Mitered Fun

This week I gave 2 Mitered Square Workshops. For the class I designed a little purse (shown above) made of 2 mitered squares to teach mitered square basics. Each person received a key ring to attach to their little purse. They had a choice of a button loop closure (shown below) or a flap (like the one above). I have attached one of mine to my everyday purse to carry lactaid tablets in. Students had other ideas such as carrying a decaf tea bag in case the restaurant where you're eating doesn't have decaf tea. Or, clip it to your jacket zipper and carry a key when you're out walking or jogging.


In trying to find some YouTube videos of mitered squares to put here on the blog for you to watch, not only did YouTube come up with knitting videos but also carpentry videos...so knitters, we share the "mitered square" with woodworkers!

Mitered Square knitting is sometimes called Modular knitting. And, you might ask who "invented" modular knitting and thus mitered squares? Well, a woman named Virginia Woods Bellamy invented a type of knitting in the 1940s. Where did I find this information? On "the girl from auntie's wonderful website:

http://www.girlfromauntie.com/journal/index.php/2005/so-who-invented-modular-knitting/

She has an interesting history of Virginia Woods Bellamy and Modular knitting.







Here are some "scenes" from the workshops. Everyone left with one square finished and had at least started the 2nd square. Some left with the little purse almost finished.
I think everyone had a good time and learned a new technique. It's so much fun introducing knitters to new ways to take their "knitting path".

I also designed a scarf of mitered squares and a cap for my students to get more mitered square practice.



The cap is a variation of Holly's cap at
http://www.hjsstudio.com/miter.html#hat .
She has a great tutorial and all kinds of information on her website.

And, here's a picture of the scarf.










Well, that's enough "mitering" for today. I have some more pictures and ideas which I'll post soon.

Mittens visits class and a tutorial

On Monday our kitty, Mittens, decided to "visit" class by jumping up on the knitting table. All of my students love that and don't like me to tell Mittens she doesn't belong there...Mittens doesn't like that either!

Yesterday a student was working on a pattern that called for a yarn-over followed by a SKP (slip a stitch, knit the next stitch, pass slipped stitch over the just knitted stitch). To do a yarn-over after a knit stitch, usually you just bring your yarn forward as if you are going to purl and knit the next stitch:



Her pattern read as follows:
K 1, YO (yarn over), SKP
Now, doing an SKP right after a YO can be tricky because the YO likes to “sneak” over the slipped stitch and look like the stitch that you will use to pass over the knitted stitch:


So, you will need to move the yarn-over out of the way and pull the "real" slipped stitch over the knit stitch:
Dear knitters, do watch out for those yarn-overs!

Free Pattern Spring gift for knitters

Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Happy Spring
I just love this part of spring when the new "baby" leaves are first coming out. There's a tree outside our bedroom window that I just love to watch each day to see the leaves grow.
Here's a picture I took this morning from our window:
In honor of spring I am sharing a "leafy" pattern. It's called "Leaf Bookmark & Necklace". Leaves often represent new life to me. You can use it to wear or to bookmark your current "read". This is a pattern I designed last summer. I made these for some special people who briefly entered my life. Last summer I became very anemic and had to have 8 weekly iron infusions. The nurses in the Infusion room were so caring and made the experience a happy one. So I gave each nurse one on the day of my last infusion. They were delighted and I was very grateful for the "new energized life" in my body! It's a quick pattern to make so it makes a great last minute gift. Here are some pictures:

Here's where you can get the pattern:

http://bit.ly/19xWtdc

 

So, put some new life into your knitting with the Leaf Bookmark and Necklace!

Counting Rows

Yesterday morning one of my new students was working on the cable pullover that I designed for my intermediate knitters to teach them certain techniques that will help them in future knitting projects. As I was walking around the class table I saw that she had completed her first cable successfully (!) and asked her how she was keeping track of her rows. She said she was keeping the count in her head. I pointed out that it might be better to keep track with pencil and paper or with a row counter. If the phone rings as you're working on your project or someone starts talking to you or you put it away and get it out later, the row numbers that you had in your head may just go out one ear and not come in the other! I stressed that it is always is important to keep track elsewhere than just in your head. When she decided to use pencil and paper I showed her what some of my students like to do. I wrote down the number of rows she would be working in a numbered list like this:
1.
2.
3.
Then as you work each row, check it off. The checks will tell you what row you will be starting with next.

I found a neat YouTube video at http://tinyurl.com/d4poep where counting the rows of a cable if you forget where you are in the pattern.

In my Tuesday evening class last night one of my students was starting the Sherlock Holmes Scarf (you can find free pattern and pictures at http://tinyurl.com/cvsrng ). This scarf is knit in the round with a 16 inch circular needle. Since my student would need to be counting rows and she couldn't figure out how to use a row counter on a circular needle I showed her what I do. I thread a thin piece of yarn through the center of the row counter using a tapestry needle. Then I put a safety pin onto the yarn and tie the yarn into a knot. You can now pin your counter to your ring marker that you are using to separate the beginning and end of your rounds. It's right there "in your face" each time you complete a round so you don't forget to turn it! Here's a picture:


So dear knitters, the important thing to remember is to COUNT those rows!
If you have a favorite way to keep track of your rows please write about it in the "comments" below.

A knitting teacher and designer introduces herself

Greetings to students past and present and future. As I was up-dating my student address list recently, I started thinking that it would be fun to have a way to keep in touch with so many of you who have shared my love of knitting and enriched my life.



Here’s a little bit of my knitting history:

I learned to knit when I was 8 years old and soon realized this was something that my heart and hands were meant to do: create miracles out of string and sticks! I continued to knit and learn about knitting throughout childhood and adolescence and as a young adult, began to sell some of my work. In addition to teaching knitting in several yarn shops over the years, I have also taught in after-school daycare centers, for the Recreation Department., at a home for unwed mothers, at senior centers for the Dept. of Aging, and have taught stroke patients at a local hospital. Currently, I teach most of my classes in my home. Whenever possible I attend classes and yarn markets at Knitting Conferences.



In my classes, fun and caring are very evident. Students always become chatty and sociable as they knit away. More than one new friendship has occurred among my students and many times a student has called asking if a friend can sign up for the class she’s in. Even making mistakes can be fun as students realize that making errors is just part of the knitting process---and sometimes those “errors” turn into a wonderful new design element!



Mary’s knitting philosophy:

“I believe that knitting and other handcrafts can be a way of having a little bit of immortality. Whatever I knit can be an heirloom that I leave behind. And with each stitch that our fingers create we can soar to new heights of creativity and joy as we add a little beauty to our world with what we create with yarn and needles. For me, knitting is truly a way of nourishing and healing the soul.”