Friday, June 15, 2012

Me, My Girls, and a whole lot of beads!

This week has been a busy one as more things than usual are going on. Topping the list is preparing for  upcoming classes at StevenBe's, Father's Day this coming Sunday and last but far from least, my daughter Katie's 19th birthday.

Today is technically her birthday but with the help of my junior knitting girls, we successfully surprised her with a party on Wednesday. Katie loves Hello Kitty and fortunately Jack's Bakery in Brooklyn Park created the purrrrfect birthday cake for her.


My girls are the best and I can't say enough good things about them. I know I'm prejudice but seriously, these girls are amazing. Not only are they great knitters, but their other talents include, piano, violin, cello, gymnastics, soccer and much more. In fact Madeline and Elena performed a cello/violin duet and played Happy Birthday for Katie. It was beautiful.

This same group of girls have been with me for many years, with the youngest being 6 and the oldest 19. The funny thing is that there really isn't any age difference when they're all together. They support each other, talk about their problems and even offer advice. I know this sounds sappy but when I look at them and listen to their conversations, I feel a great sense of hope for our future. Its easy to get caught up in all the bad things you hear out there but trust me, I know from experience that we'll be okay.

With the help of Roxanne at All About Yarn and Bead Basics (both in Coon Rapids) we were off and running on our quest to create the perfect beaded bracelets. We learned many things one of which is that no matter how careful you are, beads fall on the floor! Of course we didn't finish them but we should complete them during our next class. I'll definitely share the pictures of the finished product...Can't wait!

That's about all for now but I'll be back next week with more knitting adventures. We've dusted off the video camera and will be making more videos on everything from I - cord to kitchener graft.

Links:
Jack's Bakery
StevenBe
All About Yarn
Bead Basics

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Shawl, Baby Hat and Bath Mitt

Sometimes I think that early summer is more hectic then the Holidays are! Between graduation open houses, planting your garden, and later watching the critters eat what you've planted in your garden, it's hard to fit in serious knitting time...Let alone keeping my blog up to date.

Nevertheless, I have managed to accomplish a few things. First of all, I taught my first class at StevenBe's last Saturday and I had a lot of fun doing it. The students were eager, the staff was both courteous and accommodating and when all is said and done, the students will have a beautiful shawlette with make ones, yarnovers and ssk's forever engrained in the their brains.





I'm also teaching a blocking and seaming class this month. Next month I'll be sharing the ins and outs of jogless color knitting on this baby hat I designed. For those of you that have never tackled a cable before, I've created a cotton bath mitt that will teach you cables, seams and so much more. Be sure to check out my class schedule at StevenBe's or just stop by and say hi when I'm there. There is always something fun and unique happening at StevenBe's.





I'll be back in a few days to share what my knitting girls have been up to.

Happy knitting!



Links: