Hearth & Home II Wk 4

Teri is featured in Green Planet! The article is awesome with several great photos. She is even mentioned in the Table of Contents. Congratulations, Teri!

Look at Linda B's ball of loopers. It is so huge! We all had a good laugh. She will also bring more t-shirts to class in brighter colors.

T-Shirt Rug
Linda showed us the difference in width and size when cutting t-shirts into yarn. The photo below shows the top rows cut in a 2 inch width making a larger and fluffier rug (24 sts across), nice for bathrooms; the bottom rows on the needle show a t-shirt cut into 1-1/2 inch width making a smaller, thinner rug, nice for not tripping over. The 2-inch thick rug takes 12 t-shirts, and the thinner t-shirt takes 8 t-shirts. Here are 3 steps to follow:

1. Cut hem off the bottom of the shirt.
2. Cut a point and make the shirt strip wider and wider until it reaches 1-1/2 or 2 inches. Every now and then check your width.
3. Spiral up to the arm holes. Cut it off and stretch the yarn until it curls.

We will start this project when everyone is done preparing their yarn. Need size 35 needles.

Also in the above picture is Linda's felted yarn caddy. Karen M's felted yarn caddy is below.

Pillows

We went over the new handout that was emailed to us for the Easy as Pie pillow. The handout contained instructions for wrap and turn, the provisional cast on, and grafting in garter stitch. Tip: when using a provisional cast on, always chain more than you need so you have enough stitches. Next week we will go over the entrelac pillow.

Louise was not sure if the colors in her pillow was going to turn out, but it is beautiful. Linda suggests using a color wheel, a kaleidescope, or wrapping yarn on a ruler to determine if the colors will look good together before starting.

Presidents
Several ladies have started on their challenge. There were a couple of questions on the pattern of the doll's body. Note that the neck color starts after row 25. Vickie is looking for the right skin color for her President Obama doll. Please look through your stash to see if you have something close.

Sip and Knit
Linda brought a menu from the Power's Mansion Inn for us to look over for a night to sip and knit. It will probably be in May. They can accommodate 26 people, and we might need to prepay.

Stitches West
Teri made copies of the $2 off coupon for all of us for the Market Place. Linda will give it to us as we get on the bus. Thank you, Teri! Donations are starting to come in.

Louise used a linen stitch to make this lovely scarf.

Happy knitting everyone!

Hearth & Home II Wk 3

Wow! Look at Sandy's awesome yarn caddy! It is a substantial size and pretty deep. Sorry, the side got cut off.

Presidential Challenge
More yarn is here in gray and black. Dark blue and beige are also available. Linda suggests to define the separation from shoe to pants with a couple of purl stitch rows for a cuff when using the same color yarn for shoes and pants.

Trivia: "Which president's wife slept with a sabre under her pillow?"

See the sweet little dog? Amazing! Lynette made it from roving using a pattern from this book.

It will be an accessory for one of the presidents.

T shirts
Linda B. brought a huge amount of t shirts for a $2 donation to go to charity. The t-shirts will be used to make yarn for a rug.

Next week Linda P. will be demonstrating how to make yarn from these t-shirts. Please wait for her instructions before attempting this project since she will not be following the notes given to us. She will also figure out the size of needle needed for this project.

Loopers
Linda L. came back with a box of 18 bags of loops for the future rug project. The staff at the factory was so happy and nice. They made her feel very special for visiting their shop and fixed the box wonderfully for her flight home.

Sandy's beautiful rug.

Stitches West Trip
We need four more people to sign up to make this trip a "go" for $45. (I think we made it.)  If you have a genuine problem with carsickness, let Linda know, and she will save the front of the bus for you. She is also asking for donations for the raffle. One of her students is donating several colorful needle holders that she makes and sells. You will want one!

Also, there may be a $2 off coupon for the Market Place on www.knittinguniverse.com. There is a lot of information about Stitches West on this site. Linda L. and Irene looked everywhere on this site for the coupon, but could not find it.

Class Registration Problems
If you are having difficulties registering for the class, call Manouch at 885-8461 ext 123 or 1123.

Material Fee
A $5 material fee is being collected. The envelope is on the front table. Write "paid" near your name.

Knit and Tea Time
Linda had tea at the Power's Mansion recently and came up with an idea that we all liked. The owner is willing to open it up for a special evening for us. Linda suggested that we meet there in May to knit and have tea and snacks. More details in the 3d session.

Pillows
We went over the pillow patterns in more detail. Linda brought color photos of some of the patterns to show how pretty they are.

On the "Easy as Pie" pillow, she strongly suggests to start with a provisional cast on.  An email titled "Scan Test" was sent to us on Friday from Linda L. for Linda. There is an attachment to the email that shows the wrap and turn technique. The attachment is a PDF file. Please print it and bring it to class.

The bolster pillow (fair isle) is a good way to use up your yarn stash. Color pencils are available in class to use for the pattern.

Notice the cord edging on the "Stars with Tradition" pillow. It is done in two colors. It is hard to see in black and white, so Linda brought a color photo.

Linda has on a cute skirt made from recycled sweaters. Teri also wore one to class and looked so cute. They also bought a skirt made from recycled Christmas sweaters that is just as darling.

Jennifer finished this pretty scarf right in class.

Happy knitting!

Hearth & Home II Wk 2

Lynette's darling Christmas tree made with felted wool sweaters. And, that was all the show 'n tell for the week. There were a lot of yarn caddies in process though.

Pot Holder Loops
Linda L. sent us an email that she will pick up loops directly from the company while she is in NY. Please let her know by this Sunday if you are interested. The cost is about $3.99 a bag. See her email for details.

T Shirts
Linda B., who works at a thrift store in Colfax, is collecting assorted colors of t-shirts for the class. A small rug will take about 4-6 shirts. She is asking for a $2 donation that will go to charity.

Presidential Consultation Available
Linda P. is available every week during class to help us on our presidents. Do not hesitate to ask for advice if you need help.

Trivia: Brought out during his presidential campaign, which president is married to a bigamist?

Stitches West Bus
Even though the deadline is not until Feb. 1, it would be very helpful to start signing up or turning in your check if you plan to go to Stitches West. Ten people are needed to keep the price at $45 and cover the bus. Linda did not get a big response from the ladies on the bus who signed the email list last year. An email was sent out earlier this month. Donations are also being accepted for the raffle.

ARD
Someone in the ARD office wants to talk with Linda P. about keeping us. Linda expressed her desire to move back to PSA after the copy incident, but they would like us to stay.

Yarn Caddy
Linda went over the yarn caddy in class. She finished knitting the main portion and showed where she put four running stitches. Here are a couple of tips that she gave to the class:

1. Use a lot of stitch markers.

2. Steam the edge to take the curl out. You can do this before you get to the bottom of the bag.

Pillows
Linda also went over all the patterns for pillows. There are many different styles for the variety of members we have. She will bring in a color picture of the fair isle pillow.

Fall Session
Linda expressed an interest in teaching us to make a miniature Gansey Fisherman's Sweater. Several ladies expressed an interest in yarn bombing a chair then or do that during this spring's session like the sample in Knit Picks. I think the ladies would not like to wait that long. There was discussion on joining Linda's painted stool class for a yarn bombing chair time too.

Happy knitting!

Hearth & Home II Wk 1

We're back for the winter session! It is nice to see everyone again.

Present Project: Knitter's Duo
We are starting with the felted yarn caddy which we read over in class. The supplies are listed on yesterday's blog.

Please bring the pattern packet given to us last semester to class. Also, a $5 materials fee will be collected next week.

Future Project: Loop Rug
You will need 32 ozs. of loom loops and size 35 needles. Linda L. called Hobby Lobby and Ben Franklin's to ask them if they carry these loops. They are willing to order them. Ask for Elizabeth at Hobby Lobby or Tina at Ben Franklin's if you have any questions. Debi bought 100% cotton loops from Hobby Lobby that were made in the USA; the brand is Wool Novelty Company. Linda P. bought blended synthetic ones that were made in China from Joanne's, but she found that they were not always consistent in width. Another use for the loops are to knit placemats.

Also start collecting old t-shirts for knitted rugs.

Next week Linda will talk about pillows for future projects.

Stitches West Bus Trip
Reservations are being taken for Feb 25. The cost is $45. Checks will not be cashed until Feb. 1.

ATCs
Nola, Linda's sister, would like to trade ATCs. You can still make them to trade. Here are Teri's owls and Irene's Christmas tree.

Presidents
Linda and her daughter finished their presidents over Christmas break. Linda feels that the men with short hair should have ears. Here are patterns for ears and lapels that she wrote.

Ears: CO 8 sts, Row 1 = K2tog across, Row 2 = P2tog across, Row 3 = k2tog across, pull loop through to end.

Lapels: CO 6, knit 2 rows of 6 sts across, knit 2 rows of 4 sts, then knit 2 rows of 2 sts.

For stuffing, Linda discovered that Mountain Mist brand is the best. Pack stuffing with some of the same yarn color so the white stuffing doesn't show through.

Abraham Lincoln and Howard Taft by Linda's daughter

Zachary Taylor and James Madison by Linda

Sandy's oven mitt and scarf

Lynette's angora hat

Pat's projects over Christmas break

Louise made these wristwarmers for her daughter.

Louise also made this vest for her husband.

Rosemary knitted this candleholder out of wire and beads.

Rosemary has almost finished the scarf that she is wearing.

Jake gave us a Thank You card.

Happy Knitting and January birthdays: Happy Birthday!

Class Starts Jan. 5

Happy New Year!

Our first project is a Knitter's Bowl. Bring:

2 skeins each of 2 colors worsted weight Cascade 220 or Lambspride

24" circular needles, size 10
Size 10 DPN (don't need these until the finishing part)

See you soon.