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. 

Peace on Earth - A Christmas Wish

May you all find peace and love in the hoilday season!

Welcome to Newest Artist Contributor - Betsy Salomon!

Betsy brings a wonderful addtion to our Gallery, with many varied pieces such as scarves and felted bags and bowls.  Her style is rich and expansive, featuring deep colors, mixed yarns and fibers, bold stitches and just a touch of whimsy. 

Betsy joins us from Davis, CA where she knits whenever she can!  She is a fourth-generation Californian, taught to knit by her great-aunt when she was 8 (and named one of her daughters for her, as a thank-you). She has won over a dozen ribbons and awards for her knitting (including the Good Fellows doll-dressing contest at Comerica Bank) and has knit more than 60 pairs of socks!  

Please check out Betsy's collection  http://knittenkaboodle.com/index.htm , featuring new items in all categories and think about adding something wonderful to your holiday shopping list!

You can always get more information about our pieces and artists by emailing me at info@knittenkaboodle.com





KnittenKaboodle debuts at Tait's Harvest Shop and Greenhouse!

 

The leaves are now gone for another season, wrapping up a truly lovely autumn and our thoughts are starting to turn to the upcoming holidays.  Here in the Nittany Valley, Tait's Farm and Harvest Shop is the premiere destination for finding that perfect gift of distinction.  I am very excited to say that I have joined their featured local artisans, proving scarves, neck warmers, tote bags, aprons and spice trivets and coasters!  If in the area, or driving past on US322 just east of State College, please stop in and check out all the wonderful offerings.

http://www.taitfarmfoods.com/harvest.html

Fabrics from many sources:  Locally:  Stitch Your Art in Pine Grove Mills  www.stitchyourartout.com    ; Other:  Pennington Quilt Works, Pennington, NJ;  Sew Smart, Doylestown, PA   Yarns:  Forever Yarn   www.foreveryarn.com   , Doylestown, PA; Stitch Your Art Out, Pine Grove Mills, PA;



An assortment of Holiday Aprons

Aprons



Toille Tote



Assortment of Scarves and neck warmers (the silk-mohair scarves are already gone!)



Spice filled trivets made specially for Taits - lovely aroma with warm teapot on them





Fear Not "Handle with Care"

How do we care for and clean our fine woolens?  I've heard fellow shoppers say they won't buy woolens they can't put in the washer and dryer, which means they are basically restricted to acrylics and some superwash yarns, such as sock yarns.  Now there is nothing wrong with this approach, however it does eliminate whole classes of animal fibers such as cashmere, mohair, merino, alpaca, silk, and plant fibers such as bamboo to name a few.  Machine washing involves agitation, which causes fibers to stick together essentially closing off the spaces between each fiber.  The result is often called 'felting' or 'fulling' or just plain 'shrinking'.  Intentional felting is very beautiful, strong and interesting, but is rarely the desired result when washing your lovely alpaca neck warmer.


So what to do?  Hand laundering requires a small bit of patience, but is completely worth it when considering the preservation of your precious hand knits.  Here are the basic steps, thanks to Jacqueline Sava (inventor of 'Soak' wool wash)1:

1. Use plenty of water in the basin, never HOT

2. Use cool or cold water

3. Use a low suds/no rinse formulation wool wash.

4. Drain or empty excess water from basin before removing the item.
Carefully squeeze excess water out by pressing it against the basin
DO NOT LIFT the wet item from the basin when it is full or water -- this will stretch and distort

5. Place the item on a clean towel and gently fold the sides over the item. 
Roll the item in the towel to remove excess water - GENTLY to avoid distortion

6. Resist all temptations to WRING and TWIST .

7. Lay flat to dry, reshaping as needed -- it will stay the way it dries. Choose a place that allows air circulation but not in direct sunlight or on a heat register/radiator.
TIP: Flip the piece over and change the towel if damp halfway through the drying process

8. Protect your precious fibers from moths during the off season by cleaning them before storage and storing in a protective environment with cedar or other deterrents.

1  Knit Simple, Holiday 2008, pp. 20

Note: I've had good success for interim cleanings using the 'dry clean' products for your dryer.  But if you choose this route, follow the manufactures instructions carefully and watch the HEAT temperature, as heat is the enemy of precious fibers. 


Please feel free to email or call us with specific care instructions for any item you purchase from KnittenKaboodle.  We keep the labels from the yarn wrappers and can specifically address the content of your particular item.

For more information in interpreting the international care symbols, see this helpful link from Trendsetter Yarns  http://www.trendsetteryarns.com/symbols.htm .