Autumn Knitting = Shawl Workshop!

There's something about autumn, isn't there? The way the sun slants through the trees at a different angle, the cooling of the air (only a little bit here in South Carolina, but we can tell the difference!), the changing colors of the trees, the cheering of football fans every Saturday; all these things help make autumn an enchanting time for me.

And with those first cool evenings giving us a taste of cold(ish) weather yet to come, I hear of more and more of my part-time knitter friends picking their needles up again after a summer's hiatus. Those of us who knit year-round also start searching for something warmer to knit. There's just something about autumn that reminds you about the mittens or scarf or hat that you wished you had made last winter.

Take, for example, the practical yet stylish shawl. Several years ago I made my first winter-weight wrap, and I realized why knitters down through the centuries have made and worn shawls for both warmth and beauty.

This November 12, coinciding with the opening of The Charleston Museum's new exhibit Coat Check, I will be teaching a shawl workshop featuring two different vintage patterns that have a timeless quality. It's that whole warmth and beauty thing, I think. See for yourself. Here is a photo of one of the shawls, a little number whose pattern was first published in 1864.

See what I mean? And it's warm and soft and cuddly, too. But, hey, you don't have to take MY word for it. Come join us November 12 from 9:30-12:30 and make your own. The only thing I have to warn you about is this: The second shawl pattern is also quite stunning and you just might have a hard time picking only ONE to knit!

I LOVE Yarn (but then you knew that, right?)

1492-2011: 510 years of knitting

Thank you, Christopher Columbus, for "discovering" America, so I can get together with other knitters on Monday morning, October 10...Columbus Day...and knit. You rock! And if you're ever in town, we'd love to see you at the Atlanta Bread near CSU at 10 am :) lol

...and now for something completely different!

One of my favorite things about knitting is meeting new people, finding out what they like to knit, how they learned and what else they do when they aren't knitting. Take Becca for example...I first met her at the World Wide Knit in Public Day at the Charleston Museum in June (she was knitting an adorable giraffe) and since then our paths have crossed several times, much to my satisfaction.

The last time I saw her, at the Big Yarn Sale, I noticed the cool spider pin she was wearing and she told me that this was part of what she does when she's not knitting...and there just happened to be a class on October 28th where one could learn to make a spider brooch of his or her own! I admit that glass working is one of those things that I've never done but have always been fascinated by, so I checked out the Blue Heron Glass website. Seriously, ya gotta love a list of classes that insists that you wear close-toed shoes! This may even cure my craving to learn to weld!

Go to the Schedule of Classes and scroll down to Spiders on the Loose to find out more about the pin workshop, plus there are other things you could learn like stained glass or glass bead making and even slumping. I don't know what that is but it sounds like fun! They also have a Ladies Night Out party--a refreshingly different choice!!