I can’t leave you all hanging with the shopping I did while at Vogue Knitting Live! in New York. I had planned on shopping a bit, but to be honest, the marketplace was INSANE!!! I pretty much had only the time between classes to shop. As did most other people, I think. It was worse than my trip to Disney World in July that I took in regards to the amount of people crammed into this space.

I did manage to get some things, though. And the more I spoke with other people, the more I went back to get other things! Such enablers!!!

Anyway, on with the showing off!

Books

I actually was able to get to the Debbie Bliss Cocktail Hour at The Yarn Company on the Friday night that I arrived in NY. There I bought 2 of her books signed – Design It, Knit It and Design It, Knit It Babies. While I was there at Yarn and Company, I was able to reserve their special Madelinetosh yarns to purchase at the Marketplace the next day. More on that in a minute.

I hit up the Japanese Bookstore that was selling crafting books  and picked up a few new Japanese magazines and a book that made me smile. I got Knit Your Own Dog because it made me laugh. However, it did not make me laugh quite a much as the crochet dog book I bought. Even though I don’t crochet, it makes me laugh every time I look at it! The last book/magazine I bought has some really awesome sweaters in it. It’s been a while since I’ve worked on a Japanese pattern, and I figure it’s about time to try that again.

I also bought some French magazines – Bergere and Origin by Bergere. I picked up Bergère de France, Creations 2011/2012 and really love a baby bunting pattern! There are a few sweaters, too!

I also snatched up the last Origin No4 that could be found at the booth I was at. I really thought some of the sculptured sweaters we really interesting. I even saw some samples and was blown away. Who knew!?

Yarn

I already mentioned the Madelinetosh yarn that I picked up at Yarn and Co. I was able to snatch up 3 skeins of the Midnight in Manhattan colorway that was specifically dyed for Yarn and Co. I also bought the pattern by Laura Zukaite aptly named Midnight in Manhattan Sweater. She was at the Cocktail Party modeling the sweater. It’s very pretty in person and I can’t wait to make it!

I also picked up the cashmere starter kit for the Great American Aran Afgan [epic] project. I may never want to work with a different type of yarn again after using cashmere!

I also came across Robin Turner yarn. I grabbed one skein of both Silky Llama (blue) and Bolivian Alpaca (chartreuse). One that I didn’t take a picture of is Back to Basics which is a great microfiber/nylon yarn. I used most of it for a sample in one of my classes.

I went nuts at Tess Designer Yarns. I bought two colors of Tess Merino (Fuchsia and a Green Grey) and Cascade Silk in a dark grey.

I think I’m done with yarn for a while. I have it stashed all over the condo and The Boyfriend has no idea where it all is…I’m afraid that he’ll find it one of these days…

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/bergere-de-france-explications-tricot-2011-2012-french-lang/patterns?page=1

Like Robin, I’ve decided to have an epic project to work on. While at Vogue Knitting Live! I decided to purchase the starter kit for the Great American Aran Afghan project from Hunt Valley Cashmere. I went with the 8-ply version (worsted) and have started the first square listed for the project by Barbara Selesnick.

I’m going to get new yarn every other month…I hope this gives me enough time to get each square done. Is this hopeful thinking?! Since I’m only into row 8 of the first repeat on this square, I have a feeling I’ll be stock piling cashmere yarn. But I think if I stay on it and you guys keep me honest, I’ll be ok….no?

I know that the Bobbi Bear pattern has been out for years. He’s always been on my list to knit, but it hasn’t been until recently when I have been obsessed with actually making them. Most normal people would stop with one, but not me.

The first guy I made I used Elann Highland Peruvian Wool – Superwash. Some stuff I had left over from my Chic Cardi. I thought it would be perfect…worsted, superwash, the color of a bear…Little did I know this poor bear was not going to work out quite as well as I thought he should.

First of all, he’s a bit smaller than I anticipated. I read reviews how Baby Bobbi Bears were still huge for a “baby”. This guy is really not all that much bigger than I actually would have anticipated. He’s a bit strained in the neck (yeah, I missed the line in the instructions that said to tightly duplicate stitch the neck). I decided that if I washed and dried him in the washer/dryer, he’d tighten up a bit…

Have you ever seen a Gummy Bear that’s been soaked in vodka? They are huge! That’s kind of what this poor guy looked like when I took him out of the dryer. Ugh. So, I took him apart and took some stuffing out of the poor thing. That’s probably why he looks a bit deflated.

I then decided that it probably wasn’t the best yarn to be using, so I went with the Lion Brand Organic Cotton in a dark brown. I think this guy turned out MUCH better. It’s more of a heavy worsted weight yarn and much more forgiving in the stretchier areas like the neck.

So, now I have a den of Bobby Bears that I knit because I had to!

Hi, everyone! I hope you like the look of my new blog. There are still some things that need to be changes/updated/etc, but I’m getting there. I think it’s enough done that I can start using it.

Not only did I change my look, I’ve changed platforms. I used to be on Typepad, but I’ve moved to a self hosted WordPress site. It’s all very boring and technical, so I’ll spare you the details.

If you see anything that is not working, please let me know!!!

Since I've been back from Vogue Knitting Live! in New York, I've had a lot going on with work and life. That, however, does not give me any reason to not give you updates on what I bought, what I learned and what I did! Today I'll start with my classes. Since Vogue Knitting Live! will be in Chicago (downtown at the Palmer House Hilton!!!), I bet most of these same teachers will be there teaching similar classes.

I took 3 classes, but they took up 4 class sessions:  

Photographing Your Fiber by Franklin Habit
Vogue Description:
Bring your own camera and a project or two, and learn the basics of lighting, depth of field, styling, and common fiber photography problems like capturing true color, capturing stitch definition, and photographing lace.We will also learn how to make a light box at home, cheap! No prior knowledge of photography necessary. The emphasis will be getting the best possible shots using your camera.

My Review:
Franklin is Hilarious! With a capital 'h'. He is also VERY knowledgeable about photography. He used to be a photgrapher in a former life and is able to dumb a lot of down for those of us who are not pros. We learned a lot about Lighting – color/angles/intensity, depth of field, and shutter speed. How to get off using the "Dummy Wheel" as one lady called it and how to set these settings for ourselves. Like I said – technical, but he didn't go off a topic until everyone understood it. And easy enough for everyone to grasp. And you don't have to have a fancy camera (I used my iphone for the pics below).

He also had a light box setup for us to play with. I need one of these. Since I live in a condo on the second floor with an eastern window, I don't get much natural light to take pics. Luckily they are cheap and easy to make. Here is a hat I've been working on in secret. Please forgive the wonkiness – I didn't have anything to make it stand up properly. But you can see the difference that background and light have on it. The black background utilized a reflective material on the left side, which you can see a bit when you make the image bigger. The white background is in the lightbox.

The Art of Knitting Backward by Candace Eisner Strick
Vogue Description:
Learn how to knit and purl backward (i.e., not turning the work) and how to apply this technique to working an applied edging. Students will practice knitting and purling backward, then apply an edging with an incrediblemitered corner. Also great for entrlac, bobbles, short rows,mitered squares, and anything else you can think of!

My Review:
Candace is also Hilarious. She definately has a sense of humor! I learned how to "smooth" and "bump" backwards. She doesn't like to use the terms knit and purl because people tend to think a bit differentely when they use those terms and there is confusion. So, any way, smoothing is when you are looking at the right side and it's all knitting stitches. So, it's the smooth side. I think you can all figure out the bump side.

She had us come with a swatch so that we could practice adding an applied boarder to to it. Wish I would have known that since I made a swatch and added a garter stitch boarder to it while I knit it. Brilliant. That's ok, just made it look interesting.

Candace mentioned that you could probably find most of this info on the internet and YouTube. And I'm sure she's right, but you don't get her – personality – or her telling you what to do. And to practice. (Which I have been doing!)

Beyond the Raglan Parts 1 & 2 by Ysolda
Vogue Description:
Top-down sweaters are hugely popular and for good reason, but the most common style—the basic raglan—is only the beginning and can cause fitting problems. This class will cover the different
types of sweater that can be knit from the top down and will explore ways to get the best fit in a top-down sweater.We will look at shape of the body and different ways to work yokes that mimic this shape. Yoke styles covered will include: compound raglans; round yoke, saddle shoulders, and set-in sleeves—and we will discuss the calculations involved in creating each. During the class knitters will work a mini swatch version of a seamless set-in sleeve from the top down and should leave with the confidence to create their own top-down sweater with any style of yoke.

My Review:
Let's be honest here. I've been out of the knitting world for some time, so I had no clue who Ysolda is. I took this class solely based on it's description. When I got there people were gushing over her. So, I looked through her Little Red in the City book that someone had brought along to be autographed. It looked like there was a lot of good information about fit in it, so I ordered it while I was in class. Now, if you are interested in it, you better go order it on Ravelry since they are the main seller of this book. One more note on the book – she sells it with an electronic copy so you can print off the patterns or put them on your iPhone/iPad. I think ALL publishers should do this!!!

Back to the class – She really knows her stuff. She walked us through an example of how to figure out raglan increases to make a top down raglan fit better. She knew what she was doing, but she didn't have an example already worked out for us. As she was going through the process, she tended to change numbers here and there making it difficult to follow. At least we seem to have pretty detailed handouts.

It was a good class, but to be clear, this was only for YOLKs of sweaters. No other shaping was discussed. If you are looking for a complete how to create a sweater class, this is not it.

I think my trip was good and worth it. I may consider volunteering for the Chicago since I don't plan on taking too many classes or shoppnig too much more. Because I have a lot more yarn these days and I am a responsible adult!

So, I’m off to Vogue Knitting Live! on Friday and I just learned that Vogue Knitting Live! will be in Chicago Oct 26-28. Though, my thoughts on this is that I don’t know what classes/instructors will be there, so I’m happy I’m going to NY this weekend.

I also learned that Yarn Co in NY will be having a cocktail reception with Debbie Bliss on Friday evening. I think I might try to see if there is still room to join that…if not, maybe Loopy Yarns will have a reception of something in October.

I’m getting excited for NY now! And dinner at Bobby Flay’s!

You all totally know how I am! I can’t just work on one project. So, I decided to start on ChicKnits Velynda. I’m using Di.Ve Zenith. I had previously earmarked this yarn for Cassidy, but since I am avoiding piece knitting I’m re-purposing it.

I’ve only just cast on and started the ribbing…I have a long way to go. I think this might be able to keep me interested for a while. There is cabling, stockinette, ribbing – all the fun things to keep a distracted knitter from straying…hmmm.

I received the new Vogue Knitting Winter 2011/2012 magazine (and my subscription renewal) while I was off from work, and I have to be honest – I hated it. I’m kind of over Vogue. This is really a long time coming, and this issue was the last straw for me. I can’t say that I’ve actually ever completed ANYTHING from one of my Vogue magazines (and I’ve been a subscriber since 2001). That’s a lot of wasted paper!

The reason I am so unhappy by this issue is that I expect it to be more garment related. Even if they are a bit avant garde, they are still interesting to look at and maybe learn a new technique. A good portion of the patterns in this issue are home dec. Also, I was so over the poncho well before Martha Stewart revived it. There are TONS of patterns for ponchos in this issue. I paid $7 for ponchos and pillows.

So, to end this rant, I have decided NOT to renew my subscription. If there is an issue that looks interesting, I can buy it for the iPad.

***end rant***

I almost forgot that I made something else for gifts this holiday season! The Boyfriend’s mom really like knitted slippers. Last year I saw her taking a bunch from his grandmother’s house and I mentioned that I could make her some. Well, the year came and went, but my intention was to always make her slippers for Christmas.

Since I knew these would be a snap to make, I waited until December to start on them. Then I got ambitious and decided there would be three pairs! The first two sets were pretty easy, but then I started traveling for work (3 weeks in a row) and I didn’t have the time to get the slippers done and washed. But I think the Ghost of Christmas Present helped me get that one last pair done.

These are all done in Cascade 220 – Pink and Black; White and (Tiffany) Blue; Black and White. You can get about 2 pairs out of the 2 hanks of yarn. I started to cut it close, but used some creative knitting to get the yarn to work out almost perfectly.

The Boyfriend talked to his mom the other night and she said she LOVES her slippers. Hmm…I might have to rethink the selfish knitter thing…

Damn. Well, I had 11 days off from work and I *thought* I would be able to catch up on some things – namely blogging. That didn’t happen. In fact, I was so busy during my “vacation” that I didn’t get most of what I wanted done!

But with the holidays brings gifts and shopping for knitters and crafters! The Boyfriend’s family gave me a bunch of gift certificates to Loopy Yarns. We do, afterall, live 2 blocks (is it even that?) away from the store. Apparently, Yoda even went along on the shopping trip! I had no idea a dog would be allowed in a yarn store. I’ve never even attempted to bring her in there!

I also received more interchangeable needle tips, a couple books, and YARN! It was an Elizabeth Zimmerman Christmas with her new book Knit One Knit All and The Knitter’s Almanac. I also received some Elann Peruvian Highland Wool in a blue/green heathered color called Mallard and Peruvian Highland Donegal in Cognac.