Crazy for Ewe

We all have horror stories of beloved sweaters, blankets, scarves,, and more, destroyed by careless washing.  I have done it myself, as I’m sure you recall from this blog post. In our effort to avoid felting them into oblivion, we treat our our beloved handknits with great care - perhaps too much care.  

Wait, what?  You can treat a hand knit with too much care?  Yes, you can.  Let’s talk about two main mistakes we make with our wool garments, and what to do instead.

I talked recently about sustainability and the different yarns in the shop that contribute to greater sustainability in the fiber world.  First on my list was Noro, a company whose deep respect for nature flows through every fiber in every skein of every yarn.  

Mr. Noro talks about the minimal processing his yarns undergo and the importance of maintaining the aspect of the raw materials that go into the fibers.  You will absolutely see tiny bits of silk noile in Silk Garden, poofs of angora bloom from Okunoshima, and an occasional bit of dried grass will probably show up in Kureyon or Ito.  It's part of the aesthetic, and it helps keep the yarn

A capsule wardrobe is a carefully curated collection of 30-40 really quality pieces that all look great, fit well, and go together in a myriad of ways, typically for a particular season.  It’s kind of the holy grail for women who stand in front of a closet brimming with stuff and still have nothing to wear. It’s a great concept, but what about the stuff we knit? Do they fit in? How do you make it all work? 

The answers are, yes, handknits definitely fit, and you have to make a plan and get some basics.  Let's look

It's been a while since we've had in-person classes.  People have asked when we'll go back to normal.  Honestly, I think we should look not to going back, but to going forward.

I hesitate to say new normal.. That term has been tossed around so much it's just a tired cliché. We're learning and growing and changing every 

Happy first day of summer.  As I write this, it is 9 pm, and it is still just barely light.   Days like this get away from me, as I have no natural indication that dinner time is approaching, and I’d better get on with it.  Caught up in my knitting, or doing the newsletter, or whatever, I suddenly look up and find that it’s nearly 7:30.  And it’s still hot outside, but I am still knitting.  

Some knitters only knit in the winter time - they don’t even con

It’s the same with knitting.  Whether we’re just learning to make a knit stitch, or we’re struggling with getting the seaming right - it can be confusing.  Sometimes it takes several times to really get it, and that’s okay.  I am happy to show you as many times as you need.  That’s how I want to learn myself, so that’s how I teach. 

There are no stupid questions.  If you have that question, it’s more than likely at least one other person has the same question. That being said, in a group with a wide mix of skill levels, it can be hard to ask a question that might seem really basic. By the same token, more advanced knitters might not ask a complicated

Last Tuesday my son, Colton, was scheduled to come home from college. I called him Monday, just to chat, and see what he planned to do with all the random things that wouldn’t fit into his suitcase.  Pillows, bedding, blah blah blah.  I told him to go ahead and check in since it was an early flight -- 5:45 am.  He said he hadn’t gotten an email from the airlines.  I’d bought the ticket two weeks ago--or so I thought. Because, you know, that is a thing I would do - be halfway through the checkout process and get distracted by something and forget to complete the transaction.  With my heart in my throat I went into Bill’s office.

"We might have a problem," I said. "Can you please check the credit card transactions for something from American Airlines?"

My shoulders relaxed and I started breathing again when he confirmed, yes, indeed, a charge to American Airlines on the 13th.  Colton finally found the email, checked in, and it was all good.