But for now, I’m emerging from a flurry of deadlines and planning to take the weekend (when I’m not in class) to cast on for something new for myself. A “comfort food” kind of project. Something out of gorgeous yarn, something that doesn’t require too much thought (but of course will look great at the end anyway), something soothing. Something calm, after the hectic pace of 2011 so far.

And if you’d find it fun, I think I might blog about the process of designing / knitting this while I do so. Any interest?

And there are still a couple of spaces left in Sunday’s class, if anyone is in the area and interested.

I seem to have enough interest in a class on February 6 (even with the game!) to make running a Fit to Flatter class a reasonable idea. I’ve secured classroom space at the YMCA in Cambridge, MA (on Mass Ave) from 1-5pm. The space is both T- and car-accessible, and I can accept between 7 and 15 students for this time frame.

This will be a 4-hour F2F class, for $75, covering all the usual stuff:

• Standard body shapes, modifying factors, and why your shape matters way more than your size
• How clothing changes the appearance of our body’s shape to others, and the different ways we can manipulate this for our benefit
• Types of sweater patterns that look best on each figure type, driven into reality by lots and lots of trying on samples
• Personalized shape analysis and detailed measurements
• How to choose what size to knit, ease, and modifying existing patterns
• (Did I mention lots and lots of trying on?)
• General sweater tips and tricks
• Whatever topics students bring to class in addition to these

If you have interest in attending the class, please let me know through a comment and/or by emailing me at stashknitrepeat at gmail?

Thanks, and hope to see you there!

I tried to knit some heavy socks to walk around the house in. It was my intention to felt them so they would be thick and sturdy. So of course before it was felted, it was really big and not knowing the process, my kids would say, “If that’s a sock, it must be for the Loch Ness Monster!”. So afterwards when they realized that they were very comfortable, etc., they ask for a pair of Loch Ness Monster socks. Not the name I intended but there all the same.

Too cute! Rachel–you should have mail from me asking for your address; let me know if you don’t.

Vogue Knitting Live was as wonderful an experience as one would expect, despite an utterly baffling lack of couches to knit and coffee to sip whilst doing so. I had a marvelous time meeting new friends and old, knitting away on some pieces that have to be finished soon, and taking classes. Oh, and being more than a little star-struck when the super-gracious Fiona Ellis allowed Caro and I to take pictures with her after our class on Morphing Cables:

The class was great, as was my class on knitting with silk hankies with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. (Note: Knitters as perfectionist as I am, and as un-fond of mess as I am, should probably drink a glass of wine before taking this class. Just to take the edge off.) The lecture I attended, given by Clara Parkes, was such an eloquent and thought-provoking look at this industry and every knitter’s place in it that I’ve been mulling things over since walking out of the room.

All in all, an amazing weekend and hoo boy it’s hard to pop back into regular life.

The yarn was pretty fantastic, too.

(Some lovelies from Bijou Basin and Lion Brand’s LB Collection.)

And now, it’s back to furiously knitting my evenings away while the snow piles up outside at an alarming rate. But I can’t get too upset about the snow–I’m taking the kids outside for some ice skating, sledding, and snowshoeing this weekend and really looking forward to it.

And to combat the inevitable it’s-almost-February doldrums, I now have green things growing in my kitchen!



Thanks for your thoughts on the February 6th class. I think if I can get 10 students for that date, I’ll make the class a go. So if you’re interested and haven’t already said so, send email?

Happy knitting!

For those somewhat local to Boston–I noticed the other day that my classes this spring are all sold out. Would there be any interest in a class on February 6th if I can find a location?

Everyone’s design process is different, and here’s mine: I get the idea. I sketch. I swatch copiously. I write the pattern, and print it out. I knit the sample from the pattern, essentially test-knitting that size and working out any language kinks. Then I send it to the tech editor, pull the layout together, get the photos done, and finalize everything.

Now, I know sweaters. I’ve been a sweater knitter since I picked this hobby back up so many years ago, and I know their ins and outs like the back of my hand. (Better, since I don’t actually spend much time looking at my hand.)

Hats are a different story, apparently. I finished the Shoshana Set a few weeks ago, and now the pencil scratchings on the printed pattern are taunting me. What on earth could I have meant by all that?!

Oh, well, Luckily bulky-weight hats and scarves are quick to knit, so I can afford the time to have the set test-knit (for reals) as well as tech edited. On to nicer (for you) topics…

One of the unexpected twists of designing has been the utterly sad state of my sock yarn usage. I have a lot of sock yarn:

In fact, my bin is overflowing. And I’ve knit all of two pairs of socks in the past 12 months.

Brief diversion: For the first year after I started knitting again, I had no stash whatsoever. Eventually my very good friend showed me the error of my ways and I accumulated a respectably-sized stash, but I have to say that the more I design, the more I want that tiny stash back. I love exploring new yarns for new designs, since a lot of the inspiration for my designs comes from my yarn. And the big stash just seems to be weighing on my mind lately.

Here’s where you come in: I’m going to give a fair percentage of my sock yarn stash away over the next 12 months. The first lovely skein to part ways will be this Colinette Jitterbug in “Velvet Plum”.

Leave a comment to this post relaying your favorite sock story, whatever it may be, and I’ll draw a random comment next Wednesday the 19th to pick the winner!

(From the top: Shoshana Set, to be released soon; Two projects you’ll see next year; Dunedin Vest, to be released even sooner; Seamair, Ayana, Greenaway, Pyromania, Bryony, Twinflower, Lucette, Adelina, Hootenanny, socks for Jacob, Nessie for Ronan, Morgan’s Flower Garden, and I started the whole year off with Arm Candy.)

In addition to the projects shown here (a whopping 12 sweaters designed and executed, plus two pairs of socks and a hat/scarf set! I get tired just thinking about it), I wrote some tutorials that people seem to like, and taught a number of classes on the same material.

I have only the tiniest glimmers of what fibery dreams 2011 will hold for me, but I can’t wait to dive in. If I have one… well, intention, to borrow the lovely Etherknitter’s phrase, it’s to spend more time here in blogland. Sometimes I get so caught up in the rush to get the ideas in my head out to paper and then into yarn and then back to (virtual) paper that I neglect my online reading and writing. It’s a shame, since the wonderful feeling of this online community is entirely responsible for me doing any of this. So that’s my goal for 2011–to put more of myself out here, and to spend more time reading and commenting on the things you share in your virtual homes. You all mean more to me than you know.

Thanks so much for reading! And here’s to a happy, healthy, yarny 2011 for us all.

But this year, spending a couple of restful weeks at home and with family are exactly what I needed.

A chance to try out some new ideas, to clear up the backlog in my mind. A chance to sit and read a book while the stitches flow from my needles.

I hope you and yours are spending the rest of 2010 in peace, joy, and happiness.

I did wear Ayana on Saturday, and a new cardigan I’m calling Seamair on Sunday (reveal soon!), and got lots of lovely compliments on both (which always makes my day). I saw lots of gorgeous knitwear, the weather was perfect, and I had lots of opportunity to chat with wonderful friends I don’t get to see that often. I probably missed more people than I met up with.

I did some knitting, starting two new designs without once thinking of Vestvember. Vestvember, in time for which I hoped (hope?) to have a vest pattern written up. Guess I should get on that.

I did not buy any new yarn. In addition to my overflowing stash, I am saving my pennies for a laptop that will let me do my design work without necessarily kicking the husband off of our home’s only computer. Every time I crossed paths with some cashmere, I only had to think about how wonderful it will be when we can both use a computer at the same time.

(Well, in the interest of full disclosure, the Spirit Trail Fiberworks booth required some seriously stern admonitions before I avoided dropping $200 on a sweater’s worth of cashmere-merino-silk blend. Ahem.)

And like most folks, I’ve felt a little aimless and lost this week. Dreaming of a chance to spend more time with such wonderful people, discussing one of my very favorite things to do. ‘Till next year, Rhinebeck! You were awesome.

If you’re playing Rhinebeck Bingo and trying to find me, I’ll be wearing Ayana on Saturday. On Sunday, I’ll be wearing another new design. I think it would be fun to keep the big reveal for after the festival, but here’s sneak preview:

(Mmm, Quince and Co’s Osprey.)

Naturally, there should be lots of nice yarn there, but since you never know when there might be a catastrophic shortage, I’ll also be bringing along some lovelies to keep my needles busy:

See you there!