This is part one of a two-part story. I danced at New Aladdin’s restaurant in Lansing last Friday with another Habibi Dancer. My friend April came to the show and brought toddler Isabel, for whom I invented the Chippy Socks knitting pattern.

Isabel has one set of six Chippy Socks (each one unique but in the same 3 colors) in purple/ fuschia/ turquoise. These were the first ones I made and are a little small for her but very stretchy. She also has a pair (merely two rather than a full set of 6) in yellow/ green/ turquoise. These are made of a slightly larger yarn so they are a little bigger than the first set. This pair is not a true pair, again, because they are made of the same 3 yarns but patterns and colors do not match.

So Isabel dresses herself whenever possible… and she spent some time picking out her socks this day. She picked one from set 1 and one from set 2. What is fascinating to me is that she chose the ones which match in patterning… both have a 2 stitch by 2 row checkerboard size, and a 2 row evenly spaced foot stripe. The toes/heels happen to also both be turquoise (though slightly different, being very different yarns).

I was just as pleased as punch to see Isabel, no matter what she wore on her feet. But wearing these socks? Sigh… no wonder I’m so crazy about this spectacular child. She’s as in love with color as I am.

Kate came to me with a little bit of memory about knitting a long time ago, if I remember right. She has been working on this baby blanket for many months, but she kept at it. This is a big project for a new knitter, even for an adult. She did such a great job!

She made a version of my Cushy Blankie pattern, adjusted slightly because she chose a worsted-weight yarn rather than the DK weight (thinner) yarn I specified originally. This pattern requires some paying attention, and she learned to come in when she got stuck and get some help from Rae or myself.

Today we met so that she could learn how to finish off ends… and how to bind off (her first time ever). She also needed to get a refresher on how to cast on, because she had only done it once. Go, Kate!!!

And do you know what she said today? She’s ready to start another one of these, in order to secure the lessons in her mind and hands. I think she’s going to be with us for a while now. I’m delighted.

Gloria knit a tiny pair of my Fast Florida Footies and put a photo on her blog. Adorable! She used a bamboo blend yarn in beautiful cool colors. This child will be stylin’ for sure!

Gloria, thanks for letting me know. I’m delighted to link to your photo, and to make your acquaintance.

Anyone else out there not saying hello? Any other photos? If you don’t have a blog I’d be delighted to post a photo here… whether you knit from my handpainted yarns or any of my patterns, I’m quite happy to show the world what you are doing.

Or not. Your choice. Meanwhile, thanks again to Gloria for making my day.

(Photo here is my own version of the footies in a baby size. I don’t remember the yarn, it was a DK weight wool rather than the specified Cascade Fixation in the pattern.)

Summer is in full swing. This means that potential students are on vacation and my classes are thinning out. I started summer with five kid knitters but for the last two weeks I have been down to two loyal and dedicated young ladies.

Last week, I was sitting on the couch between these lovely ladies and Carol (another instructor at Rae’s) noticed that it might be a nice photograph to get the three of us sitting like that. So thanks to Carol, here is a shot of us, the two girls with knitting in their hands.

This has been a wonderful summer thus far. Thanks to the kids and their families for making it so.

We still have August to go, and I am looking forward to it. These girls are not just good knitters, but they are good company as well.

Brian and I sang for a private luncheon a few weeks ago. We dressed up and forgot to ask anyone to photograph us. So we sat down and held the camera and took a photo of ourselves. It was a giggly sort of fun. Here we are.

For the record, I’m wearing the white alpaca circular Peace Shawl that Alison Hyde knit for me as a gift. The pattern is available in her book, Wrapped in Comfort.

You all thought my young knitter A. was talented when I showed you her bag last week. Prepare to be delighted and amazed. She has finished her first pair of socks.

Not only did she do a pair of socks, she was creative in solving the design problem of not having enough yarn to make them as thick as she wanted given the yarn available in our classroom. She chose to hold two yarns together as one, and used one color in both socks for a bit of unity. Then for the second strand, she used different colors of yarn for variety and interest.

Not only that! A good long time ago, when Kim still owned the Yarn Garden shop in Charlotte, she gave me a stack of Interweave Knits magazines. At the time my kids in the program were interested in the pictures but none were ready to tackle actual patterns.

So I still had a few of that issue left this year when A. hit my classroom. She and a few other adventurous ones took the magazines home and were inspired. In this particular issue, there was a pair of socks by Ann Budd which used a feather and fan lace as a short cuff design. A. was delighted.

So she made her first lace, on her first socks. Why not? And I’d say she made a lovely choice. Chunky and warm, but definitely feminine as well. And artful! Good job, A.!!!

A. is one of my knitting kidz at Rae’s this summer. She has been knitting in my programs for most of a year now. This is the first batch of kids I have ever had (I think I’ve been doing this for 6 years, maybe 5) who actually are reading patterns on their own.

I started the kids with learning how to read patterns, on the Mochimochiland Hearts. These kids hang out together when they are not with me, and they helped each other figure out that pattern.

After the hearts, a few of them tried Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer’s bunny. I heard they did finish some but I never saw them, I believe they were made into gifts.

We have tried a few other patterns, some with more independence than others. And two of them are making my First-Time Toe-Up Socks. A’s mother is knitting along with a pair of her own, which has the extra benefit of another adult to help out when I’m not around and the pattern is unclear to a new pattern-reading child.

When I did the Schuler Books event with Rae a few weeks ago and I wrote the pattern for the Quick-Gift Bags, “My Kidz” wanted the pattern (if you click this link you will get a free PDF of the bag pattern in 2 sizes). I complied quickly. A. made one in less than a week. Go, A.!

Hers is made with two strands of yarn held together, one solid white (I think it’s alpaca) and one multicolor (wool). The bag is nice and dense, it will hold things in without worry.

Today A. started (are you ready?) a Baby ZigBag (small purse) from my ZigBagZ Mini Collection. She learned a new way to cast on, and is currently working with two colors of yarn, stranded knitting. . She can really picture this bag finished, and thus I have no question that she will finish it.

Oh… and also today A. learned to knit feather-and-fan lace for the cuff of her First-Time Toe-Up socks. She was inspired by a pair of lace footies in an Interweave Knits magazine which was donated to my program. Her goal is to finish the socks this week and wear them on her vacation next week. Her vacation knitting will be the BabyZig.

And that is merely the story of one kid in my program (I think she is 12 years old). One really determined, very skilled, and persistent child. She is not the only special one… but special, she is!

Katie is learning to knit, and waiting for her first child to arrive. She is knitting a lovely pink Wee Welcome Set for the occasion, and learning at the same time.

She finished this hat on our third lesson, about a week after she started with me. She has also started on a bootie but it is not ready for photos at this time.

She’s doing a fine job of catching on, I’d say! Go Katie!

I’m working on a new sock design, the one for Lark Books. It is a very fun sock in 3 colors, with a different structure from any sock pattern I’ve mapped out stitch-by-stitch before.

I have knit a lot of socks this way. I know a lot of guidelines for this sort of sock structure, but I sort of think in general guidelines rather than numbers.

When I knit socks for me, I typically “make them up on the needles.” This week I need to translate into actual numbers for the sake of my readers/customers. I’ve done it before, will do it again. I never enjoy it much.

It’s a story problem, really. I made a list of the things I need to do/figure out, one at a time, to get the measurements/stitch counts I need. There are 6 steps in my story problem today.

As Brian often says… “there are a finite number of…” steps, or objects, or whatever it is that seems big at the time. Yup. Six steps. It just can’t take that long, then, can it?

At least it’s not that story problem about how long it would take to fill up the bathtub while the drain was simultaneously open. Ugh. I still don’t get how to do that one, and it seemed to be on every math test I took in high school!

Photo: the three colors of yarn that will be in the sock design. Publishing is a competitive game and most details must be kept secret until the book comes out in late 2009. However, my contact person at Lark says the colors of yarn I use need not be kept secret, so at least I can share these with you!

I get adult students at knitting shops, who are learning from scratch. Sometimes they have a particular project they want, sometimes they are not sure. I have a new favorite project for those who need me to help them pick. It’s Knitting at Knoon’s Wee Welcome Set.

I talked to Chris who designed this project… and she designed it to teach with. It’s really a wonderful teaching project. There is a hat consisting of garter fabric, ribbing and stockinette. Then there are booties with the same 3 fabric types plus increases and decreases. then there is the baby sweater including even more types of increases.

When you are done, you understand a lot about making fabric and stitches, and have a lot of skills under your belt. Very nice. Never mind you have a project done as well!

I taught one student at Rae’s with this project. She used Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, in two colors. In 3 weeks she had booties and a hat for a shower. Cool.

I also taught one student from Yarn Garden/Charlotte (Becky). She had a family member expecting a baby, and made the one I picture here. It uses one skein of Cherry Tree Hill handpaint and Berocco Comfort for the solid trim. Very nice combination, perfect for kids.

Now I have a woman at Threadbear who is expecting her own child, working away on the hat and booties at this point. I hope she will start in on the sweater tomorrow. She’s using a wonderful hot pink yarn, I think it’s Feza brand. It is a color I would wear proudly myself. Nice.

This is a great learning project for relatively new (or totally new) knitters. Just for the record…

I have a small handful of loyal kids this summer who followed me to Rae’s Yarn boutique from Foster Community Center. The move has been a good one for me.

I was bone-tired of working summer programs at community centers. (My first summer program was 1989 at Black Child and Family Institute where I worked 4 years, later followed by at least 5 summers at Foster Center. I think it’s OK to pass the baton.)

When you have 70+ kids in one space each day, it is intense… there is a drama-a-day, normal but high-energy. No matter what building, no matter who the kids are, no matter how much you learn to love those kids, it’s just an energy drain. I wanted to spend my focus on teaching, rather than being distracted by the drama.

At Rae’s I have kids whose families are invested in their knitting and who value what I am doing for their children. These kids knit at home. These kids are learning to knit without me, to knit from (simple) patterns.

I am really enjoying the change. I expect I’ll return to Foster in the fall, but for summer this is wonderful.

My kids at Rae’s noticed the huge knitting needles we had raced with at World Wide Knit in Public Day. They had to give these a try! Check out the photo of them exploring the possibilities!

Fun: Knitting with Beth

Last weekend I took a two-day workshop with Beth Brown-Reinsel. We learned about the Norwegian Fana Cardigan, a historical sweater type which is still worn today. It is knit in two colors, from the bottom up as a tube. Then you cut open holes for arms and the front opening. Yes, cut. It’s called steeking (though steek is apparently a Scottish word, not Norwegian).

After you cut openings for the neck, front and arms, you pick up stitches around the cut openings and you knit down for the sleeves (and up from the bottom ribbing for the buttonhole bands and neckband). You even knit built-in facings to cover up the rough cut edges. Brilliant.

The Goal

We made a tiny version of the sweater in two days. That is, some of us finished and all of us got a good part of the way. The first day I was able to finish the body of the sweater after dinner. The second day I sewed reinforcement and cut my openings, knit one sleeve , sewed in most of that sleeve, and knit one front band/facing.

I have other deadlines, so I could not go home and just finish (as I did when I took Beth’s Gansey sweater 2-day workshop, and her Norwegian mitten class). I have hope I will return to it and finish that up at some point this summer.

A Plug for Beth B-R

I really love being in Beth’s classes. She is very knowledgeable, focused, and a calming presence. This is particularly good for a class where people cut their knitting.

Many people really have a hard time with that one. I don’t know if they think it won’t work or if it’s just about “breaking” something they made. I know that one of the things I love about knitting is that I can unravel and rebuild it without losing anything but time.

However, I spent many years sewing as my primary artform. I can imagine my knitting as fabric that needs a shape cut into it. I also did my first cutting of knitting on a small tube I knit of some not-that-great yarn I had sitting around. I made the tube, reinforced on either side, and cut. And nothing bad happened. Knitting likes to run down, not sideways, it’s the nature of the fabric. And that test cut convinced me that the piece would not unravel.

Beth made a comfortable and supportive environment for those who had never cut their knitting before. It is interesting how many responses to the same activity can inspire. Even thinking about cutting handknits can be difficult at times, depending on the person.

There were a few who had a hard time starting to cut. Some knew they liked projects with this technique in it, and wanted the support of the group to get through that unfamiliar moment of the first cut. I want to pat all of those on the back, who took the challenge and got through it. We all have different challenges, but some run away. Good for you!

Meeting Gwynn

The best part about the weekend, though, may have been the fact that I got to meet Gwynn. She lives in Kentucky and came north for the weekend class. It turns out she reads this blog, and she was kind enough to start right away by introducing herself and letting me know she was a reader here.

We sat very near one another during class, and we got to take a walk one day to buy water on a break. I think we could chat a long time before running out of things to discuss. It was really a delight and an honor to meet her and make friends.

What a bonus, on top of the excellent class we both got to take.

Photos? 1) My sweater after the first cut (up the front, where button bands will go). At the bottom it looks funny, but we had made extra ribbing to attach to the button bands and put those few stitches on waste yarn to hold them until later. There is no sideways-raveling going on, no matter what it looks like.

2) The inside of my sweater, showing what the yarn does when it is not being knitted. We call that “stranding,” where the strands of the unused yarn float across the back of the fabric.

3) Gwynn cutting her sweater’s armholes.

4) My sweater, flat, with both armholes cut.

5) My sweater as it stands now, with sleeve partly sewn in and one button band complete.

6) My new friend, Gwynn (notice Beth teaching a few students in the background. I only got one shot of Gwynn that she might find acceptable (I blur everything when I’m distracted)… and trust me she’s usually even prettier than in this photo. You should have also seen the striped tee sweater she wore Saturday! she combined features from two different sweaters when knitting, and it fit her really well.

I have three things going on for the 4th. If you are in the Lansing, Michigan area, maybe you will want to join me for some of the fun.

1. First, the City of Lansing 4th of July Parade. I’ll be dancing with the Habibi Dancers (photos are of 2006, dancers before the 4th parade, I’m third from left in front with cane, in the 2nd photo). There is a press release page with details on the parade on the City web page. This is the text that matters most:

Sponsored by the City of Lansing (Parks and Recreation Department) this family friendly parade will take place in downtown Lansing on Friday, July 4, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. - Parade will step off at the State Parking Lots on Allegan Street and travel east on Allegan Street to Capitol Avenue, north on Capitol Avenue to Ottawa Street then travel west on Ottawa Street to return to the State Parking Lot.

2. Rae’s Yarn Boutique is having a potluck, barbecue (she provides chicken and hot dogs) and the first day of her 3-day summer clearance sale. (I’ll be there for some of the knit in but probably not the barbecue) She sent out a notice and wrote it up on her blog, Extravayarnza. Basically, this is the important part:

Join us at Rae’s Yarn Boutique July 4th!
Knit-in All Day
Grill starts up at 5pm
Bring a dish to pass or a small donation towards the main dish
Remember your knitting & a folding chair.
We’ll head down to the riverfront for Fireworks in the evening!

3. Brian and I/The Fabulous Heftones will sing at Meridian Historical Village from 7:30 to 10pm (fireworks start at 10:15). The address I have finally figured out, it’s Central Park in Okemos, 5151 Marsh Road. That should help fans of online driving instructions/maps.

We are not the only thing going at this large gala… Meridian Township issued a press release/fact sheet (in Adobe Acrobat PDF format) if you want all details. Here is an excerpt:

• Children’s Area with giant inflatable games
• Live Music by the “Fruitflies” near Central Park Pavilion and the “Fabulous Heftones” in the Historical Village
• U.S Marine Corp Color Guard Flag Ceremony (dusk)
• Mascots from local businesses
• Food from Little Caesar’s Pizza, Ice Cream from Melting Moments, Tony’s Hot Dogs, Culver’s Frozen Custard, and Subs from Guido’s
• Meridian Historical Village Tours
• Fire and Police Department Demonstration Area
• FIREWORKS AT 10:15 PM

I don’t get to my PO Box every day, it’s several miles out of my regular routine. This week I got the nicest surprise when I made it there.

There was a small padded envelope, and I did not order anything that might be that size. What could it be?

Rachel B. loves me. That’s what. I feel so warm inside, this was such a surprise out of the blue!

It’s a mug cozy, and an assortment of fine teas. She even remembered that I’m allergic to cinnamon so she read all the ingredients for all the teas to be sure they were good for me. How thoughtful.

But not only is this a sweet gift… this is very special yarn. It’s her 2nd ever handspun. And she knit it up (which takes time) and sent it to me. To me!

Rachel and I met on the Internet, through this blog if I remember right. She has ordered my handpainted yarns more than once. And she has been a test knitter for me, as well. We have never met but that seems to not matter when we have so much in common.

And then this gift? I’m charmed and touched. I feel very loved.

Thanks, Rachel!