Dudes!

I have a new cover!

I like it. :)

The book is due out in late November. Eeeeeeee!

Tutorial: Russian Join

I hate weaving in ends. Hate. It. Working with (non superwash) wool is great because I can spit splice. But what about non feltable fibers? Today I am spreading the gospel of the Russian join! Perfect for silk, cotton and superwash.

Here we have an undone knot in my skein. I am about to join it with the Russian join.

Thread your yarn through a tapestry needle. (I use a sewing needle for laceweight, because it is small and sharp). This is a dk weight, though, so a larger needle works perfectly. You will be weaving the needle through the yarn about 2-3 inches after creating a loop at the end.

Pull the needle through, leaving the yarn bunched up and the loop open.

Fan out the fiber at the end.

Trim the fiber into a wedge shape to avoid lumps down the road when you pull the yarn tight.

Repeat with the yarn you are joining, being sure to interlock the loops.

Begin closing the loops and pulling the yarn smooth. The wedges on the ends will be hidden inside the yarn.

Keep closing the loops, smoothing out the join and working the yarn into place.

Almost smooth.

Done!

Now try to pull it apart. It holds beautifully, even on silk! It will be a bit thicker at the joining point, but you won't notice it when the yarn is knit up. I love using this join on kidsilk haze, too. :)

Monday's Musing

Happy Monday everyone! My thought for this week:

"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."
- William Jennings Bryan

Thank you all so very much for your kind words and thoughts about our kitty, Emma. You all are just completely the best.

Once Upon a Time

There once lived a kind and gentle cat named Emma. She never scratched or bit, nor did she ever hiss at a person. She always came when she was called, saying hello with her quirky raspy meow. She was very shy, but she was an ambassador of purring and love to all who met her. For 17 years her family was privileged to be kept by her, our little angel kitty, and she will live on always in memories.

Goodbye Emma, we will miss you so much.

Rumor has it

...that one of my sheep has been sighted in the pages of Interweave Knits Fall 2008. Page 11 to be exact. Wooooooo! :D

Since I haven't gotten my copy yet, my friend Holly scanned it for me. She's the best.

Thanks Holly! :)

Monday's Musing

"Nothing is impossible. With so many people saying it couldn't be done...all it takes is an imagination." - Michael Phelps

Have a great week, everyone!

Friday Eye Candy, Shawl Pin Edition

Finally...for those lovers of silvery things: my swirly penannular in brushed nickel! And there's a coupon at the bottom of this post, too. Because.... :)

Can you tell I'm totally

absolutely

in love with it?

I couldn't decide among the pictures.

So I had to put them all up!

You can order your own here. And when you are checking out, enter coupon code NICKEL for $6 off your order of $20 or more! The coupon is good through August 20th, so get yours while the gettin's good! :)

Mental Health Break

My favorite ride.

Flowers after the burn.


On my right.


On my left.


Ahhhhhhhhhhh. I needed that.

Monday's Musing

"What you wish your neighbors to be to you, such be also to them." - Sextus the Pythagorean

"Don't wait for people to be friendly, show them how." - Author Unknown

As a friend of mine once said "you get back what you give." So true, eh? It's amazing what a smile can do.

Have a great week, everyone!

Shiny!

The other day, I got the greatest tip in my issue of Beading Daily. I couldn't wait to try it and now I have to share. It is a totally non toxic way of removing tarnish from silver. And here to demonstrate it is my pair of very tarnished silver ball of yarn earrings. Behold.

Ick. Here's how to get rid of it.

You'll need:
baking soda
a plastic or glass dish
hot, almost boiling, water
a plastic utensil
aluminum foil
the tarnished item

1. Spread a piece of aluminum foil on the bottom of the dish.

2. Pour hot water into the dish: enough to cover the tarnished item.

3. Add two tablespoons of baking soda and stir with plastic utensil to dissolve.

4. Drop in tarnished item.

5. Watch the bubbles;

smell the sulphury smell.

It's working!

6. Remove from water and rinse. Dry.

And it's tarnish free! Woooooo!!!

The process took about 7 minutes from start to finish and was totally non toxic and environmentally friendly! How cool is that?

Monday's Musing

I love this quote.

"The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours - it is an amazing journey - and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins." - Bob Moawad

Much food for thought, yes?

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

A Day in Yarn Heaven

Here is Shelli, the Queen of Yarn Heaven owner of Knitterly.

See that giant smile? It's because she gets to pet yarn all day. There are serious endorphins involved.

This is Sandi. See how happy she looks? Same deal there. :)

There is fiber hanging in the windows. I think it makes terrific curtains, don't you?

And a bag display that, in my opinion, far surpasses the look of a chandelier.

My favorite little project bags. I always have a lace project in one of these.

I taught a class at Knitterly on Saturday, on the Ice Queen cowl and my new Delta Queen scarf, which is basically a scarf version of Ice Queen (and will available soon). We had a little bit over a full class at 11 people. I'm really loving teaching these days, which is odd (but good) because it used not to be my cup of tea. But really, all of my students who are reading this? Y'all are wonderful! (Can you tell I've been talking to my Southern cousins again?) :g:

Here we have a few of the students working on their projects at break. Others were petting yarn, of course. :)

Fae came all the way from Redwood City to take the class! See? She's smiling too. I'm telling you, there's just something fibery about the air in Knitterly. :)

I took a picture of Lynn taking a picture of Carol in her newly finished sweater. It looked great on her!

And there was fiber. It came home with me.

And the amazing fall issue of Vogue, chock full of wonderful cables. Yummy.

It was a wonderful day! And since there was a waiting list for the class, I'm going to be teaching it again soon. Thank you, everyone!