February 29th, 2008 is World Knitting/Crafting Day...

This event has been declared by members of Stitchlinks, a global friendship network researching the therapeutic benefits of knitting and stitching.Read their list of 25 ways that knitting and stitching can help depression. It's a great site with wonderful support and information that goes to show that knitting is more than just fun or a fad. It helps!I'll be spending the day with my family on Feb. 29th as we will be celebrating my Dad's 80th birthday. And I plan to knit through as much of it as I can in solidarity with the many others who will be doing the same thing, and to honour my Dad who still wears the vest that I knit for him 25 years ago from yarn that I bought at the Safeway Grocery store in Duncan B.C.WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING OF FEBRUARY 29th to recognize the importance of knitting and stitching in your life? Email your thoughts and plans to betsan@stitchlinks.com to let them know that we're with them in this.

The above announcement came from the WOOL-TYME Kingston newsletter which just went out (as it does every month) on the 1st or 2nd. It's a lot of work, putting it together but as most of you know, I'm a huge fan of writing so it really isn't work work, more like fun work that eats into the sleeping, eating, living, knitting, bill paying, etc. aspects of my life. It's always so nice to send it out and get it off my computer and into the hands of people who so kindly tell me that they really look forward to it. If you don't get it, YOU SHOULD... so click on the link at right and it will automatically sign up your email address. You've nothing to lose as it is an easy process to unsubscribe if you feel that it takes too long to download or if it doesn't suit your needs. (It's not too late to get February's copy as I usually send out a second run about the 10th of the month to cover those who have signed up since the first.)

As most of you who connect with knitting blogs are the same savvy people who are into many fun things in the techno world, I'm sure that you all know "Ravelry". Well, today is a red letter day for me as I got my invitation to join this great on-line community of knitters/crocheters. I signed up right away, got myself set up with a Flickr (sp??) account and spent about 10 minutes looking through a cyber territory that I'm sure would be equivalent to the size of Northern Quebec. So I make the announcement of my Ravelry-hood with great embarassment at my lack of knowledge, but with great excitement too at the prospect of learning much. ( I always seem to get into new ventures in pairs...on Wednesday I will be taking a workshop introducing me to Facebook.)

For those of you who don't know Ravelry, to the right is an example of a page that a member would post of pictures of projects that they are working on. (Notice that this is a place where no one seems to be embarrassed by the fact that they have several projects on the go at the same time.) Go to https://www.ravelry.com/account/login to find out more about it and to get yourself on the list for future membership.

And in advance of my Ravelry-posting of the projects that I've been having fun with here are a couple of them:
At the top of this post there is a rather strange looking hat which is a "re-worked" project that I can't believe I'm actually doing. About 10 years ago, when Sirdar SNOWFLAKE had a screaming yellow, I made a "bumble bee" hat for my little girl. It was very cute and she liked it a lot. She liked it so much that she wore it for many years, long past the time when I'm sure her friends would have considered it cute. A couple of years ago it seemed to blessedly have disappeared but was resurrected this very cold winter and my "little girl" who is now a senior in High School asked if I could do something about making the band softer, as the acrylic that seemed appropriate at age 7 had gotten stiff and scratchy over the years.
I agreed and cut off the bottom part of the hat and re-knit it with Mission Falls 1824 Wool in time for her to take it with her on a school ski trip this past week. (Although she told me that she wanted it exactly as it was, complete with knitted googly eyes re-attached at the front of the hat, I did manage to make it a bit bigger without her noticing.)

The second project that I'm working on, and adoring every moment of, is the EZ Pi shawl from the latest Vogue Knitting Magazine. I've actually done a lot more since I took this picture and although it doesn't look like much here, you gotta feel this baby to appreciate the glory of SUBLIME's cashmere, silk and merino blend. I'll keep you posted as it grows.

P.S. There is no such thing as the phrase: "I'll just do this..." within the context of a time frame when it comes to working on the computer. Case in point: I just spent the better part of 45 mintes of the 30 minutes that I had alotted to getting this post up and when I pressed "view", I realized that I had actually posted it in www.wtkpatterns.blogspot.com which is the sister site to this one where we keep all our free patterns for people to access... Time is irrelevant anyway, isn't it?

"I am fearless"

Don't you love this logo. It is part of the new theme of Interweave Press's "Daily Knitting" email series. Today's post has a great, if mortifying story that we can relate to about stupid mistakes that come from over-confidence. Check it out http://www.knittingdaily.com/?ET=knittingdaily_blog:e967:27727a:&st=email

I think that "fearlessness" would be one of the main qualities that I try and share with students when they come to classes at the store. Sometimes I think that the new knitters think that I'm kidding or even patronizing them when I point out certain likely pitfall in their projects, and add that the reason that I point these out is that I myself have done it all... Every possible error in the book has flown through my fingers at some point in the past 40 years. ( Yes, that's right, I started knitting before I was born. Ha!!) But the truest and saddest fact is that I am living proof the "pride goes before the fall". About 90% of the knitting errors (and other types of errors, too) have come from being overconfident.

...like the time I cast on a beautiful mohair sweater that I was doing in the round while I was at the Drive-in movie and it wasn't until I was shaping the last shoulder that I realized that I had cast on an extra 25 stitches!

...like the time -- oh never mind. One doesn't need to humiliate oneself completely in public.

But talk about your fearless knitting! Don't you love this knitted motorcycle, and the fact that it's PINK. Link to more information at http://www.loopyyarns.wordpress.com/

And look at these great mittens! One of our customers made these mittens as a sculptural art assignment. They are 4 feet tall and are beautifully supported by stands that her husband contributed to the cause. The hands were knit on 20mm circular needles while the thumbs were knit on double pointed dowels.

The plaque bellow speaks of the artist's pleasure at being surrounded by knitted garments in her childhood and dedicates the piece to her mother who inspired her knitting.

She has generously offered to allow us to display the mittens when the art show is over at the end of the month. I'll post more details as they arrive.

I have a "code" (in my nose).

We, the staff of WOOL-TYME Kingston have been plagued with illness (nothing too serious, thank heavens! Mainly sniffles) since October, and although I've been able to dodge the germ-laden bullet until now, I've finally succumbed.

A delicate sniffle would be one thing to bring to work, but full blown hacking would be quite unwelcome at this afternoon's class. So while Jan is meeting with the Tuesday afternoon class, I get to stay home and read Vogue Knitting and chat with you.

This particular edition of VK (winter 2007/08) is really a better than average one. It netted me a dozen new products/web-sites/patterns/ideas that I want to look into. I usually only average 2 or 3. In fact I was so taken by Elizabeth Zimmerman's (at right) "EZ as Pi" shawl that I had to start it right now. Now that involved using 14" straight needles as I didn't have any circulars of the right size at home. This is no mean feat for a shawl who's back is a complete semi-circle. My impetuousness also means that the likelyhood of me actually finishing said shawl is only about in the 30% range, but the construction seemed so simple and interesting that I wanted to lose myself in it for a few hours. I am however using SUBLIME DK, a blend of wool, cashmere and silk. The name says it all and if anyting gets me to the end of this project, it could be that I've become clinically addicted to using this gorgeous yarn and that the pattern is so virtually mindless once you've worked on it for an hour or so that there may not be any reason not to get it done.

One of the other things I've gotten to do today in my forced isolation is to check out and sign up on the Ravelry site: http://www.ravelry.com/about How silly, I really should have done it months ago when I first heard of it. It's very exciting. A cyber community of knitters and crocheters who can encourage and inspire each other. The stats are that there are about 7000 people on the waiting list to join and they are inviting about 500 per day so, really that's not too bad. I'm looking forward to the "call", kind of like flying up to Girl Guides after years as a Brownie...I'll be joining the community of cyber-crafters after decades of relying on face to face interactions for my fibre fixes.

I thought it was interesting, although not surprising, that according to their blog, http://blog.ravelry.com/ the average and median age of members is mid 30's. I'm almost surprised that it isn't younger but there must be a few of us old-timers there to tip the scale. Anyway, check it out...it's quite interesting and you could open up a whole new world of friends & projects.

One of the otherother issues of having a cold is that one's resistance is down and last Friday when I met with my sales rep from Diamond Yarns, I was joyfully seduced by the gajillion gorgeous things that they have to offer for spring (and year round) knitting, and our customers will get to have the fun. Those of you who don't get our monthly newsletter may want to sign up through the link at the right as there are so many great new products coming ovwe the next couple of months, you'll want to know about them as they arrive... (Here's a teaser: yarns of 100% soya, 100% linen, and self-patterning cotton DK for garments -yes, just like the socks do.)

So my box of Kleenex Ultra Soft and I bid you adieu, and I'll be sure to take pictures of the EZ Pi shawl as/when/if it grows.

A customer came in last week to make some baby things from some patterns that she found on the "Nitty Gritty" site from the DIY Network. These are called "Suede Booties" and they asked for a chenille type yarn. But when we looked at them in the picture, they just seemed to scream for our Ecoknit organic cotton. The customer brought the finished booties in on Monday and I couldn't get over how cute they were...I want some too. (Unfortunately they don't feature the pattern in ladies' size 9 1/2.) She used Paton's Allure for the "shearling" trim and they're just perfect. Link to the pattern site below for a quick baby gift. (Is it just me or do there seem to be a lot of babies coming in the next few months?)

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/na_knitting/article/0,2025,DIY_14141_3148516,00.html

You'll be seeing a new face at the store...Maureen has joined our team and is a fine knitter/crocheter and is a real "people person". We're so pleased to welcome her. Drop in on Monday mornings or Tuesday afternoons to say hi.

In showing Maureen around the store and in dealing with customer requests while training her, I was reminded how much of our activity and product involves sock knitting. It truly is amazing how many people cherish their time with socks and use it as a break from all other types of crafting. How many of us make socks for ourselves, I wonder? I only have one or 2 pairs that I wear of the ones that I've made (I'm a bit of an "odd sock knitter" though, as I often only get to make a single sock ... you only need one sock to show off how great the yarn is, and I'm usually seduced on to the next new colour group before I have the discipline to make the second one of any set.) Somehow our shelves seem empty if we don't have 4 laundry type baskets full as well as all the display cubicles designated for sock yarn.

The Arequipa sock yarn, of wool/alpaca/nylon, continues to be an amazing seller. Just before the Holidays, we had backup stock of about 80 skeins in our back room. Three weeks later, we're down to just 20 skeins of extras. I finished my single AREQUIPA sock during our "24" fiesta over New Years (see the previous post) and it truly is as lovely as the yarn on the skein would lead you to believe.

One last bit of housekeeping...I'm working at getting the spring lineup of classes and workshops organized and would ask you to let me know if there is anything that you would like to have offered in the near future to increase your knitting/crafting pleasure? It's nice to arrange classes in things that I think may be of interest to our customers, but it makes a lot more sense to offer what you actually do want. Please email me with any suggestions: wooltymekingston@gmail.com or just post a comment and I'll get it that way too.

Back to Normal...So what is normal anyway?

One of the reasons that I love the holiday season is that after all of the hullabaloo and special times and special treats, I enjoy being reminded of how much I like my mundane life too. It's good to have a few minutes to get back to thinking about knitting and what it means in my life.

I love this picture which appeared in Interweave Press's Knitting Daily feature, which is sent 3 times/week to anyone who wishes to sign up. It's a nice way to stay in touch with knitters all over America. This picture was taken at a Colorado Avalanche hockey game where a group of knitters gathered to cheer on their team and knit and share too. I love this "shadow knitting" technique. By combining strategically placed knits and purls in 2 colours you can build in a secret picture that is only visible from a certain angle. (Kind of reminds me of Mme Lafarge and her secret knitting...) Anyone who would like to sign up for this great feature can link here http://www.knittingdaily.com/cgi-bin/udt/um.register.account?ET=knittingdaily_blog:e944:27727a:&st=email

Any Jack Bauer fans out there? No, I'm not going to tell you that Keiffer Sutherland is a closet crafter, (although it would perhaps do him some good considering his recent escapades).

It has been a New Years tradition in our house to watch last year's entire season of "24" (a hit TV show where each of the 24 episodes represents an action packed hour in a single BAD day in the life of terrorist fighter: Jack Bauer.)

We don't watch them in 24 consecutive hours as we used to try to do, but it is done over 3 or 4 days, which is a lot of television by anyone's standards and consequently a lot of knitting time.

I was going great guns on a sweater that hubby keeps insisting that I had promised for Christmas but I say that it was intended for his August '08 birthday. Then between episodes, I took the ribs out of the oven (unlike in the TV show, we DO eat at regular intervals in a 24 hour period) and sloshed hot juice over my hand. Not a serious burn, but as you know, any fresh burn hurts like the dickens and interferes with one's ability to knit. So after supper, I spent the next couple of hours laying my hand on an ice pack for a few minutes until the pain subsided, then picking up my knitting to do a few more rows until the sting was so bad that I would need to return to the ice pack.

What struck me as odd when I look at this episode in hindsight, is that it never once occured to me to put the knitting away. How can I watch TV and not knit? It's unthinkable.

I recently had a new student come to learn to knit. She is a high energy, "DO IT" kind of person who had heard that knitting is a good right brain activity. When I saw her for a second class, she was telling me that for the first time in years, she actually sat down and watched television with her husband and she was able to do this because she had something to DO: she was knitting. Truly, what did knitters do before their was television?

WOOL-TYME Kingston's "Never Ending Knitting Class" for all skill levels.

Are you a complete newby to the world of knitting or just looking for some guidance into the next level of your knitting journey? Or are you somewhere in between?
The on-going Never Ending Knitting Classes at WOOL-TYME Kingston are designed to meet all your needs.

You can choose to drop in to any single class for just $15 for a 2 hour session, or you can join with a $45 membership which gives you access to our professional knitting support for a full 6 months.

These classes take place on Tuesdays from 1-3pm and on Thursdays from 6:30-8:30. All are welcome. At any given class, we may have a complete beginner, someone who has been knitting for about a month (but looks like a pro to the beginner), someone who is learning the finer points of finishing and sewing their sweater together, someone who is learning how to lay out a complicated cable pattern, a new crocheter learning to work an edge around afghan squares, and former participants who just enjoy sitting around and knitting with nice people.

The point is that for $45, you are free to join in the fun for a full 6 months.

Some classes have 2 people, sometimes 6 or 7 will show up. All are eager yet patient and willing to learn. As a teacher, it really doesn't get any better than this. I have the opportunity to introduce newcomers to the fun of knitting, and sometimes I get to challenge myself by learning new skills that I can then pass on to my students. Sometimes we have to go a bit beyond the 2 hours so that everyone leaves with a sense of satisfaction and with enough knowledge to get them through the next stage of their project. No one worries -- we're all here to learn and to enjoy the experience (as much as one can enjoy ripping back an entire sleeve that has been improperly shaped.)

So please feel free to join us, either as a class participant or just to sit and knit and chat. If the store is open, the class is on.

One of the greatest things about my life, owning a yarn store, is that I get so many wonderful people from the community showing up at my door. One of these is Alison who upon arriving in Kingston a couple of years ago, immediately got to work contributing to our local community. Her latest venture is in organizing and placing baskets of yarn at Quinte Lodge. The Lodge is a hostel-type accommodation operated by the Cancer Centre. Patients and any medically required escorts can stay in small private bedrooms free of charge. Her idea is that the baskets of yarn (and needles and crochet hooks) may provide a much needed distraction for guests/patients and will give them the opportunity to work on 8" squares that can then be assembled into blankets that will be of comfort to someone else.

I'm so glad that Alison thought to get in touch with us to ask for our help. It's another way that we get to be a hub that unites so many of our generous customers with those in need. Of course, as always, anyone who is doing some stash busting and would like to donate yarn to those who can put it to good use are welcome to drop it off at the WOOL-TYME Kingston store.

SUPER BIG NEWS: I usually like to wait for the monthly newsletter (which should be coming to your email next weekend) to introduce you to new products in the store but this is just too fun and exciting to wait. The Kingston area is very lucky to welcome Stephanie Earp, musician and fibre artist, who is making her home here now and is also making her wares available at WOOL-TYME Kingston. Stephanie specializes in hand painted - short repeat - dying of fingering weight merino wool in glorious colours inspired by a recent trip to France. She has also provided us with small swatches so you can see the luscious texture that her colourways create. These yarns would be perfect for gloves, scarves, shawls. Locally hand crafted products of exquisite quality; what more can a knitter ask for?