Category: Teaching

Designing, FO Posts, Teaching, WiP Posts

WiP Wednesday 5/23/18

Heather

Hi all!

I finally casted on my Vitamin D cardigan!

Pattern: Vitamin D by Heidi Kirrmeir
Yarn: Claudia Handpainted Yarn Linen Lace in colorway Tranquility

The beads are actually doll buttons! 3mm Swarovski crystals with an actual button shank on the back. I did 10 of them at the first set of radial increases for the back neck. I may do a few more on the lower fronts, we’ll see. I only have 10 more left, so they’ll need to be used sparingly. (They are from Horsman – and they are called ‘Crystaletts‘.) They were a bear to get on the yarn with the crochet hook, the 5mm ones would have been much easier I think, but I wanted the tiny ones so the bling is subtle.

The linen yarn is quite stiff, but I know that it will soften up considerably when I block it. The sample that Claudia had in her booth of this in the linen lace was so soft and lovely!

And I finished a baby sweater yesterday for my TKGA Instructor certification as well — here it is blocking today:

Pattern: Flax by Tin Can Knits
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash Paints in colorway 9875

I’m hoping it dries enough for me to mail off my binder on Friday – it was a lot of work preparing and assembling all of the materials for the certification program! Hopefully it’s all up to snuff and I’ll have that certification soon! 🙂

I received my yarn several days ago for the next pattern I’m doing that will be in Cast On for Fall, so those will be started soon! And I’m putting the final touches on the pattern for the ribbed socks that I finished a while ago too, so that pattern should be ready in a week or two. Plus I have lots of classes at Cheers to Ewe coming up! Lots going on here!

Upcoming Classes at Cheers to Ewe:

June 2: Learn to Fix Your Knitting Mistakes (almost full!)

June 16: Needle Tatting, Decorative Cast Ons and Bind Offs

June 23: Tisket Tasket Entrelac Basket

July 7, 14, 28: Graphite Socks

August 18: Beyond Basic Cast Ons and Bind Offs, Beaded Amulet Purse

Have a class idea? Shoot me a note in the comments or via the ‘contact me’ form!

Until next time, Happy Knitting!!

 

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Conference/Festival Recaps, Designing, Teaching

Unwind Getaway Recap

Heather

Hi all! I know I promised to try to post during Unwind, but I got so wrapped up in everything that I forgot to! I just need to stop promising to post in the middle of events and then if I ever do you’ll be pleasantly surprised. lol!

Anyway, I had a fantastic time! I taught 3 classes, and socialized, and mingled with friends from last year, and made lots of new friends too! It was a blast. If you ever get the chance to go (it’s the end of April every year in Blowing Rock, NC) you should go because the people are all just wonderful. 🙂



On Friday morning there were several field trip options. I went on the hike at Moses Cone park.

It was a chilly morning, but by the time we were moving it became a bearable chill. The hike was just what I needed.

 

 

Then Saturday the classes began. I taught two on Saturday and one on Sunday (even the teachers get a period off, one of the things I love about this retreat!)



First up was Steeking. Everyone cut their knitting without any tears shed! I call that a success!

 

Saturday afternoon was Mosaic, and all of my students caught on really quick!

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday afternoon was Finishing School, and that class went fantastic! I didn’t get a photo in the middle of class, but I did get a photo of me with a few students that stayed a bit after class.

It was a great weekend! And I’m planning on going back next year as a participant, that’s how much fun I had! 🙂

In other knitting news, I finished up my squishy socks, and will be finishing up the pattern for those and having them tech edited and such soon. So those should be published within the next few weeks.

I submitted a bunch of designs to sub calls that were ‘calling’ to me, so we’ll see within the next week or so how many deadline designs I will be working on over the next few months!!

I’m also working on revamping my tutorial videos to make them more polished looking, so look for those updated videos soon as well! If you have any techniques that you would like me to film a tutorial on, drop me a line or comment below! (You can see the topics I’ve already filmed by clicking on the YouTube icon on the far right at the top of this page!)

That’s it from me for today! Until next time, Happy Knitting!!

Teaching, WiP Posts

WiP Wednesday 4/25/18

Heather

Hi all!

I just cast off my squishy socks today, and hopefully I’ll have the pattern ready for release in a few weeks. I love how they turned out.

Despite my post last week about casting on for a Vitamin D, I have yet to actually cast it on! Oops. I have it all prepped and ready to go, though, so casting on for it should be imminent! 🙂 And I have the most awesome beads, that are not really beads, for it – I’ll share those with you next week.

I immediately casted on for a pair of toe up socks once my needles were free from the squishy socks, and I’m using this awesome yarn from String Theory Colorworks:

I’m doing just a plain sock, toe-up, and I’ll do an afterthought heel to preserve the striping. (It stripes up awesome – and will look like Dory from Finding Nemo – hence the colorway name ‘Hippocampus’ – I love that.)

Oh, and I’m excited for this weekend – I’ll be teaching all weekend at the Unwind Getaway retreat in Blowing Rock, NC. It was so much fun last year, and I’ll thrilled that I was asked back to teach this year, too!! I’ve got all my teaching supplies packed up, now I just need to pack up my clothes and stuff… oh, and my knitting too. 🙂

I’ll try to do a post from the retreat, otherwise I will do a recap when I get home!

Until then, Happy Knitting!

Teaching, WiP Posts

WiP Wednesday 3/21/18

Heather

Hi all! What a yucky Wednesday it is here in NC – we have some snow mixed in with our rain in spots – and it’s the second day of Spring no less! Oh well, I am bundled up indoors and have a constant stream of hot tea at my desk today. I may have to get my apron on and bake something warm and yummy too….

Anyhow, I am still in love with this Copper Corgi Savannah Sock yarn. It is so squishy! And I’m loving this stitch pattern – I’m imagining all kinds of garments using it now… Pattern should be done in a month or so.

And I got yarn to make my two other sizes of felted bowls for my Entrelac class. I’m planning on winding these up today and starting on them. That pattern should be ready in another month as well. I picked out super bright Spring-like colors. They are certainly much happier to look at than looking out my window right now!! lol.

That’s it for me this week! Check out my calendar over there ——> to see what classes I’ve got coming up! And now I’m exactly 2 weeks away from my trip to Dallas for the DFW Fiber Fest! Eeek! I can’t wait!!

I will check in with you all again next week! Until then, stay warm and Happy Knitting!!

Designing, Teaching, WiP Posts

WiP Wednesday 3/14/18

Heather

Happy Wednesday everyone, and Happy Pi Day! I hope everyone in the Northeast is staying warm – yikes, what an almost-spring we are having this year!

I finished up my socks for the upcoming issue of Cast On and got those sent off, yay! Now I’m whipping up another pair, this time to self publish. I love having socks on the needles, and decided I didn’t want just plain socks on my needles this time, so I came up with a new design and I’m writing the pattern for them as I work them up. I’m using some yummy Copper Corgi sock yarn I got about a year ago or so for these. They are turning out really soft and squishy! Stay tuned in the next couple months for the pattern for these…

I was on the Cheers to Ewe show yesterday morning, did you catch me? If not, you can watch the episode on the Cheers to Ewe YouTube channel here. I had a lot of fun being on the show! 🙂

I have LOTS of new classes on the schedule at Cheers to Ewe, too! You can see the whole shop class schedule here, or you can see just my schedule with my nifty new calendar over to the right! Another offering of the Learn to Fix your Knitting Mistakes class is out there, as well as socks, and Needle Tatting and Beaded purses and all kinds of neat stuff! If you’re in the area you should definitely check it out!

If you’re not in the area, well – I do travel!! Maybe you’ll be able to catch me near you sometime soon. 🙂 I’ll be at the Dallas Fort Worth Fiber Festival in just a couple of weeks now (eek! My first teaching appearance where I’ve flown to the venue!) I’ll be a volunteer teacher during Masters Day on Thursday, and then I’m taking a couple of classes with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and Franklin Habit. I am beyond excited! I hear lots of wonderful things about the DFWFF – so I’m really pumped to be going to it this year! I’ll be sure to blog during the event to keep you all up to date.

Then later in April I am teaching at Unwind Getaway in Blowing Rock – my second year teaching there, and I am really looking forward to that – it was so much fun last year!

Anyhoo, that’s it from me for today! Until next time, Happy Knitting! (And be sure to have some pie today!)