Book Launch Day!

It's the official launch day for Crafting the Resistance! I'm getting ready for our launch party, which is on Friday, since, you know, Tuesday night isn't the best time for a party. Megan, at Knit and Bolt, had a great idea for the samples from the book - so I'm labeling them all with their page number.

I hope to see you all Friday!

Book Launch Party!

Come meet me and get first crack at my new book, Crafting the Resistance: 35 Projects for Craftivists, Protestors and Women Who Persist. There will be samples from the book to be check out, books to get signed, donut holes to be eaten, and new friends to meet.

“Craftivism is a way of looking at life where voicing opinions through creativity makes your voice stronger, your compassion deeper, and your quest for justice more infinite.” ~ Betsy Greer

Spend your Friday evening with us and let's start Crafting the Resistance.

Let us know you're coming!

If you can't make it, try to catch me at the other events where I will be vending! No matter where you buy your book, I will sign it.

Reclaiming Our Time Socks

I was going to start a new sewing project for myself (or maybe finish one) today, but, instead, I spent a little too much time staring at Twitter and decided that I had to finish this pattern and publish it today.

These socks are knit from the toe up – with a twist. When the toe is finished, half of the stitches are put on hold and the top of the foot is worked. Then, the leg is finished. Lastly, the sole and heel are made. A little grafting at the top of the heel finishes the sock. This is all accomplished without seams, as stitches are picked up to join the top of the foot and the sole as you go.

Why put yourself through all of this? If you ever get a worn spot or hole in the sole or heel of the sock, you can simply tear it out and re-knit it. Also, in self-striping yarns, the color changes will be stretched out along the top of the foot, which is fun. If you want to save your prettiest yarn just for the top of the foot and the leg, you can work the toe, sole and heel in a contrasting color (or several colors, or in scraps).

In case you can’t tell, the message behind these socks is “we won’t stop.” We will march, speak and work to reclaim our time, and we have the everlasting, fabulous socks to prove it.

The pattern is available to purchase on Ravelry and I think there will be a kit coming up for it from KnitCircus Yarns.

Ball Band Dishcloth

I'm still teaching at St. Louis Park Community Ed. Right now, our "Adventures in Knitting" class is going on. I like to let my students choose among a few projects so that they can have fun and learn at their own pace, instead of forcing everyone into doing the same thing, all of the time. 

I love the Ball Band Dishcloth for what I call a "second step" student. They should be confident knitting and purling, but maybe they don't have a lot of experience reading a pattern or following a pattern repeat. The dishcloth is just difficult enough so that they can learn those things, but not so difficult that it's discouraging. 

Plus, they're relatively cheap to knit and make great gifts. What's not to love?

Crafting the Resistance

Those of you who follow me on social media already know this, but just in case you missed it, I have a new (co-authored) book scheduled to come out in August. It's called Crafting the Resistance.

Like many of you, I was a little bit consumed at the end of last year. When the chance came to do something, I grabbed it with both hands. I hope that, in a small way, my work will help other people resist, insist, persist, and enlist.

This work is very personal for me for many reasons. Here's one that I hope will resonate - Heather and I wanted to use many different skill sets to make the book as open as possible to all kinds of crafters. 

Craft books that cross lines from knitting to crochet to sewing and beyond don't always hit it off with crafters. There's a risk of not pleasing anyone as you attempt to reach everyone. It's a bit of a gamble, but I hope it works! 

Crafting the Resistance includes projects that use sewing, hot-iron transfer, knitting, stenciling, needle felting, wet felting, very basic quilting, and (a very little bit of) crochet.

The book is available for pre-order now and is set to release in August. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Planned Parenthood. 

Fall Means New Classes!

I love teaching! This Fall, I'm signed up to teach two classes for the St. Louis Park Community Center. There are more details here. Come one, come all!

Sensible Slippers

I was going to wait and release this pattern when I had a prettier sample knit, but there seemed to be so much interest, I couldn't wait. So,  here's my church-basement-yarn project:

They originally had an unlovely name: Slippers No. 2260. So, I'm calling my version Sensible Slippers, since that's what they are. They're perfect for beginners or knitters who need a last-minute project.

The pattern is available on Craftsy and Ravelry. I can't wait to see what you all make!

Learn to Knit Slippers with Me!

I've just confirmed that I get to teach a knitting class for everyone (not just beginners!) through St. Louis Park Community Education. 

When - Wednesdays, Jan. 20 through Feb. 17; 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Where - Lenox Community Center, 6715 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park, MN, 55426

Contact - (952) 928-6442 or https://slp.thatscommunityed.com/ to register and enroll.

Price - $59 + materials 

What - Learn how to knit fun slippers! This pattern, originally published in 1950, has been updated by me so that you won't have to decipher outdated knitting terms. This pattern is easy enough for a beginner, but still great for a more experienced knitter to take a trip down memory lane. 

You will need a pair of size 9 US (5.5 mm) knitting needles and around 220 yards of worsted-weight yarn.

I'll  bring tools to make pompoms to the last class, in case anyone wants to do that!

P.S. - I succumbed to peer pressure and went ahead and wrote the pattern. You can get it here.

Dip Your Toes Into the Victorian Era!!!

My friend, Wendy, and I are planning a workshop for this coming April. 

We will make a teeny version of my Bootstrap Socks and learn about how that fits into 1850.

Join the authors of "Yarn Works" and "Sock Architecture" for a day-long dive into history. Wendy J. Johnson (author of "Yarn Works: How to spin, dye, and knit your own yarn") will start in the morning with the methods and materials available in dye baths of the 1850s. Choose a provided 19th Century dyestuff to hand-dye a skein for a pair of adult-sized socks and learn past (and modern) natural dyeing techniques. Lara Neel (author of "Sock Architecture: Heels, toes, and techniques for knitting awesome socks" will pick up the ball in the afternoon with the history of sock knitting in the Victorian era and will walk you through methods for knitting socks that have been partially lost to history. As you knit a mini sock, Lara will show you techniques that are fast, fun, and fantastic—and can be used in any sock pattern you choose.

You will go home with the naturally-dyed skein of yarn that you dyed in the morning (enough for a pair of adult socks), the mini-sock you created in the afternoon, and a pattern to knit an adult-sized pair of socks using the techniques you learned in the afternoon.

Additional workshop benefit: The day-long session is being held at Gale Woods Farm, a 410-acre, working educational farm and park within the Three Rivers Park District. It's located on picturesque Whaletail Lake in Minnetrista, Minnesota. You will have an opportunity to tour the farm facility with a farm staff guide and meet the animals during a break in the day. Before or after the session, you may take advantage of the walking paths located throughout this beautiful site.

Cost: $75.00 (cost includes supplies*)

Date & Time: Saturday, April 2, 2016 – 9 am – 4 pm (A half-hour is allotted for lunch. Class participants should bring their own lunches. Refrigeration and a microwave are available. Tea, coffee, and water will be provided.)

Location: Gale Woods Farm, 7210 County Road 110 W., Minnetrista, MN 55364

Ages of participants: For ages 16 and over. (We can only accept a total of 16 participants so sign up early!)

*All materials & supplies (except needles & misc. knitting notions) will be provided by the instructors. You will be given a miscellaneous supply list when you register.

Register by March 15, 2016 at the Three Rivers ParkDistrict/Gale Woods website or call Gale Woods at 763-694-2001.

Raglan Baby Sweater Yoke

I DO still knit. It's just that many of my projects are Top Secret. It's the curse of knitting things that are meant to be released later.

This is the yoke to a raglan baby sweater, from my Autumn Dreams pattern (without the extra garter stitch ridges). 

I'm just about to start the sleeves. And, no, I'm not trying to launch a Baby Noir line. Although, that would be pretty cool, in my opinion!

When one of my family members was laid up earlier this year after surgery, I wanted to give her something easy to knit. So, I had her cast on a certain number of stitches and simply work garter stitch for 6 inches. She used a very pretty, variegated yarn. Her piece will be the bottom half of the sweater. I chose this lovely charcoal since I didn't have a solid color that matched any of the colors in her yarn. 

I think it will be pretty cute!

BIG Sale Plus a FREE Craftsy Mini-Class: The Ins & Outs of Grafting

Grafting might be the biggest bugaboo in knitting. Even many experienced knitters HATE it. I only got comfortable with it when I had to do it A LOT, but even so, I need good light and a don't-talk-to-me face to get it finished.

Anne Hanson gets it, and can help you get it, too, if you check out her free class about grafting on Craftsy. (That is an affiliate link, btw.)

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And, you won't want to miss this sale for your best back-to-school ever! Get up to 50% off ALL online Craftsy classes from now through September 9, 2015 — no textbooks or pop quizzes allowed.

Bold and Blended Striped Wrap

I've been hauling around this wrap since I made it in 2011 and it still looks pretty good. I take it on planes and wear it as a giant scarf in the winter. It was a pleasure to knit, but it's fantastic to wear.

After a lot of agonizing about wanting to make the pattern "perfect" before I released it again, I finally took some advice from my friends and released it, without completely re-working it. It's available on Craftsy and Ravelry. 

If you try it, I hope you love it, too. It's garter stitch and a somewhat clever way of managing short rows, if I do say so myself. 

Simple Little Baby Sweater

Next to socks, baby sweaters are the perfect travel/summer knitting project. I'm finishing up this one right now. I can never resist the urge to pick these sweaters up by their little underarms and wave them around at people. 

Unwind with What You Love: Craftsy Classes for just $19.99

This post contains an affiliate link, but you know that doesn't influence what I say, right? 

A lot of people have a holiday day off from their "real" jobs today (including me, yay!) 
Whether you have ten minutes or a whole day, you can watch Craftsy classes anytime, anywhere, forever. This weekend, try to find time to relax and enjoy your craft and enjoy some savings. Lots of classes are on sale for just $19.99.
I'll probably be digging through my stash, looking for ways to play...

At Last, My Arm is Complete Again

I was teaching a class and complaining that they don't make bent-tip darning needles that are the right size for socks. One of my students said, "Um, they totally do. They're right over here."

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

That is all. 

Sock Knitting Class

No matter how many times I do it, I get a kick out of making just the heel turns with my students. Here you see, in gray, just the absolutely most vital part of the Balbriggan heel. 

Mystery Slippers

One of my students brought this in to my class. I deconstructed it for her and wrote up some instructions that I think will work. But, just in case, I thought I'd check and see if anyone out there knows the pattern? It's mostly garter stitch, with a little ribbing. It appears to have been cast on at the back of the heel and knit back and forth. Seams run along the back of the heel and the top of the foot. 

Anyone? Bueller?

Knitting for Dummies

Travis says that all humans are kind of dummies.

Knitting for Dummies may not seem like a great knitting book, and I don't think it should be the only knitting book you own. But, it does have really good illustrations and help for when you mess up, which most knitting books don't really cover. So, I recommend it for beginning to intermediate knitters. 

"One Lifetime Isn't Long Enough" and Weekend Class Savings

After our visit to the American Swedish Institute (which is just amazing, on so many levels), I thought, "Huh, maybe I'll do a knitting pattern incorporating that amazing Hilma Berglund quote."

It's kind of a good thing that I didn't start on that thought! This week, I picked up Swedish Handknits and, well, there's a glove design that does that right on the cover. :)

P.S. - This Sunday, I'll be at Park the Street 2. Come say hi!

P.P.S. - There is a HUGE sale this weekend on Craftsy classes. Every class is up to 50% off. (If you click through this link to check it out, it helps me no matter which class you choose, so, you know, please do so!)

Multi + Black, Together At Last

I was knitting a baby sweater out of leftover sock yarn and, BAM, I ran out of yarn on the last row. The last row!

So, I cast off  with a little black. The upside? Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off is adorable in black, worked over a multi-colored base. Lovely. 

I'm bummed to be missing TNNA this year! Safe travels to all!