Fiber Feel Day

The LYDIA booth. Photo by the awesome Lynn Dukes.

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to be a Yarn Minion to the lovely and gracious Angela, owner of LYDIA Yarns, LLC for the 2nd annual Fiber Feel Day in Asheville, NC.  This event is sponsored by Local Cloth, a cooperative of fiber farmers (think sheep and alpacas) in the Western North Carolina/Upstate South Carolina area.

There were vendors with fleeces, with roving, with yarn and all sorts of things made from fiber--clothing, jewelry, rugs and more.  The weather was perfect (you really can't beat those cool mountain breezes on a June day!) and the shoppers and fellow vendors were friendly and pleasant.  It was great fun!

Sheep!

Baby lamb. One day old!

The flowers were so pretty.

So many flowers!

My latest pattern made its debut! Look for it in a kit available soon from LYDIA Yarn!

Vendors, shoppers, and a gorgeous mountain day.

Me and Roscoe, our cutie-pie mascot.

Say Whaaaat???

The nice people over at Potter Craft books have been so kind as to choose me as their Knitter of the Month and feature me on the CrafterNews site.  You can file this under:

Things I Never Expected, But Am Totally Thrilled And Honored By

(I realize that my grammar is wonky, but excitement does that to me sometimes.  Did I ever tell you about the time I was interviewed by the local news back home in Texas and suddenly couldn't get two coherent words together?  Yeah. Awkward.) 

To celebrate this honor, I'm going to cast on for another "Tamara's Wrap."  (Of course!)

Oh, and lest I forget, thank you, Melissa Leapman for the great pattern!!

WWKiP 2013

Here at KnitOasis, we are no stranger to knitting in public, nor to the internationally famous World Wide Knit in Public Day. So it should come as no surprise that this year, our observance of WWKiP day is expanding to include two days and two venues.  Please join us at one or both!

Day 1:
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Flowertown Knitting Guild Knit-In
Outside the Village Knittery, 102 Central Ave, Summerville, SC
10 am- 2pm
Bring: Knitting (!), a chair, snacks, drinks, sunblock, maybe a pop up tent if you have one.
There is no charge for this event (but there are plenty of great restaurants within walking distance, and you know you're going to get peckish at lunchtime, so bring some money!)
This event is sponsored by the Flowertown Knitting Guild and is open to all knitters (and crocheters, etc.)

Day 2:
Saturday, June 9, 2013
Knit in Public at the Charleston RiverDogs
Joe Riley Stadium, Fishburne Ave, Charleston, SC
Gates open at 4, Game starts at 5:05
Bring: Knitting (!), sunblock, money for concessions.
Ticket info:  Go to this link:  Buy Tickets Here , type in the magic word: knit  and order your tickets early!  All tickets must be purchased by 2pm the day of the game. Tickets are $7/each, but parking is free.
This event is sponsored by the Flowertown Knitting Guild and is open to all knitters (and crocheters, etc.)

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

Miss Manners and Knitting in Public

I quote below from Miss Manner's column from July 30. I find it fascinating that someone is so bothered by knitters knitting in public that they have complained to that bastion of politeness, Miss Manners.

DEAR MISS MANNERS:

Over the years I have noticed people knitting in public and have had no particular problem with it. However, I am a bit put off by those who knit in church or at an event such as a recital or concert.

Is it acceptable to knit at a church, synagogue or other religious service? And what about a concert or recital? I recently attended a piano and violin recital in a small venue where someone was knitting in the third row. Surely it was evident to the performers. And if such knitting is not appropriate, how should the knitters be approached, or prevented?

GENTLE READER: Please do not -- repeat, not -- make a hostile approach to knitters. Have you not noticed that they are armed with long, pointy sticks?

Of all the multitaskers who could annoy you, Miss Manners would not have guessed that knitters would top the list. There is a centuries-long history of ladies quietly doing needlework while remaining alert to what was going on around them.

But perhaps your complaint is that they are not quiet. If the clicking of needles is what bothers you, you could appeal to the authorities at church or concert hall that as they ban texting, it is only fair to ban activities that create similar noise. And if they don’t already ban texting, you might start by asking that they do before going after those comparatively unobtrusive knitters.

Visit Miss Manners at her Web site,www.missmanners.com, where you can send her your questions.

2011, by Judith Martin

Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

I want to address this "Gentle Reader" and ask what is it that is really bothering you? Did you have an aunt who knit you itchy sweaters that you were forced to wear as a child? Or are you just too inept to actually learn a constructive hobby, rather than just griping in a public forum about someone else's choice of recreation?

This is precisely one of the many reasons I DO knit--to help me keep my foot out of my mouth during such events as congregational meetings and Little League baseball games. It never distracts me from what is going on around me, rather it gives me focus that keeps me sane. I joke to friends that "I knit so I don't kill people" and while that is extreme, there is an underlying truth. By "sticking to my knitting" I am able to be involved on a level that keeps me coming back, and prevents me from being asked to leave because I've said too much in the heat of a moment.

I adore what Miss Manners says about the "centuries-old history of ladies quietly doing needlework while remaining alert to what was going on around them." This contrasts sharply with the current trend of ladies AND gentlemen too engrossed in their latest smart phone app to notice what is happening in their lives and the lives of those around them. I have tried both, and if you are checking your email during a meeting, you really can't LISTEN to what is being said. But knitting lets you do it all--listen, pay attention, and retain what you hear.

All this doesn't even take into account the fact that some people listen better if they aren't perfectly still, and having something to do with their hands enables them to listen better than if they were otherwise unoccupied.

For now, all I can do is shake my head and wonder, with all the evils running rampant in this world, why ANYONE would have a problem with quiet knitting. If someone is poking you with a sharp pointy knitting needle, you have a more than valid complaint. Otherwise, maybe you should stick to YOUR knitting!