Future Giveaways for You!

Week 22 = Interweave Miscellaneous
Day 4 = May 31, 2014

     I have so much to tell you today! First, let me start with the nearest and dearest to my heart. Today my Elee (Helen's nickname) baby turned 2. It is hard to imagine 2 years ago at this time I was a new 2nd time Mom with a baby in the NICU.

     Those 7 days that Elee was in the NCIU and hooked up to all those machines were the most emotionally charged I've ever experienced. It is unnatural to go into a hospital in labor and leave without your baby for whatever reason. You would never guess, looking at Elee today, that her situation 2 years ago was so precarious.

I love you, Elee baby!

     Secondly, thanks to donations from some of the instructors and staff at Interweave...and from me personally, I have my giveaways all set for the next 5 months. As a bonus, I got ALL the give-aways signed.

Alasdair Post-Quinn's book Extreme Double-Knitting 

Donated by Victoria Williams of Savery Knitting

 Annie Modesitt's book Confessions of a Knitting Heretic

Donated by Author Annie Modesitt

 Vickie Howell's book New Knits on the Block

Donated by Victoria Williams of Savery Knitting

 What could these be?...

 

More Goody Bags from the events with Clara Parkes and Vickie Howell!

Both donated by Knitting Lab

     Each month I will let you know which of the fabulous items you could win. Check in tomorrow for information on June's Giveaway.

   Thirdly, I have big going's on happening in my head. Today I had the pleasure of reconnecting with an old college friend that I had not seen or talked with  since 2000. Our only link has been through Facebook. Her husband is stationed in Japan and they have 5 kids. So it was a pure miracle that we were able to reconnect during their visit stateside. Apparently her daughter knits. What a coincidence! We talked, caught up, and most importantly oohed and aahed over each other's kids. While doing so, I was struck with an idea about a future project that I need some time to develop. I will be sure to  keep you fully abreast of things as they progress.

Knitting question of the day

Which of these giveaways would you like to win?

 

Knitting for the Future,

 

Victoria

Conference Events

Week 22 =  Interweave Miscellaneous
Day 3 = May 30, 2014
 
     As I mentioned yesterday, the conference program had a section on the Special Events being held over the course of the weekend. Here are all 4 events with the Interweave description first and my thoughts second:
 
Wine and Sign with Vickie Howell

• Interweave: "Join Vickie for an exclusive screening of the first episode of the thirteenth season of Knitting Daily TV with Vickie Howell!"
• Savery Knitting: Being given a chance to see the premiere episode of the 13th season was great, especially since the series does not air in my area. This event included a Goody Bag pictured here:

  

  Interweave Crochet, Spring 2014 Issue, Knitting Daily TV ruler, Season 12
  of Knitting Daily TV on DVD and a skein of Bernat Cottonish

  Meeting Vickie and getting her to sign my DVD and ruler were awesome.
   

 
Coffee and Cookies with The Yarn Whisperer, Clara Parkes!

• Interweave: "Enjoy dessert and a night of hilarious storytelling with beloved knitting personality Clara Parkes, author of The Yarn Whisperer: My Unexpected Life in Knitting."
• Savery Knitting: Clara is a hoot and a half. I loved her spunky, pixie attitude and view on life. She spent the evening sharing her story of how she acquired her first clip of wool... then her second... and her third... you see where I am going with this. Clara is an impassioned knitting backer, meaning that she doesn't just back the knitting side of things, but also the production side of things.
  
  Clara's event also had a Goody Bag pictured here:

  

  Knit Scene, Summer 2014, Mini Clara Yarn notebook
  and a box of 10 Knitter's Review notecards

  After her story time, Clara answered a few questions and then signed copies of her book.
  

 
 Welcome and Knitters' Market Opening

• Interweave: "Join us outside the Knitters' Market for opening remarks and your chance to win a $150 Gift Certificate for shopping in the Knitters' Market!"
• Savery Knitting: This was a short and sweet event where Karin Strom the Editorial Director called me out as the scholarship winner when she mentioned the Silent Auction.

 
Silent Auction to benefit Knitting Lab Scholarship Fund

• Interweave: "Bid on items donated by Market vendors and instructors! All funds raised go directly to the Interweave Knitting Scholarship fund. Each year, one or more students are able to attend Knitting Lab via this fund."
• Savery Knitting: I expected the occasional gift basket as pictured here and the occasional book, but never expected so many fabulous knit originals from previous Interweave publications.
  
   
  
  
   
  
   
  As the one and only 2014 scholarship recipient, I felt it necessary to participate in the Silent Auction. From the moment they put out the items I felt this wrap pictured below calling to me. It was a gentle, loving call. I waited until only 45 minutes were left for open bidding and then snapped like a twig and put in a bid. As you can see, I WON. Annie Modesitt is unbelievably talented and went through knitting "hell" (if there is even such a thing) when she knit this. The yarn is Mohair and she has asthma, so the whole time she was knitting this wrap she had to wear a mask. Now that is passion, vision and dedication all rolled up into one Annie Modesitt.
  
  
     

     Whatever your profession, hobby or passion, when you get a chance to meet someone of notoriety within that field, it's like a kid in a candy shop with $100 to spend. That is how I felt just being able to attend these events and meet Vickie and Clara.
 

 Knitting question of the day

Who is your favorite knitting personality?

 
Eventful Knitting,

Victoria

Registration Goody Bag

Week 22 = Interweave Miscellaneous
Day 2 = May 29, 2014
 
     Anyone who has attended a knitting conference knows that it is not cheap... there is a lot to account for:

• Knitting Classes
• Knitting Events
• Transportation to and from the conference
• Hotel stay for the nights of the conference
• Refrigerator in the hotel room (optional, but according to my Mom, well worth the added expense)
• Food to eat 3 meals a day during the conference
• Silent Auction (for this specific conference)
• Parking (there was a fee at the hotel where the conference was)
• The Market (as many Knitter's would say this is a requirement too)

     When we look at this list, ALL of these things cost money and that cost can add up. So I applied for the one scholarship being offered by Interweave Knitting Lab that would cover the Knitting Classes and Knitting Events. When Interweave choose ME, Victoria Savery Williams, as the Recipient of the Knitting Lab 2014 Scholarship, I jumped at it. Check out my certificate, I love it!!!!!!!

 

     Now, for those people that sign up for the full conference package, the conference planners (powers that be) usually have what is universally loved and known as THE GOODY BAG... let me pause a moment while you finish giggling like a little school girl.
 
     Without further ado, I present to you the Interweave Knitting Lab 2014 Goody Bag.

*Please note that any drooling, shaking, squealing, screaming,
heart fluttering, sweating, stomach fluttering and envy is
completely normal while viewing the following photos.
But continue to view this blog at your own risk...*

 

     The BAG that contained the GOODIES. It was the perfect bag for the conference. I would put the materials for the day's classes plus a few other things in the bag, which has a zippered top, and a water bottle in the outside mesh pocket that is barely visible to the right of the logo. I love that it even has the location and date of the conference underneath the logo.

 

      This fabulous conference brochure was done by one of my new friends, Lisa Shroyer. The pictures are beautiful, the class schedule is clearly and cleanly listed over 3 pages. The advertisements are lively and colorful. The list of non-class events is complete and only takes up 1/2 a page. There are sections for the Facility Map, Knitters' Market Vendors, Instructor Tables, and Local Knitting Stores... like the Market was not enough already. 
 

     As if taking 7 classes was not enough to learn and do already, they throw in the Summer 2014 issue of Interweave KNITS. The editor of this magazine is my above mentioned new friend, Lisa Shroyer who has been with the company for 9 years. I absolutely love Ocracoke Cardigan on page 29. It is gorgeous!

 

      Yet another magazine to divert our attention. The spring/summer 2014 issue of Knit wear. I do not remember if I have picked up an issue of this magazine before, but I adore Chevron Mesh Scarf on page 100.
 

     With every thing that we have to remember in our daily lives, I want my knitting to be fun. This Knitter's Reference Card, by Patternworks, cuts the memory requirement in half. You want to know what the Care Symbols on the yarn label mean? Or, you want to know the size for a 9 year-olds sleeve inseam? Well, let me get out my handy dandy knitter's reference card. 

      Hats, hats...does anyone want a pattern for a hat. This wonderfully condensed 4 page distribution from Kraemer has directions for 11 hats, yes I said 11. The directions are broken down into three sections: the band, the middle, and the crown shaping. 

     Now for the various yarns in our GOODY BAG...
 

     So you want to knit a hat... Feel free to use this wonderful yarn from Kraemer. This yarn, Perfection, is 30% Domestic Merino and 70% Acrylic in color Flora #Y1546. It is a worsted weight yarn with approximately 200 yards weighing 3.5 oz.

 

     These two beauties are from Patternworks. This yarn, Sunapee, is 55% Cotton and 45% Silk in color #18. It is a DK weight yarn with 153 yards per skein weighing 1.75 oz. each.

     You might remember this yarn... this is the same Appalachian Baby Design yarn that I used for my Indigo Dying Workshop several months ago. This yarn, Organic Cotton, is U.S. Organic Cotton. It is a worsted weight yarn with 194 yards weighing 3 oz.

 

    Now Purl SOHO was trying to trick us by thinking that we got another bag. But wait... do I see something in the bag... YES!!!!!

 

     It is a deliciously lovely skein of, Super Soft Merino which is 100% Merino Wool. It is a bulky weight yarn with 87 yards weighing 3.5 oz.

 

Knitting question of the day

Which of these goody bag items would you want to get your hands on first?

 

Knitting with Goodies,

 

Victoria

Interweave Miscellaneous

Week 22 = Interweave Miscellaneous
Day 1 = May 28, 2014

     Now you know all that Mom and I learned at the conference, I thought I would spend this week filling you in on the fun, social side, like the following:

• Goody bag from Interweave for signing up for the Knitter's Weekend Package.
• Friday night's event Wine and Sign with Vickie Howell.
• Goody bag from the Vickie Howell event.
• Saturday night's event Coffee and Cookies with The Yarn Whisperer, Clara Parkes!
• Goody bag from the Clara Parkes event.
• The Market and Vendors
• Enough giveaways for several months! :)
• The items that I purchased.
• Full Photo Album

      More on these later in the week. Right now I want to update you on something more local. 

     As most of you know, I am a member of the Flowertown Knitting Guild and last night we had our monthly meeting. The class was Beading with a Crochet Hook. I loved the class! My bestie, Eileen, taught the class and she was awesome. Here are a few pictures of my 2 finished projects. One for each of my girls of course.

     The project was Beads and Bows which was designed by Christine Marie Chen. It is a headband with beaded accents applied with a crochet hook over a butterfly stitch. I love the pattern!

 

 Helen looks like a little Indian Princess.

 

The headband is just as impressive as Joanna's gorgeous blue eyes.



Knitting question of the day

Have you ever used the crochet hook method to add beads to your knitting?

 

Beaded Headband Knitting,

 

Victoria

Get Gauge (or not)!

Week 21 = In-depth Class Reviews
Day 7 = May 27, 2014

      To continue the in-depth view of both Mom's and my classes and what we learned, here is what I have for you today.

Mom's Class

Daniela Nii – Cables With Color

Once again, a picture’s worth a thousand words.  Who knew there were charts for knitting cables!  Daniela does and that’s why I signed up to take her class!  Having grown up in Switzerland, she informed us that Europe uses charts all the time.  Can’t understand why we weren’t as clued in here in the States.  I have knit many things with cables, but using more than one color is new to me. 

To learn the various cable patterns we were taught today, we spent the whole class knitting…as fast as possible so we could get through them all…not happening!  Daniela shared 4 patterns with us: Mosaic or Slip-Stitch Cable, Stranded Cable, Intarsia Cable and Pinstripe Cable.  I only made it through the first 3 mentioned, but have the charts for all 4, so I’m on my own learning to do the Pinstripe Cable.

          Mosaic or Slip-Stitch Cable                   Stranded Cable

Intarsia Cable (supposedly)

Thank you, Daniela, for broadening my knitting knowledge and showing me how easy it is to create a big change in the look of a garment with different cable work. 

 

Victoria's Class

     The Class: Get Gauge (or not)!

     The Instructor: Nancy Shroyer
     Class Size: 11
     Rating (1 Unhappy - 10 Ecstatic): 9
     Best thing about the class: Learning that my gauge is different at 4" than it is at 6".
     Needs improvement: Not a thing that I can think of.
     The Review: This class was an overload of information, as I expected. We spent a lot of time on figuring out our own gauge on a 24 stitch wide by 4" tall swatch. The swatch was knit with worsted weight yarn on size 8US needles. After we figured our gauge, we decided if we wanted the knit fabric to be looser or tighter. I wanted mine looser and therefore increased my needles to a size 9US. I then figured my gauge for the 2nd swatch. The trick came when we did the 3rd swatch. Nancy had us increase 10 stitches so that we had a swatch about 6" wide. Here is where the trick comes in: if your gauge changes significantly between 4" and 6," guess what... a 4" gauge is not big enough when you swatch. To show you what I mean, here are the measurements for the 3 swatches that I knit:

• 8US 4" swatch: 4.84 stitches per inch wide by 6.4 rows per inch tall
• 9US 4" swatch: 4.4 stitches per inch wide by 6.6 rows per inch tall
• 9US 6" swatch: 4.36 stitches per inch wide by 6.0 rows per inch tall

     So, seeing the information above, mainly the huge difference in rows per inch, I now know that I can not get away with the minimum 4" swatch most yarn companies list on their labels. We also learned about the qualities of yarns based on the number of ply's.

     I am very happy with the amount of material that I learned. Plus, I will be comfortable using many of the items learned on my own. The class size of 11 students made for a very personal experience. There was a very informative handout, but the materials required for the class were all correct. 

 Knitting question of the day

Have you ever checked your gauge at 4" and 6"? 

Gauge Knitting,

Victoria

Pattern Writing

Week 21 = In-depth Class Reviews
Day 6 = May 26, 2014

     To continue the in-depth view of both Mom's and my classes and what we learned, here is what I have for you today.

Mom's Class

Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark – U-Turns: Short Rows for Shaping & Pattern

Hooray – I’m finally beginning to understand what it means to knit short rows, but I didn’t know there were so many ways to do this. Wrapped Method, Japanese Method (the most involved), Yarnover Method, and Shadow-wrap Method are the ones we learned and practiced in class, but there are undoubtedly more. There was barely time to learn these 5 in our 3-hour class even though we spent the whole class knitting. 

Look closely at this swatch I knitted in class and you will see the different directions of the short rows, starting with the Yarnover Method / left and right slant, and moving on to the Japanese Method / left and right slant.

I first learned about short row knitting when my daughter taught me how to knit socks a few months ago, but it was fascinating to see how short rows can add interest and beauty to many other garments. Thank you, Mercedes, for opening my eyes and mind to the fun I can have using this knitting technique.  

Victoria's Class

     The Class: Pattern Writing

     The Instructor: Kate Atherley
     Class Size: 11
     Rating (1 Unhappy - 10 Ecstatic): 9
     Best thing about the class: Getting insider knowledge from a Managing Technical Editor.
     Needs improvement: There was no handout with the class. Kate did a Power Point presentation and I would have liked to been able to take notes on a companion handout instead of my notebook.
     The Review: This class was just as full of information as I expected. We spent a lot of time on the wording of things so that they are clear and leave no question. Here is an example:

• Example: K1, P1 to end of row and repeat 7 times.
• So does the above mean that you are supposed to do as the pattern says 7 times or 8 if you count the original row.
• Correct Way: K1, P1 to end of row and repeat 7 more times.

     As Kate would say, "Be sure to include an introduction that Informs! Intrigues! and Entices!" Tell the knitter what the skill level is and which is the RS and the WS. A lot of these are basics, but designers often just go for the good stuff... the directions.

     I am very happy with the amount of material that I learned. Plus, I will be comfortable using many of the items learned on my own. The class size of 11 students made for a very personal experience. There wasn't a handout and the materials required for the class were all there. 

Knitting question of the day

Have you ever run into a pattern with unclear directions? 

Pattern Knitting,

Victoria

Math for Knitters

Week 21 = In-depth Class Reviews
Day 5 = May 25, 2014

     To continue the in-depth view of both Mom's and my classes and what we learned, here is what I have for you today.

Mom's Class

Candace Eisner Strick – Mobius Manipulated

I’ve always felt knitting a mobius would be very complicated, but thanks to Candace, I have finally gotten the mystery taken out of doing just that.  This knowledge, however, doesn’t mean it’s any easier to knit…at least not yet.  The hardest part was casting on and knitting/purling the first several ‘rows.’  Wow, talk about tight knitting!  As a naturally loose knitter, I’ve never experienced something so hard to knit.  But now that I’ve successfully completed 3 of the double circles, each making up a ‘row,’ my confidence is building and the stitches are becoming easier to knit – both good things.

Thank you, Candace, for helping me overcome my anxiety about the mystery of knitting a mobius.  This has now been added to my likeable projects and I will most certainly be knitting more in the future.

Victoria's Class

     The Class: Math for Knitters

     The Instructor: Kate Atherley
     Class Size: 11
     Rating (1 Unhappy - 10 Ecstatic): 6
     Best thing about the class: Being able to do some of the math problems with the teacher right there to help.
     Needs improvement: The class moved towards more information about garments than I would have liked. I have personally only knit one item that I would consider a fitted garment... a sweater. I didn't do a swatch for gauge and it was the first thing that I ever knit from a written pattern. Also, there was no handout with the class. Kate did a Power Point presentation and I would have liked to been able to take notes on a companion handout instead of my notebook.
     The Review: This class was more helpful than I expected. We were given problems like this one:

• Increase 5 stitches evenly over the 87 stitches.
• Increase 6 stitches evenly over 42 stitches.
• Decrease 5 stitches evenly over  60 stitches.
• Decrease 11 stitches evenly over 75 stitches.

     Now on to pictures, since the class had nothing to do with actual knitting, here are some pretty socks. Kate, the instructor, is obsessed with socks and designed all of these.

Roasted Carrot Socks

by Kate Atherley

Kate Atherley's Ravelry Store

Basic Ribbed Socks

by Kate Atherley

Spun Magazine (archived)

Two-Socks-in-One

by Kate Atherley

Kate Atherley's Ravelry Store  

Christmas sock

by Kate Atherley

Kate Atherley's Ravelry Store

     I am content with the amount of material that I learned. Plus, I will be comfortable using many of the items learned on my own. The class size of 11 students made for a very personal experience. There wasn't a handout and the materials required for the class were all there. 

Knitting question of the day

Would you attempt a pattern if it required you to

do math like the problem given above? 

Knitting & Math,

Victoria

Two Socks in One: The War & Peace Method

Week 21 = In-depth Class Reviews
Day 4 = May 24, 2014

     To continue the in-depth view of both Mom's and my classes and what we learned, here is what I have for you today.

Mom's Class

Nancy Shroyer – How to Select Color Palettes for Knitting and Other Fiber Arts

 

Talk about color overload…Wow!!  I chose this class because I wanted to learn how to choose colors for knitting projects that would work well together and be pleasing to the eye.  What I came away with was a way to look at color everywhere in my life, not just in my knitting.  As an example, I now have the tools to go home and look at the colors in my home and choose a palette for our – hopefully - soon to be renovated kitchen!  That’s progress for me.  Thank you, Nancy, for bringing colors into my life.

 

Victoria's Class

     The Class: Two Socks in One: The War & Peace Method

     The Instructor: Kate Atherley
     Class Size: 15
     Rating (1 Unhappy - 10 Ecstatic): 10
     Best thing about the class: Everything: the method, the teacher, the class size, the teaching method... It was all GREAT!
     Needs improvement: There wasn't a thing that I would even consider needing improvement.
     The Review: This class was way more awesome than I expected. I did not expect to have my mind blown by such simple material as knitting socks. The training socks I knit in class are pictured below. The green sock was on the outside and the orange sock was on the inside. Here is the sequence of me pulling the socks apart just after I finished knitting them.

 

 

 

 

Don't I look ecstatic? I was thrilled with this class, beyond belief.

     I am overjoyed with the amount of material that I learned. Plus, I am definitely going to be using this method on my own. The large class size of 15 students could have made for a very impersonal experience... but it didn't because of Kate's teaching style. Kate would get down on the floor and have us gather around her as she demonstrated a technique or new stitch. The handout was clear and precise and the materials required for the class were all there. Another great attribute to Kate's teaching style is that she likes to tell you the steps and get you comfortable with the process before she distributes her handouts. This allows for the whole class to follow along at the same speed and prevent any hiccups when a student goes ahead of the class and gets stuck. In class we did a set of training socks. In our handouts, we were also given a pattern for a normal pair of socks that we could attempt at a later date.

Knitting question of the day

Would you attempt this method of knitting socks? 
 

Knitting Two Socks in One,

Victoria