California knitting in a Michigan winter wonderland

This weekend we made the nine-hour drive to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, to the Keweenaw Peninsula where our oldest son lives.  He’s in his third year at Michigan Tech, which explains the hard-drive mobile you’ll see below.  The Finnish population in the town of Hancock celebrated Heikinpaiva, which I heard translated as “the bear rolls over”.  I don’t know if you can see it, but our middle son pushing the youngest is wearing his Christmas hat, the ‘Dwarven Battle Bonnet’. He got lots of looks, smiles and comments, and had his picture taken a lot. (Pattern is by Sally Pointer here on Ravelry.com.) Edited to add: our youngest is wearing his own design, a tall, felted striped number he knit when he was 11 and 12.  It took him that long only because it was lost for a whole winter rolled up in the family tent.

A gathering of Finns makes for great knitwear ogling.  I didn’t have the courage to photograph them all but personally enjoyed it a lot.

That’s our tubist in the super-bulky alpaca striped hat.  The Michigan tech pep band was invited to march in the parade.  The group is talented, and very irreverent- all the more fun.

We had a chance to visit his home and meet his roommates, all math/aeronautics/computer science guys.  The house is full of computers, some housed in cardboard boxes.  There is a dedicated workroom for doing whatever it is they do with circuit boards and stacks of other components.  The house is spartan to say the least,  but there are a couple artistic touches, including this mobile our son made.

He rented snowshoes for the lot of us so we went off into the woods.  Below this creek there were ice climbers on the frozen waterfall.  At the end we had a view from high overlooking the bay.

This is the very bitter cold at the Lake Superior shore, a quick  walk on day two.

After a chilly hike the Gipp burgers at The Michigan bar in Calumet were just the ticket. KNITTERS, I want you to help me out with this. Take a look at this mural painted over the bar.  It was painted in 1908 by a guild from Milwaukee. It pictures several dancing couples.  Look at the leg warmers.

Shorts- bare knees- short leg warmers- bare ankles- shoes with bare feet. What’s up with this? Was this ever a thing? To anyone who can shed some light on this, thanks.

Wanting a “summery” Holey Squares Scarf to wear at Stitches West in Santa Clara next month, I took just this project with me. As we went back home over the Mackinac Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere, I had nine squares done. Fourteen to go. (Yarn is Filatura di Crosa ‘Fancy Tempo’, two balls each of two different colors, cotton & acrylic.)

-Lorilee

Strap Happy- a new pattern in time for the holidays

Last winter, enjoying the challenges of seamless three-dimensional knitting, I set out to design a new seamless slipper.  For many years I’ve had the Felted Loafer Slipper out there.  I love it.  Thanks to Ravelry.com pattern sales it’s being knit all over.  It’s a beefy thing, shoe-like, but is fun and fast to knit.  Wearing those,  you can trudge out in the snow to get firewood.

This time I was going for something a little sleeker, not as bulky, just a good close-fitting house slipper.  It starts with Judy’s Magic Cast On [bows toward Judy in Oregon], continues with magic loop knitting, short row shaping, an optional color change, and straps for the instep.  No seams.  Just ends to darn in (two if one color and four if two colors), and felting to fit.

These are MINE!

With two colors, think of the gifts you could make using your favorite student’s school colors.  I really like Nashua’s ‘Creative Focus Chunky’ for these. It’s a Westminster Fibers yarn. The wool/alpaca blend is warm and felts so well, plus the palette is exquisite. Get two balls for the sole color and one for the instep.

The short rows and decreases were planned for good fit.  The pattern is written in three women’s sizes, although the larger two sizes would work as well for men, with perhaps less time in the washing machine.  It uses one circular needle and bulky single ply wool, 200 – 300 grams, depending on whether or not you go with two colors.  Here are a few photos and a “buy” button if you wish to give it a try.  I hope you like it.

Thanks to my Yarnie friends Ellen, Kristin, Leslie and Liesl for test knitting!

-Lorilee

Above- two pair knit with Rowan ‘Colourscape Chunky’, before felting.

Click here- $5.00 Okay, so I can’t get this linky thing going at the moment, but you can go here or to Ravelry.com.

time for another pair for loafin’ around

With just a few glances at the pattern (here and  here) for certain numbers, I can crank out a full pair, double souled, in three hours.  (Granted those of you with normal-length feet and toes may need to add some time.) Another half hour to felt and shape, and my feet are cozy.  It’s about the something-teenth pair I’ve made, and the third pair for me.  This pair is made from Yarn Hollow wool hand dyed here in Michigan.

It’s been a beautiful fall here in Michigan.  My boys are in varsity crew and can drive themselves to the river. Our exchange student is on a different novice schedule and needs a ride there, and, two hours later, back.  That makes no sense to me, so I stay there and have built it in as my knitting time, three days a week, unless groceries are more pressing. I grab a lawn chair marked “Kyle” out of the boathouse, haul it to the Grand River’s edge, sit there, and knit.

Boats go by- mostly crew boats (dude on the left is one of mine), but occasionally a fisherman in a yellow aluminum boat and a loyal pit bull on board.  Occasionally, great heron, migrating ducks I can’t identify and hawks fly by. Sometimes I sit next to spiders that hide, but I know they are there.

But one day I got to sit with my friend Judy from Portland.  That was way nicer.

Forced [planned] relaxation is good.

Rail and Cruise!

Do you have any great trips planned next year?  Anything you can really look forward to?  I do.  And I hope you’ll join us.  Jared Flood and I are co-teaching on a Craft Cruises trip to Alaska, out of Seattle.  Dates are September 4 – 11, and Melissa of Craft Cruises has organized some great activities associated with the cruise.  Check it out here.

We will share our love of knitters and knitting with you.  Please check out our class offerings on the site. Regarding my classes, two will be on Continental knitting.  If ever you have wanted to make the switch, this would be a perfect time to do it, as we’ll have two in-depth classes, and I will generally be available to help you on board.  This is something I enjoy wholeheartedly!

Every gathering of knitters is a joy.  We are hoping this one will include a wide variety of knitting skills and a nice mix of knitters of both sexes!

And, did you know…

Craft Cruises organizer Melissa has offered a combined trip for this cruise? How would you like to start with a train trip through the Canadian Rockies with instructor Joan Shrouder?  I know!  Doesn’t that sound great?! August 29 – September 3.  Read all about it here. Grab some friends and sign up.

UK Knit Camp- I made it to Glasgow.

Well, it’s been two months now since the UK Knit Camp debacle came to light.  I’m better now, but I have to say that whole thing really sucked a lot out of me from the two weeks preceding it until recently, when I forced myself to shift my attention back to things that need my attention so much more than this.  Oddly, though, while actually experiencing it, I shifted into a weird third-party observer mode, which I think served me to get through it.

 

So, I write this as a farewell to the mess, still hoping only to get paid and to receive an apology.

 

That weekend, many of you had followed what happened on Ravelry.com, where I turned to reach students and other tutors, lacking any communication from the organizer.  Most of those posts I made are now deleted by me, in an effort to comply to get paid.  Most of you know I was denied entry to the country based on lack of work papers which were supposed to be “sorted out” by organizer. After camp, I was told to remove all slanderous comments from Ravelry.com, and write her attorney that I had done so, if I was to be paid.  I replied that, not knowing which comments she considered slanderous, I removed all I could, save those on the locked threads.

 

I have not been paid.  I had my flight reimbursed before traveling, which I consider to be very fortunate, except that payment came with a warning that if I was to not show up at camp for “any” reason, that I was to pay that money back.  I have not done so.  I am owed teacher fees (fees that were half what I originally agreed to) and expenses associated with the abrupt return to the US after being denied entry due to organizer’s behavior.
Two weeks before camp, when I began asking for final word on what I was teaching, when I pointed out that my classes were not for sale on their internet shop, when I was being asked to accept reduced fees, etc, well, that’s when the organizer, with whom I had had a friendship to that point, turned on me.  And I mean turn.
She found my rudeness unbelievable, she said. She went to the trouble of un-friending me on facebook- it takes several intentional clicks. She said she would just have to leave it up to her husband to decide if I still got to come to “her little knit camp or not.”  (This after months of glowing e-mails.) She insulted me, saying I would really not be missed since I wasn’t a mature teacher yet.  Her husband patched things up with me and I set out, excited to teach and meet everyone, and aiming to avoid one person as much as possible.  When I was being detained in Glasgow, she accused me of breaking my contract, and blamed me for her debacle, saying she did not understand why I would do this to her.

 

Beside missing the opportunity to meet with knitters, students and teachers alike, and missing the income, the worst part has been that I have not received one word of apology.  It also really knocked me out that all the tutors from outside the UK were put in a position, unbeknownst to them at the time, of being rounded up, deported and denied entry to the UK for a decade.  This is what I learned from the customs agents while I was being held.  The customs agent, who had the organizer on the phone, told me that she was alarmed at how unimportant a matter the organizer seemed to think this was.

 

There she was, on the phone next to me, offering nothing.  I was left to twist in the wind and figure out how I could reach the other tutors before it was too late.  I certainly had no reason to trust that she would take care of anything, which, in time, proved to be the case. This is why, when released that day, and lacking any communication from the organizer, I went online.
I have one souvenir from my 24 hour stay in Glasgow- a Mitchell Library card, which I received in order to get access to the internet for communication.

 

I want to thank the 100′s of you who rav-mailed and e-mailed me your supportive messages during that time.  It’s a nice feeling to know that I could go back, plunk myself down at any number of places in the UK, and be taken care of (mostly offers for drinks! and a place to stay!) by kind UK knitters.  You are all awesome.  Friends here, and other tutors- equally awesome.  Thanks.

 

Just yesterday I received my packet of student evaluations from Stitches Midwest, an event I was most honored to teach at just a week after UK Knit Camp.  Of the three classes, every single student, when asked if they would take a class from me again, or would recommend me, checked the box for “yes.”  Thanks, folks, I needed that.

-Lorilee

knitting Continental

I start this out with a dose of honesty about why I am posting what follows.  If you don’t care to read what sounds like an advertisement (because it is), just skip it today.  Jo Watson, organizer of UK Knit Camp, has asked me to blog about my classes to be offered there in lovely Scotland in August; I’d like to focus on the Continental class today.  I’ll also be teaching this at Stitches Midwest later in the same month, but that class has already filled.

Following is a little personal continental history, a bit about my attitude toward it, a bit about the silly controversy around which way is best, and some testimonials.

History:  My mom taught me to knit as a kid.  One year she knit fair isle yoke sweaters for many in the family, and she still knits a lot today. It did not stick with me until I relearned as an adult about eighteen years ago. At that time, my neighbor & knitting mentor Kim convinced me to learn continental, and I have never looked back.  Only on rare occasions do I have a day that does not include knitting.  I’m one of those people who takes their knitting to restaurants, appointments, school activities, and on every car ride no matter how short.

After I opened City Knitting in 2005, Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood, local writer for the Grand Rapids Press, and CraftSanity podcaster, came to videotape me knitting.  It was her experiment to post a video for once, rather than just an audio interview.  She did a great job filming and editing, and put it on youtube.  The thing immediately took on a life of its own.  Since November 0f 2006, it has accumulated 440,000 views, 490 thumbs up and 20 thumbs down, 275 comments.  It is most popular with females 45-54, then with those 55-64 (interesting, I think, in showing that experienced knitters still like learning!), then with those 35-44.  I get e-mail from all over the world, with a disproportionate number of those thanking me being men.  I think men are less likely to go to a yarn shop to learn, preferring to “ask the internet”.  Many of the comments I get are from long time knitters who want to kick themselves for not knowing this earlier.  Here is that 10-minute video if you care to watch it.

My attitude:  I love knitting- period.  I love seeing various knitting styles learned by people from so many other people.  Just in a roomful of knitters, so much community and interpersonal relationships take shape.  I will never say my way of knitting is the best way of knitting, because the activity of knitting is so much more important than the mechanics of how any single person gets the job done. I will heartily say, however, that my way of knitting is the best way for me, and if you choose to give it a try, I’d love to help you.

The silly controversy:  If you spend any time on the knitting forums of ravelry.com, you’ll notice in that discussions of English versus Continental styles often get heated.  One person can rave about how they knit, and another can take it as an attack on how they knit.  Then there’s the “I’m faster than you” bit, also silly.  Personally, I knit faster than I used to when I threw, but there are throwers who are faster than me.  So be it.  No big deal. We are all allowed to be fond of our chosen style.

So why does there seem to be more of a demand for classes in Continental?  When was the last time you saw a knitting convention offer a class called “Convert from Continental to English?”  I think there are two reasons.  The first is simply that most knitters in the US are English style knitters- there are more potential converts out there.  So, when they see something different, they want to learn it, mostly because it appears faster. The second reason does have to do with speed.  The truth is that most continental knitters notice they are speedier or have more efficient movements than their friends who throw, so there is no incentive to change.  Don’t get mad at me for saying that; it’s a conclusion I’ve made after watching and knowing lots of knitters.

More history: So, after that video was up for a while, and comments began accumulating, I got curious. Why did that video help so many people?  Why was I getting mail about people finally understanding continental even after taking many classes.  After lots of observation, I learned about many variations just within Continental knitting. Generally, yarn is tensioned in the left hand, leaving the right hand to pick at the stitches.  But much variation occurs in the way yarn is held in the left hand, and the position of the forefinger- up or down, and the location of the yarn.  I also noticed I do a few things that are fundamentally different from the majority of continental knitters.

One is that I orient both my knits and purls conventionally (leading leg to the front).  Another is that there is something I do in my right hand that helps me size my stitches, which helps keep knits and purls sized equally.  Another is the open stance of my hands, which lets me see clearly what’s coming into queue, so I can prepare and proceed more quickly. These are not things apparent in the video, because at the time, I knew not enough to emphasize them.  So, that’s why I love to teach it in person.

A student in a three-hour class can expect to learn knit stitch and purl stitch, ribbing, simple increases and decreases, be past the initial clumsiness, and be ready to spend just a couple weeks practicing to complete the conversion.

Testimonials: Over the years, people comments have warmed me on the inside. Even though they were posted in public forums, I feel a little sheepish sharing them collected here.  But, since I was asked, I leave you with some comments form, young and old, male and female.  -Many thanks, and I hope to see you in class!

• Lorilee is extremely clear and patient and her pacing of the class was flawless.
• Awesome Lorilee…. Thanks so much for posting these. I hope you have time to pretty much repeat all the videos on knittinghelp.com with this way of doing continental. You taught me how to knit. I practiced for about a week or so after watching your CraftSanity video and finally tried a project. It’s the scarf in my profile. I’ll post a pic of it here in the shared projects area. I’m pretty proud of my very first knitted attempt and I owe it all to your amazing teaching abilities. Bob
• Total enlightenment, right? It never quite clicked in for me with the knittinghelp.com ones. Let’s see if we can get Lorilee over here so she knows we all think she’s a Continental genius!
• Thanks, Lorilee! I’m on my third BSJ and your tips are very helpful. I also (coincidentally) stumbled across your continental tutorial on YouTube at midnight last night when I suddenly decided I needed to learn continental (!) and it is wonderful. Thanks for taking the time to post these.
• Thanks, Lorilee! What a great video! I’ve watched other continental videos, but never really “got” it. “My” way of continental was fine…. But “yours” makes it flow a lot better. I was holding the yarn differently, too. But “your” way is better. Thanks, again!!!!
• Great video, Lorilee! I think I’m sold on the continental method. It’s always bothered me to have to let go of the right needle anyway. I’m going to have to practice a little with the purling, but like you said in the video, it’s makes sense to someone who has crocheted. I’ve also read that Zimmerman really pushed it as a method as well, and that it particularly fell out of favor in the US around the 2nd world war because it had been referred to as the “German” method… don’t know how true that is, but I remember congress serving only “Freedom Fries” a few years ago.
• This is ABSOLUTELY THE BEST demo for knitting I have been to, and I have looked at a lot. I was wanting to learn this type of knitting and had not found it.
• Wonderful job of explaining.
• beautiful video. I have watched alot of continental videos on Youtube, this one is very helpful, close ups, and very explanatory. Thank you very much. I watch this video often for reminders and help.
• I have arthritis and this looks like just what I need to do. I am a VERY tight knitter, so the looseness will be hard to get used to…lol
• Thank you so much for such a detailed video )
• I’m only 42 & I have arthritis–as a “thrower” I had given up on knitting. After this vid (which is a FAV now) I know I can take my knitting back up again…what a blessing! You both are very good teachers! Thx Trish
• as an English person who has “thrown” her yarn for 20 odd years, this is incredible! I can see how simpler it makes the process of the stitch, but I’m really struggling to get my tension right. Does that just come with practice? Or are there any tips you can give? Thanks.
• I have struggled SO much with continential knitting because I started as a thrower. I watched this video for 3 days with some needles and scrap yarn….and alot of determination. I now am doing it both knit and purl without any problem at all. I am not incredibably fast YET, but it will happen. This is a great video for anyone wanting to do continential knitting. The teaching is undeniably the best on this techinique I have seen. Thanks so much for posting this video!!!
• What a gifted teacher! Finally I get the continental purl stitch, which had always been my sticking point, so to speak. Thank you!
• thank you so much for posting this! I’m an American knitter, but I’ve always wanted to continental knit. It just seems like a more economical way of knitting. But all the other videos I’ve seen have felt awkward because of the way the yarn was held. This method really cleared it up for me, and I’ve just spent the evening knitting this way. Already it’s feeling more natural and the knitting looks great. thank you so much!
• I have been a knitter for 50 years, using the throwing method. After watching your video many, many times, I have mastered the continental method. I love it. Thanks for a great video.
• A knitter am I now! -WOW! This crocheter thanks you gals loads for the clear instruction on continental knitting! I always shied away from knitting as that throw-over seemed like such a wasted amount of motion for each small stitch – Now, I’m knitting with ease and speed and can imagine the day when I’ll be as proficient with ‘kneedles’ as I am with the hook! = : ) Thanks bunches from a fellow Grand Rapidsian!
• Goll darn it! I have been looking for an easy way to purl using the continental method. You clearly explained what I had been doing wrong and know I am purling! I am so excited.  Once I practise a little more, I should be up to the same speed as my knit stitches. Thank you!
• This is a top notch demonstration by a professional knitter! The demonstration is excellent and the explanation for each recommended step (how to hold the yarn, etc.) is clear. Other knitters are well-intentioned and their efforts are appreciated, but this instructor will help you get started knitting continental by clearly explaining the “why’s.” Thank you!
• I’ve been trying and trying to knit continental and this video is the first one that goes into the details about what to do with all your fingers.  Any site can tell you how the yarn goes, but unless you know what your fingers are supposed to do, you’re in the dark. Awesome video, for both knit AND purl!!
• his was the first video i saw when i typed in “knitting” and was SO HELPFUL!! i immediately tried this method, and WOW.. does it work so good.. i cant believe i was doing it the other way, of course which was fine.. but this way was so much faster and nicer, and i didnt have “close calls” with dropping my stitches.. etc! i just learned how to knit a week ago
• Not all continental methods are created equal. This one makes so much more sense than any of the others I’ve watched. I’m excited to try this as one who has been knitting for 15 years and can’t get any faster!
• Excellent demonstration. I have been knitting 25 years and finally got my pearl stitches right. So much easier and faster. Thanks
• This is a fantastic little demonstration of Continental knitting, and I’ve even take the class from a master knitter — Nancie Wiseman. I’ll be revisiting and re-viewing this often, to reinforce the lessn. Thanks so much! 5 stars!

Colorful work

Recently I was commissioned along with Rita, dyer and proprietress of Yarn Hollow, to come up with a sock design fitting for UK Knit Camp.  The design is complete and will remain a secret until it is revealed in July.  Before then, I have to work it up in a couple colorways.  Rita prepared these delectable color sets for me to work with.  Isn’t it nice when work resembles play?

One must have the color of a Scotch thistle flower, and calls for brights to accompany it. The other has a more quiet feel to it, but will be entertaining to knit nonetheless.

Time to get busy.

Sleeping Bear

The kids flew the coup this weekend to row in a regatta in Cincinnati.  We decided to take off too, so we packed the little tent, the dog, the kayaks, and some necessities (knitting, reading, coffee).  The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is one of our favorite spots in Michigan. Driving along M22 you’ll see some pretty views through the dunes looking out at North and South Manitou Islands. The charming small towns of Empire and Glen Arbor are nearby for food.

We headed up there for two chilly nights and clear days.

The knitting- I brought one sock to work on, toe up, and enjoyed knitting in the car and two mornings on the beach.  I’m working on a stitch pattern to add some cushiness to the soles- a fun challenge that I think I got worked out pretty well.

The D.H. Day Campground, Michigan’s first state park, sits on a north facing bay, sheltered from the stronger winds.  The plant life on the beach was just emerging, and the woods were at peak trillium-viewing time.  The Pyramid Point trail was best for a wide variety of wildflowers.

The national park system now owns many of the historic farms in the area, and, for the time being, seem to be preserving them with decent roofs and clean siding, but not much more than that.  The result is a very clean pastoral scene.

Here’s a shot of the dunes for you.  Check out the area on google earth some time to see how extensive the dunes are.

I made it up to the ankle on the sock.  Some great hikes and paddles got in the way of the knitting, but no complaints.

These crafty critters are building their own tent- apologies to the squeamish.

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