This lucky blogger was one of only 40 knitters who got to attend a retreat last weekend with the amazing Yarn Harlot and Depraved Dyer in Port Ludlow WA!

Stephanie & Tina keep knitters in stitches!

It was the most fun I’ve had since Pajama Jam – which happens again TONIGHT! (See you at LambShoppe from 5 pm to midnight!)

I learned at ton at Port Ludlow – new way to knit more efficiently! hand painting 6 skeins of rockin’ Blue Moon Fiber Arts yarn! baby steps into spinning! I’m still absorbing it all – and will blog more about it in the next week.

But first – we have some REALLY EXCITING events and classes coming up at Lamb Shoppe!

• First, tonight is Pajama Jam – call Lamb Shoppe (303-322-2223 ) to let them know you are coming, then grab your yarn, food and drink to share and meet us there!
• Join us at Bovine Metropolis Theater (on Champa at 15th in Denver) to “Improv Your Life” with our own Johanna (she does more than stock the shelves…;-). We’ve got a group discount (2 for $10) to this hilarous improv show. Talk with Anita if you’d like to join us!
• Noni Happy Stripe Oven Mitts class Nov. 23 & 30, Mondays, at 1-2 with Mary Carol. These make terrific gifts and will provide an opportunity to learn a few techniques that might be new to advanced beginner and even some intermediate knitters.

Meanwhile, I owe y’all an apology.  I’ve been neglecting this blog for far too long – taken by wanderlust and then by trying to  catch up with responsibilities that suffered while wandering. I’ll try to make it up to you by blogging 3x/week, every week.  Now, who’s taking bets whether I can keep to it or not?

Finally – I heard so many knitters at the retreat complaining about “cold”, “unfriendly” and even “mean” LYS (local yarn shops)… I felt extrememly fortunate to have found Lamb Shoppe – where not only the staff but other knitters are friendly and helpful, and where I can settle in and knit awhile with a fresh made latte, too!!!

Given that I’m not going to talk about querying until it’s all over (she says in a voice which is DARK and MOODY, which is how some celebrity chef the other week described his ideal chutney – seriously, dude, I’m glad you’re into it, but do ease off on the pathetic fallacy; it’s a condiment, not a Byronic hero), instead I will talk about knitting, given that I mention it in the tiny bio in the sidebar.

Not that I’m terribly good at knitting, but I enjoy it, even if my two-needle cast-on makes Scottish Women Of A Certain Age break out in hives. (I was recently taught a one-needle longtail cast-on but the other is embedded in my brain.)

(Of course, Scottish Women Of A Certain Age also have a tendency to assume knitting = babies, although all of my knitting on that count has been booties and hats for other people’s babies. Nor am I going to knit a Shetland Lace shawl that’s so fine it can be drawn through a wedding ring, though I am deeply impressed with anyone who ever has.)

Current project is the Yarn Harlot’s one row handspun scarf. I am not using handspun, but rather nice wool from the stash, though I’d love to spin again someday, having done it for a few summers eons ago. I like this pattern because it introduced me to a new stitch (I can knit into the back of the stitch! Go me!) and it’s very easy to remember so I can just zip through and it’s reversible and I joined the new ball without it looking too bizarre (thanks to the instructions in the Stitch and Bitch book) even though I had to frog and redo it.

It will be nice to alternate this scarf with my green mohair scarf, which was just straight garter stitch, and it’s a nice long scarf but it does tend to shed on my corduroy jackets.

The most complicated thing I’ve ever knit was a hat, on circular needles, and I once made five buttonholes.

The Pretty Thing is done.

I’m very happy with it. The cowl is loose enough to make me not want to claw out my own throat to get it off; always a plus.

As usual, any wonky bits are my own fault and not the pattern.

Yarn: Malabrigo Sock             Color: Rayon Vert               Used: 168 yards.

While blocking. Please ignore pins.

I own all the books by the brilliant Yarn Harlot and I’ve thumbed through each of them trying to find her hilarious rant about the times when you knit and you knit and somehow every time you measure your piece, it’s exactly the same length as it was the last time you measured.  That’s precisely the stage I’m at with the “skirt” of my Empire Waist Cardigan.  I wanted to quote the Yarn Harlot directly and make some witty analogies.  But I couldn’t find the passage.  If anyone can point me to the passage (maybe it was actually on her blog?), I’d be very grateful. 

So rather than show you boring progress shots on my cardigan (and by the way, I have been knitting that endless skirt for so long, I may break and pick up and knit its wide neckband for a change of pace), I will share a few shots from Sunday’s dog walk.

Must have been a mistral from the 70s blowing through the world this week.  Wisps of SCUM Manifestos and womyn everywhere. Even Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, the queen of sock knitting, had a 70s moment with a post on the diabolical nature of bras and her respect for her “working class breasts.”  

Of the 400-plus comments (just an average day really), a couple of women described how their bras were flung off the second they get home.  As one Tameson O’Brien said, “most of my bras can be found near my shoes.”

http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2009/11/06/underprepared_again.html

I’m a little behind on my list of things to do, so just a quick post today. Part of the reason I’m so behind is that the list of blogs I read seems to be expanding rapidly. I’m not complaining, I’m just saying it takes a little time to absorb all the fabulousness.

So here’s a little guide to my updated links (they’re over there on the right.. they may have been accidentally removed for a little while…but they’re back now and everything is as it should be):

In alphabetical order:

Alexandra Hedberg

An artist in Sweden who gives very sensible advice about how to sell your art, and also does amazing drawings like this one.

Alexandra Hedberg: Cheetah

Born Knitty

The lovely (and incorrectly named) rubbishknitter has adventures in wool…and sewing…and jam. She lets me thieve from her allotment and helps drink our endless homebrew, what’s not to like?

Hand Embroidery Network

Promoting hand embroidery and other creative endeavours, a subject of which I heartily approve (plus, they featured a photo of mine)! Plus they do a Stitch a Day with nice clear photographs and beautiful examples.

Hand Embroidery Stitch a Day: Double Chain Stitch

Yarn Harlot

She knits, she teaches, she writes, she’s Canadian. Very funny and terrifying prolific…

So there you have an update. Anyone good I’ve missed? I always need some new blogs to read (it could be worse, my mother reads something like 15 newspapers online).

Some mornings just go very right.

Didn’t think I was going to say that, huh? I’m not a morning person so this is even more shocking.

Last night I finally caved and bought the Yarn Harlot’s new pattern, Pretty Thing. The second this pattern showed up on my browser’s window a few days ago, this yarn started jumping up and down screaming, “Pick me! Pick me! Oh please, pretty please. Me! Me!”

See the thing about Ravelry is you get to find out about yarns you never knew existed.  My LYS (local yarn shop) does not carry Malabrigo.  I didn’t know anything about this yet most people on Ravelry had nothing but glowing praise for this incredibly soft yarn.

For my birthday, I bought some of this hard to find Malabrigo sock yarn — pretty much the last hank of about four stores that I could find that carried it. It arrived like the picture. See those little bits of yarn curling about? Yeah. Those tell you that trouble is on the way.  For some reason, this hank was twisted, snarled, and tangled beyond any amount of acceptability.  Murray is a great yarn octopi wrangler and it took him three days to untagle this mess.  Keep in mind I have a yarn winder and swift to wind all my yarn, and even those tools of the trade just made a bigger mess.

I vowed never to buy it again. Murray never wants to hear its name.

Before I knew it I had bought, paid, and downloaded Pretty Thing. Then the hand wound ball of Malbrigo got rewound into pretty yarn cake without so much as a hiccup.  Pretty Thing got printed, and the chart an extra copy for marking up.

I ended up casting on the full 118 stitches; 70 stitches is my max limit of casting on for a project. If the project calls for more than that then, oh well, I can admire someone else’s handiwork.  Now I’ll increase to a zillion stitches if I have to, but cast on…nope. One of my weird knitting quirks. So this must be some pattern if I broke my cast on limit rule. Then I followed the chart to mid-way to row six when I glanced at the clock, seeing it was 2:30 am. Oops.

This morning the coffee tasted better than normal.  Shark Tooth let me get a shower.  I picked up my Pretty Thing and before I knew it I’m on row 9. Wow. Shark Tooth ate her breakfast and asked for more — a near miracle. Pretty Thing is growing, and the yarn is behaving.  I will admit that Malabrigo is really the softest wool yarn I’ve ever felt in my life.  I’m very much looking forward to my finished Pretty Thing.  For once in a lifetime, our little world aligned into perfect harmony.

Oh and here’s another one of my weird quirks: I hate to have anything around my neck. I don’t wear necklaces.  Even looking at a turtleneck sweater makes me shudder and unconsciously claw at my neck because I feel like I can’t breathe.  Yet…somehow I have to have this Pretty Thing to wear.  I don’t understand.

For the record: My house is trashed, too.  Yes, it’s hard to knit/spin/sew and vacuum at the same time.

I’ve been packing and I’ve been knitting. I decided to cast on a pretty, yet simple, project … Rosalind. She is a beautiful summer knit that keeps the harmonies in good shape (and aid in the retention of what little sanity I have left…that is not a lot). The designer, author of A Mingled Yarn Blog, is also an English Professor with a love and knowledge of Shakespeare that rivals my own. How I could I not cast on her creation in honour of one of my favourite Shakespearian characters. Over the years we’ve discovered our similarities that include Shakespeare, knitting, and dress making.

So far I have a few inches of the lace repeat on the back complete. The pattern actually calls for 2″ worth of patterning before starting the waste decreases. I have made an executive decision. Since I enjoy my sweaters and tops a wee bit longer, I knit 4″ and have now begun the repeats.

Four inches down! Now the decreases. This is truly a fast knit.

Speaking of Harmonies, I’ve been knitting with the Harmony straights. I love my Harmony Interchangeables and when I saw the straights for sale from Knit Picks I could not resist. They are beautiful. I like needles with a bit of grab to them and these certainly have it. They have very sharp tips and provide just enough grab so that I don’t drop my stitches off the needles. Here they are in all their glory (yes they come with the case – a beautiful black jaquard):

The Harmonies - my new favourite needles.

As a treat and reward to myself for making some progress I have begun to knit a repeat or two in between boxes. The Osteoarthritis and neck issues tell me that I must do this slowly. Even though there is only 6 weeks until the move (STRESS) I must take things slowly. If I overdo one day, I pay for it over the next few. So I spent the past three days packing a box and knitting a row. This is a great little system.

The office is almost packed…just a few odds and ends to go.

These are my boxes of books. Just my reference books, mind you, but lots of books. I love my books.

Every time I move I wonder why I have so many books. Why have I held onto books from my childhood? Why do I still have Berenstein Bears and Disney picture books? Why have I held onto books from Astronomy 101 and other’s from obscure classes that I’ll never think about again? Why do I have 18 copies of As You Like It (nevermind…silly question)…

I have thought about this over the past week as I looked around my house and noted each stack of books, each shelving unit crammed full of paperbacks next to hard covers, and while weeding out old research articles and other notes of interest. I have thought about this question as I packed each box while lovingly caressing the pages of books I hold dear. I have come to a conclusion.

I love my books.

That conclusion is I LOVE MY BOOKS. Each book not only contains pages of informative tidbits, but also memories of my life. I remember where I was when I bought each book. I remember my child hood and the excitement of receiving my Shakespearian Anthology. I remember meeting one of my best friends during a History 101 class. As countless volumes filled with political science tidbits pass through my hands and into the box, I remember meeting my husband and beginning the journey that has led me here. I flip through the pages of books I read to my children each night and remember their imaginations ignite with each word. I pick up books that have been brought back from travels. I feel the excitement of days past as I gaze upon the signatures of many an author within the pages of my personally signed copies.

Signed by The Yarn Harlot during the Saskatchewan Stitches Conference 2009.

So why do I hold onto my books? Why can I not let them go? I hold onto my books for they are filled with memories marking milestones in my life. They remind me of where I was and how far I’ve come. They fill me with warm thoughts and hold the promise of the future. Each book I own will one day pass to my daughter who will, I hope, hold them in a similar esteem. It is my hope that one day she will remember her own memories and milestones when she packs them up and takes them along on her own journey through life.

Books waiting patiently to be packed and moved to their new home.

I finished my first pair of socks, been knitting frantically all weekend, so no housework or study done.  They are not identical as I didn’t quite work out how it went with the self patterning yarn and the finishing on the toes is different, I finally ‘got’ Kitchener stitch on the second pair, the first pair I did three needle bind off. But I am really happy as I learnt all the principles of turning the heel, Kitchener etc from the Yarn Harlot’s book “Knitting Rules”.

My next pair will be toe up but till then I have cast on 500 stitches for eldest son’s 16th birthday scarf, a length-ways knit moss stitch scarf in pale grey and charcoal grey.  He chose the colours and the pattern so I’m not spoiling any surprise.  My portable project will be my Hermione Hearts Ron beanie, a replica of the cute grey cable and eyelet beanie Hermione wears in the latest Harry Potter film.

I follow Yarn Harlot’s blog and she has been talking about the Sock Summit for a while now. The Sock Summit is a conference dedicated to knitting of socks. Crazy, I know. They have an amazing lineup of famous knitters (no, not people who are famous who knit but people who are famous among knitters). It sounds like a fabulous time and I do wish I could be there. Now I have only knit one pair of socks in my life. They were plain and beautiful. In honour of the Sock Summit I will cast on my second pair tomorrow morning. I will knit Monkey Socks by Cookie A using Panda Silk yarn. Tonight I swatch to see what set of my new Knit Picks metal needles I should use. I have no illusions that I will finish the socks while the summit is going on. Maybe in a few years I will be a good enough knitter to join in such fun.

I’m such a nerd that I even commented on Yarn Harlot’s blog today “I like the idea of casting on a sock in honour of the Sock Summit 2009. I will cast on the second pair I’ve ever knit tomorrow and think of everyone there. Sock on!” I didn’t link to this blog because it was empty – how embarrassing. Now I’ve fixed that – my first post.

Love their logo:

Somewhere there’s a Sock Summit going on and I’m not there. It’s in Portland, Oregon and Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka the Yarn Harlot, has a hand in it so it’s bound to be good.  I aspire to Stephanie’s sock habits; this is a woman who’ll knock up a pair while waiting for a plane or having a beer before dinner.  And when she’s not producing socks she’s writing the world’s most commented-on blog (300-400 comments every day, and a phenomenal 4,400 when she recently discussed being cyber-stalked by a nutter who didn’t like her celebration of all things Canadian).

Earlier this year when I was in the full flush of Landmark fervour and setting myself six impossible things before breakfast (apols and thanks to Lewis Carroll and Joanna Young), I fantasised about going to the Sock Summit — “Taking sock knitting almost too far” –  and then coming back and heading off again in October, this time to New York, to give a paper at a walking conference about my community project, A Walk in the Park.  Well, these things haven’t come to pass, so I’m hereby declaring open my own Sock Summit, taking place this very day in Melbourne, Australia.

First exhibit is the pair I’ve almost finished for my mother.  The dusty pinks and browns are very much her “palette”.  She is a superb and prolific quilter (you daren’t walk too fast past cupboards in her house lest the doors spring open and you become buried in fabric squares and triangles), and you can see this palette in the Roebuck quilt shown here.  The Roebuck quilt is the design first made by the Roebuck sisters on their voyage to Australia around 1860.

Very pleased with these socks. They’re in a new yarn called Regia, made in Italy for Coats GmbH Germany.  It’s in the colourway called “Mirage Canyon” which made it just right to take with me in the 4WD bouncing over the red stones of the desert last week.  Incredibly, it comes with a 10 year guarantee and is “dryer proof.”  The yarn is impeccably smooth and even, and spools through the hand so effortlessly it practically knits itself.  The one curious thing is that it’s designed by the longstanding master of colour in all things craft — Kaffe Fassett — and yet, in comparison with Opal and Online and the other specialist sock yarns, the colours are muted. 

If Mum’s palette is dusty pinks and browns, I’m more of a green, pink and red woman. Hence my attraction to all things Noro, the Japanese manufacturer of the Kureyon sock yarn in the second exhibit below.

Gorgeous colour, isn’t it?  But not at all like the well-behaved Regia. This yarn twists and knots, and even — ultimate yarn transgression — breaks off in one’s hand.  As they used to say of driving Volkswagon beetles, one has to knit it like one hates it.  The resulting fabric also has very little springiness or energy and I suspect they’ll sag quite quickly on wearing.  Still, maybe I could frame them, what?

Well, the good thing about the crazy all over the place, non-focused, ADHD knitting I do is that sometimes multiple things get finished in the same week.
These are  Christine’s Stay On Baby Booties [r] I’ve got to go buy ribbons, but they are ready for being at the Sock Summit Booth (Knit A Bit, #808).

And this is Baby Mine by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka the Yarn Harlot. I think it would fit a 6 month old, not a 3 month old, but we’ll see. I’m hoping I can get it on her without it being too large around late October, early November. Pattern available from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. Size 4 US needles. Used 1 skein of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock medium weight in Moirae. Quick knit really. I finished the 80% of the yoke during a marathon 8 hr baby class – it was a make up session.

We spent the better part of Friday and Sunday racing around doing last minute baby shopping. And also replacing some things that have been recently destroyed. While I was sick, I broke a very old mercury thermometer while sitting in my office chair. The mercury appeared to be only all over the chair. So we got a new one at IKEA. I love it. It’s actually better than my old chair, so ha! The side effect of these trips is that I finally got to go the Knitting Bee in Beaverton. What a beautiful shop. Not only did I get to see Black Trillium’s dyeing work in person (very nice), I got to stare at an incredible selection of Malabrigo Sock. They also had Blue Sky Alpacas new SPUD and Chloe yarns, some of which come in SOCK! The sock yarn is 80% merino and 20% silk. Yummy yummy and TEMPTING. Wonder if they’d sell me some wholesale for dyeing. Prolly not! Any how, the upshot is that I got burnt out by a lack of food (again) and my husband made me feel better with some Malabrigo.I lead a shitty life and I’m unspoiled, right? I think it’s the Indiecita colorway.  The tag I have says “sock.”

]]> http://saskatoonstitcher.wordpress.com/2009/06/28/350/ Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:06:10 +0000 bonniezink http://saskatoonstitcher.wordpress.com/2009/06/28/350/

A beautiful sweater! Melistress completed her version of Hey Teach just in time to meet the Yarn Harlot in Muenster, Saskatchewan in early June. The occasion, as you know, was to meet our knitterly idol, and Melistres’s SOUL MATE (of course), in Muenster, Saskatchewan.

Melistress, locked herself in her bedroom one day and completed her version in a beautiful eggplant / purple. I am in love with the colour and the yarn. Misty International Pima Cotton and Silk (this is a Ravelry link) is a blend that results in softness that is addictive. The cotton / silk create a lush yarn that is addictive to work with and a joy to wear. I spent the day petting my dear knitterly friend and decided that I too needed to give this yarn a home within my knitterly wardrobe.

Off I went to the LYS and horded most of the blush pink colourway in stock. It didn’t take me long to decide that Hey Teach needed to be my sweater too. The bodice is an easy and quick lace pattern and the lower portion of the body is straight stockinette. What better project to practice my new skills on?
Stephanie Pearl-McFee taught us how to knit for speed and efficiency and I was eager to give it a go.

After a few rows of stockinette my muscle memory began to form. By the time I finished the back piece, I was picking up speed. Once the front panels were complete, my confidence rose. By the time I completed the arms, neck, button placket, and button band I felt as if I could use this technique on future project with a much higher level of difficulty.

A close up of the lace patterning and buttons. The buttons have lived in my stash for over 15 years. I picked them up during my Sales Consultant Days at Fabricland. During inventory (where I counted each and EVERY single button) I fell in love with these beauties. They are from Domcord Belding (H2005). They have a unique pearl type face, outlined in gold tone that has swirls of green, ivory, and pink / peach tones. They seemed to fit the yarn beautifully. I’m so glad I finally found a home for them.)

The project was complete in a few weeks. I am in love with this summer time sweater. I did make a few modifications to the pattern, though. I added two inches in length to the stockinette portion. Should I make this one again I would also add a couple more repeats below the arm in the lace portion of the bodice. The large size seems to fit alright, but a bit more length would definitely make me feel more comfortable. However, I can live with this result.

The most significant modification I would make to this garment (the summer version) would be to knit it as a pullover instead of a cardigan. I just may do this next time round. For now, though, I seemed the placket and button band together and created a mock cardigan look to it. It is definitely an improved and more comfortable fit for me.

Levering my way through this sweater was a great experience. I’m happy with the end product and plan to cast on a winter version with long sleeves. A little searching and I’ve found an innovative knitter who has already done the calculations!I have some kettle dyed Knit Picks yarn just waiting to become another beauty.

Thanks to a lovely suggestion, I have been looking into Irish Cottage knitting as a way for throwers to speed up their knitting style. This video makes fascinating watching. Look how fast Yarn Harlot knits!!! No wonder she produces so much knitting as well as writing books, going on book tours and lectures:-)

I’d heard of a Shetland style that held one needle still under the armpit – sometimes using a little holder – but I never knew what it was called or seen it in action.

I think this will take a bit of practice to get the hang of but I won’t be bothered by miles of st st patterning again if I can crack this!!

I laboured and fretted while readying to jet off to Winnipeg, Manitoba this past week.  I’m in attendance at the Canadian Public Health Association’s Annual Conference.  This is the largest and most widely attended population health and public health conference in Canada.  Considering my other life, outside of knitting, it was a must attend.

I flew to Winnipeg on Sunday afternoon.  I prepared everything I would need previous to the Yarn Harlot appearance in Muenster, Saskatchewan as I would be in attendance there all day and evening.  I was under the impression that knitting was not allowed on a plane.  Visions of being separated from my beloved yarn and needles haunted me.

Stories of unsuspecting and innocent knitters having their wares ripped from their hands by the airport security guards were fresh in my mind.  Scenarios of terror trickled into my consiousness as I watched and learned and listened to the Yarn Harlot teach us the intracies of knitting for speed and efficiency.  However, it was small comfort considering that in mere hours I would have to hide my beauties in my stow away luggage.  The dark and damp underbelly of a plane is no place for Harmony DPNs and the sock growing from them.

I mentioned my plight to the Yarn Harlot as she walked the isle knitting away.  “How do you manage to get the knitting on the plane?” I inquired.

Her reply amazed me.  She had taken, in her carry on luggage no less, several sets of 14″ inch straights, balls of yarn, socks in progress, Signature DPNs, a shawl in progress, and other knitterly notions.  No one batted an eye and none of the needles were wooden…they were metal!

“When you go through security, just mention to mind the knitting,” was her reply.  Calm and cool.  Knitting makes it on the flight and no one gets injured.  When will various aspects of society understand that it is more dangerous to remove a knitter from her knitting?  Anything can happen if we are let to mingle with society without a distraction to keep our lesser than honourable tendancies in check.  As the Yarn Harlot noted, without knitting she’d rifle through everyone’s bags instead just to keep from losing patience.  Makes sense to me.

My spirits lifted.  If someone as travel accomplished as the Yarn Harlot can get knitting and sundries on a plane then I should be able to as well.  Life is about risks … I decided to take the risk.

Risk taken.  Knitting accomplished.  Everyone is alive and well.  Progress made.

I decided to cast on a stockinette sock with a 1 x 1 ribbbed cuff.  Simple knitting was needed to practice the lever, or Irish Cottage / Production Knitting, technique that the Yarn Harlot taught.  Let me say I love it!!!!  Now for a photo or two …

The view from my window seat.  That is a long way down.  Pretty landscape appeared as the clouds dissipated upon our approach to Winnipeg.

My artsy photo of the sock in progress (enjoying the view of the landscape from 30,000 feet up in the air).

The happy yarn and beginning ribbing of a sock finally let out of the purse into the light.  I lever knit all the way from Calgary to Winnipeg and no one said a word!  Happy sock, happy passengers, and happy me!!!

How could I end a post without showing off my COMPLETE, yes that’s right COMPLETE, library of SIGNED Harlot books.  I’m still tickled over this one.  By the way, did I mention that she signed them with my Aurora pink pen (18 K white gold  nib) with pink ink????  How cool is this!?!  The piece of knitting is the sample practice work that was accomplished during class as we picked, threw, and levered our way through the day.

Stay tuned…more anecdotes and loads more photos to come in further posts…

What do you do when you’ve been overloaded with public health nuances and population health research for 2 days and still another day and 1/2 to go?  Why you spend some time looking up knitting videos on YouTube.  Seriously…

While searching out and watching various snippets of funnies that other knitters across the globe have posted to YouTube, I came across this one:

There really are some talented and humourous souls in this world, wouldn’t you say?

You know, the night before I thought that I would get into bed and I thought that I would get some sleep and I thought that maybe, just maybe, I would be totally refreshed and full of energy for the trip to the Saskatchewan Stitches Conference.  Instead, I tossed and turned like a child trying to sleep on Giftmas eve.  I hardly slept a wink at all. 

In the morning, I dragged my sorry ass out of bed, got in the shower, pulled on some clothes, agonized about my hair and makeup, had an attack of conscience and by the time I was done, Bonnie and Jeannette were pulling up to my house.  My son, who was delivering papers, was kind enough to stop by the house for a moment to take our picture as we embarked on our much anticipated journey. 

In the classroom as soon as we got there, was Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, setting up.  My first thought?  She’s so tiny!  Bonnie took it upon herself to immediately introduce her to me.  A lot of people don’t seem to realize this but I am more shy than I seem to be once you’ve gotten to know me and from the way I may present myself on the internet.  I must have turned a million shades of purple when she did that but Stephanie smiled and shook my hand saying “Oh yes, I’ve read your blog.  You’re funny…and scarey.”  Ok…so that might not be the exact quote but it was almost verbatim.

All I could think was…

OH

MY

GOD

She reads my blog.  Kill me now.  All of these posts and all of the indications that someone has been reading them by linking from the comments on her blog and it has never occurred to me that it would be her reading my blog.  NEVER. 

Before class started we presented her with a certificate making her an honorary member of Saskatoon Knitting Circle as well as some hand painted (by Mary) Saskatchewan Alpaca from Turtleford.  She was delighted. 

The class was wonderful and we dominated a lot of her time.  Hopefully not to the annoyance of the other students in the class.  She gave a good talk on the “Way Knit Was” (history) followed by a short feminist rant and then taught us the different knitting techniques.  I think my favorite knitting fact was that the first knitter was likely an Islamic male in the middle east.  The pickers struggled over throwing.  The throwers struggled over picking, and EVERYONE struggled over lever knitting which, of course, was the Way Knit Was. 

By the end of the day we were dead tired.  The wait for her keynote address was long.  We silently struggled with staying awake on the cozy couches in the college so that we could listen to her just one more time before heading home.  After all, when would we ever see her again? 

After her brilliant and funny keynote we had one more opportunity to talk to her.  One of our members were unable to come with us so she was kind enough to allow us to take a picture of her holding a picture of him, in essence allowing us to have his picture taken with her.  I’m sure he will be delighted. 

All in all, she was a great sport. She didn’t have the RCMP waiting and we hadn’t knit a giant i-cord to tie her to any llonely llamas.  But we did want to take her home.  In a way, we did because we will always have the memory of our girl’s trip to hang with the monks and knit with the Harlot.  As I was leaving the keynote she told me that it was very nice to meet me and that I needed to work on being more creepy and less nice if I was going to be a stalker(and she had some suggestions for how if I needed them).  Well, ma’am.  If you are reading this, I am honored to have met you and I will be waiting for those creepy stalker pointers.  Maybe if we put our heads together I can help you effectively stalk and meet Prince.

For more photos of our adventures in Muenster, please visit this link. 

Every come across one of those moments in your personal history where the combination of events was helped along by the fates? Well, I did. On Saturday June 6, 2009 I hit the highway with my daughter and one of the ‘bestest’ friends a gal could have (Melistress, can you make room for my new BFF, Stephanie?).

6:30 am: The three merry knitters of Saskatoon hit the highway.
8:00 am: The three merry knitters excitedly awaited their opportunity to meet with the Harlot.
8:30 am: Merry knitter #1, and the Harlots new BFF, set up and commenced introductions.
“Stephanie, I would like you to meet your own personal and official stalker, Melissa. Oh, and by the way could sign ALL of my books with the most beautiful pen you’ll ever lay your fingers on?” said I.
9:00 am – 4 pm: Learning with the Harlot. Who knew such godly and useful advice would be doled out with the patience and perseverance of a saint?
7:30 pm: An enlightening speech delivered eloquently by the Harlot. Who knew science and knitting could be a giggle inducer?
9:00 pm: We travelled home and couldn’t stop talking about the excitement of the day.

And the frivolity began. A beautiful day was had by all. My dreams came true. My inner writer and collector satisfied. My need for learning satiated. I can die happy.

Thank you, Steph (you don’t mind my familiarity, do you? After all, we are BFF’s now, right?) for a beautiful experience.

I thought I’d post a tiny memento from the festivities in Meunster, SK. Who knew a bunch of knitters, a few Monks, a Harlot, and a whole lot of sticks and string would blend so nicely together?

Yes, Kate, that IS the Harlot signing my books with a quality pen. No Ugly and Sad or demented pens in this crowd! The pen is a pink Aurora fountain pen and one of my prides. Thanks, Stephanie for indulging my obsessions! Did I mention she signed ALL of my books and with MY favourite pen. Oh my!

Meeting our Knitterly Idol. Where is the Harlot’s hand knit sweater? Well, since SHE does read Melistress’s blog and since said blog announced that Heh Teach would compliment Melistress’s beauty the Harlot graciously left hers in her suitcase. My Decimal and I were quite happy to this close to fame!

I debuted the completed Decimal at Saskatchewan Stitchers Conference 2009 and received many looks, a few feels of the fibre, and more compliments than I can remember. I agree, it is a beautiful summer cardigan. It hasn’t disappointed me yet and I’m sure it will remain a part of my wardrobe for years to come.

Let me say this, the Harlot (my new BFF, not SOUL MATE – that would be Melistress’s claim) is a very kind and indulgent celebrity. (Yes, Stephanie, you are a celeb. since you’ve your own personal stalker and all that). She fielded our queries with a smile. She shared her knowledge and love of a craft that really isn’t as old as the ages as we originally thought (many thanks to that Islamic guy wishing for a little extra warmth a thousand years ago for coming up with a combination of sticks and string resulting in loops and laughs). She signed all my books, TOTALLY denied any thoughts of calling the RCMP – you know the stalker reference and all that, patiently led us down a path to more productive knitting, and gave us a smile or two along the way.

A FANTABULOUS day! I’m getting ready to head out to Winnipeg for the week, so I’ll leave you with one more sight that left most of us breathless. It is the view as you leave the main doors of the Abbey…breathtaking…

A heavenly end to a spectacular day. Who knew?

More pictures and anecdotes to follow…

If I took your photo and you would enjoy a copy, please send me an email and I’ll forward it onto you!

Knit Two is Kate Jacobs’ Friday Night Knitting Club sequel. It is a chance to become reacquainted with the Manhattan circle of knitting friends ifrom Friday Night Knitting Club. She’s also included an afghan pattern and two recipes. I might have to pick this one up.

I’m now following her on Twitter: KateJacobsBooks. She has three books out, one is about food entitled Comfort Food. So far I enjoy her writing. She maintains a blog and a very well put together website too: www.katejacobs.com.

You’ve read FNKC, haven’t you? Maybe it is time to read more of her stuff.

Another Update:

Only one more sleep until we meet Melistress’s SOUL MATE, aka the Yarn Harlot. We’ve our needles at the ready, our knitting bags well stocked, a gift for the Harlot in tow, and enough excitement to make her visit to Saskatchewan SHINE! She won’t forget her time here. So put on some lip stick, comb the hair, jump in the car, and come visit Stephanie with us! We have been promised a photo with her. Honestly, no one can describe the excitement level better than Melistress: “We are so excited we could just pee!”

So there you have it…

PS: Watch for fuller reviews of my reading endeavours in the future.

The clocks ticks off the minutes one by one and with each tick another tock is added to the excitement meter.

Meeting the Yarn Harlot has been on my “to-do” for quite some time. I find her written expertise enjoyable. Her knitterly prowess is to be envied (she churns out successful almost faster than the rest of us can make colour and yarn decisions). She is Canadian! This last bit cannot be outdone.

Often our icons and heroes are NOT Canadian. They hail from other parts of the globe. They visit Canada and often state their love of Canada, but they don’t possess the spirit of a true Canadian. However, the Yarn Harlot, a Tortontonian, is Canadian to her heart. Her kind spirit shines through her essays, her Canadian sense of humour (often thought of as dry, the Canadian sense of humour is really a bit on the twisted side – we love to laugh at ourselves – it helps keeps us warm through the winter) punctuates her musings on knitting and the Canadian lifestyle.

On June 6, 2009 my fellow Saskatoon Knitting Circle members and I are leaving Saskatoon about 6 am to drive the 160 odd km drive to Meunster, Saskatchewan. This is the home of St. Peter’s Abby, which will house the Saskatchewan Stitching Conference – organized and hosted every year by the Haus of Stitches in Humboldt, Saskatchewan. The drive will be a long and early one. However, this is the sacrifice even my 16 year old teenage knitter is willing to make.

As the days are ticked off the calendar, our hearts get a bit lighter and our excitement builds as we move ever closer to the meeting of our Canadian and knitterly icon…

Are you ready for us Stephanie? ‘Cause here we come!!!

I don’t know how many blogs have a post with this title… For those of you who are not familiar, the Yarn Harlot, a.k.a. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is an author who also keeps this blog. She writes books about knitting and knitters, and I think they are very funny, as is her blog. I had never had the illusion that I would actually get to meet her, or a book signed, especially when I was living in a little town, far, far away. But the other day, there was an announcement on her website, that she was going to visit Legacy Books, a bookstore in Plano, TX. This happens to not be terribly far away from me! So I asked my husband whether he was going to be home at a reasonable time on Friday, May 29th, because I wanted to go to this book signing, and if I had to I would have gone with 2 little children by myself. But he said he would come along! Woohoo. Well, things did not go as fast as I would have liked on Friday, and after getting dinner at a fast food place which shall not be named, we finally got to Legacy books around 7:15pm. But then we still had to find a parking place, and even though in the morning there were plenty, that evening there was absolutely nothing. After someone stole a spot we were waiting for, we finally got one after someone else left.

It was now very close to 7:30, the time Stephanie was going to appear, and I didn’t want to miss anything! So I ran ahead with the baby, and husband and toddler were “right” behind me. Of course at this point there was standing room only, but I found a spot from where I could see reasonably well. Husband told me when they finally caught up with me that there was a children reading time going to start downstairs in just a little bit, and that toddler and he were going to go there. Great, no problem. At this point I realized I had forgotten both my camera, and my knitting! Oh well, I was there, and Stephanie had not appeared yet. I could survive. I did make one really crappy picture with my phone, but I have no idea how to liberate it. If I ever manage, I will post it. I also still had baby with me, and I really did not believe he would be sleeping in his carseat the whole time.

It was wonderful to see so many people knitting and spinning. A lot of socks, but also some shawls and other objects. I saw a couple of friends, some of whom I had only met through the internet, and it was great to finally meet them in person. Finally Stephanie appeared, and first gave a wonderful and funny talk about knitting, and the fact that there are studies (one from Cambridge, England no less) that proofed that knitters are getting smarter every day, deal better with trauma, and are happier. I also learned that another term for knitting is “repetitive, visual and spatial task”.

And then Stephanie went to sign books. The Legacy Bookstore had a really good system for which they handed out colored numbers to determine the order in line. I had number 5. Going in early that day to buy my book The Free Range Knitter paid off, and not just so I made sure I had the book, and it wasn’t sold out. But Stephanie trampled all over their “rules” though, by doing some “pre-boarding”. Elderly and the very young first. Or if you had a $25 per hour baby sitter or any other good reason. I didn’t hurry, because my kids were doing well, husband had come back, with toddler, and they had made a very nice coloring picture, and apparently toddler had decided he had to have a book about the cars from the Disney movie Cars. It is one of the few movies he has ever seen, and he loves it. So he got a new book out of it. But eventually I did make it to the line, and to Stephanie, and then I made a complete fool of myself. I was holding baby, and Stephanie looks up and asks: “Did you make that your self?” I thought she was talking about baby’s clothes, which were sewn and store bought, and said eeuuhm, no. And then I realized based on her reaction that she was talking about baby, not his clothes! So I rectified my answer (Euh, yeah, I did make him), but I felt so foolish! Fortunately she still signed my book, and even took a picture of baby and me! (Stephanie loves babies, and they almost always get a picture on her blog).

All together, not counting my very foolish behavior, it was a great evening. Husband had promised toddler that he could go to the children’s section one more time before we left. I had been looking for one more lady whom I wanted to meet, the organizer of a knitting group in my area. but I was not entirely certain what she looked like, though I knew she was with her family. I had however at this point harassed every person with a child, and had not found her, and basically given up. There was a lady downstairs in the children’s section, and we got to talking a bit, and I not only discover she actually belongs to this group, she was actually the organizer, and the person I had been looking for. Her family had done like mine, and stayed downstairs. LOL We had a wonderful talk, and our kids had a wonderful time on the “Fatboy” pillows that were there. We got home pretty late, but the kids didn’t seem to mind, and I had a wonderful time.