Crazy for Ewe
Through yarn-colored glasses
We're back from the weekend retreat to Winchester. We had eight brand new retreat attendees, two mother/daughter sets, one mother-in-law/daughter-in-law pair, and return friends who came from as far away as Boston and Florida for the weekend! It's a lovely little mini vacation at a lovely venue with great food, but the most fun part is simply being together with other knitters. No matter how happy you are in your marriage or relationship, there's no substitute for your girlfriends, and for knitters, that's doubly true. Only another knitter will understand some of the seemingly irrational decisions we make - like going 20, 30, or even 60 miles out of more
What to knit right now - Aine
Not yet the solstice, but already full on summer. This time of year I love to knit because, well, do I really need a reason? Lots of us knit wooly things all year round, like Jenny and her tribe who are knitting the beekeepers' cardigan. And lots of more
Notes on the Maras lookalike cardigan notes
These are my tweaks to Amy Herzog's Curlew pattern to make it look like the Maras Cardigan. Purchase the Curlew pattern here on Ravelry. Gauge is 21 stitches/4 inches.
I'm shortening the sleeve to 7" and I'm making the length 26", so these instructions will make those m
Knit lace - stay sharp
There are all kinds of knitting and all kinds of knitters. I, for one, am primarily a relaxation knitter. I tend to knit boring fabrics in simple shapes because I don't have to think about it. I don't knit as a mental challenge, but rather to clear my mind of stress, be calm, and let my brain work on things I need to sort out. That's fine, but it's not good for me to do only that kind of knitting. In the same way that different exercises strengthen different muscles
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Knitting the times of our lives
I never got into the whole scrapbooking thing. Although I admire those lovely testaments to life and times, it was not a hobby that called to me. And yet, the idea of collecting and displaying mementos is enormously appealing. Whether it's a lovely decorated album, a playbill collection, or a shelf of travel souvenirs, we all want more
Sweaters - simple and stylish
We had a great time in our Sweater Quantity Stash Series Class. It was interesting to see the yarns and hear the story of each. Many of the stash piles were originally destined to be a particular sweater, but the knitter changed her mind. Have you ever done that? I sure have. It happens a lot because what we like to knit isn't always the same as what we like to wear. When we knit, we like to learn new and interesting techniques, work fun stitch patterns, more
Patience is hard. Knitting helps
We're none of us born patient, as a baby's wails demanding immediacy can attest. But we learn as we grow that we must wait, and we find that we can. We wait for big things and small alike -- our loved ones to return home, our gardens to grow, and our turn to cross the street. Waiting is hard, plain and simple. more
The Creative Process
Earlier this month I gave those subscription meal boxes a try. I must say that it was both convenient and extremely satisfying to have an answer for the universal question asked by nearly all men the world over: What's for dinner?
I didn't have to figure out a menu, choose side dishes, or go to the grocery store. All I had to do was open the box and cook what was in it. No thinking, no planning, no shopping. Just cooking. After 5 weeks on and off, I cancelled the subscription, because the truth is, I missed the planning more
Mothers, mentors, and powerful women
This weekend we celebrate Mothers' Day. I like to think about Mothers' Day not just as a day to remember our own mothers, but a day to recognize and honor all the influential women in our lives. Certainly, our mothers are the first to love us, but there are so many strong women who have nurtured us. These are the women more
May Book Club - A Gentleman in Moscow
The May book selection is A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. I read this book earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed it. A beautiful story of a Russian aristocrat imprisoned in a Moscow hotel who manages to build a wonderful life and find great happiness despite
Learning, remembering, and talking to yourself
Every good boy does fine, Kings prefer chocolate over fudge generally speaking, Roy G. Biv. These crazy nonsensical phrases are all a type of mnemonic device that helped me remember things I had to learn in school. The notes of a treble staff, the 7 levels of biological taxonomy, and the colors of light in the visible spectrum. None of these lists has been particularly useful to me as an adult, but still
Gorgeous summer sweater KAL
This beautiful Peruvian Connection catalog arrived in my mailbox yesterday. Gorgeous stuff, it is. I always swoon over their hand knit sweaters. Like any good knitter, I think to myself, "I could knit that," and so could you. Here's one I think is gorgeous and would be super easy, super flattering, and waaaay more