Knitcircus

Knitcircus Podcast Live!

We've been bursting with excitement to share this:  the first Knitcircus Podcast!

We're very lucky to have Amy Detjen--nationally-known knitting teacher, one of the coordinators of Meg Swansen's Knitting Camp, technical editor and designer--co-hosting the podcast. She knows way more about knitting than I do! 

Big thanks Webmistress Cindy, for jumping all the techno-hoops to getting it on the air.

Listen on Libsyn

Itunes coming soon...

Podcast Links:

Events:

TNNA

Sock Summit

Meg Swansen's Knitting Camp 

Vogue Knitting Live: New York

Books:

Knit One, Knit All: Elizabeth Zimmerman Garter Stitch Collection, Edited by Cully Swansen

Little Red in the City, by Ysolda Teague

Knit, Swirl, by Sandra McIverson 

Yarnmakers:

Briar Rose

Anzula Fibers

Designers/Authors:

Cookie A, Cat Bordhi, Anne Kuo Lukito, Annie Modesitt, Shannon Okey, Anna Dalvi, Michelle Miller, JC Briar, Ysolda Teague, Barbara Walker, Miriam Felton, Susan B. Anderson; Clara Parkes, Amy Singer

Knitting ideas:

What constitutes a beginner? What skills are advanced? 

Knitting to Stay Sane

CYC Skill Standards

 

Watch for more Knitcircus podcasts coming up; we're hoping to bring you one every couple of weeks.

 

So Much Sock Yarn...

 
If you're getting ready to make the trip to Portland for Sock Summit, doing the Couldn't Foot It Challenge, or just like a pretty sock pic on a Friday:

 

This skein of Penny Farthing Sock just came in from Little Red Bicycle--my new fiber-love.  Can't wait to see the rest of Didi's line at Sock Summit!

Kitchen Sink Dyeworks: yum!

 

 Stricken Smitten (shown in the form of Jera Socks).

Have a great weekend, and stay cool!

Jaala

Knitting Booktopia!

Did you ever lounge around in your dorm room and think, "I wish I could get a job where they'd pay me to read books..."

I'm the luckiest girl in the world! (See stack above)...

Some teasers for the reviews we're excited about in Fall, Gifts and Winter...

Knitted Lace: A Collection of Favorite Designs from Interweave just arrived last night while I was at the Knitter's Guild Board Meeting. Second meeting as President; lucky for me everyone is so professional and works together excellently. Don't know why lace always gets us knitters so excited, but it never fails! 

Clara Parkes' brain is a knitters' National Treasure. The Knitter's Book of Socks gives you all the tools needed to choose the right yarns for your footwear projects, and it's chock-full of patterns by fave sockdesigners like Cookie A, Nora Gaughan and Jared Flood.

What Would Madame DeFarge Knit? Collection of literary essays and patterns edited by Knitcircus fave Craftlit podcaster Heather Ordover. Courtesy of the amazing Shannon Okey at Cooperative Press.

 10 Secrets of the Laidback Knitters: by yarn maven Lisa Souza and writer Vicki Steifel; we'll be giving the pictured copy away this Fall!

 It was exciting to get to meet Miriam L. Felton at TNNA, and congratulate her on her new book: her Twist & Knit book is part of Cat Bordhi's Visionary Designers project.

Knit One, Knit All: the new School House Press collection of Elizabeth Zimmerman's garter stitch designs. Let's give a glad cry! (Gilding the lily: KC tech editor Amy Detjen collaborated on this book and knit one of the samples).

Derrick Sutton's How to Sell Your Crafts Online: this book is jammed with useful techniques and tricks.

Knitcircus Contributing Editor Wendy D. Johnson has a new book out!  Wendy Knits Lace made me itch to cast on some of these "Everyday Lace" projects right away.

Knits That Fit collection by Potter Craft; another book we'll be giving away, so watch for that in August!

Keep cool!

Jaala

Weekend Craft Treats

Jelly Orange Slices from Not Martha

Last year, on our NYC trip, Belle and I had tea at American Girl Place, in one of the highlights of her short life. If you have a daughter who loves dolls and tiny things, I highly recommend it. One of the most cunning little treats served on the multilayered cupcakes stands was "orange slices" using a real rind with the fruit scooped out and replaced with orange jell. When Belle and I complimented the pink-aproned waiter he brought several more on the house.

Thanks to this great Not Martha tutorial, we recreated the fun at home, and every kid in sight loved them. 

 Then we made smoothies with the orange pulp, lots of ice and honey.

Five more weekend kid-crafty projects:

• Frozen striped yogurt pops from Betty Crocker (we'll do ours in popsicle molds with GF cereal)
• Jars of solar-powered sunshine courtesy of Dornob.com
• Little handmade roadsters from The Crafty Crow
• Recycled-envelope bookmarks with attitude from OhCrafts
• Big Kanazashi Flowers from baby wipes! Filth Wizardry.

Stay cool and collected!

Jaala

 

Knitting Fannette

Fannette's such a fun knit; on the Knitcircus Ravelry group, people have been posting how-to videos and using all kinds of different yarns; so cool to see how different they can be. Check out the original sample, by designer Melissa Goodale in Handmaiden Sea Silk:

Duoming on Ravelry/Sandra S achieved a very different result, using Green Mountain Spinnery yarn. The laceweight wool really gives the garter ridges and lace panels crisp definition.

Beancountknitter's ombre Regia Hand-Dyed Effect yarn gives the design another new look:

An intriguing WIP....and check out the Ravelry screen in the background!

Circular cast-on, loose bind-offs and the unusual arc-design are giving our KAL knitters plenty to talk about, and people are zipping through those arcs (way faster than me).

Please feel free to join us if you'd like a fun challenge for a special yarn; the stash-dived ones are working out great! Oh, almost forgot, if you'd like to purchase fannette as part of the Summer Pattern Collection, it's right here.

Guest Book Review: Knitter's Companion

Whoa, sometimes time slides away from you; in my mind this book review was so new!

Today, we have a special treat, our first review by Kegan, Knitcircus Pattern Collection Layout Ninja. Her nickname reflects the speed at which she dispatches patterns, but she does it all with a smile.

The Knitter’s Companion, Expanded and Updated

by Vicki Square

2010 Interweave Press LLC, 140 pages

            Visual learners rejoice! No more scanning through hundreds of YouTube videos to learn how to do a provisional cast-on. The Knitter’s Companion is the go-to book for both new and experienced knitters. This book is compact enough to carry along in a knitting bag, yet stuffed with tips, techniques, and tricks essential for successful knitting. The instructional DVD's included with this book are especially great for new knitters because they are like having a knitting coach at your disposal 24/7. 

            Each technique described in the book is demonstrated by Vicki Square on the DVD's slowly and clearly. She shows you different methods of casting on, both Continental and English styles of knitting, and a wealth of other knitterly information.

            Vicki Square does an amazing job navigating knitters through The Knitter’s Companion through the instructional DVD's. The animated intro was a bit long, but the value of the information provided makes the wait worthwhile. As is stated on the cover, when you purchase this book, “You’re holding the most valuable tool in your knitting bag.”

--Kegan Carter

Fannette KAL

Hey, if you get the between-issues newsletter, you already know about the new Summer KAL; Fannette!

Designer Melissa Goodale has agreed to pop in and answer questions about this one-skein shawl; perfect summer knitting in cool Handmaiden Sea Silk.

This unique semicircle shawl incorporates some fun techniques for its shaping; check out the cast-on and the increases--this KAL provides a great chance to try something new with the designer right at your elbow to help.

The most-favorited project from the Knitcircus Summer Issue, Fannette's going to be a party. Pick up a Summer Pattern Collection, your needles and some silky yarn and come on in!

 

 

Knitting Up Weekend Fun

Hope you're finding fun ways to while away the hot days...Our guys engaged in a classic American pastime yesterday. They went through two pitchers of lemonade! Notice how Little Belle even thought of getting them each a glass of water so they wouldn't be tempted to drink up the stock themselves.

Knitcircus was  lucky enough to get a review copy of Teeny-Tiny MochiMochi, and Belle and I have been knitting up a menagerie of adorable tininess. More when the book comes out!

The winners of the sock patterns have been notified and they are:

gkgreen and kissu on Ravelry! Thanks to everyone who entered. 

We're looking forward to a holiday weekend of the Stoughton Fair, family cookout and neighborhood parades, plus making the scene at the DMV parking lot for the fireworks! My final ball of yarn arrived, so I'll be finishing up my Isis wherever the weekend takes us...

Watch for an announcement for our new Summer KAL when we come back on Tuesday! I think you're gonna like it...here's a hint.