President's Day Knitting!

Looking for something to do on Monday, February 21, aka President's Day? Ever wanted to try your hand at knitting, but didn't want to pay the $$ it costs for lessons?

Come join us at Atlanta Bread near CSU on Monday from 10-11:30 for Monday Morning Knitters, a group that meets regularly for knitting instruction and support. We have knitters of all ages and skill levels.

If you're new to knitting, we have spare needles and yarn to get you started, or you can bring your own.

Knitting is a centuries-old art that is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. It can be whatever you need from a hobby: simple and inexpensive or complex and pricey (and anything in between!). It's portable, not that hard to learn, therapeutic and fun. I have taught knitting for 5 years to boys and girls as young as 8 (if you don't count a friend's 2 year old toddlers!) and adults so old they wouldn't tell me their age :)

For President's Day, we have a special bonus: The first 5 attendees who arrive wearing red,white and blue will get free yarn!

There's never been a better time to try it!

Hope to see you there!

Getting to know some knitters, part 1

When I went to the SC Knitting Guild's Knit Inn 2011, not only did I get to see my pal Becky and her very funny Dr. Who-loving friend Lisa, I also got to meet many interesting new people. I said yesterday that knitters were a good group--I'd like to introduce you to a few of them over the next couple of days, in no particular order...

Mimi (I know her as Michelle) and her friend Flo were among the knitters who were so sweet to me when my friend Becky was MIA on Friday night. They were so lovely in fact that I spent the rest of the weekend touching base with them because if I could have, I'd have packed them in my suitcase and taken them home. When I gave them an official standing invitation to Monday Morning Knitters, they reacted as though I'd suggested the funnest thing they'd heard of in ages. It's a bit of a drive from Hilton Head, much less Ohio, but I hope they know that if they ever do pop in, they will be welcomed with open arms.

Mimi has some mad sewing and embroidery skills and has a great Etsy site with creative gifts for all ages (pictured above: personalized knitter's pillow case). During the weekend, she and Flo were seen sporting the custom Knitting Guild t-shirts that she also sells. Two words: TOO CUTE! Much like Michelle and Flo, in fact.

It's a Small World, After All

I just love knitters. I've met them online, in person, and blogged about them without having met them. I'm sure there are other hobbies that have super nice people (the quilters I know are pretty awesome, for example) but my hobby is knitting and I have met so few super nice knitters that I'm calling it a trend. ***Correction: This was supposed to read: ...I have met so few knitters who were not super nice... Duh. Note to self--don't post to blog too early in the morning!!***

Just yesterday, for example, who should show up at my Monday Morning Knitters Group, but the mom who inspired me to take my knitting everywhere. And in a typical burst of tactlessness disguised as comedy, when I met her I said, "You inspired a blog post! Because you were knitting during that class at the museum and I wasn't!"

To her credit, she stayed anyway.

When I said in the post that I thought she must be a "kind, generous, lovely person," I was close. She is an extremely kind, generous, lovely person, and I was so glad to meet her and knit with her yesterday. I hope I didn't scare her off, because she was such a nice addition to our little group.

I had to wonder, too, if I write about other knitters, will the universe send them to me? Hmm...I can certainly think of a few I'd like to see walk through the doors of Atlanta Bread some Monday, knitting bag in hand. Why? Because knitters are just that nice.

New free pattern: The D.C. Traveler

So I knew I was going to Washington, D.C. for a few days. In January. This led me to believe it would be cold and I thought, maybe I should dress accordingly. I gave serious consideration to all my handknits. I know that a scarf is practical and can be versatile, depending on its length and width and yarn. After examining all available scarves and wraps, I realized that really there was not one that would fit ALL of the following criteria: a) provide warmth b) go with every outfit I would wear that week, from casual to business casual c) be short enough to not get caught in the closing door of a Metro train, or trail behind me as I scurried across a busy intersection.

I realized I would have to either forgo the scarf idea entirely or make something---quick! I scoured the internet (as in, Ravelry) and came up with this lovely scarf from Melanie Tindale, which I love. I came very close to knitting this exact scarf in a different color, and yet, I felt that the pointed ends were not what I wanted for this particular scarf, for this particular trip. I am indebted to Melanie for her ingenious key-hole design, which I used to make The D. C. Traveler. My daughter made a neck wrap a few years ago using Seed Stitch and I loved how that looked, so well, I knit up my own version of a keyhole scarflet and now I'm sharing the pattern with you....
The D.C. Traveler.

Here I am wearing The D.C. Traveler in the company of that great knitter, Eleanor Roosevelt. This scarflet worked so well for my trip. I could put it on or take it off with a minimum of movement (great for when you're on a crowded train), and it was small enough to fit easily in my pocket or purse. And because the keyhole design makes it self-closing, I never had to re-position it like I invariably do with other, longer scarves. It was also the perfect color for conservative Washington.