theraineysisters knitting and so much more

Today was a good day: I got to knitting group by 3 pm!!  That is 2-4 hours early.  Does that mean I left for home 2-4 hours early?  Au contraire, mes amies!!  I stayed, knitting and cavorting, until 7:30.  I do love them peeps o’mine.  Woo Hoo!

Lyra Alert:
I am hoping that this will not jinx it, but I am over half way done with the bind off row of Lyra.  I am giddy with excitement and anticipation.  I’ll need to buy a barrel full of pins for blocking, but get me a fork, cuz by this weekend she will be done.  

The bind off involves crocheting chains between groups of sts — NOT my forte.  I do not have an affinity for crochet.  I feel awkward holding the needle hook, and even the yarn feels unnatural in my hands.  But, I am progressing slowly and steadily.  Pictures of the blob and the blocked blob to follow…

 Yes, it’s once again that magical time of year when we thank you, our readers, for sharing another year of knitting adventures and misadventures with us. March 20, 2008 is our official Bloggiversary. This year’s fabulous prizes:

Yarn! Yarn! Yarn!

Three lucky winners will take home some cheery yarn for a spring project.

1. Two skeins of Nature’s Palette Fingering Weight yarn in Clover. This bright pink would make a wonderful pair of Sweetheart Glovelets. (Each skein is 50 grams and contains 185 yards of 100% merino wool.)

2. Two skeins of Fortissimia Cotton Colori sock yarn in bright pinks, greens, blues, and yellows. (Each skein is 50 grams and contains 210 meters.)

3. Two skeins of Nature’s Palette Fingering Weight yarn in Dark Teal. (Each skein is 50 grams and contains 185 yards of 100% merino wool.)

As exciting as those prizes are, there’s more!

The Official Rainey Sister Mug

Yes, one lucky knitter could be reading our blog while relaxing with a cup of tea or coffee served in her (or his) very own Rainey Sister mug. It’s almost like being a Rainey Sister, but without having to blog about it.

Last, but not least (drumroll please):

The Official Rainey Sisters Project Tote

We know. It’s almost too much to take in at once.

While you take a moment to get your breath back after all the excitement, here’s how to enter:

How to enter:
Send an email to theraineysisters@msn.com and put “Contest” in the subject line. Choose one of the following questions to answer.

1. Of everything you’ve ever knit, what is your favorite? Why?

2. What was your biggest knitting disaster?

3. If you were stranded on a desert island, what one knitting related book would you want to have with you? What yarn? Needles and other knitting necessities would be hanging from the palms!

That’s all there is to it! Five lucky winnners will be selected at random. The Rainey Sisters reserve the right to quote portions of winning (and non-winning) entries in a future blog.

Deadline is midnight March 20, 2008 (meaning that you have all day on the 20th to submit your entries.)

When you read my sister’s post about her scarf (just below this one), you might see a photo in the background. It’s of my sister when she was a baby! Hard to believe thirty years have gone by so quickly (plus a bunch of other years we don’t talk about).

I’d also like to give a shout out to my little assistant, who turns one today. Here’s a photo of him the first day I saw him.

I think Susan’s scarf is great and I love the label idea (even if she did borrow it).

Yesterday I was immersed in knitting from dawn (not quite…) until dusk (actually, pitch dark!).  I started the Roslin Hoodie class at The Yarnery.  A very nice group of students, with very nice yarn choices for their hoodies.  The class is set at a reasonable pace so people can get the project done and have a life.

Then, last night, I spent the evening with a wild bunch of Nicky Epstein fans at Amazing Threads.  Nicky taught a 3-hour class on edgings and flowers and bold finishes.  It was a fun evening.  Nicky had already spent the weekend at the Mall of America with “Knit Out” so she was a little tired, but she seemed to hang in there just fine.  I, on the other hand, was still recovering from little daughter’s 13th birthday from the night before, so I was more pooped than Nicky!

Knitting has been slow and not very exciting.  I am working on the Merci Scarf, and it is ~40 inches long — so it looks the same, except 40 inches long!  B-o-o-o-o-r-r-r-r-r-r-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g!  I love the scarf, but it is taking a lot more time than I thought.  Scarves are a lot of knitting.

On the way to The Yarnery yesterday, I also visited my oldest daughter’s artwork, on display at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.  She won a silver key award in the Scholastic Arts Award program.  She created a poster for her own (faux) company, with an environmental theme.  Since my knitting is too boring to photograph, I will share her artwork with you:

Portrait of Artist as Lace Tam Model:

Happy Monday and Happy Knitting 🙂

To My Best Friend and Blogging Partner!!  Woo Hoo! 🙂

Yes, it’s twoo!  It is a Surly Birthday today!  I will not spill the beans about her age (it would give me away, too ;)), but do the math, people!

 

I know we have been back from our fabulous whirlwind tour of New York for quite a while now, but I just received the last of our purchases yesterday by Pony Express.  Sally and I were in our lovely hotel browsing the internet for knitting-related stuff (how unusual!) when I remembered a project that had been percolating in the dark recesses of my mind:

Am Kamin by Shimada Toshiyuki

I have seen this knitted up on several blogs and now on Ravelry, and thought it was stunningly gorgeous.  The pattern book is in Japanese and has not been translated:

We bought our copies from a Canadian source: The Needle Arts Book Shop, proprietor Marsha White.  Since the book’s arrival yesterday, I have been immersed in it, seeking understanding!  I feel like a newbie knitter who looks at ANY pattern for the first time: it looks impossible to decipher:

Is it hubris to think I can accomplish this project?  I keep telling myself that it is, after all, just knitting.  And I have learned a little Japanese in the process, thanks to Marsha’s treatise on Interpreting Japanese Knitting Patterns.  There is only one size given for Am Kamin (which would fit Sally, of course, but not moi :(), so I will need to do major adjustments to the pattern, but I do like having it nonetheless. 

Am Kamin is worked using worsted weight wool.  I have a gorgeous red in Cascade 220 (#9404) and a wonderful teal in Cascade Dolce (#927).  I’m not sure I will start this anytime soon — it needs to marinate!

When you start exploring some of these other sources, you really feel like Alice falling down the rabbit hole.  I felt the same way when I discovered Herbert Niebling!  Aarrrrrrrrgggghhhhh!!  There is so much out there and the deeper you go, the more you find! 

This shocking article was in today’s paper. 

We can only pray that this is not the beginning of a new crime wave!  What’s next?  Our WIP’s?  Our UFO’s?  Our stash?  Where will it end?

I’ve been in a bit of a “Bah, Humbug” funk this year, but my Santa mantel always gets me in the holiday spirit. 

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or Fabulous Festivus to all!  Whatever your belief system prefers!!  Here is wishing you a wonderful few days with family and friends.  Please remember not to work too hard at it — allow yourself some time to relax and actually enjoy the holiday.

We will spend Christmas day with my father-in-law and family — they do all the work!  We drive down and eat like lil oinkers.  It’s great!  And the guilt wears off much more quickly than the calories!

…or “Thank you for not knitting.”

I am a member of Ravelry, but to be honest, I do not put much time or effort into it.  I did, however, stumble onto an interesting forum discussion about the rudeness of non-knitters.  There were ~275 comments! 

The gist of the thread was the reaction of non-knitters when we pull out our knitting in regular social situations.  By “regular” I mean where knitting is not one of the purposes of the gathering.  Many people thought it was rude of muggles to say things like, “What are you knitting now?!?” or comment on it other than to compliment the beauty of the work.

Others were more understanding of the muggle perspective.  I guess I fall into the latter catergory.  Obviously, I am an avid knitter and feel absolutely naked without my knitting.  I never go anywhere without it.  My friends and family know it’s “love me, love my knitting.”  That said, I do see how a non-knitter could perceive it as rude when someone brings out a knitting project and works on it in front of them. 

It appears that the knitter is not attending to the conversation, and perception is everything.  I would not think of taking my knitting to someone’s home for a special dinner party.  It would look like I have “something better to do” than converse and attend to the other guests.  Am I able to knit and talk at the same time?  Of course!  But the appearance is that I care more about my knitting than the other people there.  Am I antsy and feel at odds the whole time — you bet!  But I suck it up and knit when I get home.

When I go to break at work I always bring my knitting EXCEPT when there are only two of us.  I want the other person to feel like I am fully focused on them.  And my work peeps are very well trained: they notice when I don’t have my knitting with me (Hey, where’s your knitting!?). 

My close friends know that I would always rather be knitting, but even with them I would not bring my knitting to a special event or occasion.  But “Movie Night” at my house?  That knitting is out the second my butt hits the chair!!

I know that most knitters feel it is our right and privilege to knit whenever and wherever we please, and I do agree that it is great to take your knitting to restaurants, movies (!), dentist offices, etc. etc.  But I also believe we must respect that others may perceive that we are being exclusive rather than inclusive in the vibe we put out. 

PS re: Modular Tote Pattern from The Yarnery — this pattern can be purchased on line but will be sent as a hard copy pattern, not a pdf download.  Sorry about the miscommunication on my part ;).

PSS: From Susan to Elise: I teach workshops at my job and every so often there is a knitter in the audience. I know that people fidget less and concentrate more when they knit something simple and straight forward, so it does not bother me. If I have knitters in the group, I say “I see that there are some knitters in the group today. I do have a problem with people knitting in class — I wish I was one of them!” You handled your grad school situation perfectly by addressing it up front.

Tonight I attended the Minnesota Knitters Guild meeting.  The turn out wasn’t huge (I think everyone was baking pies), but the program was quite worth while. 

Our Master of Ceremonies, and actual Master of Knitting, was none other than the new president of the knitters guild, Shelley Monitor.  Shelley put on a one-woman show — both chairing the meeting and presenting the program. 

Have any of you considered tackling the Master Knitter’s Program from the Knitters Guild of America?  Shelley is a bonafide Master Knitter and was also asked to be one of the evaluators, so she knows the program inside and out.  To get that kind of “inside information” was well worth the price of admission 😉 .

The Master Knitting program consists of three levels, each building on information from the previous level(s) and increasing in complexity and expectations.  There is a knitting component in the form of multiple swatches and finished projects, knowledge of techniques, book/magazine reviews, design, pattern writing, lace, cables, fair isle, socks, etc.

Here Shelley is shown in the fair isle sweater she designed.  Her other submissions are on the table:

The sweater was beautifully knit, as you can see.  You also have to knit a vest, argyle sock, hat, child size mitten and a small lace doily. 

Shelley designed the light blue cable hat as part of her Level III submission.  Shelley said that she learned quite a bit going through the process and that it brought her knitting up a few notches.  It has gotten rather expensive to do the program: you must be a member of TKGA and then pay for each level (~$90 each).  Under 800 people have completed all of the levels combined, and I believe Shelley said that fewer than 150 have gone all the way through Level III.  Don’t quote my numbers 🙂 !!

I completed Level I several years ago and actually started Level II.  I got bogged down and started to wonder how best to spend my valuable knitting time: working on swatches and set assignments or on “real” knitting.  I obviously opted for the latter, but after hearing Shelley tonight I might try to dig out my Level II stuff and give it another look.

Anyway, I’m not trying to “sell” the Master Knitter’s Program.  But it is something that serious knitters should at least know about.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my knitting peeps!!  My goal is 2-3 FOs this weekend!!  Woo Hoo!!

PS — in response to Thomasean’s comment, “I would like to try the TKGA Levels program as well. The thing is, is that I would have to try to figure out how to correct myself. I don’t know how easy that would be to do.”

As a member of TKGA, you would have access to a lot of resource materials, such as previous “Cast On” articles on the Master Knitting Program.  Shelley said she did not own any of the books — she had very few reference books at the time — but decided to buy most of them because of the value she saw in them after finding them in the library or knitting shop.  I already own all the ones she mentioned — (I have collected beaucoup books over the years 🙂 ).  Also, when you submit, they give you very specific feedback on what you need to correct.  Ravelry also has a TKGA group that discusses the program.  So, you would have resources to help you!  And, you would learn a lot along the way.