Grand day out

We had a lovely day at the York Viking Festival yesterday.

We arrived in York at 10:30. The first thing we did was have tea, hot chocolate, a fat rascal (big scone), and an egg benedict at Betty's, a York institution. Jessamy and I shared these things of course. I can eat a lot, but not that much.


Then on to York Minster. We decided to fork over a lot of money to do the do everything tour, starting off with the free tour which was very informational, then saw the undercroft, treasury, and crypt.

And climbed the 275 steps to the top of the tower.
Then back into the Minster.
We bought yarn for my next project - socks for Jessamy - at York's LYS, Sheepish. Bought pork pies and a Turkish wrap from the continental market.

Then on to the Evening Battle: Light and Sound Spectacular where the entertainment included the amusing Horn Dancers (4 guys carrying elk horns, one guy with a bow, and another with a wooden deer head dancing and doing little formations). It would have been more exciting had the horns been on fire, but really this picture is of the firedancers who were pretty good.
The battle was entertaining, but strange. There was maybe 50 guys, dressed in chain mails and with wooden shields. Occasionally chaos ensued, chips of wood went flying, and it did seem at times like they were actually trying to hurt each other. But half of the time the sides were just staring at each other trying to figure out who to attack.


The show ended with dramatic and well timed fireworks set to Flight of the Valkyries.

Then it was back to Betty's, which was the only place we could find that served coffee after 7. I had a yummy Wensleydale soup, a very chocolaty hot chocolate (felt a bit sugar overdosed after drinking it) and cheesecake. Jessamy had a latte latino (the actual name) and a yummy ginger sponge cake.

We managed to hop on the train back home with less than 10 seconds to spare.

I can see you clearly

New glasses! I lost my old pair : ( But I paid way too much for these and got a second pair for free. So now I can plan on loosing one.

Now I also know how to make Jessamy laugh so hard her stomach hurts- have her to take my picture for the blog. I'm that unphotogenic. I'm also started to look my age, which is freaking me out a bit.

I like this picture. It's blurry, even though I have glasses on : )

Cabled socks anyone?

Gauge:
26 stitches over 4 inches
40 rows over 4 inches.

Yarn:
Happy Feet by Plymouth (2 skeins)

Cuff
Cast on 68 stitches with size 1 needles
Add stitch marker, join in round

*k2, p2* repeat until end.
Repeat the 2X2 ribbing for 10 more rows

Leg
Change to size 2 needles
Decrease rounds:
Round 1: k3, k2tog, p3, k4, p2, k4 *p2, k4, p2, k4*, repeat 2 more times, p2, k4, p3, ssk, k3 = 66 stiches
Round 2: k4, p1, p2tog, k4, p2, k4, *p2, k4, p2, k4*, repeat 2 more times, p2, k4, p1, p2tog, k4 = 64 sts

Setting up the cables:
Round 1: k4, *p2, k4, p2, k4*, repeat 3 more times, p2, k4, p2, k4
Start cables:
Round 2: k4, *p2, c2f, p2, k4*, repeat 3 more times, p2, c2f, p2, k4

Regular rounds:
Round 1: k4, *p2, k4, p2, k4*, repeat 3 more times, p2, k4, p2, k4
Round 2: Repeat round 1
Round 3: Repeat round 1
Start cables:
Round 4: k4, *p2, c2f, p2, k4*, repeat 3 more times, p2, c2f, p2, k4

Repeat rows 1-4 until desired length of leg (minus half an inch). End with a round 4. My sock leg is a total of 5.5 inches, and there was plenty of yarn left over.

Decrease rounds:
Round 1: k2, k2tog, *p2, k4, p2, k4*, repeat 3 more times, p2, k4, p2, ssk, k2 = 62 sts

Round 2: k1, k2tog, p2tog, k4, p2, k4, *p2, k4 * repeat 4 more times, p2, k4, p2, k4, p2tog, ssk, k1 = 58

Round 3: k2tog, p1, k4, p2, k2, k2tog, *p2, k4 * repeat 4 more times, p2, k2, k2tog, p2, k4, p1, ssk= 54

Round 4: k1, p1, c2f, p2, k1, k2tog, *p2, c2f, p2, k4* repeat 1 more time, p2, c2f, p2, k2tog, k1, p2, c2f, p1, k1 = 52 stitches

Round 5: k1, p1, k4, p2, k2tog, *p2, k4, p2, k4* repeat 1 more time, p2, k4, p2, k2tog, p2, k4, p1, k1=50 sts


Heel flap
Row1: Knit 9, turn
With a new needle: Row 2: purl 18, turn
Row 3: *slip 1, knit 1* repeat until end (18 stitches)
Row 4: Slip 1, purl to end
Repeat rows 3 and 4 13 more times for a total of 26 rows

FYI, you should have 18sts in your heel flap, and 32 in instep = 50 stitches

Turn Heel
Row 1: Knit 11, k2tog, k1, turn
Row 2: sl1, p5, p2tog, p1, turn
Row 3: sl1, knit to stitch before gap, k2tog, k1, turn
Row 4: sl1, p to stitch before gap, p2tog, p1

Pick up 14 stitches along each side of the heel flap with new needles.
Divide the heel as you normally do.

Needle 1: Knit to last three stitches, k2tog, k1
Needle 2: Knit even (working cable pattern throughout)
Needle 3: K1, ssk, knit to end of needle

Work until you have 17 stitches on needles 1 and 3.

Work straight until you are 2 inches away from desired length

I used a slightly rounder toe than normal, taken from knitty.
1 decrease round, 3 even.
1 decrease round, 2 even – twice.
1 decrease round, 1 even – three times.
Decrease every round until you have 16 stitches.
Kitchener it up, and viola.


Notes:
1. If you only have a size 2 needle with you, you could instead cast on 60 stitches. The majority of the leg would be knit in k2, *p2, k4, p2, k4*, repeat 4 times, p2, k4, p2, k2

2. You can also do one sock with a left twist cable, the other with a right twist cable (hold the cable needle in back).

3. Yes, There are a lot less stitches in the heel than expected, but it fits me.

c2f = Slip 2 stitches p-wise onto a cable needle, keep cable needle in the front, knit two stitches, knit the two stitches from the cable needle.

Another dimension?

Work made everyone leave 3 hours early because of possible transportation issues due to the snow! What dimension am I living in?

It was a clear day when I walked to work this morning, but it started snowing almost immediately after I arrived. On my way back though, from the bus stop to home, it was lovely. There was a layer of white on the ground, on cars, on houses, very light snow falling, and the comforting sound of freshly fallen snow under my feet.

What shall I do with my now 2 hours of extra leisure time?!
Finish the socks, for one. Then who knows!
Really, all I have to do with the socks is redo one toe. As you can see in this poorly taken photograph (it looked ok in the viewfinder, really), the right sock is done in the usual decrease every other row toe. Usually I'm fine with it, but it just wasn't cutting it this time, so I went online to search for pictures, and decided on the simple round toe from knitty. I'm much happier with the whole project now. I'm hoping to have the whole pattern on the blog in the next 2 days...

Robin's Egg Red Hat

Jessamy's hat is finished. Here she is wearing it at a jaunty slant. It took us at least 15 minutes to find the right button.
I used the crown shaping found at The Knitting Fiend.

It is a bit exaggerated for the photo. Too bad I was never able to figure out what I did with that cat/devil hat. Now that was a nice crown.

I had quite a few modifications. I thought the seed stitch border looked a bit big in the original picture, so I started on a row 2 (1 row less than called for). I m1, k1 instead of k1, kf/b and did ssk instead of k2tog because I tried to memorize the pattern instead of just printing it out …
I've figured out a good solution to this though, save the pattern onto the "portable reader system" which was Jessamy's mom gave to us because she had received it as a gift and but never used because prefered to read actual books instead of digital words.
And I BO 4 instead of the 12 (purposefully) for the flap.
And that's about it.

Not snowed in yet

It's been the coldest week in 18 years here in the UK. Newcastle survived relatively unsnowed. We did get enough on Monday to warrant a slight panic about buses, and another little flurry Friday and today. But in the end it was nothing compared to the rest of England, or really to the rest of the county, with several people at work who live outside the city limits calling in to work on Monday saying they were snowed in.

A little closer now

Jessamy has been invited to her first post-graduate interview. The museum is in Massachusetts. Brrrr.

Looking ahead

Hi.

I know this is a sad day, but instead of dwelling on it I thought I should look to the future and show my next project on the list, it should be a quick one at that, http://racheliufer.blogspot.com/2007/10/robins-egg-blue-hat.html

Closing this month

I'm assuming most of you get our newsletter and have already heard, but we're closing our doors in just a few days, word on the street is that the last day is January 31st.

It's sad, I know, but we've been holding out too long, and I've said my goodbyes too many times, and now it's time to give up and move on.

We will however be selling yarn online starting in March, I've been figuring out the logistics for weeks now, and I'm excited about it.

I'm going to keep our ravelry (my name is fibrous, we also have a group), twitter (thatyarnstore), myspace http://www.myspace.com/thatyarnstore, and facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Los-Angeles-CA/That-Yarn-Store/25781369442
accounts up, and will be posting with updates on the online store.

Thought it would be simple

Always do (think it would be simple, that is).
Basic cable socks, no pattern of course, but who needs one, they're socks.
Only problem is that I need to get from 38 stitches around the leg to 19 for the heel flap. One sock is done (a bit too long, but it won't take that long to reknit that part) because I figured I should stop being a perfectionist, leaving the funky bunching alone and just be happy content with a much nicer looking second sock. Except, the second sock is definately not looking nicer.
Each time I've ripped out I've ripped a little higher and started the decreases a little sooner.
Assuming I get it to look okay and finish it (unlike the 2nd generation of pirate socks which I don't even want to look at) I'll post the pattern. Other than the grumble grumble decreases I like the look of the sock, itty cables are cute after all.

tack-oes

I've been trying to not post anything about work for reasons you probably know, and I don't want to embarrass anyone or anything like that. But ... yesterday someone was telling me about his trip to Florida. We had been talking about food and alcohol and the differences between the two countries. He had been disappointing in the size of steaks as they seem to be huge whenever cowboys eat steak in the movies, I commented that at least cheap meat here in the UK is much better than in America. I've gone to some cheap Chinese food places here, and generally in America if I go to a cheap Chinese place I'll get vegies, maybe sometimes a sweet and sour pork or chicken, but when I order it it's with the full expectation that the meat will be rubbery and gross. But the meat cheap Chinese food here has been surprisingly decent, the beef isn't all gristle, nothing wrong with the chicken, or at least nothing that I can tell with my unsophisticated meat palate. Anyway, the guy from work said how he ate, and liked, the Mexican food there in Florida (they consider tapas to be Mexican food here, and when you can find a burrito, which is really hard to find, it's like 9 pounds, so like $15). He had fajitas, some other dish, and tacos, pronounced as tack-oes. He said, almost a direct quote, he got the tacos with chili, as he could choose whether he could get ones with or without, so he got the tack-oes with chili, in fact, the restaurant was named Chili's. Yes, Chili's. And yes, I was picturing a small, non-chain, "real" Mexican restaurant. Jessamy laughed a long, long time when I relayed this to her, but I managed to just smile, and stopped myself from ruining his memories. And then Jessamy and I ate at a cheap Chinese

Not much going on

Jessamy has four papers due next week, so she has been frantically doing that. I've been reading mostly, The Concise Pepys. I have two socks in the works, one needs to be ripped out and started again, and another I'm not sure what I'm doing with.

I was finally was able to get to the computer for an extended period yesterday, as in two hours, and found some hat patterns for Jessamy to choose from, so I might start that tonight, assuming I don't delete the internet (a favorite saying of mine) before Jessamy can actually choose one.

I've also spent the last few evenings looking up cities I want to visit in England, there's a long list. Haven't yet attepted a list of places in the continent. Jessamy has a break the weekend after next, and then spring break, otherwise known as easter break here, then I think we might try to stay and travel after she graduates.

Merry Christmas!

Ok, so I'm a little late, but I was too busy knitting my mom's shawl (forgot to take a picture) to think about anything else.

Mom liked the shawl, and Frannie liked her bag, which is based on the free pattern from U-Handbag. It was my second sewing project after the crooked that I made. The purse came out a little crooked too, could have probably have fixed it but I finished the sewing machine part of it on my last day in the UK before coming over here. And the foot pedal broke, so it was a bit diffucult to stop when I wanted to actually stop. The sewing machine was cheap, so I expected it to break quickly, though I had hoped it would last more than 5 or so uses. There is a one year warrantt, but I need to call them between 9 and 5 Monday to Friday, So I'm not actually sure when that's going to happen.

I had a nice Christmas, we played board games, opened presents. I got a pair of scissors for sewing and a book about writing.

Yesterday mom brought me and Noah to Burlington Coat factory to buy coats. It was huge, and we actually had to ask where the coats were located (bottom floor). I ended up buying (well, mom bought them as a Christmas present) two coats, one of which was a normal looking black short coat, the other was long and red, and will hopefully keep me very warm in my half hour walk to work. The red one has no hood, but I figure the head warmth factor can be easily solved by just wearing a hat, though of course I'm not just going to buy one, I have to make it, which means my head might be cold for a while.

I have been wearing my wimple everywhere, I'm considering knitting my hair into it so it becomes a permanent fixture. Though lately I've been wearing it like a huge headband, which the siblings claim looks rather Rasta.

Sock Ornament pattern

You can use any yarn and appropriate needles. The bigger the yarn, the bigger the ornament will be. I used fingering.

CO 16

Join in round

Work 4 rows rib, then 8 rows st stitch

Heel flap:

Row 1: K10 stitches

Row 2: sl 1, p9

Row 3: sl 1, k9

Repeat rows 2 and 3.

Turn heel:

Row 1: sl 1, p4, p2tog tbl, p1

Row 2: sl 1, k1, k2tog, k1

Row 3: sl1, p2, p2tog tbl, p1

Row 4: sl1, k3, k2tog, k1

PU 5 stitches with a new needle.

Knit 6 stitches with a new needle

PU5 stitches with a new needle, and knit 3 stitches

Row 1: Work 1 row even.

Row 2:

Needle 1: K 5, k2 tog, k1,

Needle 2: Knit

Needle 3: k1, ssk, k5

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until you have 16 stitches remaining.

K3 rows even.

Row 1:

Needle 1: K 2, k2 tog, k1,

Needle 2: k1, ssk, k2 tog, k1

Needle 3: k1, ssk, k2

Row 3: Work 1 row even

Row 4:

Needle 1: K 1, k2 tog, k1,

Needle 2: ssk, k2 tog

Needle 3: k1, ssk, k1

With same needle, needle 3, knit 2

Move the last stitch on needle 3 onto needle 2, and the remaining stitch from needle 1 also onto needle 2. You should have 4 stitches on 2 needles.

And now you’re ready to do the kitchner stitch and finish your sock!

I bought a stollen cake

Jessamy and I have been showing our Christmas spirit this week by eating lots of seasonal desserts. Today we had half a treacle pie (it was a small pie, it was also way more than half), and last week I spent over an hour's worth of my wages to buy a stollen cake.


It has nuts, raisins, little bits of cherries, and a marzipan center.

This weekend I was also on a mini sock ornament kick.

Here's the action shot:Unless the internet refuses to work I'll try to post the pattern for the sock ornaments tomorrow.

Warm Chin

Wore the smoke ring today to work. It kept slipping off my head since I had my hood on too, so I'm not sure if it's actually keeping my head warm, but it was keeping my chin warm. I probably looked strange to paserbys.

Last night I started on a sock-shaped ornament for a friend in the peacecorp. I was working on it for less than 2 hours and I'm almost done with it. I think the next one will go faster, I'm also thinking of making it smaller.

Wimpled

Today was a nice day. Most of the ice was melted so I only nearly slipped once on the way to the market.

I finished the smoke ring/wimple yesterday, it's being blocked as I type this.

The picture is a bit weird, but I look better wearing it in person, really.
Last night after I finished the wimple (does not seem like a proper word for an accessory, but perhaps a curse word or a body part) I tried to start on a Christmas project, but it turns out that bulky yarn with size 13 needles and a lace pattern do not mix well. If anyone is on Ravelry I'll post what I frogged on there.

Also brought out the sewing machine. Bought it last month, but I wanted to finish the twist and shout sweater before I started anything else. That never happened (still have a sleeve to do), but since I started on the wimple and the muff I figured I should do something I'll enjoy instead of setting myself limits.

Don't actually remember the last time I used a sewing machine, I might have never used one, but I was glad I was around the shop during the sewing classes so I knew to iron the hem before I tried to sew it and I was glad Jessamy was there as I got really confused with the lower bobbin, turned out it was working right I just didn't understand the concept. So my PJs are now a proper length. Yay! Next it's curtains, then a purse for a Christmas present. There will be a picture of that of course, but probably not until closer to Christmas as I don't know who's reading this...

Snow 2

This morning I stepped outside to go to work and was greeted by this sight:

No, it's not that my car was stolen (not that I have a car), but it's snow!

I had a nice leisurely weekend. Started on a smoke ring with Claudia Hand Painted yarn on Saturday and I'm half way through.

On Friday we saw Skellig which is a new opera by a US composer based on a children's novel by a Northumbria author. Sadly the singers did not have Geordie accents.

Jessamy and I had Thanksgiving dinner at a Chinese buffet. No pumpkin pie, but we did have tiramisu.

Muffed

Here's the picture of snow from yesterday, taken from the comfort of our apartment (those lines are the reflection of the blinds). It's a crappy picture, I know, but it is snow.

No snow today, but it did rain briefly while I was walking to work and I was starting to think that I wouldn't be able to test out my muff, but the snow cleared. My fingers were already freezing though (they were out in the open (with gloves on)) since I had to hold up the umbrella, so it was hard to tell if a muff was better or just as good as putting my hands in my pocket, but a muff's still exciting, and fun to say too. I did learn though that I should have made it a little wider. It's 3 and a half inches wide right now, which was fine when I was trying it on inside with my hands directly parallel in the muff, but not so good when my fingers were actually freezing and I ended up clutching my other hand. So next time I'll need to make it a bit wider and maybe an inch longer...

It snowed!

Woke up this morning to see snow on the ground! What, snow? Where am I again? Ah yes, in another country. Just searched the blog to find that it didn't start snowing until March last year (or rather this year)! Apparently it's due to arctic winds, which really just sounds like a good name for a band and not something that will make white things that fall from the sky during the night and then melt and become slippery and unattractive while I'm trying to walk to the grocery store .

Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture until most of it was melted, and then the batteries died right after the picture was taken, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

I guess I made that muff right in time, lets hope it keeps my hands warm during my half hour walk to work tomorrow.

Festive Muff

I've always wanted a muff. Whenever I see one in a painting the wearer always seems happy and warm while the cold snow around her flurries. I have yet to test it out in the elements, but even if it doesn't live up to my warmth expectations at least it's pretty (and quick to knit too).

Yarn:One 50 gram ball of eyelash yarn
One 50 gram ball of super bulky yarn

Gauge: 5 stitches per 2" in 1X1 rib

Needle: 11

Pattern:
Cast on 20 stitches with both yarns held together. Join in the round. Work 10 inches in 1X1 rib. Bind off loosely.

Tahdah!

Amigurimi class this Saturday

Amigurimi (crochet)

with Melise Gerber

November 22, 1pm, $40

According to Wikipedia the "pervading aesthetic of amigurumi is cuteness". And they aren't kidding. By learning to crochet this cute snowman you'll also learn the skills to go on to make your own customized dolls. Beginning crocheters are welcome to attend.

Great for quick Christmas presents!

Pictures from Housesteads Roman fort

Finally getting around to posting pictures of when a friend of Jessamy and mine visited.
We went to Hadrians Wall Country, but it was really cold, and rained most of the time so we had to scrap the plan of walking along the wall and went to see the museums instead, but you can see some of the wall here:
Roman ruins, don't remember which ones these were, but there was the remains of bathhouses, with their raised floors for more efficient heating, granaries, with their raised floors for vermin and dampness, soldier barracks, etc.
This is Jessamy pointing at one of the many sheep grazing in the area.
and me in a well

and Michelle in a welland me and Jessamy again.

This week's classes and events

Wednesday:
Kids Knitting/Crochet
Wednesday afternoons from 3-4pm.
Open to those just starting out and more experienced knitters who want
to learn new skills. $50 for 4 sessions, materials included. It's fun
and laid back. Classes also available Tuesdays 2-3pm and Fridays 3-4pm.

Yarn - Start to Finish
Begin with raw wool, and
finish with spun dyed yarn
made with your own hands
In 3 sessions, beginning
tomorrow, October 22 6:00
$80
Includes Oct 29th Spinning Class
call for details

Thursday:
Sewing Survival Skills
For men, or anyone who needs to know.
Learn to sew on buttons, easy repairs, etc
~Thursday, October 23 at 7pm~ or
~ Saturday, October 25 at 12:30 ~ $35

Friday:
Spanish Class
The first session will be held on
Friday, October 24, 2008 from 7-8:30 p.m.
The second session will be held on
Friday, November 7, 2008 from 7-8:30 p.m.

Cost per person is $20, with all proceeds to benefit the store.
And a tip jar for the teacher.

Study materials are provided at no additional
charge, and students are encouraged to take plenty of notes.

The material will be basic, every day Spanish to help folks get
by, and at least communicate with Spanish-speakers who may
not yet be fluent in English.

Teen Knitting
Teen Sit-n-Knit (free!) Fridays from 5-6:30pm.

Saturday:
If you like making socks, or would like to, we have something
of interest.
Sock Yarn Tasting of Skacel Yarns
Saturday October 25th, 2008.
It will run from 2 PM- 4ish.

A representative from Skacel will be there, so will sock yarn
and samples.
And if you'd like to hang out and share your own sock wisdom,
or need a bit of help with making socks this is your big chance.

Ongoing projects are still going

Still working on the Twist and Shout from knitty.

I wanted to have it finished by now, but I keep making mistakes, like not cabling or only cabling half a row.




















I've also finally started Jessamy's birthday present (her birthday was in September), it's a pencil case. I still have to do the zipper, which I'm not looking forward too. I've never sewn a zipper before and I attempted to do it last night, but it was late and I was sleepy and easily frustrated.

Two Things This Weekend

Saturday:

The Friends of That Yarn Store will hold a yard sale on Saturday, October 18, from 9-4pm at 4952 Vincent Ave. in Eagle Rock 90041. All proceeds will benefit our favorite LYS, That Yarn Store. Please donate items for sale - fyi, we're avoiding all clothing except for kids, vintage/retro, and high-end. Drop items off at 4952 Vincent Ave before 8am on the morning of, or at That Yarn Store sometime that week.If you can spare an hour or two to work the sale, that's great, too! Please contact Suzanne at sjbirder at roadrunner dot com or at 323-333-1630.

Tough economic times call for creative responses. Please help us keep this small, local business part of our community. Thanks!

and...

The music of Call and Response:
Saturday, October 18th, at 6:00 pm. Free
Dottie plays her music and Michael translates it into the language of trombone.

Decoupage Class today - decorating with paper

Yes, you heard me right, a Decoupage Class. Awesome isn't it.

Tuesday, October 14, 4:00 pm.$25

Learn this simple craft, perfect for decorating. Pick from a frame, or box or a flat square and we'll show you how to put together a cool, nifty design. Make mistakes, so that when you go home you have extra ideas on how to fix them. If you have any cool, light weight paper, please feel free to bring it in so we can add it to your works.

That Yarn Store
5028 Eagle Rock Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041
www.thatyarnstore.com

Have we mentioned...

That we're having an open house.

Call it an excuse to hang out at the store at a later hour than usual, think of it as a time to ask Maggie some questions about her sewing classes, consider it as a time for people who haven't knit/crochet in a group to try it out.

Whatever way you want to think about it, it'll be here for you.

October 11th from 6-9 pm.

* See spinning demonstrations.

* Hear an explanation of hyperbolic crochet

* Meet our sewing teacher

* Learn about our classes

* Work on your projects on our comfy couches

Also,

Saturday Night Discount

Get 10% off on October 11, 7-10pm when you bring in the NELA artwalk map, http://www.nelaart.com/
For more information about the discount and to see a list of other businesses who are giving a discount please visit http://www.thatyarnstore.com

That Yarn Store
5028 Eagle Rock Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(323) 256-9276
http://www.thatyarnstore.com

Sunday

Sunday was a nice clear day so Jessamy and I went walking.

We had just missed the great north run which is a big annual marathon, but that did mean that we could walk in the middle of the bridge without being hit.

Open House on October 11

Join That Yarn Store for an informal Open House on October 11th from 7-10.

How can my children learn a new craft? Is it easier to learn to knit or crochet? What's with the sewing machine?

Get your knitting, crochet, and sewing questions answered. The owners of That Yarn Store and their sewing teacher will be on hand to answer questions and give advice. You'll also hear an explanation of hyperbolic crochet geometry and see spinning demonstrations. And if you've ever wanted to crochet or knit in a group this is a great opportunity to try it out - we have comfy couches just for this purpose.

*See spinning demonstrations.
*Hear an explanation of hyperbolic crochet
*Meet our sewing teacher
*Learn about our classes
*Say hi to the owners
*Work on your projects on our comfy couches

End of Vacation

Vacation is officially over. I had my second day of temp work today, and Jessamy had her first full day of school.

I'm doing general clerical work. Jessamy has received two new conservation items to write about, so she's excited about that. But apparently they doing some crazy cuts in the department, including not having any secretary on site, so even though they have a 9am class, their passes won't let them into the building until 9. Normally the secretary would let them in, now a teacher (called tutors) might have to answer the doorbell.

Any social networks we aren't on?

We now have a facebook page -
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Los-Angeles-CA/That-Yarn-Store/25781369442

I've also signed up with Twitter (soon we will have something on all kinds of social networking sites...). We are on there under this email, that.yarnstore@gmail.com. So now you can find out how I spend my time on the computer...

Other social networking sites we are on: myspace http://myspace.com/thatyarnstore
Ravelry: Thea's username is fibrous, we also have a group
And I think that.yarnstore@gmail.com is on linkedin.
and Gina has started a photo album, for us on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/groups/925206@N22/

Soda Pop night and first kids class tomorrow

Soda Pop Night
For our next happy hour we will be drinking soda pop!
September 26th, 7pm. Free
Stop by Galcos (over on 5702 York) beforehand (I think they close at 6:30) and pick up a few bottles of something interesting to share. John, the owner, is always happy to give suggestions.

Starting September 26, we will have afternoon kid's classes every
Friday from 3 to 4 pm.
Starting October 14, we will have Tuesday afternoon classes
from 2 to 3.

$50 for 4 classes, which includes materials for projects we will
be teaching.

On Fridays teens can come in to sit and knit from 5 to 6:30.
Feel free to bring muchies and music. No charge.

Houses made of brick

We live in a neighborhood with row after row of brick houses.

Our hallway has a door with old and bulging stained glass.

Our bedroom was probably once a living room. It has a large, now boarded up, fireplace with tiles along the edge and this on the ceiling.

The living room therefore must have once been the bedroom. We like the wallpaper.

The bathroom is bigger than the kitchen (sorry, no pics of bathroom, that would just be weird)

And here's the washing machine, which is the same size as the last two places where I've lived, so this might be the normal size.

Twist and Shout in purple

Naw, I wasn't the clever one who thought of Twist and Shout for a cable sweater, it's the real name of the pattern from knitty.com. It's so weird having something sizeable to show for a few hours of work. It's been so long since I've done something from an actual pattern and therefore did not require me ripping half the thing out like the argyle sweater that I left at home because I needed a nice long break from it. It's also a bit weird working on size 7 needles - the past couple of projects have been socks with #2s, though neither of the last two socks projects are done yet either, the pirate socks need a complete redesign, I actually left them at home too, and I got bored with the other cable socks.

Anyway, I'm of course not entirely happy with it, my tension is wonky and the yarn isn't perfect for it, but I had already ordered the yarn for another project, a sweater in interweave, and decide to make this one instead. Hopefully the tension will even out with blocking. But, all is not lost and I think it will still look nice. If you do make this sweater though, don't use a DK! I would go with Suri Merino instead.

Kids Knitting Classes

Kids Knitting Classes
Ages 6-up
All levels welcome
$50 for 4 classes (includes all materials)

Fridays 3pm-4pm (starts Sept. 26)
Tuesdays 2pm-3pm (starts October 14) - take advantage
of LAUSD's early dismissal on Tuesdays!

Teen Sit-n-Knit -FREE! - Fridays 5pm-6:30pm

Pre-registration requested - contact
That Yarn Store
5028 Eagle Rock Boulevard, Los Angeles 90041
(one block south of Colorado)
phone: 323-256-9276
email: that.yarnstore@ gmail.com
www.thatyarnstore. com

Settled in

Well, almost. But we picked up all our stuff from one of Jessamy's classmates yesterday, and bought some other essentials today (decided not to get the bacon rack since we don't eat bacon, a frugal move on our part). Jessamy walked to the city centre, took her 30 minutes to walk, she's planning on walking to school when that starts in a week. I took the bus into the city. We had some nice shakes at a small shop. I had Lemon Curd, Jessamy got a Turkish Delight, I don't know how she made mine, but Jessamy's was a milkshake with some peices of Turkish Delight blended together.

If weather permits we hope to bike along part of Hadrians Wall next week...

Back across the pond

I've arrived safe. Very tired, but safe. The entertainment options on the plane this time wasn't so good. I ended up mainly watching part of Ms. Pettigrew in Spanish and playing one of thoes memory games (on the console) where you flip over cards and try to match them all. The apartment is big, but the neighbors are going to need some taking used to since we were spoiled in the last apartment and weren't sorrounded on all sides by ajoining walls.

Meet me at the fair

Hi.
Last Sunday I judges the men's knitting competition for the county fair. I'll be there again this Sunday to put together squares for Warm Up America. I'm not sure what time yet, but if you want to meet me there and hang out gice me a call at the store - (323) 256-9276 - on Saturday and I should know the time by then.
If you can't make it on Sunday, the fair has a knitting corner where you can come in at any time and knit.

Featured yarn - Encore

We're going to try and highlight a different yarn every two weeks, to coincide with the newsletter.
We'll be starting with the ever popular Encore.

Encore, made by Plymouth, is 75% acrylic and 25% wool. It's very popular for baby
blankets (washable), but it can be used for anything, Thea is currently working on her argyle shirt with (see the last blog psot). On the voila page of our website, you can see two projects made out of it - a blanket and some socks!

If you're wondering what to make, here's a free pattern from knitting pattern central for a no sew sweater using Encore.
http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/patterns/easy_no_sew_sweater.php

No Socks, no shirt, no done

I haven't gotten too far on my shirt as I keep noticing mistakes and have to rip a lot of it out.


But I have gotten to the arm pit area, so that's something.


I'm also working on a pair of socks for Noah for his birthday (in two weeks). It started off as an entrelac sock, but my brother tried it on and it was too small (I was only on the second row of triangles) so I ripped it out (the two of them actually since I try to make the two socks at once) and decided to do little cables instead because the entrelac was getting tedious.

For this sock I casted on 68 stitches, and as you can see it does diagonal stripes. At 52 stitches it did the normal self striping, which I wasn't expecting.

Hyperbolic Crochet tonight!

Tonight, at 6:00
Hyperbolic Crochet.
A lighter verson of our ususal
workshop. Come in and show
what you've done, or learn
how to make these blends
of yarn, art, math, and fun.

also this week:

Spin a Yarn.
Friday at 7:00
Come share a story, a poem,
a song, an editorial, or anything
that you'd like to share.

Slides and alpacas and bears oh my

I hope you had a nice weekend. My mother took my two brothers and me to Big Bear where we went on the alpine slide and Noah caught some trout at a trout pond. On Sunday I went to see alpacas at Twisted Lock in Sunland. The owners are super nice and spent two hours with us, showing us the ranch and the alpacas. We were able to feed them (if I remember correctly their sharp teeth are located at the back of their mouths, so there was no loss of fingers involved in this trip) and learned about the density of the fiber, and what makes a prize winning alpaca. Anne, who owns two alpacas and will be keeping hers at this ranch very soon, was kind enough to organize the visit. They will be having an open house type of night in late September, I'll post about that when they have more information on their site. I highly suggest it. The alpacas are really cute and adorable animals.

MoveOn demonstration against Big Oil

My mom is hosting a MoveOn demontration against big oil.

Where: 800 N. Alameda Street (Union Station) (in Los Angeles)
When: Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008, at 6:30 PM

I'll be there ...

Call and Response - 8/23

The late Allen Ginsberg called Dorothea (Dottie) Grossman's poetry, "clear, odd, personal, funny or wild-weird, curious and lucid."

The "call and response" format in which Ms. Grossman and Vlatkovich perform was born in Albuquerque, NM, when both were guests on a jazz radio program. This format solves the problem of one medium overshadowing the other, plus, says Grossman, "it avoids the old 'jazz and poetry' trap, with its cliché-ridden stereotype of angry, beret-wearing, bongo-playing bohemians."

"Call and Response"
the magical duet of
poet Dottie Grossman
and trombonist
Michael Vlatkovich.
Dottie reads her poetry
then Michael interprets her poems
in the language of trombone.

Saturday, August 23, at 6:00

Ask Pirate

Ask Pirate...

For those of you who've ever wondered how blind people and guide dogs work together, there will be an informative seminar on Friday, August 15, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the store.

Liz Daniels, and her guide dog, Pirate, will be there to discuss the history and training of these dogs. The presentation will be followed by a Q/A session.

Requested is a $10 donation per person, with all proceeds to benefit That Yarn Store.

Also, any and all individuals interested in beginning Spanish and basic yoga classes, please contact us and we will pass on your email to Liz. Again, there will be a nominal charge per
class, with all proceeds to benefit the store.

that.yarnstore@gmail.com

Found my next project

Ok, maybe not my next project, I want to make the Dr Who scarf, socks, and perhaps Hana's sweater (if we ever decide on a pattern) first, but I really want to make this for myself:
It's from the latest Knitscene. Not sure what yarn yet, but it calls for a DK. I *think * Encore makes a Suri Merino DK...

A nice leisurely day

This was my second day back at the store, and it was a nice leisurely day. Claudia, Gina, Chris and Mary came and hung out. I was able to talk to Maggie, our sewing teacher. I wasn't able to take the sewing class, but I'm still optimistic that it will all work out next time ...
I also started to clear out a corner of the store to make way for our "hand-made corner", we're still working on the name, which, if everything works out well, will have hand-made jewelry and other such things for purchase. Yesterday at 10:00 I hung out at Curves for the knitting circle, except the person running Curves doesn't usually work on Fridays so she didn't know where to put me, and I ended up hanging out in one of the empty dressing rooms, which was weird, but I think I now know where David normally hangs out, so if anyone wants to come in and knit with me and go to the gym afterwards, it seems like a good opportunity. At 11 I walked to the store and substituted for the kids knitting class. Then it was eating, talking, and knitting until 7pm
It feels like I've never left...

Not knitting related, but ...

I just got an email from Aspect Foundation,
a student exchange company I used to work for. They have a ton of
students who still need host families. While I was working there I
helped send out the newsletters and was able to see lots of pictures of
happy families and students. Here's the link if you'd like to host a student.

Updates on this month's store hours

I made it back safe last night, after 17 hours of traveling.

Here are the hours I will be working, starting this Friday. Wednesdays through Friday 2:00 pm until closing, Saturday 12 - 5.

I'm also going to be teaching knitting intensive classes. Wednesday through Friday evenings at 6:00 to 7/7:30. Since there is so much to cover we might not be able to cover everything in one hour, but we'll try, and if there's only one of the several techniques listed for each day that you want to learn let me know and we'll cover that first. The first 4 will be only $5 each, the later ones will be $10.

1. Review - knit/purl, how to fix drop stitches, and the concept of knitting. August 8
2. Circular knitting, including double pointed, magic loop and
how to fix incorrect joins. August 13
3. Increasing and decreasing. August 14
4. Lace (class 3 is a prereq, private lesson is available) and reading patterns. August 15
5. Socks (heel and toe). August 20
6. Entrelac. August 21
7. Cables and icords. August 22
8. Many ways of casting on and off, continental vs english knitting. August 27
9. Color knitting #1. intarsia, other forms of color knitting. August 28
10. Color knitting #2 fair isle, other color knitting. August 29
11. Kitchener stitch. Date: TBA

I'll probably be adding a few more things, or you can make a request, or schedule a private class.

See you soon.

Possible hours, possible class

Here are my tentative hours: Saturdays and 2-7 Wed through Friday.

I'll have a better idea of whether this will really work out when I get home tomorrow!

Also, here's a preliminary list of what we'll be doing for our intensive knitting classes:

1. Review - knit/purl, how to fix drop stitches, and the concept of knitting.
2. Circular knitting, including double pointed, magic loop and how to
fix incorrect joins.
3. Increasing and decreasing
4. Lace
5. Socks (heel and toe)
6. Entrelac
7. Cable, icord
8. Many ways of casting on and off, continental vs english knitting
9. Color knitting #1. intarsia, other forms of color knitting
10. Color knitting #2 fair isle, other color knitting
11. Kitchener stitch

See you guys soon.