enlarge this photo to see the colors in detail. Irene's pattern came from the green "One Skein" book by Leigh Radford; it took more than one skein though. It feels good to complete a big project.

Irene completed this scarf just in time for a cherry blossom festival. Teri B. found the pattern online at knitty.com; it is called "Nagano Sakura."
Here are both sides of Sharon's free form purse. Linda commented that she did a great job, and her colors were well chosen. Sharon found the purse in her closet; this has inspired us to complete ours too.

Free Form Instructions
Wow, we were very good and quiet while watching a 30-minute video in class on Prudence Mapstone demonstrating free form crochet onto canvas. It was inspiring to see her clothing/purses and learn about arranging colors from dark to light shades. Next week we will watch one of Prudence Mapstone’s fan, Myra Woods, demonstrate free form slippers. Thank you, Linda L., for recording the programs.

Linda spoke about resizing the plastic purse form. The form may be cut down if you prefer a smaller size purse. For example, if the purse is too wide for your taste, cut it along the sides then whip stitch the two forms together with light weight yarn; if the top of the purse is too tall just cut the top part off to the desired height.

If you need help learning to crochet, Vickie and Diane have offered their services to help anyone during class each week.

Color Theory for Knitters
In the back corner, Linda gave anyone interested a crash course on color theory using a color wheel. We saw various related shades of color put together on charts and learned a great deal which colors work well together. It is important that one color does not stand out more than others since the eye will travel to that spot instead of seeing the whole object. Linda used the color, baby pink, as an example. She would not use baby pink in her purse since she is working in shades of dark red; the baby pink would stand out instead of blend into her color scheme. One book Linda showed us is called “Color Works” by Deb Menz.

Extension
Next week is the last week of the spring class. The extension starts on May 1 and ends on June 26. The code numbers for the class extension are 085000 for adults over 55 and 805000 for those under 55. The fee will be $15 for adults over 55 and $30 for those under 55; this includes 7 sessions with no classes on May 8 and June 12.

It was announced that the beginner knitting class will be having an extension as well. On May 12 and 19 (Mondays), we are invited to participate with them in making a mystery scarf. This is a fun way to make a beautiful scarf. If you are interested in participating, bring yarn in a bag on those dates.

Challenge
Reminder, the bra challenge is due on June 19, the second to last week of class. The project does not take a lot of time; a cup can be made in a couple of evenings.

Class Knit Trip
Yarn Tasting. This fun class event will take place on April 27 (Sunday) at Fibers in Grass Valley. The cost is $30 to be paid in advance this week. Sorry, no refunds will be given due to the extensive preparation by Fibers. We will leave the parking lot near Long’s on Hwy 49 at noon.

More Fun Knitting Events
Yarn Shop Hop. A yarn hop will be held this year sponsored by several yarn shops in the following counties: Sacramento, Placer, Nevada, and El Dorado. The dates are April 27 through May 3 (one shop says it starts on April 30 ?). This is a good time to go from yarn shop to shop to visit the stores you have not been to before and/or to take advantage of the special sales all of them will have for this event. If you plan to visit all of the stores listed on the flyer, there is a special “passport” to be stamped at all locations so you can be entered for a grand prize drawing.

Conference of Northern California Handweavers. Do you love yarn, color, texture, and fabric? Visit galleries and be inspired by creative one-of-a-kind handwoven, handspun, handknitted, dyed and felted originals of clothing, accessories, jewelry, rugs, baskets, household items, and art pieces. This event will be held on May 3-4 from 9 to 4 p.m. at the Double Tree Hotel (Capital City Freeway/Business 80 & Arden Way, Sacramento). There will be free demonstrations and a fabulous marketplace. Admission is $7 per day.

Alaska Cruise for Crocheters and Knitters Too with Prudence Mapstone. July 6-13, 7 nights onboard the Star Princess, priced as low as $1049. For details, go to http://fastnettravel.com/cruises/alaska2008/index_2.php. You can bring your family.

Hope the projects this week have inspired you to KNIT ON!