Beach knitting, free pattern, and student vacation knitting

We just got back from a lovely week at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
One morning I happened to wake up to see this lovely sunrise so I quickly grabbed my camera, ran out to the balcony, snapped some pictures, then jumped back in bed for a couple more hours of sleep!




One of my favorite things in all the world to do is to sit in a low beach chair close to the water and knit...one of my ideas of what heaven must be!! So, here is the photo Max snapped of me doing just that:
One lady who was staying in the same building that we were came up to me and said "I see you every day because you are in the background of my favorite picture of my daughter at the beach". She showed me the picture she took last year and yep, there I was sitting and knitting at the water's edge!

So, what was I knitting on? Some hand-warmers for 2 special young ladies who go to my church. I have told them that the hand warmers have Rehoboth sun and sand knit into them to keep them especially warm this winter! They are perfect for beach knitting since they are small and not too "thought provoking" (hopefully not "provoking" for you at all!) You can click here to download my free pattern:

http://bit.ly/19xWtdc

One of my students who is vacationing in the "wilds" of Maine emailed me this:

"Today we went to an alpaca farm and saw them raising 11 of the cute little guys. They have such sweet faces! I took some pictures which I hope to share with you.

Then we went to a yarn shop in another little town and I purchased enough yarn to make a really cute top. I fell in love with the color - cobalt blue - ; I got the yarn and also the pattern. The yarn is alpaca wool from Bolivia. Alpaca is the theme of the day."

So, dear knitters, be sure and let me know about your vacation (or "staycation") knitting! Remember you can post in a comment or email me (see my email address on left-hand sidebar).
Happily "sandy" Mary

Rosebud Baby jacket and class and a brochure

This spring I made a little jacket and cap for a friend at church who was having a baby girl. Many of my students have requested the pattern and for now I will only provide it to students who have taken one of my "Rosebud" classes. So, I have scheduled a Rosebud class for July 8, 2009 at 10 am. The cost will be $10 a student. We will be making a little purse with the Rosebuds on the flap so that the stitch can be learned on a small amount of stitches.

Everyone who takes the class will receive the pattern for the baby jacket and cap plus a pattern for a Rosebud Scarf.

If you'd like to sign up email me at

notesfromknitclass@gmail.com

Also, I have put a brochure on the left sidebar with information about my classes. You can download it at http://bit.ly/19xWtdc and print it out. I am offering my current students a $10 rebate if a student they have referred signs up for one of my fall classes. So, my dear current students, you can use the brochure to "lure" a new student in and get your rebate!

Knitting hugs from Mary, who is currently making another baby sweater for another new baby at church and calling it "Eat Your Peas and Carrots". Summer Clinic students can see it in progress and fall students will get to see the photos since little babe is due the end of July!

Travel knitting

My DH Max and I took a road trip down to Florida for my nephew's wedding. There were lots of festivities at beautiful Florida houses as friends of my brother and his wife hosted some fun parties. Here are pictures I took at the "Cocktails on the Beach" party at a lovely home right on the ocean and the fun "Bluegrass and BBQ on the Banks" at a wonderful home on the Intercostal Waterway.
I especially love car trips because my DH really likes to drive which leaves me free to "knit my way" to where we're going! On this trip one of things I worked on (and finished!) was this:


A little crocheted purse for a specific purpose: I like to walk around the house listening to music on my much loved Ipod Touch but I'm not always wearing something with pockets to stick my Ipod in while I'm listening. So....the little Ipod Neck Pocket was born! I started out writing down what I did as I did it, but kept adding little finishing touches that I didn't write down so unfortunately don't have a finished pattern to share. The cord starts out as a chain but I added stitches and several inches of single crochet where it lays against my neck which makes it very comfortable. I put the Ipod in upside down so I can reach the on and off buttons easily. Here are some more photos:


Here it is being worn around my neck:

















And, here is a close-up with Ipod in it. The X is to safeguard the Ipod from falling through the opening!











All in all, I'm a happy little camper wearing it, as strange as it may look!!

Oh, also on the trip we listened to the Audio CD of "The Number One Ladies Detective Agency". We loved it and we're looking forward to our next long car trip to listen to the next book in the series: "Tears of the Giraffe".

Let me know what you are reading, listening to, knitting and crocheting this summer...
Mary

A shrug vest with sleeves (free pattern for sleeves) and another student project.

I have a finished project to "show off"! My Baby Alpaca Grande Vest is done (you can see what others have done with this pattern on Ravelry at http://tinyurl.com/ptqkvt ). I bought the pattern from L & B Yarn Co. (http://tinyurl.com/pn39kg ).
I decided to add sleeves to it and have written up a pattern for what I have done. So, if you decide to buy the pattern and make this vest, you can download my sleeve pattern for free here:

http://bit.ly/19xWtdc

). And, here are some pictures:














About 10 of my students are making this shrug/vest. Marion, one of my Tuesday morning students brought in her finished one so I had to take a picture. Didn't she do a great job!?
Bonnie, one of my Monday morning students, just finished a vest.
Isn't it cute? She did a beautiful job!

















Oh, here's a picture for another clue for the mystery project that I made:
So, I use it to hold something and it's VERY little...any guesses yet??

If you want me to email you when I put up my next installment (post) please let me know in a comment. I'll then add you to the notify list.

Well, off to knit and hopefully finish some more projects....
Mary

Sheep and Wool, Students' projects, and a tiny mystery!

Yesterday was one of my favorite days of the year: the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival! My dear husband loves to go and wander around the whole Festival grounds, I love to go and spend my time looking over the various yarn vendors' offerings! So, we both have fun. If you are a knitter and live anywhere near Howard County Fairgrounds in Maryland, you should go at least once in your life. It is always the first weekend in May. Here's their website:
http://www.sheepandwool.org/
Even on a slightly rainy, over-cast day like yesterday it was a super experience of people," knitterly" things, and lots of sheep baa-baaing!

I was very restrained in my buying: only one skein of yarn and one pattern.
The yarn is "sitting" in my brain deciding what it wants to become.

And, the pattern is the Musette scarf by Candance Eisner Strick.It calls for a boucle yarn and has a flower on one end and the other end pulls through the center of the flower.

The pattern is also "mulling over" in my mind mentally going through my stash.

You can see more details about the Musette scarf at:
http://www.strickwear.com/cgi-bin/viewitem.pl?cat=1055

The "sitting" and "mulling" in my brain are always exciting and one of my favorite parts of knitting where there are endless possibilities and no mistakes made yet!




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Oh, and also my Max bought me a 2009 Maryland Sheep and Wool T-shirt. I just love this year's logo drawing!

Last week a couple of my Mitered Square Workshop students came to their regular classes with Mitered Square projects in progress! :

Peg's Mitered Square Mini-purse almost finished. She did finish it in class and it looks great!

Ann started a the Mitered Square Scarf Pattern that I designed for my students. This scarf looks great with varigated yarn and she's doing a lovely job!

There will be more student projects to share in my next post! So, students keep those knitting needles clicking and be ready to be photographed!

Now for the "little mystery" project. Can you guess what this is (and yes, it's crocheted not knitted, but you non-crocheters can still "guess"!) ??

Hope all knitters are enjoying whatever weather you're having. Here in Maryland it's spring and raining...but a super day for sitting inside by a window soaking in the greenery of spring and knitting!

Mary