StevenBe's and A Fairly Productive Week!

It's hard to believe a week has past since my last post and for the most part, it has been a fairly productive one. Not only have I finished a few things on my needles but I've managed to get my class list in order for StevenBe's. I must say that they are going to keep me very busy over the next several months. Some of the things I'll be teaching are a Striped Baby Hat, Socks on 2 Circular Needles (using worsted weight yarn),The Landscape Shawl, Cabled Mittens, Norwegian Mittens, Sweaters, a Gauge Workshop and much more.

In addition to my classes, StevenBe's offers a wide variety of classes and workshops that cover all aspects of fiber craft as well as keeping their clientele current on trends within the industry. Although they are masters in this area, it is the manner in which they treat their customers that gives them the edge in the marketplace. Regardless of the knitter's experience level, everyone is treated with a great deal of patience but more importantly, encouraged to go beyond their comfort zone and supporting them along the way. It's a wonderful knitting community and I strongly encourage you to pay them a visit....Maybe I'll see you there!

I would like to share something very special that was made by my friend, Diane. She's a beautiful knitter (she doesn't think so but I know differently) and has been with my Tuesday group for a long time. Among other things, Diane enjoys a challenge and loves to knit "critters" so I wasn't surprised when she brought "Owliver" to knit group the other night. If any of you are interested in knitting one for yourself, you can download it for free on Ravelry. It's called Whit's Knits: Big Snowy Owl but I think Diane's name for it is more appropriate, don't you?

Finally, I want to share the finished Very Braidy Cowl that I previewed last week. If you remember, I used a glorious Bison Down/Merino Blend yarn. It will reside at StevenBe's as of tomorrow so please stop by and check it out.

I used leftover Fantasy Naturale to do a waste yarn seam.

To do the seam, I folded the waste yarn pieces inward and secured them with seam clips.

Just as I demonstrated on my Faux Kitchener video, I began joining the pieces together. Always making sure to go under a whole stitch on the upper piece (point down).

And going under a half of one stitch and half of it's neighboring stitch (point up) on the lower piece.

Once the sewing is complete, carefully unravel the waste yarn and watch your perfect seam magically appear.

Finally, I treated the cowl to a luxurious bath in my favorite Soak and set it out to dry. Although it's not completely dry, it already feels like butter! FYI, the side with the seam is facing up in the picture to prove a point that if done correctly, the Faux Kitchener is as invisible as it's counterpart. It really is a great alternative for seams that may be a bit too long for the true Kitchener Graft or for those knitters too nervous to tackle it.

That pretty much concludes my week. I'll be back next week with more adventures and I wish you  well with yours!