Farewell to Yarn Along

I was sad this morning to read that Ginny has retired Yarn Along, a Wednesday link-up she has hosted since 2010. Of course, I totally understand her readiness to move on, and I'm sure many of us with continue with Tuesday's Keep Calm and Craft On with Nicole. Still, I will miss the reading element that Ginny brought into our world.

So, it is with bit of sorrow that I post my last Yarn Along, which includes both a new knit and a new book.

Summer Camp is a shallow and long shawl designed by Laura Aylor. The solid sections are Sun Fiber Valley yarn, and the speckled yarn is from Hedgehog Fibres. Both are yummy and fun to work with. It's designed to be a mindless knit, and it is quite easy.

Everyone Brave Is Forgiven follows three fictional Londoners through World War II. Chris Cleave, who wrote Little Bee, takes on a narrative voice that has the ring of history, but I'm not far enough into the book to say if it works. The dialogue sparkles with dry British wit, so I'm encouraged by the first few chapters.

Joining up with Ginny to Yarn Along.

A Class With Laura Nelkin: Swoon!

Madison may not be a big city, but it is a big knitting city. We had our Knit In this weekend, and the line-up of teachers was amazing. Saturday morning, a friend and I took a class on knitting with bead from Laura Nelkin, author of Knockout Knits.

The class was amazing. Did you know that you should never use beads on single-ply yarn? Me, neither. It's not strong enough. Also to be avoided are wool/silk blends and cashmere. I also learned that you need to use bigger beads when you are placing beads (like with a crochet hook) than when you pre-string beads.

This is the Stellanti Shawl, which was our favorite one of her samples. The beaded sections are super easy so this is definitely going in my queue. Nelkin is quite funny. She described more difficult projects as being "anti-Alzheimer's patterns."

I do love knitting jewelry, though I haven't made any for quite some time. Nelkin's samples gave me plenty of inspiration.

The class was just for a half day, so we shopped after scarfing down some sandwiches from home. It turns out that I am quite the Wisconsin shopper. The two reddish/pink skeins are going into a second Perhaps, Perhaps. They were dyed by Sun Valley Fibers (Mount Horeb, Wis.), and I cannot say enough good things about their yarns. They are stunningly beautiful, a joy to knit with, and hold up well to wear.

I could not resist the mini skeins from Ewetopia (Viroqua, Wis.). All my favorite colors in one package! I'm looking for the right poncho or shawl pattern. Let me know if you have any ideas -- though I should mention that the yarn is DK weight.

Last but not least is the gradient cake in blue and purple, which I bought to make an Antarktis out of, but now I'm thinking it would make a good Stellanti. Such tough choices.!The yarn is by Knit Circus, which is right here in Madison. Yes, I am lucky!

This seems like enough for one post, so I'll tell you about fair isle with Mary Jane Mucklestone later!

New Book Yarn Along

Because I had a few recent finishes, it seemed reasonable to cast on a new sock, Idlewild by Kirsten Kapur in Sun Valley Fibers MCN in the color Jungle.

The sock just happens to be from Drop Dead Easy Knits. I don't buy a lot of knitting books because there are just so many and I can't knit that fast. But this one I've looked at for a while. I adore Kirsten's patterns and she has some really good ones in this book. As promised, this sock is pretty darn easy!

I started reading Spectacle by Pamela Newkirk, which is the true story of an African man who was exhibited at the Bronx Zoo early in the 20th century. Man's cruelty to man never fails to amaze me. Nor does the spirit of people who survive such travails. I've only read about 40 pages, but it's fascinating so far.

Did you notice my tea? It's Inuit tea that I bought in Quebec last summer. I've tried two flavors, and it is some of the best herbal tea I have ever sipped. I'm going to have to see if I can get more online

I'm linking up with Ginny to Yarn Along.

Shoveling = No Retreat

When Keith was skiing last week in Canada, I only had to shovel the sidewalks. He hires a service to
cover the driveway for the week. I generally like doing the sidewalks, but this was the heaviest snow I have ever encountered. Over a week later, my neck and back still ache!

I only spent a couple hours at the Sun Valley Fibers January Thaw (which I had so looked forward to) because I was in too much pain for plain old Advil. I went home, popped a muscled relaxant, and had my own mini retreat.

Before I left, I did buy a couple of skeins for projects I'd planned. The green is for Perhaps, Perhaps, which I started immediately. It's another wonderful shawl by Melanie Berg. This one is a long, shallow shawl, a shape that I find very easy to wear.The blue will become a Summer Camp shawl.

As sad I as I am that I missed all the fun, I have to doff my hat to Jeannette and George of Sun Valley Fibers; they put together THE BEST goodie bags, beginning with a really cute and durable bag:

 The skein of yarn is gorgeous -- this is not some leftover that did not sell! As you can see, there is notions bag, a mug, a tape measure, a scissors, a notebook, and more. Totally amazing. I don't know how they do it!

I only wish I had picked up more yarn. You know I'm in pain when it interferes with yarn shopping! Sun Valley Fibers yarn has a beautiful hand and is just so smooshy. The colors are even more beautiful than they look online. The subtle colors shimmer with quiet beauty, while the deep colors are deliciously complex. (BTW, I am not paid in any way by SVF. These are my opinions as a paying customer!)

The good news is that SVF will be selling at the Madison Knitters Guild Knit-In in March!

A Short Time in Knitting Heaven

I was lucky to spend Friday evening and all of Saturday at the Sun Valley Fibers January Thaw, knitting, laughing, and buying (a reasonable amount) of yarn.

Sun Valley Fibers is run by Jeanette and her husband George, who have a farm in southwest Wisconsin. They dye up rich colors on a variety of artisan yarns. Three years ago they started up a retreat right here in Madison. How can I not go? No travel costs and I can drive home each night. Although, next year I'm going to spend one night at the hotel. It doesn't quite feel like a get-away when you drive home!

Isn't this sweater gorgeous? It's knit from SV yarns. I thought they said the pattern was the Hero Sweater, but I can't find it on Ravelry, so I'll have to track it down. (I just realized I forgot to take pix of my purchases and now it's dark! I'll have to post them later.)

Even with going home at night, it was a lot of fun. I met up with some of my favorite knitters and met new people from Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago, and the Twin Cities. Just spending time with so much of Jeanette's yarn is inspiring.

I had a lovely, mellow day today hanging out with my parents. But now I'm home and it's Sunday evening and I have to get ready for the week!

Knitting Heaven Right Here In Wisconsin

By the time I found out about Sun Valley Fibers January Thaw Retreat, it was full. I asked to be put on the wait list, but I had no hope that I'd get in. Who wouldn't want to spend two days surrounded by friendly knitters and some of the smooshiest yarn in the business?

Then, by some miracle, a spot opened up. I could not resist. The retreat is right here in Madison, so I had no travel or hotel expenses! I immediately cast on a hat with Sun Valley Fibers DK.

I requested a personal day so I could attend all day Friday, but my employer denied me. So I rushed over yesterday when I was finished working and dived right in. When you walk in the conference room, you are greeted with a huge wall of yarn. (Pictures coming, I promise.) Sun Valley Fibers is known for their beautiful saturated colors. It's a small, family-run company in rural Mount Horeb, less than an hour from Madison, that makes absolutely devine yarn.

I didn't know anyone but I was immediately welcomed by a group of Madison knitters who adopted me. Really, no group is as nice as knitters. We talked and laughed well into the evening.

There were tons of spinners, too. While I have no interest in spinning, I love to watch it and talk to the spinners. As one told me last night, "You have a more intimate relationship with the yarn when you spin it yourself." I'm sure that's true. Still, as long as there are companies like Sun Valley Fibers, I'll be perfectly happy to buy my yarn!