WiP Posts – Heather Storta

WiP Wednesday 3/28/2019

March 27, 2019May 1, 2019 Heather

I’m busy prepping for the Dallas Fort Worth Fiber Festival! (April 4-7th.) One of my classes is sold out, and the other only has a few seats left – and Master Knitter Day is also sold out! (There’s still space in my Tisket Tasket Entrelac Baskets class if you want to add a class to your schedule…) I’m really excited – it should be loads of fun. Who will I see there? I’ll be participating in the stitch marker swap, so if you see me around, stop me and swap with me! Here are the stitch markers I am bringing with me:

Also, if you stop me and ask about one of my patterns, I will give you a coupon for a free Ravelry download of a pattern of your choice*! I’m only bringing 50 coupons, though, so when I’m out, I’m out!

Ok, let’s get to my WiPs! I am finally blocking my Vitamin D cardigan, because I’m hoping to wear it sometime in Dallas — or at the very least show it to Claudia of Claudia’s Handpaints! (Hopefully the weather is warmer than last year!) It bled like crazy when I soaked it, so I’m hoping the color didn’t fade too badly. We’ll see when it’s dry…

I finished up my most recent plain socks as well:

Yarn: Twisted Owl 2-Ply Sock in colorway ‘Happy Birthday to EWE’!
Needles: Size 0
Started: Oct 13, 2018
Finished: Feb 12, 2019

I’ll have to go stash diving to find a skein to start my next plain socks with. Don’t worry, it won’t be hard, I have a lifetime’s worth of single sock skeins to choose from! lol (Sock yarn doesn’t count as stash. That’s what I tell myself, anyway!)

My current WiP is design work, and these are *almost* done. Good thing, since they are due soon! These will be in the next issue of Cast On magazine.

Once these are done, I have loads of design ideas floating in my head that I want to work on! Sweaters, shawls, and more. I’m not sure which design will win the fight for my attention first, but I’m excited to find out.

I will do my best to post a few times from Dallas! At the very least I will post a recap afterwards.

Until next time, Happy Knitting!

(*Patterns available are my for-sale Ravelry patterns. Patterns for sale elsewhere are not available with this coupon.)

WiP Wednesday, FO, and Reflections

January 16, 2019 Heather

Hi everyone!
I hope 2019 is treating you well so far! I’m getting ready to go teach at a retreat in the mountains – the Kanuga Knitting and Quilting Retreat. I thought I would touch base here before I leave, and I might try to do a post of two while I’m there.

On my needles: I’m still working on my plain socks. They’re plain – and not very exciting, lol. But they make good tv knitting. 🙂

I’m also casting on a new project to take with me tomorrow to the Kanuga retreat. I decided on Persian Dreams blanket by Jenise Hope. I went stash diving for a bunch of different colors of Palette yarn to use – it’ll make a nice thing to work on in fits and spurts! No picture yet – but as soon as I start a hexagon I’ll share my progress.

I do have a FO to show you – I finished my Vitamin D cardigan! It still needs to be blocked, but I went ahead and wove in all the ends. I’ll block it when I get home from the retreat. After I block it I’ll get a picture of me wearing it and I’ll include all of my project notes.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to Kanuga! I’ve never been before – it sounds lovely, and I’m excited to meet my students and have a wonderful weekend teaching in the mountains!

On another, more serious note, if you weren’t aware – there have been some important conversations happening over on Ravelry and on Instagram and online about racism in the knitting community. I’m not ready to join in the conversation yet – but I did want to let my readers know that I have been following along, reading/listening, and most importantly – learning. It’s a difficult topic, but an important one, not just for the knitting community. The world is full of a diverse and beautiful mix of people, and we need to be able to peacefully and compassionately exist among all of that beautiful diversity. I don’t have the time to link to resources here right now (I need to pack for my trip!) – but if you do some digging you can find all kinds of great resources. I have just begun working through the “Me and White Supremacy” workbook by Layla F. Saad (I will link to that!) — so I have a ways to go in my voyage, but I am determined to learn and grow. It’s a complicated topic/subject, but a worthwhile one and an important one.

So with that, I will sign off. 🙂

Until next time, Happy Knitting!!

Updates, WiP Posts

Happy New Year!

January 2, 2019January 1, 2019 Heather

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, and I want to wish you all a happy, healthy, wonderful 2019!

My 2018 was pretty good, so I’m hopeful that my 2019 will be even better!

In 2018 I published 11 new patterns – 7 in publications and 4 as self published. As well as converting another 6 patterns into self published designs from previously published. Not too bad! I also taught at Masters Day in Dallas, at Unwind Getaway, and 15 different classes at my ‘home’ LYS, Cheers to Ewe!

I finally joined TNNA, I became a certified Knitting Instructor, I was appointed as a Co-Chair on the Master Hand Knitting Committee, and I became the editor of the K2TOG newsletter. When I spell it all out like that it makes me realize how much I actually accomplished this year!

2019 looks to be just as exciting! I’m teaching at Kanuga in a couple of weeks, and then I’ll be teaching at the Dallas Fort Worth Fiber Festival in April – not only on Masters Day but two other classes as well. This will be my first ‘non-regional’ teaching gig (aside from teaching at Masters Day there last year), and I’m pretty excited about it! I’ll be at Unwind Getaway again (mostly as a participant this time – but I will be doing a little bit of teaching.) And I have class proposals in to several other events throughout the year. (Fingers crossed!) I’m thinking of tackling the TKGA Knitting Judge certification this year, and I want to grow the Tech Editing side of my business as well, in addition to more designing too (of course.)

On the knitting front, I just wrapped up my two pillow designs that will be in the next issue of Cast On magazine – along with the article to go with them. I really need to not commit to designing over the holiday break – I really stressed out this year – there was so much going on! (Which is 90% of why I haven’t posted since Thanksgiving!) But I’ve finished everything ahead of my deadline, so I call that a win! 🙂

I’ve finished one sock and have started the second – these are my plain ‘waiting room’ knitting. Cuff down, short row heel.

I really need to go through my WiP pile and dig some stuff out to finish. My Vitamin D cardi is still sitting near my desk asking to be finished, so I think I may dig that back out and finally finish it soon!

I’m not going to really do any ‘resolutions’ this year, but I did pick a word for my year – this year it is ‘mindful’. I’d like to be more mindful of how I spend my time, and how I spend my money, and what I spend my precious knitting time on. And also work on being mindful of living in the moment. Do you have any resolutions for 2019, or do you also pick a word of the year to focus on? I’d love to know what knitting resolutions you have – drop me a comment with them below!

Until next time – Happy Knitting! Here’s to a wonderful, knitting-filled 2019!

Designing, Patterns Released, WiP Posts

WiP Wednesday 11/21/18, G.A.L., and Happy Thanksgiving!

November 21, 2018 Heather

Hi!
I have a couple of WiPs I’m working on – I’m working up a set of watch cap hats for a Brioche class I’m teaching in March. I have the adult and the infant done so far – I’ll cast on for the child size in the next day or two. I think I’ll add an adult large as well, although the adult size is nice and stretchy so I might not. We’ll see!

And I have a pair of socks on the needles as well, although these are slow going since they are my ‘waiting room’ and ‘need some knitting handy’ knitting. 🙂 I started these on dpns and just never switched them over to two circs. I don’t mind using dpns – although I do prefer two circulars for knitting socks. I used a german short row heel on these. I’m loving the yarn! (Twisted Owl 2-ply Sock.)

I’m also knitting up swatches for an article I’m writing for the next issue of Cast On magazine. There’s nothing exciting there yet. I’ll be writing two patterns to go along with that article as well.

Speaking of Cast On, did you see the most recent issue? My cabled sweater was published in it! ‘Harmonious Echo Pullover‘.
I’m super happy with how it turned out. I got the sample back a week or two ago and I’ve already worn it twice. 🙂 This was worked in super yummy Miss Babs Yowza in the color Sycamore. I hope you enjoy! It was a labor of love and I put a TON of work into it. 🙂

I recently self-published a few things that had rights reverting back to me: my Quatrefoil Shawl, my Zick Zack Fingerless mitts, and my Wheat Chain socks. I did that because something fun is coming up in a few days and I wanted a few more patterns available …. the Indie Design Gift-A-Long 2018!

This will be my 3rd year as a participating designer in the GAL fun! For the first 7 days there is a sale, but the real fun lasts for all 6 weeks with people knitting and crocheting gifts for prizes. There are all kinds of fun and games going on! You should check it out and join in the fun – I know I will!

That’s it from me for now – I’m finishing up my Thanksgiving cooking (we’re having our big dinner tonight) and I’m ready to eat and watch some holiday movies with my clan. I hope you and yours have a very Happy Thanksgiving!!
Until next time, Happy Knitting! (And don’t eat too much turkey!)

Teaching, WiP Posts

WiP Wednesday 10/24/18

October 24, 2018 Heather

Hi all!

I have a few WiPs on the needles this week! I’m still knitting on my Vitamin D cardigan – *almost* done! I need to wind up my last skein in order to finish it, and I just haven’t done that yet. But I have about 4 more rows of the hem to work, and then the neckline pickup and I’ll be done. Of course, I may not feel like wearing a lightweight linen cardigan in the chilly weather we have lately, but at least it’ll be ready for me to wear next spring, right?

(Did I mention how much I love these little buttons??)

I started on another plain vanilla pair of socks to have some ‘on the go’ knitting with me. I started these at the Billy Joel concert we went to a couple of weeks ago (amazing concert!!) and have been working on them here and there when I get a chance. I decided to do a German Short row heel on these. I’m loving the yarn – it’s the special ‘Happy Birthday to Ewe!’ colorway by Twisted Owl – such a happy color!

I have a brioche hat on the needles too, my own design. A brioche class was requested, so I figured I need to polish up my brioche knitting skills and prep a hat pattern to teach during class. I keep ripping it back to the band because I can’t decide on a set of increases/decreases that I like – and that would be easy to teach to beginners. So, it’s a work in progress still. 🙂

So, that’s what I have on the needles this week! The newest issue of Cast On magazine will be coming out very soon, so stay tuned for that (you can finally see my sweater!)

If you’re local and in town this weekend I have a couple of classes on offer at Cheers to Ewe on Saturday – ‘Learn to Fix Your Knitting Mistakes’ and ‘Gauge and Blocking Workshop’ – both are excellent for helping you to be a more confident knitter! Come join me if you can, I’d love to see you there!

Until next time, Happy Knitting!