Inspiration from Life and Travels

Back home again, leaving behind spring for only the promise of spring ...  but a change of scenery and location always helps to inspire me.  Going from temperatures in the 40's to temps in the 80's really got me into gear for readying our boutique for the warmer temperatures.  New items will be added over the weeks to come, and quite a few projects are underway. 

Where do the ideas come from?  If you ask 10 different people you will get 10 different answers.  For me, I have to give the stock answer we were taught back in business school:  'it depends'.  Sometimes the yarn or fabric calls out to be made into something in particular, sometimes I see an outfit that I think would really look great with a particular accessory, or sometimes nature or scenery inspires me. 

While in South Carolina, sitting poolside (which is also ocean side) my imagination was caught by the wonderful colors of the shimmering pool. It was warm and I happily knit and listened to an audiobook (a guilty pleasure). The warm glow of spring and scenery gave birth to a soft and flowing accent scarf, knit from a fabulous yarn of silk and bamboo -- which will hold a lovely drape without unwanted bulk and warmth.  It is easy to imagine being here!



Westin Resort at Port Royal Plantation, Hilton Head Island



Westin Resort, Hilton Head Island






Silk-Bamboo South Carolina Scarf

 This scarf will be available very soon under 'Hand Knits' at http://www.knittenkaboodle.com/ . 

Spring Break at KnittenKaboodle

It is that time of year when we take a little break from the wind and roller coaster thermometer -- yes, Spring Break!  No, I'n not talking about partying in Fort Lauderdale with the college students, but we are heading South to the lovely South Carolina coast for sun, warmth and ocean breezes.

Also, we'll be scouring the yarn and fabric shops all over the region, searching for new inspiration and materials. I'm looking forward to using new materials and sharing what I find there as I get the warm season items ready for you.  Expect lovely accent scarves of fibers such as silk, bamboo, and cotton;  easy to wear wraps to throw over bare shoulders; and bright summer-time prints for aprons and table top accents.  KnittenKaboodle will also have seasonal items at Tait's Farm Harvest Shop (Route 322 east of Penn State Univesity) in time their Mother's Day Open House! 


Visions of North and South: 

"Quacker" anticipates the arrival of Spring



South Carolina ocean front - spring is already here

 Cheers!  

Not Spring Yet!

Although some parts of the country may be experiencing the first touches of Spring, here in the Northeast, we are still feeling the cold grip of winter.  Surely Spring is on the way, but until then we still need to bundle up and wrap up as we shovel, chip, and slog across windy and frozen parking lots. 



This time of year we see the emergence of the pussy willows, full of little fuzzies.  They remind me mohair, which is wonderful for this time of year -- warm, soft, and feathery lightweight.  A mohair piece will go with you easily from winter to first thaw and chilly mornings in early Spring (I can't wait!!).  Please check the wonderful pieces still available at the KnittenKaboodle eBoutique.  Here are just a few:



Neutrals that work well with outerwear or indoors




Elegant blocks of white, black and burgundy for day or evening




Color, warmth and softness anticipating the return of color

http://www.knittenkaboodle.com/

Happy Valentine's Day!



Betsy Salomon's Felted Heart Bag
Learn more about Betsy and her lovely and colorful works in earlier posts and by visiting KnittenKaboodle.com!



The Creative Process Continues - Back from NYC



Back at the workshop, returned from a great trip to Vogue Knitting Live in NYC.  There is a lot of snow out there and I'm happily back in the workshop brimming with ideas and inspiration.  I was able to take two very different workshops from two very different, but enormously talented people.

The wonderful and bubbly Judy Pascale http://www.judypascale.com/index.htm taught a day-long seminar in the art of Japanese water-felting, called Nuno Felting.  This painstaking process of imbuing wool and silk fibers into a silk (or other fine woven natural fabric) base yields an amazing new fabric, which is soft and strong and lovely.  I am not so sure about my first attempt, although kind people close to me say it is lovely.  Over the months to come I plan to work a lot more on Nuno felting, and hope to have some lovely offerings in the future.

  

My first Nuno project - 'Mountain Trees'



From Vogue Knitting Fall 2010





The second workshop I was lucky enough to get into, was with the talented Brooke Nico of Kirkwood Knittery in St. Louis http://www.kirkwoodknittery.com/ .  She is an avid lace knitter with many published designs in knitting magazines, who shared her knowledge on how to design and document lace shawls and scarves.   Although KnittenKaboodle will not ever create and sell these patterns, they are inspiration for future original ideas and projects and beautiful examples of what is possible in the world of couture knitting for the intrepid knitter!



From Knitters Magazine Fall 2010



  





Evolution of the Craft and Keeping Up

Often I spend time on 'behind the scenes' in the workshop, talking about and showing what goes into creating handmade items, but today I want talk a bit about 'behind the craft' and what goes into the knowledge and skill development of the craft.

Hand knitting is no longer about your Grandmother's afghans and the 'knobbly sweaters' knit by Mrs. Weasley for her children.  Knit designers have been getting more and more adventurous and gaining followings, as the Internet has made access available to all. Knitting magazines have been around for years (Vogue Knitting celebrated 25 years) and have evolved into wonderful fashion and technical guides. But now there are also Internet powerhouses, such as Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com/ (with over a million subscribers), that connect knitters all around the globe. Knitters can share experiences, sell patterns, swap excess yarn, and join forums to discuss their interests.

Furthermore, more and more yarns are becoming available and again Internet access to small farm and specialty dyers all across the globe fuels the growing passion and demand from hand knitters.  Fashion, design, technique and style are all parts of the process for the hand knitter!


From Vogue Knitting



From Vogue Knitting

Knitting was once a quiet pastime handed down from Mothers and Grandmothers to children if interested.  Now, Local Yarn Shops, have become havens for knitters and often an important social nucleus for many.   Ideas and help flow and sympathy is widely offered when mistakes have to be corrected.

I learned to knit in such an environment, at Forever Yarn  http://www.foreveryarn.com/ in Doylestown, PA.  Now, several years later, I live in Central Pennsylvania and continue to study my craft at our local yarn shop Stitch Your Art Out   http://www.stitchyourartout.com/.  For me, this year is dedicated to technical advancement and I am taking all sorts of classes on the the techniques and teaching of master knitter Elizabeth Zimmermann http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Zimmermann .  At the same time, I am teaching my first classes this year, which is truly challenging, but exciting. 

The biggest event so far this year is that I am taking some fabulous classes at the first ever conference sponsored by Vogue Knitting!  http://www.vogueknitting.com/ . I will report more on that event upon my return.

And what does this mean to you?  Over the course of the next year, expect to see new original designs from me and plenty of new ideas making fantastic knit items for you.

Happy New Year! Stay Warm Wrapped Up in a Great Scarf!

Everybody needs a nice warm scarf made from wonderfully soft and warm fibers!  There is a lot of winter left and finding some bright colors to add cheer, or extra softness from mohair or alpaca is the perfect tonic to help make it through to spring. 





Soft and Luxurious Scarf in Silk and Merino



Triangle Scarf in Silk, Cashmere, Merino, Cotton, and a touch of Sequins



Thick, warm, soft soft soft! Silk and Mohair in feet and feet of sumptuous wrap.

 Find these and many other wonderful items at our e-boutique: http://www.knittenkaboodle.com/

Happy New Year!  We look forward to bringing you many new and wonderful hand knit and sewn items over the course of the year.