2d Trimester, Wk 10

We had a special treat. The yoga instructor dropped by to teach us some stretches. She is a knitter, so she knew the right exercises for us. We felt so relaxed afterwards.

This is the 2d to last class for this trimester. The new session begins on March 10. Please register before then.

Road Trip!
This Saturday is our annual big trip to Stitches West. The bus will be waiting behind Raley's by the Foresthill exit, and there is plenty of parking for us there. Passengers should be on the bus by 6:45 am. Come early and have coffee at Peet's inside Raley's. It is requested that we do not eat or drink anything sticky or crumbly on the bus. There are six seats available, and the cost is now only $34. We will be arriving back in Auburn around 10 pm.

Teri made a copy of all the free demos. There are some really good techniques to learn such as embellishing with beads, cast on and bind off using a crochet hook, mosaic knitting, twisting stitches, beads to start and end projects, intro to lace, etc. She also has a surprise for everyone on the bus. Can't wait!

Don't forget yarn in a bag if you would like to participate in the hit 'n miss scarf. If you want, you can get started by casting on 150-200 stitches on size 10-1/2 or 11 needles with a 18-20" tail.

Future Project and Classes
The daisy has been completed. Linda made the petals, stem, and leaves using a glove pattern. Clever.


The little paper chain purse on the right was made by Linda. She plans to teach a class on it in the future. Linda L. bought the bigger one while on vacation.

Linda fused plastic shopping bags together to make these journals. She will also teach this in a future class.

Isn't this beautiful? Diana learned how to make this felted place mat at The Tin Thimble. It is a very nice size.

Irene's beaded tie using yarn by Louisa Harding that has sparkles in it. She made a thinner version of the pattern given to us by Rosemary.

A beaded coin purse by Irene using the beaded shell pattern. The back side is plain.

Vickie made this fancy shawl from 4 skeins of yarn bought at the Dollar Store. The shawl ties in the back.

Cynthia brought this book to share. She says there is a lot of good patterns in it.

Enjoy the trip to Stitches West. Happy Knitting!

2d Trimester, Wk 9

The class is enjoying beaded knitting, and there are no complaints about eye strain.

Here is one of two lovely beaded necklaces that Georgia made using the pattern from the 101 Designer One Skein Wonders book.

This is one of many beautiful beaded necklaces that Teri made. She also brought pictures from a store catalog (Anthropologie) that showed darling knitted clocks and ship ornaments; they are so clever.

Vickie made these two pretty pieces. She showed us how to crimp beads in class.

Rosemary completed this lovely beaded scarf.

Vickie's husband made this bead wrapper tool using her model from a toilet roll. He made several of them, and they are on sale for $5 each.

Besides the bead wrapper, Linda L had seed beads and Perle cotton thread for sale, Irene had little knit charms of yarn and needles for $4, and Linda brought the bed springs ($2) for the summer challenge.

This Week's Pattern
Besides the beaded projects, the state flower, the rosebud duffel, and the bucket bag, the Pinwheel Bottom pattern by Linda was handed out this week. Never a dull moment. This pattern can be felted by casting on a larger amount of stitches. The colors of the yarn should contrast to enhance the design. Here is a side and bottom view. It can be used for purses, totes, baskets, bowls, etc.



Stitches West Bus
There are now 43 passengers with 7 seats remaining. Linda assures us that we are definitely getting a refund. We can board the bus, which will be parked behind Raley's in Auburn, from 6:30 a.m., and we should be on the bus by no later than 6:45 a.m. We will be picking up a few passengers off the Greenback exit.

3d Trimester
There are two more sessions left in this 2d trimester. Don't forget to register for the 3d trimester that starts on March 10. Some of the projects will include Hip to be Squared vests, cardigans, sweaters; and moebius knitting. All patterns will be given to us at the beginning of class so we can purchase supplies in advance.

A Future Project made from gloves.

Cynthia finished a pair of cute socks.

And the grand finale, Cynthia finished this beautiful sweater.

Enjoy the week!

2d Trimester, Wk 8

Good news. Stitch n Ride the bus is on for Sat, Feb 27!

Linda received 38 confirmed riders. 12 seats are still available, and we will be receiving a little rebate on that day. We must absolutely meet at 6:45 am to get on the bus, and it will leave exactly at 7 am. We will be able to leave items on the bus that we do not need to bring with us into Stitches West. The bus contains overhead compartments as well as luggage space below for any huge purchases. It will be locked and safe during our time at the convention.

We will also be working on the Hit n Miss scarf. Linda brought paper bags for us to class for our yarn. Mark on the bag whether it is a Novelty or Plain yarn. Please do not bring the yarn to class, but bring it on the big day. You will also need to get started by casting on 150-200 stitches on size 10-1/2 or 11 needles with a 18-20" tail.

Door prizes should be brought to class as Linda would like to see them first.

Bead Projects
I'm sorry there are no pictures this week. I was sick and could not attend class. However, Linda L was kind enough to take notes for me. She asked everyone to bring back any finished items again next week, so I can take pictures. Teri and Georgia made some cute beaded necklaces, and Vicki's husband made a handy device to keep beaded yarn from tangling.

Linda talked about embellishments for the beaded bags by showing samples from her book. She also talked about how to make the part that goes around the neck. Vicki showed an example of how she used crimping beads to make her necklace. Using a twisted cord was also discussed; Linda L saw a twisted cord being made using a mixer on Knitty Gritty. Teri mentioned that a store at The Fountain sells beaded bag necklaces for $250.

Future Projects
Linda brought a sample of a very large knitted mitt that she lightly felted. She will be teaching us how to make critters or a flower out of it.

She will also show us how to make a pinwheel base for making different items such as a purse or basket.

Two patterns from the book "Knit to be Squared" were handed out: one for a rose bud duffle and another for a bucket bag.

Flower Challenge
Linda brought in a bag of springs for $2 each for the flower stands. She also brought the books back for us to look through. The challenge will be due at the end of May, the 27th.

New Trimester
The 3d trimester begins on March 11. We have three more sessions left.

Added on 2/15, I heard that Diana brought in cute little valentine boxes with M & Ms for everyone. Thank you very much, Diana. Happy Valentine's Day!

Knit and Smile!

2d Trimester, Wk 7

Happy Birthday February ladies!

Rosemary made a pair of fingerless mittens. Nice colors.

Linda L bought a bead spinner to thread loose beads. The kit came with the spinner, two bowls, two lids, and a light fish hook needle.

Bead Projects
Linda went over the pattern for the beaded scallop bag. She completed the main body of her bag which is very cute. She also demonstrated how to knit the "Susan Undulating Waves Scarf." She feels that the smaller necklace bag project is easier to make than the scarf. The scarf will need to be blocked after knitting, and the placement of the beads (front or back) is important. The bead placement will change every 9 rows. On this scarf, place stitch markers where it is mentioned or it is easy to get lost. When reading the chart, read odd rows from right to left, and even rows from left to right.

We were also given the Shell Fringe Scarf pattern that Rosemary brought in. It is a pretty scarf with scalloped edges.

State Flower Challenge
Diana brought the book, "Knitted Flowers" by Nicky Epstein, to share flower patterns. Linda brought back books from last week, and there are still flowers that have not been taken.

Stitches West Bus
The bus is still "on" for Stitches West on Saturday, Feb 27. Room is available for 30 more passengers. Please send money to Linda as quickly as possible to reserve a spot. Diana will be sending out an email with information regarding the bus in the future. On Feb 12, Linda will either sign the bus contract or cancel the bus, depending on the number of passengers. The Tin Thimble generously sent an email to their customers, and 3 ladies contacted Linda for a ride. Yea!

If we go by bus, it will depart promptly at 7 am from Raley's (behind the store) near the Foresthill exit. Linda plans to be there around 6:30 am to allow passengers to board.

Also door prizes for the bus trip are being collected. If you would like to donate something such as new yarn, please bring it to class next week. A yarn dyer from Tennessee is donating samples and a door prize for our bus trip.

We are planning to make Hit & Miss scarves on the bus, so please bring long cable (about 36", does not have to be exactly 36") needles and yarn in a paper bag labelled either smooth or novelty if you would like to participate.

You can purchase the admission ticket for the convention on line with a $2 discount coupon from www.knittinguniverse.com. There is a $1 service charge though, so the ticket will be $7 instead of $6 if you use the coupon. Tickets can also be purchased at the convention center for $8.

Master Knitter
Linda looked up the Knitting Guild of America's website to share with us how we can become Master Knitters. There are three levels to pass.
The 1st level costs $90. One must pass swatches in the basic proficiencies and write some papers.
The 2d level costs $95. One must pass more complicated swatches, knit a vest and argyle socks, and write some papers.
The 3d level costs $110. One must design a rand sweater and a Fair Isle hat (or visa versa) and send in swatches using advanced techniques.

Diana's first loom project, a scarf, that feels very light and took a short time to make.

Irene's scarf using the pattern Noelle shared with us. She used 1 skein of Caron's Simply Soft Shadows and pinned the ends together.

Happy knitting!