Month: January 2011

>Happy New Year

~ 3kittensl ~ Leave a comment

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Hello again. I hope you all had a wonderful and peaceful holiday season. Well, now that we are well into the New Year, I thought I would discuss resolutions.
Every year people make New Year’s resolutions. Sometimes these are big serious ones, like losing weight; other times they are small, like getting to the end of Destroy All Humans on the PS2 (I did not accomplish that one by the way). A few years ago, I decided to make knitting resolutions. They are the only ones I make now. Usually I have on the list to finish some of my projects that have been hanging around for a long time. This year I have already accomplished this one! I finished a pair of sock I started in July 2007.
I also resolve to learn a new knitting technique every year. Last year I taught myself to do double knitting, which I did with the help of Lucy Neatby’s video. It was very cool and I look forward to actually doing a project using it. This year, I intend to learn how to do entrelac. Do you have something you want to learn?
Last year I also wanted to knit a 10K (the year before I had knit a 5K). Sadly, I did not make my goal of 10K, but I did knit another 5K, so I guess that is something. Part of the reason for less knitting was because I started doing needlepoint, so I did do some nice projects I had not planned to do. Plus, it means that this year I can have needlepoint resolutions as well as knitting ones!
Here is the 1st needlepoint I did this year. It is a cute little box.

Here is my granddaughter with her Iris monster (we sell this kit in the shop). She loves Iris and has to sleep with her and eat breakfast with her. It was the best thing I think I knit all year!
In shop news, we have the COOLEST needlepoint trunk show in house. It is from JL Canvas Co., for one price, you get a glass ornament and a needlepoint canvas that matches it for you to stitch. You can keep both, give one to a friend or family member and keep the other to remind you of your loved one, or give them both away. It is up to you. Either way, they are all really cute. I have my eye set on the cupcake!


>TNNA (aka Market) – Day 1

~ 3kittensl ~ Leave a comment

>Julie, Pat and I are in sunny Long Beach, California for one of the two national markets put on each year by The National Needlearts Association. Yes, I know you’re all jealous that we’re in CA, but take heart – most of our time is being spent indoors in windowless rooms.

Yesterday afternoon, we each took a class from one of the fabulous national instructors here at the show. I took a Broomstick Lace (crochet) class with Mary Beth Temple because I was curious – do you work with a real broomstick? What can you do with broomstick lace? Is it only for certain types of yarn? Will I become a 70s era hippy if I learn this technique? Here’s a photo of my finished class sample (please excuse the quality – it’s taken with the camera on my phone):

The answers to my questions were no (you use a super large straight knitting needle – size 50 for worsted weight yarn and a crochet hook); anything open & airy; you can use any type of yarn although variegated yarns often just look muddy; and no – thank goodness.

Julie took a needlepoint class from Adrienne Spencer needlepointing a beautiful canvas with 2 koi fish. Adrienne was teaching how to work a canvas that is not stitch painted, but is a real work of art in and of itself. She uses a lot of open stitches where the canvas shows through. It’s a wonderful way to showcase the artistry of the painting, while still making a beautiful finished needlepoint piece.

Pat took a stitch guide design class from Suzy Murphy of SuZy’s Portable Stitches fame. I wondered why such a skilled stitch guide designer needed a class on that, but Pat said it was great because all the participants brought in a canvas they wanted help with, and the whole class got involved with coming up with ideas. Suzy is a great and enthusiastic teacher, and Pat came out with seveal ideas of things to incorporate in her stitch guides in the future.

More tomorrow.