TIK 5th Yarniversary party

I was very excited indeed to be able to attend the 5th Yarniversary event in Dublin last week. The lineup was stellar, including The Famous Ms Bliss, crochet diva Aoibhe Ni, the super-talented and prolific knit designer Carol Feller and Mr KnitLab himself, Kieran Foley.

Ms Bliss won't mind I'm sure when I say that it was meeting the Irish designers that was the highlight of the event for me.

And that's not to mention the...oh, I dunno...100+ enthusiastic yarnistas from all over the country. With all the catchup up and knit chatter and the oohh-ing and ahh-ing over the knit samples the buzz was something else. It was very entertaining to put faces to Rav names, great to meet new people and lovely to meet old ones again...if you know what I mean.

There were refreshments, cake and champagne.

There were irreverent comments, giggles and laughter.

There were wonderful and inspiring words from the speakers (a big 'well done' to them.)

There were FABULOUS samples of all sorts in crochet, knitting, tweed, lace and cables.

There was a selection of delightful baby bumps in the back row all kicking up a storm.

There was a gate crasher with a baby buggy who wandered in and helped herself to some biscuits. We briefly considered arm wrestling her to the floor and confiscating the kid, but then she fed the biscuits to the child thereby removing the evidence and destroying our forensic trail. If she had waded into the champagne then that would have been a more serious matter. We would have brought her down. Or at least waved our needles at her.

And there was a funny moment when Ms Bliss took my arm and asked if I had a measuring tape. I gestured at the audience and her microphone and said there was likely one 'out there'. Of course when she asked the audience the same question, 50% of the arms went up. Knitters come prepared, is all.

I sat beside Knit Inc while knitting her design Howth Vest. I'm sure there's a term for that. Or if there isn't there should be. Designer Adjacent Knitting perhaps.

It was all so exciting that I managed to leave a knitting bag behind containing my precious tube of dpns, stitchmarkers, weaving-in needles and most irreplaceable of all my miniature swiss army knife with built in scissors. Fortunately, it was well looked after in my absence and thanks to the good offices of a friend, I had it back in my grasp within 2 days.

Many many congratulations to everyone at TIK and thanks for a great evening. And thanks to Kneehigh too. You really made me laugh. And hunted down my knitting bag besides.

And the double-whammy-bonus? I was able to drop into my LYS knit evening on the way home and catch up with my local designer stars and knitting friends too.

Sigh. Perfect.


PS: for pictures go here (thanks Carol!)

A little bird...

Well, this was the most perfect project in knitting history. Seriously. It was PERFECT. (By which I mean the glory of the yarn and the style and simplicity of the pattern - not the knitting itself. Modesty forbids.)

Made for my beloved SIL as a Christmas gift. Cast on Dec 26th while waiting for the Christening Coat to finish blocking. (Ok. so the Christmas knitting schedule was under pressure), it travelled to France for the weekend, and was finished on 30th, felted, blocked and buttons added on 1st Jan.

It was gifted on Jan 2nd. and I’m, pleased to say that it was very well received. Like good cooking, it was really a case of getting good results from good ingredients - and then basking in the good responses.

That Artesano Aran is divine. Thru’ caution (or a fortuitius lack of nerve) I didn’t felt it agressively and it kept the wonderful drape of the pre-felted version. I really love the pattern too. I changed the loose flap to a double-button closure, partly inspired by the lovely buttons from This is knit.

Actually the drawstring-with-flap closure is not that practical for a working Mum who has to stuff things into her bag under her armpit with one hand while directing Smallies around traffic and carrying schoolbags, lunches, coats and assorted extras.

However, it turned out so lovely that I’m casting on for mine as soon as I meet StephaniesYarn this week.

Only problem is, what colour? I love this red, but can't really bring myself to knit the same thing twice. Green? Purple? We'll see.

Gusset detail.

Pre-felting

Edited To Add...Modifications:

- Knitted top down in case I ran out of yarn

- Knitted the flap and the bag in one piece

- Knitted the bag in the round

- Added buttons and loops to secure the flap closed

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Reality check

Hmmm.

Well, reality set in about a week after the Knitting & Stitching Show. Several knitters have warned me of the liklihood of the Cashmerino DK pilling on the Wonder Dress Mathilde (Rav link).

I know it's not the 'fault' of the yarn per sae. It's the merino element of the yarn coming to the surface. And I know that it's possible to 'shave' the knitting and restore it's glory. I get that.

But...

I just don't think I could bear it. It's going to be such an investment in time, knitting, yarn...(oh and yes, the knitting budget) for it not to be lovely.

Does that mean that I'm not going to knit it? Nay, nay, say it not.

So I'm looking for a substitute yarn. I'll be able to check out other projects over the next little while (thanks Ravelry!) and see what alternative options are.

The Ribbed Cape however is going to be a winner. I've no problem with some pilling here as it's an outdoor garment and somehow needs to be more robust and work harder than Mathilde.

A knitted dress is entitled to look dainty - (or as dainty as it can do when it's not on a stick insect).

In the meantime, there's frantic knitting on the Secret Project and the Christening Jacket.

All good.

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TIK2 Opening Party

Congratulations to TIK for the great opening party on Friday. It was a blast to see the new shop and meet so many knitters.




I was also delighted to get some lovely beads (in The Crown Jewels, near the back entrance of the Powerscourt Centre) to go with this yarn for a surprise project, which shall remain unidentified for now on the off-chance that the recipient visits the blog in the next little while.






The beads are gorgeous. Many thanks to Aileen for the tip off and to my friend J who came and held my hand. AND to Jacqui of TIK who lent me her very own laceweight yarn to bring down to the shop to be sure that the beads would fit.

Now, there's top service from your LYS!


All the best guys.


We'll get a TIK on the moon one day.

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TIK2

Yay for This Is Knit 2!

Great news guys. Well done. I'm hardly ever in Dublin city centre, but still it's great news.

Can't wait to see it. I hope you don't mind, but every one of us will feel like we belong there - just a little bit.

That's kinda nice I think.

And how you manage that kind of customer feeling with a commercial business in this day-and-age I can't imagine.

Unless the business in question just happens to involve knitters and yarn of course.

And unless it's run by special people of course.

There's always that.

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Livin' in Perfect Harmony!

Hey!

Just got my set of Harmony Knit Picks circular whatsits...from TIK, (specifically from the lovely J. Thanks!).




Gives a whole new meaning to the term 'k/nitpicking'.

No, really, I see a connection. Ha Ha.

All joking aside, these babies are SHARP!!!!

First of all tho', they're soooo purdy! Those marbelled colours, and the wood grain. Lovely.

Er...I know that's not the most practical response, but after all, we spend so many knitting hours transferring needles from hand to hand, sliding stitches up and down, going thru' the stitch rhythm, and most importantly easing stitches and needle tips in and out of cables and lace, that - just like with a violin, a flute, a plane or a saw - it really matters what the instrument/tool is like.

Is it sticky, halting, jagged or smooth as butter?

Is it plastic, metal, aluminum, wooden or smooth as butter?

Is it shiney, grainy, splintery or smooth as butter?

In other words, is it as smooth as butter?

Yes it is.

(I should point out that here in Ireland, in case it's differnet in your part of the world, butter is smooth, and er....buttery...and oh yes, yellow-ish and kinda salty! Yum.)

At first with the Knit Picks, I must admit, (in the interests of full disclosure), that while I was bedazzled by their good looks, I was freaked out worried about how sharp the needle tips are. Not that accuracy and ability are a handicap. After all, I'm the kind of knitter who wants their boyband to be able to actually play an instrument and hold a tune. And Boyzone, are they sharp and pointy. But I haven't knit much lace, so these seemed over the top for my purposes. And painful.

I even thought - argh!- that maybe I had been once again suckered by the bandwagon to buy into something that looked lovely but would be inappropriate to my needs or fail to deliver. I'll admit, if I see a bandwagon passing, any bandwagon, about the right height and speed I think about jumping abord.

However, I:

- assessed this issue calmly, soberly,

- allowed for a suitable passage of time so that my crush on appearances would have time to pass,

- cast a beady eye on the knitting budget

...and I came to the sensible, adult and mature conclusion that they were just too darn pretty to resist!

*cough*

So there I was, piercing the pad of my left index finger with every stitch and wondering if it was all a mistake.

*sigh*

However, it turns out, that the very 1st project that I try these babies out on, the Berry Cluster Stitch, has a VERY tricksey purl 2 together THROUGH THE BACK LOOP for which quite frankly a blunter set of tools would be useless.

So, not only are they good lookin', they pack a punch.

Yay, redemption.

And you can't ask for more than that.

Or you can. (A free trip to the great knitting shops of the world, dinner for all your knitting friends - online and local - with the Yarn Harlot, tutorials with your favourite designers and a lifetime of free yarn.)

But that's just silly...

Professional Finishing at TIK

Well, I gotta tell ya, I had the BEST time on Saturday morning. I was the Magician's Assistant* for the Lovely Lisa at TIK for the Professional Finishing course. And a very professional course it was too. I could talk all day about it and not cover it all. (And I could. Talk all day I mean. Do you doubt it?)

So, briefly, (since ya'll got other things to do today I'll bet):

- I met lots of really lovely knitters. There was great chatting, camarardarie and sharing of funny stories of knitting successes and disasters; (Boy, it was sooooo good to spend some time amongst my own kind.)

- I learned exTREMEly valuable tips on finishing garmets professionally, and especially for set-in sleeves, which are probably the most feared things, and up there with button bands for making-or-breaking the finished garment.

- Lisa did a fabulous job, of course. 'Nuff said.

- It was such fun to watch the beaming smiles of the knitters as they realised one-by-one that their seaming troubles are over. Their happiness was proportionally in contrast to the awful dread and litany of disappointments that is the nightmare of seaming. So, they were very very happy indeed.

This is the Holy Grail of techniques. Really.

- I got to see the Knit Picks Harmony needles in person. And I'll be getting some soon for certain sure. They're soooooo pretty!

- I got a copy of The Best of Interweave Knitting. Another knitting book. So?

- AND I got a set of these clever do-dads. Locking stitch markers. Don't know how I lived without them. And almost the best bit? When you open the packet, there's another packet inside to keep them in, with a secure flap-thingy closure an' all. Fabulous.




So many great knitting things in one day. Heaven.

Inspired, I got up the following day and started seaming the set-in sleeve for the Debbie Bliss Ribbed Cardigan. It's going very very very well (whispering now so's not to wake the mischievous Knit Gods). It's such an improvement on my usual ad hoc stitch where you feel like it and hope for the best freeflow method.

Sound bites from the occasion:

• 'This child is going to be wearing this cardigan for 18 years' - an expectant knitter refers to a lovely sweet baby cardigan.

• 'You can hide a lot of things in your armpits' - Lisa, on hiding excess fabric in your seaming.

I strongly urge you to take this course if you've half a mind to. Even if you've read the techniques already, there's nothing like seeing them in action.

Seriously.

Do it.



*If you'd like to imagine her in a top hat and myself in sequins then go ahead. It wouldn't be accurate, but it might add a little theatrical interest.

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Yarn Smoothies...

An unexpected trip to Dublin on Saturday morning allowed an unscheduled visit to TIK ...where I was hit with these beauties! They're quite spectacular up close, so beautiful and marbley and tempting. All that yarney goodness busrting to get out. And the knitting needle 'straw' is a winner! Haven't you always wanted to take a sip from your favourite yarn?

I'd just like to congratulate the Fairy Godmothers on another winner, and I hope they do well. They're a fabulous gift for a knitter - to give or to receive (which is less blessed I know, but still...).

I nearly wouldn't care what project was in them, they're just so nice to look at. As it happens, I don't actually need one, given the crises proportion healthy state of the stash and the numbers of projects not even started yet, but I was still really tempted by the Aysen Scarf kit. Since when has 'need' actually directed yarn purchase?

And...not only...but also...they have a Party Scarf kit complete with Swarovski crystals packaged in a lovely organza bag. €22 I believe. Yum.

Ah well, when my knitting nieces are old enough some of these will be heading their way.

Go check 'em out!

And yes, an unexpected visit to your LYS does result in unscheduled yarn purchase. Your Stash Defenses are down y'see.

This is for my very 1st felting project. I had a notion to try a felted bowl, like in 'One Skein', but was sidetracked by this lovely yarn. Introducing 'Soho' from Debbie Bliss. I don't think it's dense enough for a felted bowl but I'd like to try a felted bag.

Maybe a wide clutch style to hold a small knitting project, like socks or mittens. Or a pouch style for the traditional purse/keys/phone.

I got 2 balls, so that's 130 yards altogether...sorry, metres. I'm guessing that I go up a needle size to assist in the felting? or up 2 sizes? Or should that be down a size?

I'm a Felting Virgin, so any suggestions for an online pattern to follow or amend would be received with interest.

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