"I could never do that!"

I was recently talking with someone who knows that I am a Knitter. I was showing her a couple of my projects and her immediate response was: "I could NEVER do that!" "Oh, I know - wearing a wool scarf in Florida in August is a bit crazy," I responded. "No, I could never knit!" she clarified.

A frightening exclamation: "I could never knit!"

The reality is that ANYONE can knit.

If I who had NEVER had any experience with knitting whatsoever could buy yarn and a set of needles, read "Knitting for Dummies" and watch some instructional videos on YouTube, and successfully fashion dishcloths, scarves, shawls, hats and even socks (well, that required private tutoring), then, my friends, ANYONE can knit!

During the process of learning how to knit, I've realized a few things...

You have to let go of perfectionism (and doing that is harder than learning how to knit). First of all, after you've put so much time and effort into knitting something by hand, you don't want it to look like it was done by a machine! Hand knits have a unique look to them. Be kind to yourself.

You are not expected to knit lace or Fair Isle on your first visit at Knit Night. As long as you have yarn on two needles, you can find a community of welcoming fiber artists who will welcome you into the fold. Let go of any expectations you have of yourself to be an "instant expert."

Knitting, like anything, requires practice and perseverance. But getting the basics down is easy and in a matter of hours you can be on your way to knitting your first scarf or spa cloth.

But the great thing about knitting is that every project is a new opportunity to learn. You can learn a new stitch or a new technique that takes your knitterly expertise into new directions. It's very exciting!

But if, one year ago, I had told myself, "Oh, I could never do that!" then I wouldn't have discovered what has become my passion. I would not have launched my love affair with yarn. I would not have met other Knitters who have become cherished friends.

If you've thought about knitting but were afraid to try...

Let go of the reasons why you "can't" knit and find the reasons why you CAN and SHOULD knit! Here are a few suggestions:

• I can make my own clothing and accessories and that's pretty cool.
• I can make beautiful hand-made gifts for friends and family.
• I can make something beautiful out of yarn.
• I can enjoy the stress relief knitting gives me and the meditative state that knitting puts me in.
• I can experience a great sense of accomplishment with each finished piece.
• I can have something to show for watching countless hours of television.
• I can prove myself wrong when I said, "I could never do that."

Friends, I have found so much joy in knitting - and if you have found that same joy, that's awesome - it's up to us to share that joy with others and help others overcome their fear of needles and yarn.

And if you are new to knitting, throw caution to the wind and try it.

Just once.

You'll be hooked for life.

Recent Yarn Acquisitions

This has been a great month for stash enhancements so thought I would take a few minutes to share...and get your thoughts! Perhaps these photos (though some, a bit blurry) may inspire you as well to explore yarn you may not have used before.

During my visit to Purl Soho, I picked up these two beautiful blends by Manos del Uruguay. One is a dramatic display of pinks and purples, the other golds and greens.

Lion Brand Yarn Studio was having a sale on Fishermen's Wool. I've made a scarf before with Fishermen's Wool before and I really like it. I am thinking about creating a patchwork scarf with small squares of alternating one color combination with the other. Still noodling, but intrigued about what I could do with this.

Here's 3 skeins of Cotswold Wool from a farm on the coast of Nova Scotia that I purchased at The Loop Craft Cafe in Halifax. The yarn is not dyed, and reflects the natural color of the sheep it came from. I loved this yarn, too, as I wanted some yarn that was uniquely Canadian.

While visiting the Lion Brand Yarn Studio I also picked up two skeins of Lion Cotton...one in Denim (various shades of blue) and Salt & Pepper (with which I am knitting a ballband dishcloth as seen here).

So, with 15 new skeins of yarn added to the stash, I have a lot of ideas - I know typically one should have a project in mind and buy yarn for it accordingly. But, in this case, I fell in love with what I saw, and will determine the designs based on the yarn.

Regardless, knitting future projects with these yarns will bring back the wonderful memories of my trip - and I hope, will bring joy to those who receive the items I create.

Remembering Grandma (& Grandpa, too)

MILDRED WOOLARD

11/17/1917 - 9/05/2009

A few weeks ago, after a lengthy period of declining health, my only surviving grandmother, Mildred Woolard, passed away. Now, I don't want this post to be a downer - and honestly, it shouldn't be.

My grandma lived to be 92 years old. She had a very full and long life and left a legacy of four daughters and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I was fortunate to be in California with her and all of our family who had traveled from far and wide to celebrate her 90th birthday with her. And, I am fortunate to have many memories of the time I spent with her and my grandfather as I was growing up.

As I read her obituary, one of the lines stuck out more than others:

"Her family said she was a homemaker and enjoyed sewing, knitting, crocheting, embroidering and cooking."

I remember learning when she taught me to crochet very long chains as a youth - and certainly now, I wish I would've spent more time learning crocheting and knitting from her. But regret aside, I realize now that there is a nostalgia to the experience of knitting and crocheting for me. When I enjoy these pursuits, I remember my grandmother and her love of fiber. I remember her uncanny ability to crochet beautiful, elaborate lace doilies WITHOUT a pattern. I remember her willingness to make throw pillows for my college dorm room (which I still have).

My grandfather, who passed away in 1989, played the guitar and belonged to the California Old Time Fiddlers' Association. We would spend warm summer evenings visiting friends, sitting in parlors or on porches of farm houses in California's San Joaquin Valley, as my grandpa played guitar with others who played the fiddle or piano or banjo. It was bluegrass, music that hearkened to the heritage of those assembled - those who had journeyed west from Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas in their youth to strike out on their own.

So now, when I sit in my favorite chair, knitting away and listening to bluegrass music, I get a bit sentimental, and remember those summer days with grandma and grandpa...wonderful memories that will, indeed, last my lifetime.

"Fashioning Felt" at the Cooper Hewitt, NYC

I had the fortunate opportunity during my recent trip to New York City to catch the "Fashioning Felt" exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum.

Before experiencing this exhibit, I heard the word "felt" and thought of childhood cut-outs of leaves or trees, or knitted bags or bowls of wool that have been tossed in the washing machine. This display of various design items - all created from felt - truly expanded that definition beyond measure.

There were chairs (that could be sat upon), sofas, rugs, wall dividers (that also reduce noise and echo), three-dimensional sculpture, clothing, jewelry - items that span various design disciplines.

There was also a unique space, set up in the conservatory of the converted mansion in which this museum now operates, draped in large pieces of various patterns of felt. On the day I visited the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, the artist of this particular piece was present to discuss her technique and artistic process. This photo does not remotely capture the level of detail that the actual textile features but you can sense the perspective of just how large the hanging pieces were.

The mansion also features a beautiful garden with small cafe tables to enjoy tea or other beverage. There were also other exhibits at the museum, one of which focused on the use of sustainable materials to create designs for living. The items in that exhibit I found most interesting were a dress and shoes by Isaac Mizrahi made of salmon skin.

I'm not sure if this exhibit will travel, but if you do find yourself presented with the opportunity to see "Fashioning Felt," I would highly recommend!

Tweed Scarf Complete!

With vacation and other activities limiting my knitting time, I am pleased to report that I finally completed the Donegal Tweed scarf in Harris Tweed Stitch. I spray blocked it last night and woke up to a beautifully blossomed finished object.

The texture is compelling, and for a scarf, an appropriate amount of thickness emerges. The flecks of white interspersed with the storm gray foreground creates visual interest as well. I am very pleased.

If you are interested in making a scarf like this, here is the pattern that I used. It is a compilation of a stitch pattern (Harris Tweed) I pulled from a stitch dictionary.

Yarn: 2 skeins of Donegal Tweed Homespun by Tahki Stacy Charles, Inc. (about 366 yards).

Needle: Size 9 / 5.5 mm

Cast on 32 stitches.

R1 - *K2, P2, rep from * to end

R2 - *K2, P2, rep from * to end

R3 - K

R4 - P

R5 - *K2, P2, rep from * to end

R6 - *K2, P2, rep from * to end

R7 - P

R8 - K

Repeat this pattern until you've used all of your yarn, making sure to finish on R8. I also bound off in knit pattern on Row 8 in my very last pattern repetition.

A very simple pattern that creates a beautiful finished object, if you make this particular scarf, send me a photo and your impressions. I'd love to hear from you!

Happy Knitting!

Yarn Store Visit: Purl SoHo, New York City

Shopping in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood is always one of my favorite things to do each time I visit the city. During my most recent trip to New York City last week, I visited PURL, an adorable yarn oasis at 137 Sullivan Street.

As I approached PURL, the first thing that caught my attention was the front of the shop painted in Robin's Egg blue, making it a notable landmark standing out from its neighboring facades. Entering the intimate work space with floor-to-ceiling bins of beautiful artisanal yarns in every imaginable shade, I quickly smelled the delicious essence of wool.

The center of the shop has a small table with large swatches of different yarn knit up to make choosing the right yarn for one's project much easier. There are also knitted and crocheted projects on the wall around the shop. There's a small worktable in the center of the store where fiber artists gather to pursue their craft.

The staff is very knowledgeable, patient and extremely helpful. In addition to yarn and kits, they also sell really nice canvas tote bags featuring the Purl SoHo logo (I bought a few to share with friends) and offer a variety of classes throughout the year.

I bought my first two skeins of Manos del Uruguay at PURL in May 2009, and knit up a

beautiful scarf in double/reversible moss stitch. This trip, I picked up 3 skeins each of 2 different colorways in Manos del Uruguay to make 2 more scarves that I know will be absolutely beautiful.

PURL has now become a standard stop for me each time I visit New York City and I always enjoy the beautiful choices and friendly service to be found there.

Yarn Store Visit: Lion Brand Yarn Studio, New York City

During my recent trip to New York City, I had the opportunity to visit the Lion Brand Yarn Studio. Located at 34 W. 15th Street, this beautiful retail establishment really lives up to its name as a working "Studio" for fiber artists. The studio is not only a shop, but a comfortable, open space that showcases the wide selection of yarns that Lion Brand offers, including its delicious LB Luxury Fibers. It also has a large worktable where knitters and crocheters learn and gather.

The staff was friendly and helpful, not only to me, but others as well, as I overheard the kind and sincere manner with which one of the staff took with another customer who had a multitude of questions about choosing the right yarn for her project. Patience is certainly a virtue, and those at the Lion Brand Yarn Studio are great examples of this.

Upon entering the store, I was greeted with this beautiful display of fisherman's wool in a myriad of natural hues surrounded by beautiful finished objects completed in the various wools offered. Two particular color combinations of a darker brown/tan caught my eye, as did the sale sign! (Four skeins in the shopping basket!)

Seeing the beautiful scarves and cabled sweaters made me wish I lived in the northeast where the weather warrants wearing knitwear for a longer period throughout the year. I'm sure those who endure 5 months of Winter would disagree, but I was truly inspired by the beautiful projects displayed next to their woolen source fibers.

Another extremely cool feature of this one-of-a-kind shop is their Sampling Wall. Large spindles of different weight Lion Brand yarn are available (as you can see in the photo). Here you can trim off a small length of yarn and at a nearby table, pick-up an available knitting needle or crochet hook to see how the yarn you may be interested in would look when knit or crocheted.

This is one of the features that really made this feel like a working artists studio - its hands-on approach to yarn selection made shopping here truly a unique and enjoyable experience.

Of course, the opposite wall to the displays pictured here features nothing but a wide array of beautiful yarn of various weights that represent the full expanse of the Lion Brand portfolio. From cotton to cashmere, Lion Brand has something for everyone...and in addition to the four skeins of fisherman's wool I purchased here, I also found 2 additional skeins of Lion Brand cotton - one in Denim, one in Salt & Pepper, that I know will make beautiful dishcloths!

The best part of the experience was, as I was checking out at the register, the gentleman working there (Will, I think, was his name) graciously shared information about upcoming classes and also noted there was a monthly Men's Knitting Night offered at the Studio! It was at this moment I truly wished I lived nearby, as a Men's Knitting Night is offered nowhere near where I reside.

After about 45 minutes of exquisite wandering and shopping in this metropolitan fiber oasis, I took my 6 skeins of yarn and a couple of pattern books and reluctantly exited the Studio.

Walking down the street, I took one last look back at this wonderful place, and thought to myself, "I shall return."

Update At Sea

I have not written for a while, as I have been traveling and did not pack my laptop (to make more room for yarn and other purchases)! I'm writing this while at sea somewhere in the Atlantic aboard the Caribbean Princess. If you've been watching my Twitter feed, you'll know that I spent 3 days in New York City, and then boarded the ship for a 7 day cruise through New England and Canada. It has been an absolutely amazing and inspiring trip and I have so much to write about when I get back home tomorrow!

Here are a few previews of things to come...

I have purchased 15 skeins of beautiful yarn...so a stash enhancement update is definitely in order!

I had the opportunity to visit 3 local yarn stores...2 in New York City and 1 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I have pictures and can't wait to write about my experiences in these establishments!

I really enjoyed the Colonial architecture and am now very inspired to return home and investigate Colonial textiles and patterns that an be interpreted in my knitting. I'll be sharing some of the inspiring sights I saw while on holiday.

I have had a wonderful time and am also looking forward to my return home, back to my routine, and back to spending time with my knitterly folk about town. I'm also looking forward to sharing my photos, impressions and inspiration from my trip in the hope that you, too, may discover some inspiration for future projects or yarn purchases!

Happy Knitting!