New York Part 2 - Colour!!!

Kaffe Fassett showing off some of his stripe work

The best way to describe day two of the conference is colour!!  It started with an inspiring lecture with Kaffe Fassett showing us some of his amazing work.  We got to see varieties of quilts, knitting and needlwork that were just incredible.  He truely has a gift for colourwork.  He showed us pictures of his workshop as well.  I think it's safe to say everyone in the lecture hall was envious!  What I took away from his lecture was to be BOLD with colour.  To not be afraid to put lots of colour in and to have fun with it. 

Welcome to the market!

  I then had a large break between lectures so I headed to the 2 level market place.  I will post more pictures on Facebook as there is just not enough room here.  It was amazing to see such a variety of fibres, products and colours.  They had yarn sampling stations so you could try differnent yarns which I thought was really fun.  Lots of vendors with yarn directly from their farms and some beautiful fibres like mink, qiviut and yak!

Yarn sample station.

The Vogue Knitting fashion show was also on and it was great to see the Spring/Summer line up including some beautiful crocheted items!  I really liked some of the tops that had a simple front and some great design detail on the back.  The full fashion show photos will be posted on Facebook.

One of my favourites from the show.

Beautiful detail on the back!

I ended the day with a lecture from Erika Knight on trends!  She is a great designer based in England who is immersed in the fashion industry.  As I mentioned on Twitter tangerine is the colour for spring/summer.  But also the very modern black and white prints will be popular, intarsia with bold colour blocks and red for the upcoming winter!  It never ceases to amaze me how far in advance these trends are set.  But once they were pointed out I must say I really noticed it on my stop at Sak's Fifth Avenue. 

Spring display at Saks

Lots of black and white!

Sunday was a fun filled day learning about colours and trends.  I ended the day by going to see a play called Wit starring Cynthia Nixon (Miranda from Sex and the City!).  She was amazing to see live and the play was very powerful.  More on NYC tomorrow!

New York Part 1

Time Square

What a trip!  With so much to write about it I thought it would be best to split it up into parts instead of one HUGE blog entry!  For those following me on Twitter or Facebook you know what a crazy journey it was just to get there!  Partially my fault with forgetting my passport and realizing it just as the bus was heading past Chesterman Beach.  Fortunately my mom was able to hop in the car and meet the bus in Port Alberni with passport, US money and some gravol in hand (it was a really windy trip and my stomach did not enjoy it!)

So a bus ride, ferry, plane and 13 hour car trip through a blizzard we made it to NYC!  First thing we did was eat at the Carnegie Deli where all the famous people go!  I think they have the best pickles!

Me on the right with designer Fiona Ellis.

Saturday morning it was straight into classes at 8:00 am with designer Fiona Ellis.  She taught us how to think out of the box with cables and let us practice creating our own cable designs.  I had fun trying to morph cables in whichever way my hands decided.  But my favourite part was getting to touch her swatches and designs.  They are truely amazing!  I must say that seeing the photos of the designs don't do them justice.  The sweaters and cables were stunning when I got to see them but if I had to choose one by looking at pictures I may not have been so keen to knit them.  But maybe that's just me!  I defintely see a Fiona Ellis cabled sweater in my future!

This is Dusseldorf Aran.  The cable actually becomes the i-cord.  A great design feature.

This is Celtic Icon.  You can't tell from the photo but the pattern continues up on the hood!

This is Bonnie.  I love how she matched the cable on the right with the cable on the sleeve.  So each sleeve is different!

Saturday afternoon was a class with Clara Parkes who is the autor of "The Knitters Book of Wool" and "Book of Yarn" both incredible resources for knitter and crocheters!  If you don't own them you should! It goes into great detail about the various fibres, their origins and the how they knit up.  She is also the owner of the Knitters Review a great knitting website.  The afternoon was what she called a "Scratch and sniff version of her Book of Wool." And it really was!  Lots of touching of different wools, knitting up swatches and learning all about the different types of wool out there.  There will be more blog posts about this as I go through my class materials as it was such a great class! 

The one handy tip I want to pass along today - if you have a ball of yarn and you don't know what the recommended needle size is fold the yarn in half and then see which hole it fits through on a needle gauger.  The hole it fits through best is the needle you should use!

Thats all I can fit in this blog entry!  NYC to be continued!

Last post of 2011!!

My yarn for the Cloud Chaser.

Almost at the end of the year and it seemed like a good time to squeeze in one last post in 2011.  It's been a year full of yarn, knitting and fun.  A big thank you is due to all of our customers for your continued support!  We can't do this without you!!!

With a new year brings a new project and our very first Knit Along!  I've been itching to cast on the Cloud Chaser since my yarn arrived but I've been holding out.  Patiently waiting for the new year before I even do a gauge swatch.  I'm really looking forward to casting on!  The official cast on day is January 11 with our first Stitch Night of the new year.  But I completely understand if you can't wait till then!  Thank you to everyone who has joined.  I'm really looking forward to hearing about your progress and seeing photos!

Juliet and I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year!   All the best for 2012.  May your year be filled with love and yarn!

I'm in love!

We just got in some new leaflet patterns and I'm in love.  When I looked at the Challah pattern I knew I would have to knit it.  I love how the designer has the three pieces braid together but also have sections where they are knit all together as well.

Apparently I will have a very warm neck as I am also in love with the Ruffled & Ruched scarf!  This frilly accessory with a flower is very versatile.  And I love how the pattern has an option to knit it with either DK or Worsted weight.  So you can have a heavier one for winter and a lighter one for spring if you were so inclined!  Both of these patterns are now available in the shop as well as some adorable slipper patterns like the ones pictured below.

And the Beekeeper's Quilt pattern is also available in store now too.  I posted about this one on Facebook a little while ago.  I'm starting to put together my sock yarn leftovers!  This project will take a long time but I love that it's an easy project you can take wherever you go.  So when in doubt...knit a honeycomb!

Mini Juliet and one funny tree!

I received an amazing gift in the mail a few days ago.  Needle felted ornaments of my dogs!  Sandy who is the wonderful knitter and dyer behind the Dandelion Lane products here at Knits by the Sea made these adorable ornaments for me.  Thank you Sandy for these amazing gifts.  They look exactly like my girls!

And it just so happens that I went and got a tree this year!  I have had a tree every year for Christmas except for last year.  So I was very excited to go with my friend Sarah and pick one out!  I think it definitely falls under the "Charlie Brown Tree" category but I love it just the same.  I was short on ornaments so I decided to needle felt some up quickly to help!  Nothing as spectacular as what Sandy made for me, but they do the trick!  Here is a mitten that I made.

Needle felting is perfect when you need something like an ornament made up quickly.  If you have any last minute needle felting needs we have lots more fleece that has arrived in the shop!

Knitting and Hiking in Ucluelet

It was a perfect way to spend a rainy day off on Monday!  When my girlfriend suggested coming to visit her in Ucluelet and knit and go for a walk I was in!  The three (well, four if you count my dog Parka) had a great time exploring the Wild Pacific Trail.  With great look outs and lots of trees we didn't really notice it was raining.  And Parka was very happy with her new doggy pack and enjoyed tearing around the trail and then making sure we kept up.

Black Rock is a great spot for knitting if you are in the Ucluelet area.  The cozy couches, warm fire and delicious desserts make it the perfect spot to spend an afternoon.  I tried the very yummy white chocolate croissant bread pudding with vanilla ice cream.  I forgot to take a picture of the before.  So this is the after shot.  So tasty!!  I've been on a finishing mission so Monday's projects were for others and I'm slowly making progress.  With so many breaks to enjoy my yummy latte and dessert productivity was slowed a little.  But that is what days off are for!

It's Getting frosty!

We have been unusually lucky with the weather here in Tofino for this time of year.  I remember constantly wearing full rain gear for my dog walks at this time of year.  But the sun just keeps on coming out which I'm not complaining about!  The fun part about this sunshine (or just lack of rain) is that it's a little cooler and that means we get a little frost!  Now I don't usually miss snow except when it is getting close to Christmas.  So I will take what I can get here in Tofino.  And that would be frost!  Pictured here is a frosty morning walk with the dogs at Cox Beach.

Juliet and Parka exploring together.

And so naturally this brings me back to more knitting!!  I was shocked to discover I have yet to knit myself a pair of fingerless gloves *gasp*.  With being so behind on my Christmas knitting it didn't seem appropriate to start a project for myself.  If only I was that strong! I have managed to finish the first one.  But I'm forcing myself to wait until I'm finished my gifts before I complete the second one.  I am using the pattern Optimistic Mitts which is free on Ravelry.  Pictured here is the first one without the extra flap done yet or any ends woven in.  I'm knitting it with the leftover of my Malabrigo Worsted that I used to make my yoga socks!  It's a quick knit if you aren't already over committed with holiday gift knitting!