Knit Cats

Love this! Thought the Knit Your Own Dog book was very sweet but I'm a Cat person myself. These designs are very life like in the posturing of the felines. I preordered today and looking forward to February 8th when this book is released for shipping.

Interesting that the PR person for the book, papered Ravelry with requests for knitters to knit up cats from the book in exchange for the book free. One can tell that the poster is not a knitter as the book cost, roughly $8 and change, is significantly less than the yarn cost for the project and does not factor in the time and effort for the knitter to knit it up. They plan to send the completed cats out to various booksellers who will be featuring the book. It is a nice idea if they included the yarn.

Weaving Theory & Drafting @ The Mannings

Weaving Theory & Drafting
Instructor: Thomas E. Knisely
Fee: $85.00
Do you get discouraged with your weaving because you lack some of the basic knowledge that's needed to plan a project like how to determine the proper sett for an unknown thread or how to measure the right amount of warp so as not to run short. Or maybe how to figure out how much you will need to finish a project. These are all things you really should know to make you feel comfortable about your weaving. This class will teach you to read a threading draft and explain all the different parts of a draft, the threading, the tie-p and treading. We'll show you how to determine the treadling by analyzing the threading and then show you how to decipher the tie-up for four harnesses and multi-harness. We'll also tell you about old weavers customs for treadling Star Fashion, Rose Fashion and on opposites. Each student will then be shown how to do a drawdown on graph paper so they can see how their pattern will look when woven. Also note, not all threading drafts are the same. Another form, Profile drafting is a shorthand version of drafting where the pattern is to apprear on the fabric. All this will be covered in this class. We're sure your'll go home feeling more confident about your weaving. Class limited to 15.

Schedule:
November 28, 2011 (Monday), 9:00 to 4:30

Wesknits Shawl Club

Joined the PDF version of the Westknits Shawl Club today, Stephen West's first yarn/pattern club. I chose the 5 month option with PDF updates of new shawl patterns sent on the 14th of each month via Ravelry from December until April.

There is another option that includes 9 new custom dyed exclusive colorways from Hedgehog Fibers, Lorna’s Laces, Madelinetosh, Malabrigo, & Skein yarns. This is custom-dyed yarn designed by Stephen West in collaboration with some of his favorite yarn companies. The patterns and colorways are exclusive to this club during its duration. The yarn option has a mailing fee or members can opt to pick up the yarn in Manhattan for $60 less shipping cost. I've pretty much achieved SABLE and have no business whatsoever buying more yarn until at least half is knit/crochet/woven up. The club actually starts December 14 and there are 200 spaces available in the Westknits Shawl Club with yarn.

Stephen will be posting a KAL discussion thread each month as the new pattern comes out on Ravelry!

Join the Westknits Shawl Club group on Ravelry to follow
the discussions and updates.

Stash Enhancement: Crochet Hooks, etc

Stitches East Crochet

Myra Wood has achieved the near improbably, she has taught me withing the span of 20 minutes, how to read and crochet from a chart. I am over the moon. The Japanese crochet class made my head hurt, loved it. Definitely helped to have that crochet class with Edie Eckman over the summer, but something about the way Myra teaches really made everything click for me.


Seriously, by the end of the three hour class I was crocheting up motifs from charts and joining them in a Japanese Starburst. Awesome.


I broke out one of the Japanese Crochet books from my FiberVault™ and was crocheting up motifs after work. If crochet didn't palsy my hands so badly, I'd really be into it. That said, I've been spending much too much time on various Japanese craft magazine websites and have spent three times the amount in shipping than the actual cost of the magazine to get my hands on this particular out of print Keito Dama, No.141 Spring 2009 magazine especially for the Crochet 3D Flower Pullover by Mutsumi Harada. Woot!

Krystal's Cafe and Bakery

Stopped by Krystal's in Queens with the Mr. and had a delish Filipino breakfast of Milkfish and Eggs. Resisted the urge to buy a ube cake and instead picked up a couple of slices which were SO AMAZING, it was good we hadn't brought home and entire cake as I would have eaten half of it in one sitting.

HBD, G!

Gino looking all James Bond with me and girls!

Thoughts about 1999

Thoughts about 1999, encapsulted by Beth Orton's Central Reservation:

Running down the central reservation in last night's red dress
And I can still smell you on my fingers and taste you on my breath
Stepping through brilliant shades of the color you bring
This time, this time, this time is fine just as it is
Today is whatever I want it to mean, today is whatever I want it to mean

If this is where memories are made, well dreams do come true
Everything I ever took for granted I want to see it through
I step through every shade any color you bring
This time, this time, this time is fine just as it is
Today is whatever I want it to mean, today is whatever I want it to mean

It's like, it's like it's like
Living in the middle of the ocean with no future, no past
And everything that's good right now well, I don't wish for it to last
I'll step through brilliant shades every color you bring
This time, this time, this time is fine just as it is
Today is whatever I want it to mean, today is whatever I want it to mean
Today, today is whatever I want it to mean
Today is whatever I want it to mean