Time for a Holiday

In observance of the Independence Day holiday, Monday Morning Knitters will NOT meet on July 4, 2011.

Join us the next week, July 11, 2011 and we can talk about possibly carpooling to the huge yarn sale on 16th! We will continue to meet throughout the summer at the Atlanta Bread near CSU from 10-11:30 am on Mondays. It's fun and you don't even have to knit to join us :)

HUGE Yarn Sale!

Private Collection Yarn Sale!!
One day only----> July 16th 10:30am-1:30pm

Sale will be held at Memorial Baptist Church
101 May Street , Saint George, SC 29477
By Linda Shook 843-636-4067

Directions:

From Charleston take I-26 to exit 172-A aprox. 30 miles to

(US 15 South) go 8.3 miles go to 2nd light, turn right, go 1 block to stop sign, turn left. You will see the church.



Sale includes-

All types of yarn, variety of knitting
needles, patterns and books

Over 300 large zip-lock bags of yarn—includes some
handspun and hand dyed by Mountain Colors and
Bovide Farms—Sunsu Wool & Smart Cotton by Berroco—Lots of sock yarn—Kid Mohair

Knitting needles- bamboo, birch,
ebony, metal
Circular, single point and double point

Rockin Sockin Knitting!

Sock Knitting Workshop #1 is now history! It was so much fun. I truly love teaching people to knit, and since socks are one of my favorite things to knit, it was extra special! I had a particularly talented class for my first foray into sock instruction....I think I am now spoiled. If they had half the fun I had, then they had a blast!

All this talk of sock knitting has me thinking about sock yarn and needles. Although there are many ways to knit socks, the class was for a cuff-down sock on double-pointed needles (aka "dpns"). After many years of trial and error in sock knitting, including knitting 2-at-a-time on one long circular needle and knitting one at a time on one very short (9") circular needle, I have decided that my favoritest way is with dpns. And my favoritest dpns are

Hiya Hiya bamboo, preferably at least 6" long. My only regret is that I didn't discover the Hiya Hiyas until after I'd already acquired several sets of Clover bamboo. Nothing wrong with Clover, but Hiya Hiya is my new bff.

There are a million and one sock yarns out there, too, especially when you consider that, technically, you can knit socks with ANY yarn. I have a strong fondness, however, for Regia and Berroco. The Patons Kroy Socks I got from (gasp) the **craft store** was surprisingly nice to work with for such an inexpensive yarn. I have yet to wash it, so I don't know anything about the longevity factor. Yet.

Now I will be knitting...other things....including an exciting knit-along with my daughter and a wonderful friend who supplied all the yarn (don't you love a friend who knits AND supplies you with yarn??), yet another Red Scarf Project scarf (red) and some odds and ends that are going to be Christmas gifts so I can't tell you about them!

And I will be counting down the days till Sock Workshop #2 begins...July 12-14. Details here. Are you in?

Stitch in Public--tomorrow!!

Tomorrow is the official date of World Wide Knit in Public Day. If you're in the area, feel free to join us at the Charleston Museum, details here. Please keep in mind that Cupcake IS within walking distance. You've been warned.

And if you can't join us, find some place, some where to knit in public. Or crochet, or spin or tat or weave, or even sew. Do your bit to bring fiber art out into the open. Don't be that selfish fiber enthusiast who refuses to share what you do and how to do it with others. You know your mama raised you better than that.

This is our chance, on an official date every year, to preserve for posterity what our ancestors took for granted--that the ability to do things with string and fabric would be passed down to the next generation. My casual poll of knitters showed that less than 50% were taught the craft by an older relative. Probably more like 30%. So that means that about 70% of all knitters were taught by someone like you and me; someone who knit and taught that skill to a friend or coworker or colleague. This tells me one important thing: If we don't keep it up, then 70% of all future knitters will never know the joy of taking sticks and string and turning them into something wonderful. Nope. They will no doubt instead be sitting around, years from now, unfulfilled, unhappy and unproductive. And who's fault will it be? Yours and mine, because we did not shoulder our responsibility and pass along to others what we know.

And if you can't do it tomorrow, keep the spirit of Knit in Public Day alive all year. Take your knitting with you when you're out and about. Knit proud, knit boldly and find someone to teach it to. It's your duty as a knitter.

Memorial Day 2011

On Memorial Day we remember those who gave their lives in service to our country. One of the ways to remember, according to usmemorialday.org, is "by renewing a pledge to aid the widows, widowers, and orphans of our fallen dead, and to aid the disabled veterans."

Being an amateur historian as well as a knitter, I look for ways to combine my love of history with my love of knitting whenever I can. The National WWII Museum has a program that does this and does it well. Knit Your Bit provides scarf patterns for knitters (and crocheters) and then distributes the scarves to Veterans Administration Centers nationwide, a tangible, yet small, way to say thank you to those who have served our country.

Knitting Events at the Charleston Museum

The Charleston Museum is sponsoring two great events on World Wide Knit in Public Day. In addition to the group knitting time in the courtyard, 10am-1pm, check these out:

Textile Workshop Series: Mid-19th Century Knitted Mitts

June 11, 2011

9:30-12:30

$30 for members and $35 for non-members

~~and~~

Curator-Led Tour: Knitted and Crocheted Collection

June 11, 2011

11:00 am

Free for museum members and free with admission ($10/adults, $5/kids, under 3 free)

World Wide Knit in Public Day

We are excited to announce that KnitOasis is partnering this year with the Charleston Museum for World Wide Knit in Public Day! The Museum has a day full of fun knitting activities planned, in fact, with more on the horizon to come.

Knit in Public Day details:

Date: June 11, 2011
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Location: The Charleston Museum
Address: 360 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC

Price: FREE for Museum members and FREE with admission ($10/adults, $5/children, under 3 free)

World Wide Knit in Public Day is celebrated, well, World Wide! Since 2005, knitters (and crocheters) have been finding public areas to congregate and share the fibery fun with each other while taking some of the mystique out of making things with sticks and string. A lot of us knit at home alone much of the time, and this is a great way to get to know other knitters in our communities.

So join us for the largest knitter-run event in the world--you'll make progress on your latest project, get some fresh air (weather permitting!) and make new friends, too.

For more info, email me at knitoasis@gmail.com, click on the links above to the Museum or World Wide Knit in Public Day, or email the Museum at rchesser@charlestonmuseum.org.

What to do when knitting goes wrong...

One of the hardest things I've had to learn to do as a knitter is to fix my mistakes. If you knit for any length of time you'll realize that mistakes in knitting, as in life, happen. Some are harder to fix than others, and some can be left in and called a pattern adjustment. Hey, don't judge.

So what do you do when you find yourself in a knitting pickle and there's no one around to ask for help? Here are a few resources that have saved my knitting and my sanity on more than one occasion:

KnittingHelp.com
When I first started knitting, it was this site that I turned to most for clear, easy to understand videos showing techniques from casting on to binding off and every step in between.

The Knitting Answer Book: Solutions to Every Problem You'll Ever Face: Answers to Every Question You'll Ever Ask
In this case, go ahead and judge the book by the title!

KnitPicks Tutorials
Love the store, love the site, love the tutorials!

I know knitters who have had great success finding how-to videos on YouTube, and of course you can always Google your problem and see what comes up. Sometimes a knitting friend far away can answer your questions via email or Facebook--or you can always post a question on our Facebook site (KnitOasis) and we'll try to help out anyway we can.

How about you? Have you got a tried and true resource to help you over the rough patches in your knitting?

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.