THANK YOU

As I was reflecting on what to post this month, I felt that I wanted to simply say "Thank you" to all of you who have taken classes with me or made it possible for me to give classes.  I am thankful to Leah Stickle who let me give classes and instructions at her beautiful yarn shop in Rhinebeck, I am thankful to my husband who encouraged me to pursue the idea, and I am especially thankful to all of you knitters who come to learn and teach me in the process so many things which go beyond knitting simple stitches; how to be patient, how to go forward, how to make each stitch count and embrace differences at times or make a fresh start other times; lessons too numerous to list; I am thankful to have each one of you in my life!!!
                                             

Girlfriends Knitting: Episode 36 - Rhinebeck Roundup

Girlfriends Knitting: Episode 36 - Rhinebeck Roundup: With guest stars, Mom (Candy) and Dad (Jake). Show notes on Ravelry in the Girlfriends Knitting group. Please join the group if you have...

The knitting Garage at A.L.Stickles in Rhinebeck is mentioned in this !

CLASSES this November and December

Holiday Schedule

Knitting classes at A. L. Stickles

Our Thursday Sock knitting classes continue into the Fall and Holiday season.

This is a two session class of two hours each.  During the first session you will pick your yarn, learn how to read the sock pattern and get started with your project, learning how to knit in the round. During the second session you will turn the heel. Fee $39

Classes are held only with a minimum sign-up of 4 students per class.  If not enough students sign up consider to take private instructions.

Classes are from 10 am to 12 noon or 1:30-3:30pm

Thursdays November 8 and 15 

Thursdays December 6 and 13.

We are also introducing a beginners knitting class on Wednesdays for those who are new to knitting or want to brush up on their skills.

This is a five week course with two hour sessions each week.  You will learn cast on, knit and purl, simple cable and lace, how to read a pattern and different bind-offs.  If you wish, you can also bring in your specific project.  Fee $95

This class is offered only with a minimum sign-up of 4 students per class.  If not enough students sign up consider to schedule private lessons.

Classes are from 10 am to 12 noon or 1:30-3:30pm

Wednesdays November 7, 14, 28, December 5 and 12.

Additional classes (hats, mittens, shawls etc) to help you with your Holiday gift giving

can be scheduled upon request. Talk with your friends and sign up together.

Private Instructions are available by appointment at $25/ hour.

NY Sheep and Wool Festival 2012

This year the NY Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck NY was held over the weekend of October 20 and 21.  I spent most of that weekend at "The Knitting Garage at A.L. Stickles".
As early as Wednesday knitters and other fiber artists started arriving in our small town of Rhinebeck and we were happy to welcome them at "The Knitting Garage" with snacks for both body and soul:  Julie had baked yummy brownies and lemon squares and wound some yarn cards as samples to be taken along and tried out at leisure. Some yarns could also be sampled by knitting a few rows right then and there.  It was awesome to meet so many knitters and some of them famous ones to boot:  The knitgirllls Leslie and Laura stopped at the store and were impressed by the variety of yarns we carry.  Just watch their blog; the store is mentioned twice in episode 129 (click on the link to see).
Each day our little store was packed and people walked away happy with yarns they had not been able to find at the fair. I had a lot of fun meeting many new faces and hope to see them all again next year or better yet sooner.  One group from Maryland shared this photo-stream :Cici's pictures from Rhinebeck
I was just told the following:  " I am still having fond memories of our visit to the shop. Hey I also heard the shop was mentioned on The “Girlfriends Knitting Podcast” (click on this link yo view the podcast).. It seems it was the most popular place to stop after Rhinebeck. Steven West was also there at the Knitting Garage and told us about it.
I am casting on my “howlcat” as soon as I finish this simple pleasures hat I started."
Well, isn't that cool?!

with Leslie and Laura

a busy day at The Knitting Garage

a fun group of knitters from Maryland

with Cici

 

Roadtrip to Charleston, South Carolina

Earlier this month my husband and I took a road trip to Charleston, South Carolina, to catch a few more sunny and warm days.  Apart from enjoying the area for its weather and scenic views of pristine beaches and dolphins swimming nearby I -as always- checked out the nearby yarn stores and found two which I especially enjoyed.
KNITS is right in the heart of Charleston which can be overrun by students depending on the time of day; although a local insisted that it is not a college town, but rather a tourist town.  Anyway, we got to the store on our second attempt when the roads were a bit quieter.  "Knits" is a gem of a shop.  From the outside it looks small, but once you get inside you walk through room after room of yarns.  The rooms have cozy seating areas where you can sit and relax and look through patterns or knit for a while.  As for the yarns there is an awesome selection and I saw an old friend of mine, an almost  local yarn, "The Copper Corgi"  which I had watched being spun in Savannah, Georgia, earlier this year and used to make my daughter-in- law's shawl

shawl project on ravelry

 The staff id very friendly at "Knits" and if you are especially lucky you may have the resident dog waiting on you:

click link to see project on ravelry

I ended up buying a skein of Berroco superwash Vintage in a lovely subtly variegated color blue which I knitted up into fingerless gloves for my hubby.  I am never disappointed with Berroco yarns and this one is no exception.  I also bought another set of needletips in US size 4 for my knitpicks set since one of the acrylic tips had broken when I knitted my husband's socks.  Knitpicks did send me replacement tips free of charge (great customer service!) but I thought it may be good to have another spare set; this one is "blonde".

On our last day I also went to It's a Stitch of Charleston and had plenty of time to browse while my husband went fishing.  This store is big and bright and carries not only yarns, but also everything you need for needlepoint.  I understand that one of the owners is not only a master knitter, but also a master of embroidery.  I was very lucky to get there just when they were holding their annual sale. The prices of yarns were 75% off, some 50%.  I ended up with some yarn I was intrigued with because of its fiber content...80% milk !...really ?! 80% milk and 20% cotton!  Really, I can't wait to work with this yarn.  It is "Creamy Kollage" and at $5.06/ skein there was no reason not to try it.

 

I am thinking to knit a striped version of the sideways "Chinook" shawl and I am curious to see how this yarn knits up.

 I also bought a lovely grey yarn by Louet, another of my favorite yarns.  I will be using this as the main colorin the Fake Isle hat pattern (which is free on ravelry) I am planning to make for my son's Father-in- Law.  

 Last, but not least I bought these two yarns to make fingerless gloves for my daughter-in-law.  Blue is her favorite color and I thought the metal silver yarn will add some sparkle around the cuff.

After my purchases (so many savings! :) I sat and knitted for a while chatting with other customers in the store.  A nice big table and chairs positioned in an area with excellent lighting just beacons you to sit and linger.  I understand that is where they have classes, too.

comments

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I was able to change the settings and it is much easier now to leave a comment.  Creating this blog is certainly a learning experience for me.

Natural Yarn Dyeing

On September 1st, a beautiful sunny Saturday afternoon, about ten students of varying ages came to the Plant Dyeing Workshop at the White Barn Farm in New Paltz NY .
For four hours we prepared our skeins of undyed merino wool, collected plants and learned the basics of plant dying.  Paula was helpful and informative throughout the class and everyone was able to take home several small skeins (five of about 40 yard each).
I am planning to design my own fingerless gloves in a fair isle design to show off the different colors.

Plants used (left to right): Jewel Weed, Poke-weed, African Marigold and Mallow

I am leaving this skein in a jar with Cosmos flowers and water for solar dyeing

After one week it had dyed into a pale citron yellow

I will post more pictures soon. So, stay posted for more pictures and the mystery project I will decide on :)

Recommended reading:

"Harvesting Color"  by Rebecca Burgess 
"Natural Dyeing"  by Jackie Crook
"Wild Color"  by Jenny Dean
All of these books are available at your local library (within the Mid-Hudson Library System).