Spring? Hello?

I think spring is coming.  I think.  

But I have two new patterns I just finished:

Biomechanic

Diomonda

Both patterns are available now on Ravelry.  The two are made with Madeline Tosh chunky.  The first colorway is Boxwood, now discontinued I believe, and the second is Cosmos.

I love yarn that has squish factor.  And this yarn doesn't disappoint.  In fact, you may spend more time squeezing the cowl than wearing it.  

I am working on the 4th of a series of kerchiefs, bandanas, neck things for spring.  They are all cotton, machine washable ideas that hopefully you'll fall in love with.

Happy knitting!

Healing Sweater: Finished

I had a great time last weekend at Vogue Knitting Live! here in NYC.  It's always such an honor to be one of the keepers of the craft, as we move from one generation to the next.  There are so many cool things happening these days in knitting, crocheting, dyeing, spinning and designing.

At the event, I had the pleasure of a little inspirational moment with one of my students, who I now lovingly refer to as one of my groupies.  Before one of my classes, we had a minute to catch up and shoot the breeze and she told me about a relationship with her sister that was less-than-perfect (don't we all have those?), but more importantly how they were able to be in Chicago for October, 2012's Vogue Knitting Live! together, knitting, and the yarn and needles seemed to be just what they needed to bond with each other more than ever.  She said that knitting was just that one thing they couldn't ever fight about.

I, too, believe there is healing power in knitting.  Whether you knit prayer shawls or not, there is a centering focus that boils all my anxieties about my own imperfect relationships down to a single moment:

Buttonless Healing Sweater

This sweater has been a few years in the making, but it is finally finished.  I've imagined the whole time what she'll look like in it, what experiences she'll have with it, etc.  I've also been worried sick it won't fit.  Oh yeah, there's the whole "it should fit" thing.  So once again, leap of faith.  Now I have to write a letter.

I'm leaving the 7 small buttons off - she'll probably want to choose them.  And as cool as I think buttons made from whale bone or rare bugs found along the coast of Indonesia are, they probably wouldn't be her first choice.

Stitch details:

Now on the needles - a lace-weight alpaca scarf for the niece.....more to come on that one.

Important future info:

Keep your eyes open for my radio show interview I did for Black Sheep Yarns in Kent, CT:  Fiber Arts with Nancy.  I'm not sure what the air date will be, but I'll keep it posted here.

Upcoming dates:

Feb 21st: The Boston Knitting Guild
March 9th: A Good Yarn, Sarasota
April 5-7th: Vogue Knitting Live! Seattle, WA

Healing Sweater v.2

Just a quick check in to report Healing Sweater progress:

Maddy Laine's Garden Paths a.k.a The Healing Sweater

The only things I have left to do are seam the right side body, both under sleeve seams, and finish the button bands, which the stitches for those are being held on stitch markers.  One is actually a bona fide stitch marker, complete with bright blue plating, but the other, sadly, is a safety pin.

I teach seaming.  I love seaming.  I know, call me all kinds of names.  But I've actually learned something about my own seaming process while doing this sweater.  I've taken my time while doing it (novel concept, right?), and it has been much more tidy, enjoyable, and clear.  It might have something to do with the fact this sweater is going to a family member, but..um..I guess I want it to be perfect.  I want it to show that things can actually be put together pretty well, despite what they may behave like.

In the upper left corner of the photo is the scant quantity of yarn I have remaining.  But, like this sweater exercise as a whole, I'm going to have faith it will get me where I need to go.

Happy New Year and Happy Knitting!

Yes. Excited.

There is nothing left but to be excited.  Excited about the next Vogue Knitting LIVE! at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, excited about the news I'm going to share very very soon, excited excited excited.

Pretty much all of my classes are sold out for this upcoming event, and for that I am ETERNALLY grateful.  I know as consumers, people have a lot of choices, and I'm always very grateful when they chose to come hear what I have to say, learn what I have to teach, and spend and hour or three with me in the same room.  So, if you're reading this, and you've ever been one of those people, or you're about to be - THANK YOU.

So, this is where we're going to be:

Well, not actually in the elevators, but I thought this shot was pretty cool.  So, if you're staying in the hotel, chances are you'll ride in one of these bad boys.  They're like bullets shooting up into the sky.  I could stand there for hours and watch people in them.

And this is one of the eateries:

If you haven't signed up for one of my classes, there are only a couple spots left, so hurry!!

And stay tuned for my big news.....

The Healing Sweater

I think there comes a time when you realize what's important in life.

Yeah, I know. That's been said before. By, like, millions of people. But probably because it's true. I, too, have reached that point before. And then I go back to complaining and moaning and not focusing on what's important. And then I go back to realizing the important stuff. You know the game. The trick is to limit the time I spend in ungrateful land.

I've recently been blessed with some really good news. A project that I've been trying to squeeze out of the universe for quite some time, only to have it sucked away from me a couple times, has finally, it seems, come to fruition. I can't really say more than that for another week or two.

I've also heard some really bad news. Like, really bad. A guy I call my friend has recently found out he has cancer - again. I don't know how many bouts he's had to endure, but the way he describes it is here. I made him a red cashmere hat when he, like many cancer patients, found out he'd be losing his hair; it seemed like a no-brainer. He's got humor about the whole thing too, which to me, is like a lesson in living. I remember knitting that hat for him. Strangely enough, it brought ME comfort to craft something from my hands and dye it with a special energy that only we knitters know how to create. I feel so at peace when I'm knitting (this wasn't always the case). It is such a gift to feel the yarn, feel the fabric developing, and really understand that the wool came from somewhere. A grazing, beautiful creature that has no clue I'm now knitting with his or her fiber that was once matted with straw and manure. It's an indescribable connection, I tell you.

I've recently found that comfort again (from the yarn, not the manure) in this sweater:

Maddy Lane's Garden Paths

I promised this sweater to my sister for her 40th birthday.  I didn't deliver.  We went through a rough patch (which we continue to go through), and I put the sweater away.  But of all the unfinished projects and 'what was I thinking' moments, I knew not to unravel this.  I knew the time would come when I would need the reconnection.  

So I'm completing it.  And I'm praying into every stitch.

Just try to watch this without smiling....

Since 1955, Loes Veenstra has knitted over 550 sweaters and stored them in her home on the 2nd Carnissestraat in Rotterdam. The sweaters have never been worn. Until today.

Productivity

I've been really productive lately in the knitting department.  I am trying my best to catch up on unfinished projects.  Usually as knitters, we know what that means.  But it applies to other areas of my life, too.  Unfinished business, finishing what I start, follow through...it's a common theme.

In March, 2010 I started the sock yarn blanket on Ravelry, but it's also here, in case you want to make your own.  I originally thought I must have been crazy to start something like this, but I was attracted to its beauty nonetheless.  I love the novelty of seeing something off the ground, kinda getting to know what it will look like, and once I have the gist, I get bored.  The rest of the time spent actually finishing the damn thing would just be, well, a lot of repetitive work.  I'm sure there's a psychological equivalent of all this.

I think the difference now is I see the solace in those moments (or hours).  For me, it's a meditation.  I didn't used to feel this way, but I think it's all part of one's journey.  I feel a lot more connected to tradition, history, and humanity as I get older - and knitting is as much a part of humanity as the need for warmth, food and shelter.

This is the sock yarn blanket as of right now:

I've also just finished up two cowls made from Madeline Tosh yarn, one of which is shown here:

I love the color, called "Cosmos".  It's a really deep rich purple with flecks of acid green.  I will be posting the pattern on Ravelry as soon as I get some good model-y shots of it.  

The other cowl will be kept a secret until I'm ready to publish them.  They will be available as a set or individually.