Monthly Archives: November 2008

Bamboo dyeing!

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scarf closeup
So, in between all the other junk happening over here Chez Glam, I dyed some bamboo yarn.

Here’s a shot of the pinks:
warm bamboo colors

And here’s a shot of the blues.
Blue series

Because of the way I layered the dyes in the dyebaths, each hank is a little bit different, and each of the sets (warm and cool) represents a color progression.

I’m planning to do them as ~100g skein scarf kits on Etsy.

Each kit will have instructions for three possible scarves, and enough yarn to knit TWO of them.

You’ll also get two kit-specific stitch markers inspired by the yarn.

I’m still working on the little pattern booklets, I’ll let you know when they “Go Live.”

New Pattern Alert: habanero!

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So, you may have seen the progress shots that I sneaked into my flickr account…and here’s the finished sweater!

habanero_knit1

It’s knit in Lorna’s Laces Green Line DK, in the Chagrin colorway. All in one piece from the neck down.

Knit.1 did a story about several bloggers, and so we’re all interviewed and each of us did a pattern for the issue.

Should hit newsstands n a couple of days.

Here’s the cover, so you know what to look for:

cover_k1

Make One Yarn Studio Retreat!

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OK, here is the long overdue post about the Canada Trip!

Well, I was invited to teach sort of at the last minute…not really the LAST minute, but after they had already decided who to invite to teach, and the workshop had filled up, they added me later. I have known Amy Sewnson (co-owner of Make One) for YEARS. We were both very early Knitty contributors, and also very early knit bloggers. Amy and I have been reading each others’ blogs for like 10 years. SO…I knew that this would be a great trip.

outside

The weekend started out at the Make One shop…which is GORGEOUS. It’s a huge space, I would guess that they have about 1500 – 1750 square feet in there. The walls are lined with those cool cubby-type shelves and everything is lit using artist lighting like they have in museums. The colors are just glowing at you when you walk in. They have lots of favorite, well-known yarns, PLUS many yarns that are hand dyed by local fiber artists (likek Sandra and Annie). So it’s a great mix of local and what-everyone’s-talking-about-online. I think that some of the most successful shops are those run by people who spend a lot of time on the internet. Researching brands and knowing what everyone’s buzzing about.

Mazie in her coat and hat

From there, we went on up to the Delta Lodge at Kanakansis. This is a BEAUTIFUL spot. It’s kind of isolated up in the mountains, with lots of pine trees and beautiful valleys all around. I was just in awe of this place. SO many deer along the road, too! Just a really neat place to get to spend some time.

The lodge itself was really interesting, too. There was a big huge fireplace in the lobby with tons of comfy chairs and couches. They had lots of little bars and restaraunts to try out. The vibe of the whole place was COZY. Cozy and Mountain. Like, antlers, stuffed game, that kind of thing.

The food was just outrageously good. Everything was very well-prepared and definitely upscale.

I also thought that the workshop itself was incredibly well-run. There was coffee and snacks at the halfway point of each class, with time to actually mingle. Classes ran on time, and everyone was where they were supposed to be. The classrooms were stocked with the right AV equipment…it was just really really well done.

class

I was really impressed / flattered/ blown away by the fact that all of my classes were full. I had no less than 21 students the entire weekend! Woah!

It was so worth it to make the trip. I loved being there and meeting the Make One staff and students.

Thank you Make One! I obviously didn’t take enough pictures, so would love to have links to your flickr sets!!

Knitpicks Podcast Interview

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knitpicks.jpg

So a few weeks ago I got a call from Kelley at Knitpicks! I picked up the phone and when she asked for me, and I lied and said I wasn’t home! She has such a professional voice, I assumed it was a sales call! The worst part of the whole thing is that I totally expected the phone call. We had worked out a time and date in advance in everything. She called just as I was getting Mazie to go down for a nap, so that was probably what threw me off. (Mom was supposed to come over and babysit during the call and she forgot…so I was a little bit off my game that morning.)

Anyway, you can hear the whole conversation here. To go along with the interview, Knitpicks is offering you a special deal on the purchase of Glam Knits.

Knitpicks Harmony Interchangeables

As a thank you, Kelley sent me a whole set of the Harmony Interchangeable needles. I already have the Options metal set and I LOVE it. The cable is so soft and bendy, and the joins are very smooth. I am easily annoyed by slow, dull, or badly constructed needles, and these have passed even MY tests.

I like to knit a LOT and I like to knit FAST. I used the Options set while I was working on my newest project using a cabled bamboo yarn. The yarn didn’t catch at ALL, even though the individual plies are so fine.

PS: The knitting bag in the photo is from Lexie Barnes and can be found here.

(If you’re looking for something to get me for Christmas…which I *know* at least one of my readers IS…hint-hint-wink-wink *ahem*Nathan*hrmm-hrmm*….I would LOVE to have THIS NEW Lexie bag in Pacifica, please!)