2d Trimester, Wk 2

Christmas Party 2009!

We had a nice time eating, watching Noelle on the Martha Stewart Show and hearing all about what it was like being there, having a White Elephant Exchange with ornaments we made or bought, and knitting through a Treasure Hunt. Bea did a good job covering for Linda who was in Florida visiting her daughter.

Of course, we always start off with food! (Click on any photo for a larger view.)

The food and wassail were great. The ARD kitchen was reserved for the night, but Linda L discovered there were no utensils or pots or pans anywhere! She had to warm up the wassail in individual cups in the microwave. It turned out well, but it took longer this way.

The Christmas Ornament Exchange gifts came beautifully wrapped. We were curious to know what was made or brought.

The ornaments and gifts were beyond my expectation. At the last minute, Linda L decided that she had to keep the darling snowman she made; her granddaughter had commented that "she never gave her anything." :) We had a good exchange; the knitted sheep, the elf, and heart stocking were passed around at least once.

The Treasure Hunt Challenges

Ladies knitting all over the building for one of the challenges. Do you see Diana knitting by the waste bin? The man on the right is wondering what all these ladies are doing knitting in odd places.

More Photos of the Treasure Hunt: Some singing, some drawing or writing a poem.

Getting through the challenges.

Class will resume on Thursday, January 7. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.

2d Trimester, Wk 1

Noelle was on the front page of the Auburn Journal last Sunday! She will be on the Martha Stewart Show this coming Monday, Dec 14. At the end of Friday's show, Martha Stewart said something like, "...and I will be sharing a warm hearted letter with a surprise," talking about Monday's show.


It's the first class of the second trimester, and we're looking forward to more projects, patterns, and techniques. Some of the projects will include Knit Picks gloves and mittens in several fashions and more difficult square projects.

Class is smaller, but the feeling is warm and intimate. It is nice that we can share both good and bad news with each other. The good news is Noelle went to NY for the taping of the Martha Stewart Show this week. The bad news is Sarah was in a terrible bike accident and broke several bones near her left shoulder. She will be immobile for 3 months and cannot attend this session. You will be missed, Sarah. Another bad news is Wilta's husband passed away last Friday after some time with a serious illness. Laurie brought a card for us to sign. Wilta, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

This Week
Linda demonstrated the two color square which are two triangles knitted in a fair isle method to create a square. This square is great for knitting a quilt design.

Four patterns were handed out in class:
Two Color Square
Square Variations
Three Block Cap (Linda will go over this one on Jan 7. It calls for DK wt yarn, sz 3 needles, & 32" circulars or sz 3 dpns (gauge 6 stitches per inch.)
Hat & Scarf pattern from Vickie

Next week Teri will be bringing a cute News Boy cap pattern for the class. Yea!

Also, Diane shared that the school she teaches at is having a raffle worth $25,000 off your mortgage for one year. The ticket costs $100 which will go to purchasing supplies for the school. Contact Diane A. for details and a form.

The Challenge
The day finally came for the challenge: an octopus/jellyfish with at least one square.

Click on photo for a larger view. Clockwise from Sponge Bob Square Pants (Diana?), Blue Measuring Tape with a rubber shark and several fish charms (Teri), Red Octopus doll (Diane), Food Color Dyed Large Plastic Bag Container (Vickie), Orange replica of the challenge photo (Sandy), Pink Knitting Octopus doll (Irene), Colorful Blue Squeeze Me Toy that really squeeks (Louise).

Here's another view.

They were all so good and cute that it was hard to pick only two favorites. First place went to knitting octopus doll by Irene. Second place went to Vickie for a plastic bag container and Teri for a measuring tape cover. Congratulations to all!

The prizes: An alligator-shaped zippered pouch for notions and a crochet ring from Tin Thimble.


Next Week: Christmas Party!
Bea will be our substitute instructor. Linda will be flying to Florida to spend time with her daughter and couldn't get a flight later.

Items to bring:

Food for the potluck (I think so far 4 signed for meat/cheese, 2 signed for fruit/veggies, 4 signed for desserts, 1 for wassail, 2 for plates, silverware, and napkins).

Wrapped knitted ornament if you are participating in the swap. (By the way, I'm knitting my 5th ornament. The 1st four did not turn out good enough to share. It has been a good learning lesson, so don't give up.)

Pen or pencil, size 8 needles, and about 25 grams/yds of worsted weight scrap yarn (enough to knit for about 30 minutes on and off) for a treasure hunt.

Don't miss it!

Isn't this beautiful? Irene bought this crochet Christmas tree over 1 ft tall at the annual Georgetown Christmas fair for only $3. A couple of ladies wanted to know if there are any left to buy. After making a call on Friday, Irene heard that she bought the only one. Sorry ladies.

Sandy made another pair of cute miter square slippers. Are these the fourth pair? She says that she has a lot of grandchildren, so the slippers will fit someone.

This coming weekend, Dec 12 & 13, is the Alpaca Farm Holiday Boutique. The link is on the left column of this blog under "Knitting Events."

The weather is finally cold enough for showing off our hats, scarves, and mittens. Wear them proudly. Happy Knitting!

Hip 2B Sq, 12

Happy Birthday December ladies! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

How cool are these felted slippers? Cynthia made a pair of size 10, and Laurie made a pair of size 6-1/2. Cynthia said she felted hers for about an hour to get them to her size. She tried them on every so often for fit.

It was the last class for the first trimester. Linda went over the pages for the heel increases and decreases. She demonstrated the wrap & turn and the double wrap which is so helpful to see done in person.

I hope many of you will return for the second session that starts next week. Don't forget to register! At the present time, the enrollment numbers look low, so please encourage friends, family, and strangers to take the class.

The octopus/jellyfish challenge is due the first night, Dec 10. It will be fun to see different takes on these knitted creatures, so I hope there will be good participation.

Linda will be teaching us how to make projects out of two triangles that forms into a square. For next week's class, bring solid scrap yarn in two contrasting colors and knitting needles (who doesn't bring knitting needles?). Besides "square" projects, she will cover all kinds of gloves and mittens from Knit Picks during the second session.

Also we will have a sign up sheet next week for our Christmas potluck on Dec 17. An optional knitted ornament exchange is planned. If you bring one, please have it wrapped for Dec 17.

Did you hear the good news about Noelle? This is huge. Diana told us in class that Noelle wrote the Martha Stewart Show about how well her MS pot held up in the oven when her house burned down in the Auburn fire. (She had a pot of beans in the oven during the fire.) They wanted to interview Noelle by phone on the air. However later, they called to invite her and her son to be on the show in NY instead. She will be aired on the Dec 14 telecast. Way to go!

Pat made this beautiful hat out of mitred squares. Here's a top and side view.


Vickie finished her cute, petite green alligator scarf with beaded eyes. Bea and Irene are in the process of completing theirs. They used worsted wt yarn, and Vickie used light wt yarn. Bea brought copies of the pattern for the nice ruffle sweater she showed us in the last class.

Teri made this sweet knitted scarf for her new darling puppy.

Jesse made this pretty scarf from the book, One Skein Wonders, the designer edition.

Diane crocheted this cute little snowman, and knitted the hat using Boucle that she bought at a Dollar Tree store.

Happy Knitting!

Hip 2B Sq, 11

Linda finished her shrug and weaved in all the ends, inside and out!

Laurie made this beautiful nuno felted silk scarf in a class at the Tin Thimble.

Two patterns were handed out this week: knitted Christmas ornaments and the toe up socks. The Toe Up pattern came from this book.

The benefits of the Toe Up socks are you do not have to use the Kitchener stitch and a short row heel makes a nicer fit. Linda demonstrated the Closed Toe CO 2 on pg 13 for the Basic Toe Up Socks, paying particular attention to the right and left slants. This CO makes a smooth toe edge. She also reviewed the kitchener stitch for anyone interested.

Three measurements are needed for making the Toe Up socks:
1) Circumference around the foot just below the base of the little toe.
2) Widest part of the foot.
3) Length of the foot.

During the Thanksgiving break, work on the first part of the Toe Up socks. Linda will cover the short rows on Dec 3. She explained that we should make the sock 1/2 inch narrower/smaller than the actual size. For example, if your foot measures 7-1/4 inches, then you will use the measurement for 6-3/4 inches.

Schedule
There is no class next week for Thanksgiving break. We will be back on Dec 3, the last class of the 1st trimester.
The 2d trimester begins on Dec 10 with more complicated square patterns, the beaded pouch, and moebius knitting.
The octopus/jellyfish challenge is due on Dec 10.
The knitted Christmas ornament exchange has been changed from Dec 3 to Dec 17.
The Chrismas party will be held on Dec 17 with a potluck. No gift exchange.

Linda announced that she is teaching a non crafting class on Jan 10 with Placer School for Adults (PSA) on Tues eveing for 6 weeks. Students will try basket making, lace making, weaving, etc.

Cathy is also teaching two classes with PSA in the new year: Making Chocolate Cake 12 Ways and Winning at the Fair. She has been judging food at the fair for some time, and her class will be in April for one night each.

Greetings from Linda L
Linda L writes: "We are enjoying a real Alaskan winter with beautiful fresh snow and below freezing temperatures. This morning it was - 2 on the outside thermometer. We are staying cozy and warm inside. I miss our knitting class, please tell everyone "Hi". I have been to a knitting store to buy yarn and I made another newsboy hat in mulberry pink to match my jacket. Here's my photos: snow knitting and my new hat. Our baby granddaughter was born last night. She was 7 lbs. 15 oz. and they named her Claire Linda Leman. She is so adorable."



Diane used the potholder pattern to make this cute felted purse.

She also made the nice socks and mouse.

Cathy made this pretty triangle scarf using short rows.

Bea made this gorgeous sweater for her niece.

This little vest made by Louise is oh so cute.

Cute little booties by Sandy

Irene and Mary Jane met this couple in a LYS in So Lake Tahoe. He is knitting this kimono jacket for his wife. This is the first knitting project he has ever made, and it's been in process for about 2 years. There are three different sizes of mitre squares all made with Koigu yarn. Also he is the creator of the knitting programs on iphone.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hip 2 B Sq, 10

This week Linda went over the heel of the sock showing us how to turn the heel. There are two corrections to the sock pattern under “Turn heel.”
Row 3 should be Sl 1, P across to TWO STITCHES before…
Row 4 should be, Sl 1, K across TWO STITCHES before…

Next Week
We will go over almost all the sock pattern including the Kitchener stitch.

We will also receive the Toe Up sock pattern which calls for a short row heel instead of a flap heel. Bring regular sock yarn, appropriate needles, tape measure, and a ruler. We will be taking off our shoes for measurement.

The patterns for the Christmas knit ornaments will also be given to us next week so we can work on them during the Thanksgiving break.

Schedule
There will be no class on Thanksgiving Day. Our last class for the first trimester will be Dec 3. I think our Christmas knit ornament to swap is due that day. Also, don’t forget about our octopus/jellyfish challenge that was mentioned earlier.

The second trimester will begin on Dec 10, and we will meet on Dec 17. There will be a two-week break in December for the holidays, and we will resume the first Thursday in January.

Other News
Teri was the winner of the random drawing for the two pumpkin beads. Congratulations!

Jesse made these beautiful felted potholders and bear.

Sandy finished another pair of cute slippers and a basket.

Nora knitted this lovely mitered purse with cable handle.

She added cute lining fabric and an insert to the handle for support.

Cynthia is going to felt this huge slipper for her brother. Compare it to the adult and baby size socks.

Kathy's gorgeous finished projects: a felted modular purse and BSJ.

Beautiful dyed yarn by Georgia; she even added labels.

Diane's beautiful yarn dyed with food coloring.

Pat knitted this pretty scarf and sock.

Knit on!

Hip 2B Sq, 9

Happy Birthday to November knitters!

Isn't this beautiful? Diana did a great job on this Felted Incomplete Scarf. It is going to be a gift. This photo does not do it justice.

Darling! Janine knitted this darling alligator scarf for her nephew. Her granddaughter already told her that she wants one in purple.

Food Color Dye
We had an enjoyable time learning how to dye yarn with food colors in the ARD kitchen. Vickie is an excellent teacher.

Linda L. showing Bea the latest fashion in aprons.

Dying yarn is fun, and the results even better.

This Week's Project: Socks

Linda went over the sock pattern with us. Our homework assignment is to knit the cuff and stop there. We will go over the heel next week. For the cuff, knit in the round and use a 1x1 ribbing pattern (k1,p1). The cuff can be either 12 rows or 24 rows for a turn down cuff. Do not be creative as the pattern indicates for this practice piece.

During the Nov 19 class, we will start a toe up sock. You will need to bring dpns, a tape measure, and a ruler. We can use real sock yarn for this project. When purchasing sock yarn, check that the skein can make a pair of socks and not just one sock. 100 grams usually makes a pair of socks. Warning: someone will be measuring your feet that night without shoes.

We will also get a pattern for pedi socks which are toeless socks to show off your pedicure and toe rings.

Ornament Exchange
There are only 3 more sessions left this trimester. We will be having an ornament exchange on Dec 3 for anyone interested in participating. Linda will give us some Christmas ornament patterns to knit next week.

Other News
The 2010 knitting calendars have arrived at Costco in the book section. There are over 100 patterns in the box, and the paper is better and heavier. The cost is $8.59 plus tax.

Diane's daughter is having a 50% sale on clothes and accessories at Secondhand Boutique in Roseville this weekend. The items are either new or almost new and manufactured within the last 3 years. Her website can be found under "Our Web Sites" on the left of this blog; click on "Diane's daughter" for information.

Linda L will be absent for a month. She is going to fly to Anchorage for the birth of her grandchild. Have a wonderful time.

For the Thanksgiving season, I have 2 little pumpkin beads (size of a button) to give away. Put a comment in this blog or email me, and I will enter your name in a random drawing. The drawing will take place on Wednesday at 5 pm.

Hats! Hat season will soon be upon us. Here's a few.
Pat finished one of our projects, the mitered square flower cap, for a child. She turned the ends up like petals, and it is pretty.

Have you heard of faux Fair Isle? That's what this nice pattern is called. Laurie found this pattern on the Knitting Daily website.

Louise finds the cutest children's hat patterns and yarn. Here's another one of her cute hats.

Happy Knitting!