Rainy Sunday Knitters Go to Tolt

A few weekends ago my fiber group, the Rainy Sunday Knitters, took a little trip to celebrate one of our members. Lindley (in the blue shawl that she made for her wedding) just recently got married, so we all went to brunch and to Tolt Yarn and Wool to celebrate. It was a little bit of a drive, but it was worth it. Tolt is known for its inspiring displays of yarn and friendly attendants. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Pictures of items are mine, and pictures of people were taken by my friend, Toni. Thanks for a great day out, friends. Best wishes, Lindley!

Rainy Sunday Knitters: The Best Cheerleaders a Girl Could Ask For

I am so very lucky to have such a loving and uplifting fiber group to visit each week. These ladies (some not pictured) have been so supportive of me as a friends and also through my whole book writing process. Recently, Toni and CJ worked to put together a lovely Ravelry post for our group. Thank you, RSK! You are all wonderful. And special thanks to Toni and CJ!

Finished Knit Willow Cowl

I recently finished the Willow Cowl by Amelia Lyon. Many of the wonderful women in my Sunday stitching group have worked on it at one point or another. Others' versions were so pretty and fun that I decided to tackle it myself. Honestly, this is the first knit item that I have made that makes me feel like a knitter. If I remember correctly, it is my sixth project. I learned some new skills, got frustrated at times, but also triumphed.

My version of the cowl is altered. It seems that I just can't keep myself from making each project personal and changing it a little. I didn't do any of the decreases that the original pattern called for, making my cowl bunchy, squishy, and more open than the designer's. I also did fewer repeats. The reason I made these changes is that I have a weird thing about accessories being too close to my neck, and the original version pretty much hugs the wearer's neck. In fact, I often take my necklaces off halfway through the day, even if they are down past my collarbone! A necklace extender may be in order...

The beautiful yarn was given to me by my friend, Toni. It's Blue Moon Fibers Sox that Rock. This pattern is really good for a single skein of multicolored yarn, as a glance through the project pages will attest.

All in all I am quite pleased. However... I think it's time to go back to crochet for a while! My hands miss it.

A Trip to Maker's Mercantile

The Rainy Sunday Knitters recently took a trip to Maker's Mercantile, a lovely store with yarn, findings, fabrics, classrooms, a sit-and-stitch room, and even a cafe! The store is located about 30 minutes out of town, so we all made an excursion out of it! We went to dim sum beforehand (the first time I had ever been) and my friend Sooz used her knowledge of Mandarin to do all of the ordering for us! It was amazing and delicious. I even got to try durian.  

Maker's Mercantile was lovely and very crochet-friendly. I got some yarn there that is going to become my next pattern! In the meantime, enjoy these pictures.

Knit Fit 2015

How was your weekend? Mine was great! I had a chance to go to a special annual Seattle fiber event called Knit Fit with some good friends. I am so very lucky to live in an area where fiber culture is alive and strong. Sooz, Lindley, Hilary, and I met for a delicious lunch and a visit to the fiber market at Knit Fit.
There were also knitting classes available, but I didn't catch any this time around. Sooz enjoyed her classes on knitting for health and Portuguese knitting. There weren't any crochet classes offered. Maybe I should change that? :p It's sometimes hard to go to events that exclude crochet, even now that I know how to knit. However, nothing will change unless folks like you and me get out there and change it. We love fiber, too!

Wow, I have digressed... Here's a bit about my time at the market. I met some super awesome people!

One of the first booths I stopped at belonged to Three Fates Yarns, who I've interviewed here on the blog. 

 Just look at those gorgeous colors!

I also met and chatted with Dave of Dave Yocom's Wood Creations. His yarn bowls are absolutely lovely and he makes them all himself. Such a friendly and talented guy!

Look at this intensely creative interactive wall put up by Hazel Knits. They had each yarn color on a magnet so that you could make your own color scheme easily. So neat!

I was so happy to finally meet Cory Ellen Boberg of Indie Knits. She's simultaneously a local legend and a friend of those in my fiber circles, and she was every bit as wonderful as I had heard. 

Cory had many inspiring knitting patterns available for purchase at the market.

After looking for evidence of crochet all day and wondering if I'd have to leave disappointed, Meg ran in from the rain wearing one of her personally designed dresses.

Look how lovely the crochet elements are!

It was a terrific time all around. I am thinking about how I might want to get involved next year. Hmmm... In the meantime, here's one last picture. It's a weird one that I took after coming in from the cold. My camera lens was all foggy! 

Mary's Crochet Adventure

Do you remember when you were just starting out in crochet? Sometimes it was difficult. It was hard to make your stitches even. You forgot when you were supposed to yarn over and when you weren't. However, it was also magical. For the first time you were able to take a strand of yarn and turn it into something. You could feel the potential at you fingertips and you started to dream about the awesome things you'd be able to make in the future...

That's where my friend Mary is right now. She's been coming to my weekly fiber group and I've been teaching her to crochet. Here she is during her very first lesson, holding her very first piece of crochet fabric!

She's already come a long way since these photos were taken. She can now make a chain stitch, a single crochet stitch, and a half double crochet stitch. Yay! Whether you're a beginning crocheter or just learning a new crochet skill, I'd like to take today to celebrate new beginnings. We've all got so much to look forward to!