Surprise!

YaYa decided to throw a baby shower for Miss A on the Sunday of New Year's weekend...and asked if there was anyway I could come out for it. I called my parents. I called my not parents. I bought a plane ticket. The plan was for me to cut my trip to WA a few days short and fly down to CA for the last weekend of my vacation.

The shower was being held at the library. It was SO much fun to see everybody again, and Miss A was very very surprised.

I knit a little baby cardigan for Wild Thing, her soon to arrive son. I made it out of navy blue cotton, and added little wooden toggle buttons. (Miss A appreciated the button's Paddington Bear vibe.)

Hopefully the sweater will fit Wild Thing before it gets too hot for him to wear it!

(By the way...that is Candid in the picture with Miss A...)

Proud Moment

One of the retirees from the library branch took my Get Knittin'@ The Library: Felted Purse Edition class. Well, she finished her felted purse, and brought it by the library so that I could see it.

I am so proud. It is beautiful.

Now, in all honesty and fairness, she already knew how to knit...so I can't take a lot of credit for her creation.

However, I do like to think that I inspired and encouraged her to try something new!

I love it when students/class attendees show me what they have made!

Chaperon Knitting

I host the teen book and movie club at the library. The teens read the monthly scheduled book, then meet at one of the libraries to watch the film version. This provides me with a lot of time to knit "on-the-clock".

The knitting I do during the teen movies has to be even more brainless than what I typically take to the theaters. During the movie my attention is divided between the film and the behavior of dozens of teenagers.

I am shushing.

I am glaring.

I am evicting.

I am shaking my knitting needles threateningly in their general direction. (Which is usually greeted with gales of laughter, thereby defeating the purpose of my waving them in the first place!)

Well, I have finally discovered the best possible project for chaperon knitting: a patchwork baby blanket. It is all garter. All the time. And each section of the blanket is large enough that I can work on a single section for a whole film without having to change colors/pick up stitches.

It is also helping me meet a looming deadline (or birthline, as it were...) BFF is having baby number three, so I am making her/him the "Baby^3". (Get it? The blanket is cubed because it is the third baby, and it is made up of boxes! Oh, the cleverness of me!)

My design is loosely based on the "Moderne Baby Blanket" from Mason Dixon. Only loosely based, since I have changed the number of colors, the yarn gauge/needle size, and the shape/size/direction of every patch. No plan. I'm just winging it

I would show what it looks like, but that would ruin the surprise for BFF...so instead...here is a look at the yummy yarn!

Cupertino

The adult services librarian at the other branch recently accepted a job as a branch manager in another library system.

He is a nice guy, and we will miss him.

So I expressed my good wishes and fond farewell in my usual way...

I knit him a hat.

Since he is a classy/put together/fashion conscious sort of guy, I knew that his hat needed to be more sleek than rugged. So, for the Cupertino, I used a silk/merino blend in a finer gauge, and a wider rib pattern that would have the non-rolling advantage of a rib, but the smoother finish of stockinette.

Since I am planning on being out of town when they are throwing his good bye shindig, I delivered the hat this weekend. (And then made him model it!)

I really like the way the pattern came out...and since I wrote it down, I think I'll do some testing on it to make sure the end result wasn't a fluke.

Cable Car

Wednesday was Furlough Fun Day! (All the county libraries were closed due to budgeting...) And so, as usual, my friends and I celebrated our lack of being paid by spending money.

We met at the San Francisco Public Library to get library cards, walked over to the Asian Art Museum and its Shanghai exhibit, and then ate lunch at Francis Ford Coppolla's Cafe Zoetrope. (Which is, by the way, the COOLEST restaurant ever!)

It was still chilly and blustery in the Bay Area...but I was prepared!

I wore my new Cable Car hat!

The yarn is a DK Merino from KnitPicks, and the color is called "fog"...which I thought was perfect for a San Francisco inspired hat!

The pattern is a SuperKnits original...and is being submitted to KnitPicks for inclusion in their Independent Designer Pattern program. We'll see how that goes!

Spoken For

I was working at an after hours event at the library Friday night. Ya-Ya, Boss Lady, and I found ourselves with some down time. We were all sitting in the back taking our breaks and eating. Naturally, I pulled out some knitting. I happened to have the fatigue (Fort)Knox beanie in my purse.

Ya-Ya, my enthusiastic co-worker, has been on a roll since the Get Knittin' program she came to. She has made several afghans, more purses, and recently started in-the-round hat projects. She was intrigued by the crossed stitches/faux cables I was doing. I demonstrated how to do them, and told her I would write up the pattern for her. (I have...I will post it on Wednesday or Thursday...)

While we were engrossed in our knit-chit-chat, Boss Lady looked over. She really liked the color of the (Fort) Knox beanie. I pulled out my i-phone and showed her the blog entry with Perky's picture so she could see what the finished product would look like. Then I went back to my knitting, and she went back to her cheeseburger. A few minutes passed. Boss Lady commented again on how much she liked the beanie. I laughed and said I had been planning on selling it on my Etsy Site (coming soon...I promise!). I told her what I had charged Perky for her version, and said if she wanted it she could have it.

The break ended. We went back to work. I didn't think anymore about it.

I went in to work at the Other Branch this morning. It was Boss Lady's day up there as well. I popped my head into her office to say hello, and let her know I was there to cover lapsit storytime. She asked if I had finished the beanie yet. I said, yes. She said, great. Bring it to work tomorrow, and I will bring you the money.

Go Figure! I guess she was serious about buying it.

So there goes another one of my meant-to-be-etsy items...

...but never fear, I cast on a replacement on my lunch break!

Felted Purse Session II: Recap

The second session of Get Knittin'@the Library: Felted Purse was last night. Not everyone from Session I returned, but there were also a couple of newbies. 24 total.

The class was a little more fragmented than I would have liked. The students were all at different stages. My overhead presentation went over how to seam up the purses, but not everyone had completed pieces to seam up. Some of them were still working on their knitting, or needed "triage" done on their pieces. So I put the seamers at tables, and the knitters in chairs. I went through the presentation, gave a felting demo (using a coffee cup cozy), and then showed them samples of customizations for finished purses. Then I just spent a lot of time running around doing various things...I think I got a little scatterbrained. I hope that the students were not overwhelmed, and I especially hope they don't feel I neglected them.

On the positive side, I have heard back from two people who have already felted their purses, and they seem very pleased with the results. I am going to start collecting pictures of the finished products to put up in an album here on the blog.

I didn't finish all of the samples I intended to before the class. I only got 6 done, and I had 8 planned. Here are the six:

A. Felted Bangle Bracelet Bag with Silk Flower Embellishment



B.Purple and Lilac Striped Purse with Flap



C. Rust and Black Purse with Variegated Ribbon Accent



D. Variegated Standard Purse



E. Black and White Two Tone Purse with Button Flap and Scroll Pattern Button



F. Large Mocha Brown Purse with Flap and Stone Button



[By the way...all 6 of these are going to be for sale...if you are interested, please email me.]

PLUS SIDE OF CLASS BEING OVER: IT IS NOTHING BUT MOHAIR CINEMA SHAWL UNTIL SUNDAY NIGHT'S CLOSING CEREMONIES!!! I REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT TO FINISH THESE KNITTING OLYMPICS!!!!

Tomorrow, Tomorrow...

My class is tomorrow...

...it's only a day away!

(Get Knittin' @ the Library: Felted Purse Session II is tomorrow night at 6:30...5 samples done...2, possibly, to go!)

The obnoxious thing is that I made a completely amateur mistake on one of the purses! It is too late to fix it properly, I should have noticed it sooner. I can "fix" it still, but it will involve changing the design a bit. I think I will leave it until after class so that I can use the sample as a sort of warning to my students.

And, after tomorrow night, it is all cinema shawl all the time in the Knitting Olympics!

Becoming a Bi-Athlete

Just as the real Olympics have the biathlon...my knitting Olympics are also swiftly turning into a combo-event. Only instead of skiing and shooting, I am juggling multiple projects.

I initially signed on to knit the blue mohair cinema shawl for my Knitting Olympics project. I waited patiently, and then cast on during the And it is progressing at a snail-slow but steady rate.

However, at the same time...I have a stack of felted purses to finish as samples for the class I am giving next Wednesday at the library. And by stack, I mean seven...which are at various stages of done-ness. (I couldn't count the purses as my official Knitting Olympics project because many of them were in progress before the Opening Ceremonies.)

I have been alternating back and forth...mohair shawl, purse a's strap, mohair shawl, purse b's body, purse a's strap, mohair shawl...etc.

Now I am starting to worry that not only will I not complete both tasks by their respective finish dates, I might not complete either one.

AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

(I comfort myself with the fact that the shawl doesn't have to be done until the 28th, and the purses (finished or not) can be set aside after the 24th. That gives me FOUR WHOLE DAYS of non-stop (except for work and school) shawl knitting to play catch up in.)

Multitasking

I spent the majority of today:

-Working out on my exercise ball

-Reading a biography of John and Abigail Adams for the senior book club I facilitate

-Drinking coffee

-Listening to the mellow saxophone sounds of the Nuclear Whales

-Knitting felted purse samples for the second class session at the library next week

What's more...

I did all of these things simultaneously!

Felted Purse Session I: Recap

The felted purse class went really well.



THE POWER POINT PROJECTOR WORKED!!!

And the peasants rejoice!

I set the projector up in the center, with a table on either side. One of the tables had a selection of "inspirational" knitting books from the library's collection, and the other had my swift set up and samples of things I had knit. I tried to mostly use samples that were garter stitch or garter stitch variations.

There were 28 people at the class...so one more than at the dishcloth class. One of them mentioned that a similar class was being offered at one of the local yarn shops for $60. The shop probably limits the class size as well...I doubt their teachers have more than 10 students at a time. Maybe that is why I get such a good turn out...it isn't my sparkling personality, it's the bargain prices of, well, free!

Volunteen came again, and was a tremendous help. She has helped me out often enough that she knows my little sayings/lingos/teaching style. After my initial demonstrations, we both walk around and help individuals. Volunteen takes one side of the room, and I take the other. If she comes across someone really struggling, she gets me and switches to my side. This means that I can focus my attention on those who need it most, while she helps others with the little things. We are like a well oiled machine. (I really should get her a little something, since she does this voluntarily!)

In addition to the general public, some of my co-workers came. YaYa was there, and graciously helped me set up and clean up...even though she wasn't "on the clock". She was funny. She knew how to knit, but hadn't done it in about 20 years. But after a few stitches, it came flooding back and she was off like a shot. I guess knitting is kind of like riding a bike. You never quite forget.

I was excited by how quickly they all seemed to catch on. They were willing to branch out from the standard pattern. Some decided to make flap purses, instead of the standard one...or to try striping. The coolest innovation occurred when one student saw the bamboo drop stitch scarf I had out. She had accidentally brought non-feltable yarn, so once she had the knit stitch down she attempted the drop stitch. By the end of class, she had a good start on a scarf!

By the end of the class, EVERYONE was knitting. I made sure they all had my contact information in case they needed additional help between now and the next session. (A couple have made use of it, which I appreciate. I truly want to help them become successful knitters.) Next session they will bring back their completed pieces, and I will go over how to seam them up, felt them, and customize them.

And, not only do my students have homework...I do as well! I have between now and the end of February to finish up several more purse samples!

They Came!

On January 19, I had a teen knitting program scheduled at the other library branch.

No one came. Which had NEVER happened before.

There were several logical explanations for this: one of our display signs had the wrong date; Ya-Ya had been sick and unable to promote it as much as normal; it was the first day back to school after a three day weekend.; etc...

So, we rescheduled it for yesterday...and this time people actually showed up!

Two very nice tween girls actually. One of them knew how to knit, but wanted some support and encouragement. She brought a scarf that she had started and I helped her fix a couple of mistakes, and showed her how to bind off. Another girl came, and brought a ball of rainbow colored cotton yarn...but no needles. It seems that she didn't have any, and was unsure of where to get them. So instead she had taken two large wooden paintbrushes and sharpened the ends with a pencil sharpener. (It was creative, innovative, and worked surprisingly well. The only problem was that one brush was slightly bigger than the other, and the brushes got fatter as they neared the bristles. Not ideal, but functional.)

After approximately two hours of knitting and singing along to my American Idol I-tunes mix, both girls had made great progress on their projects, were excited about continuing, and felt confident in their own abilities. (...and had eaten through 3/4 of a box of oreos.) I gave them my standard contact info/online tutorial links/blog address and sent them on their way. I expect to see them, and their projects, at upcoming events at that branch.

Now, tonight is the first session of the felted purse Adults Get Knittin' @ the Library program. (I am a little bit nervous...but mostly just about whether or not my technology will work this time! [click here for entry on previous tech failure] I have borrowed a presentation kit from another library branch, which should work. Fingers crossed!)

But Excuse Me, You Are Wearing My Hat!

I was working at the reference desk the other day, and a lady walked by in a lovely scarlet beanie. It was beautiful, stylish, intricately cabled...and awfully familiar.

I looked at it.

I looked again.

I was positive.

"Excuse me" I said. "That is a lovely hat. I have one just like it!"

"That's impossible!" she replied, and looked at me like I was crazy. "I made this hat. You can't possibly have the same one."

"You got the pattern out of the 2007 Holiday Interweave magazine, right? The Koolhaas hat that the Brooklyn Tweed guy based on the architecture of the Seattle Public Library, right? I made the same hat...just in navy. Tricky pattern. You did a nice job!"

She looked stunned. I could understand why. It is fairly rare that I run into someone with the same handknit...unless of course I made it for them...

In honor of the occasion, I went home and put on my hat.

MLK Gifts

I love my coworkers.

I love Christmas.

I love giving gifts.

There was no way on earth that I was going to be able to give my coworkers Christmas gifts. The Christmas queue...alas...I was just not up to it.

Also, since I work at the library, we tend to celebrate non-controversial, not at all associated with any religion, government ordained, holidays.

So...I decided to make Martin Luther King, Jr. Day gifts for everyone.

What to make was obvious...since we walk to Starbucks almost everyday...

Happy MLK, Jr. Day San Ramon Library Employees!

Get Knittin' @ the Library: Felted Purse

Here is the information on my next adult knitting program, if you are free and in the area please feel free to join us:

Two Session Adult Knitting Program: Felted Purse

Wednesday, January 27, 6:30 PM & Wednesday, February 24, 6:30 PM
San Ramon Library, 100 Montgomery Street, San Ramon CA 94583

Join us at this fun two session adult knitting workshop for first timers and beginners. Learn the fundamentals of knitting in the first session, and then bring your completed pieces to the second session where you will learn how to seam them up, embellish, and felt them!

Bring Your Own Supplies:

-Approximately 400 yards of worsted weight yarn. (Can also use 200 yards each of 2 different colors.)
MUST BE 100% WOOL IN ORDER TO FELT.
Most feltable yarns will say they are feltable on the label.
Suggested yarns:
-Cascade 220
-Lion Wool
-Patons Classic Wool
-Noro “Kureyon”
-1 pair US Size 9 straight knitting needles, any material.
-Darning needle
-Measuring Tape

Here is a picture of my sample. I used four skeins of Wisdom Yarn's "Poems" in color 576. This yarn is VERY similar to Noro "Kureyon." It gives a similar coloration effect, still felts nicely, and was actually softer on my hands. I am also working on the second sample that will use two different colors, a sample that I won't felt till after the first session, and an additional sample to show how to customization options at the second session.

Proud of my Productivity

Today was a good day, knitting wise. Actually, this whole weekend was very productive on the knitting front.

-I wove in the ends and delivered two baby burp rags at a baby shower this afternoon (Bounce's mom, Vintage, is having a baby boy).

-I designed, knit, then fiddled with and redesigned the purse for the next adult Get Knittin' @ the Library program.

-I started the felting of said purse...unfortunately, it is still really cold, so the booger is taking FOREVER to dry.

-I winged it on yet another gift for Nephew...I will post pictures and pattern once it is delivered.

-I completed the body of Martinelli, one strap, and have started the second strap. It should be done by the end of the week. (Fingers crossed.)

-I got some more burp rags done to replenish the stash.

-I did a wee bit of work on my Gotham socks. (Have I mentioned those?)

-I lined up some knitting lessons with Mama L. I guess learning to knit was one of her resolutions.

-Finally, I picked up several commissions at church last night. 2 sets of luxery yarn wristwarmers, and a pair of fingerless gloves. (I have a new pattern I found for fingerless gloves that I am anxious to try out.)

Not bad for four days...especially four days in which I did endeavor to have some semblance of a social life (shopping trip, New Year's party, baby shower, girls trip to San Jose, dinner out with friends...)!

Lost in the Shuffle

Somewhere in all the chaos that was the Christmas queue I completely forgot that I needed to have samples for the two upcoming library knitting programs!

Whoops!

Luckily the teen program just needs a garter stitch scarf or two...I have plenty of those in the bin-o-scarves.

But...

How long is it going to take me to design, knit, and felt a simple beginning purse?

Hopefully not more than this weekend, since I need to have it when the library reopens on January 4!

Wizardy Whiz!

Funny, I had been feeling bad about not giving Whiz enough blog attention...and this is his 3rd post in the past month or so!

For Christmas, Psych commissioned a scarf for Whiz. A Wizard scarf. Specifically a Harry Potter Gryffindor House Scarf for Whiz.

I have a knitting book called Charmed Knits in which every pattern is from/inspired by/based on the Harry Potter books and movies. In it, there is a pattern for a Gryffindor house scarf.

As usual though, I didn't like the pattern all that much. I thought the stripes were too wide, the scarf itself was too wide, and that the yarn called for would be itchy. So I changed it up. I substituted a different yarn, used a different needle size, cast on fewer stitches, and changed colors more frequently. In fact, the only thing that stayed the same was that it was striped, knit in the round, and had fringe.

The first problem I had was with the yarn. As mentioned in previous posts, this scarf DEVOURED yarn. It sucked it up like it was the black hole of knitting projects. For more information on the pain I suffered as a result, please refer to previous posts.

The second problem was that the pattern did not give a very accurate finished length, instead it told how many stripes to knit, and what the finished length would be (approximately) including the fringe. My scarf stripes were a different dimension, so when I had finished the completed number the scarf was still really short. Since Whiz is a kid, his neck is thinner than mine and he is shorter than I am. I had a hard time judging size based on myself. Solution: take the scarf to the library and try it on one of our volunteer's third grade sons! Success!

I delivered the scarf to Psych at the ornament exchange. (My normal delivery time/place is church, but there was no way to do that without Whiz seeing.) She loved it.

Christmas morning, bright and early, she texted me a picture of him proudly wearing the finished product!

Dewey Scarf

*This Pattern Was Not Accepted for the Winter 2009 Issue of Knitty...so I give it to you here!*

Dewey Scarf

Knitters are a subculture with their own language, jokes, blogs, and celebrities. Librarians are another subculture...also with their own language, jokes, blogs, and celebrities. Belonging to both, I wanted to design a scarf that wed my two loves together.
Libraries, much like yarn shops, have their own organizational system…and a secret language to go along with it. The Dewey Decimal System is a code that can guide those in the know, and confuse the non-initiated. The Dewey scarf was designed to allow the wearer to proudly, yet slyly, declare their love of reading, libraries, and knitting!
The Dewey scarf’s stripes and ribs are both taken from the call number for knitting pattern books at the library: 746.432! The vertical stripes give the call number when read horizontally. The horizontal rib pattern, intended to resemble a stack of books, gives the call number when read vertically. It is 746.432…or knitting…any way you read it!

SIZE
1 size

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
4.5 inches wide
70 inches long

MATERIALS
[MC] Ultra Alpaca, Berocco [50% Alpaca, 50% Wool; 315 yd per 100 g skein]; color: Cashel Blue; 1 skein
[CC] Ultra Alpaca, Berocco [50% Alpaca, 50% Wool; 315 yd per 100 g skein]; color: Stonewashed; 1 skein

24-inch US #08/5 mm circular needle

Tapestry needle

GAUGE
22 sts/23 rows = 4" in stockinette stitch

PATTERN NOTES

Dewey Rib Stitch (multiple of 26)
Odd Rows: K7, P4, K6, P4, K3, P2
Even Rows: K2, P3, K4, P6, K4, P7

PATTERN
Cast on 312 stitches loosely with MC.

Work every row in the Dewey Rib Stitch changing colors as follows:
Rows 1-7: MC
Rows 8-11: CC
Rows 12-17: MC
Rows 18-21: CC
Rows 22-24: MC
Rows 24-26: CC

Cast off loosely.

FINISHING
Weave in ends with tapestry needle. Lightly block if necessary.

Why I REALLY Love My Job

Yesterday: another teen movie. (Well, to be accurate, the same movie, a different library branch...so really just another screening.)

Finished: another burp rag.

YAY!!!

The truly exciting thing was that this burp rag had a much more intricate stitch pattern, but since I had JUST watched the movie the day before, I was able to pay more attention to what I was doing!