Wednesday, June 15, 2011

I'm a knitting instructor!

Hi Knitters!

Today was an important day in my knitting life. I taught my first class, and it was even better than I hoped it would be.  I took a couple of hours off of work today, so I could be completely prepared for class. I had high hopes of presenting the class with a great tutorial to go along with Allison LoCicero's awesome Entrelac Scarf pattern. They got the pattern alright, but after two hours of hard work, I was only able to produce one tutorial. I won't get into the whole story but it involves two printers, two laptops, one outdated operating system, one jump drive, and the blue screen of death. It's a miracle that I got one printed. The entire class will be getting the tutorial by email later tonight.

The class was held at the 365 Days on a Farm Yarn Shoppe in Eldridge and the topic of the day was the technique of  "Entrelac".  I had been intrigued by it since I saw Miss Effie's beautiful scarf when we were at the Crafting at the Convent Retreat. I started out with Dorrie's Cowl.


Then I made my Summer Cowl, with Stonehedge Millends from a mill in Michigan. (I bought this skein at Serendipity Yarn Shoppe.)


Then Tami of the 365 Days on a Farm Yarn Shop talked to me about teaching a class, and I went crazy knitting samples.


So today, I breathlessly arrived at the shop a few minutes late, hoping that myearlier technical difficulties were not indicative of the rest of the evening. I was pleasantly surprised to see nine (!) women there eager to learn the technique of entrelac. The technique is not easy, and at first, it's definitely confusing. I was really proud of all of my students. Some of their work is below!



I really enjoyed this class and all of the women who participated. I love sharing my passion for this craft, and one of my favorite things is the fellowship that comes along with spending time with other knitters. So thank you, Sue, Brenda, Heather, Sue, Shelley, Ann Marie, Maggie, Pam, and Janalee.

As you can see, a couple of hours is not enough time to finish a project like this. So I'll be back at the shop on Thursday, June 23, at 5 pm for additional help. All are welcome to stop by and join in the fun!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

The Yarn Garden


Last week, I traveled to Annapolis, MD to attend a wetlands class for work. It was a great week, filled with field trips, dinners with friends, and on my last day, a few hours at the Local Yarn Shop. After asking around and doing some internet research, I quickly learned that "The Yarn Garden" was the place to be.


Nestled on the second floor of a fairly large shopping complex, it took me a few times around the parking lot to notice the unassuming sign. But once inside, I was in for a treat!





 

Inside, there was a little bit of everything. The store is a knit, crochet and needlepoint shop. I always love seeing all the tiny skeins of embroidery floss and needlepoint yarn! They also had all kinds of curiosities, like this gnome needlefelting kit. This was really hard to resist! And they carry one of my favorite yarns of all time, Manos Silk Blend.


This is the yarn that I used for my mom's Christmas present. I made her the Lovely Leaf Lace Scarf from the Purl Bee.



I couldn't get everything I wanted, though, because I had over three hours to stay in the shop before I had to leave for the airport, and limited luggage space to bring back my treasures. So before I bought anything, I sat down at the table and started knitting. It was then that I met a few of the shop's wonderful employees. Robyn was there knitting on her day off. Maybe her family didn't understand going to "work" on your day off, but I certainly would do that too, if I worked at a yarn shop! Beth and Alex were both very helpful, and I'm glad I got the opportunity to knit with all of them during a quiet hour or so at the shop around lunchtime. Alex was so nice to let me leave  my knitting while I went across the street to grab lunch. I met many of the shop's patrons, and all seemed very happy to be there. Including the 91-year-old grandmother, who took the bus to the shop to get some help on a baby sweater!!

Of course, I couldn't leave empty-handed. Does this yarn look familiar?
Yep, that's the discontinued Noro Silk Garden Lite that I used for the Dorrie Entrelac Cowl. I don't know what I'll do with three more skeins, but somehow my stash seems more complete with these new additions. I also picked up some Second Time Cotton, from Knit One, Crochet Too. This comes in many colors and is very affordable!



I reluctantly left the shop at around 3 pm. But it didn't talk long for me to see another knitting project. Meet my knew friend Rae's airport knitting!


This sweet basket weave scarf is made from a beautifil skein of Miss Babs hand-dyed yarn. Rae split the skein and is holding the yarn double for this project. I was so happy she sat down next to me in the airport to talk knitting!

And if you think that sounds like a good knitting day, stay tuned. I'll write about World Wide Knit in Public Day soon!

Cheers and Happy Knitting!
Laura


Thursday, June 9, 2011

World Wide Knit in Public Day!

Attention all Quad Cities and North Scott Knitters!!!! There are multiple opportunities to participate in "World Wide Knit in Public Day"!

Miss Effie's Country Flowers and Garden Stuff is hosting a sangria-fueled knitting, spinning and crocheting extravaganza. Starting at 2 pm on Saturday, June 11 until 7 pm. There will be trivia games, sangria and much crafting! Please RSVP to me or Miss Effie so we don't run out of wine.

If you want to get a good food base before you start knitting and drinking sangria, stop by the new yarn shoppe in Eldridge, 365 Days on a Farm Yarn Shoppe. I know I will! On Saturday, there is a potluck starting at 11 and the event runs until 4! Bring your knitting, a dish to pass, and a lawn chair. We'll be knitting outside across the street from the shop! RSVP to Tammy at 563-285-9985!