Preparing for Retreats

I'm getting ready for a couple of retreats coming up. Two in September and another in October. Nice to get ahead with samples and class notes.

First up is two days of knitting at Lauzon Lodge in Algoma Mills, Northern Ontario on September 23 & 24. We're going to knit Gauge Free mittens. No swatches, no checking gauge, use any yarn and any needle to knit any size. It's magic! Knitting from 9:30am to 4:30pm for two days should result in at least one pair of fully finished mittens. Lunch, and it will be delicious, is included for the $90. Accommodation is extra if you're not local. Sharon has 3 B&B rooms open and there is a motel in Blind River. September isn't too early to think about getting some winter knitting done and maybe a couple pairs of mittens for Christmas presents.

Here is one happy student with her mittens from the Eastern Needlers Retreat made.

Next is a retreat the weekend after in Sudbury, Ontario (yes it's the northern ontario tour). I'm teaching Two Triangles Make A Hat. Another Gauge Free workshop. Again no swatches, no gauge to check, use any yarn with any needles for any size. Yup, it definitely works. It's a great group of women and we are going to have fun!

Fall Knitting Retreat

September 29 to October 1, 2017

ssands.sudbury@gmail.com

Prices include meals, workshops, snacks, door prizes etc.

from Friday night till Sunday afternoon

Single Room $270 Shared double Room $240 per person

Here is one sample I've finished and another in progress.

Now for a striped version, almost done but not quite.

Perfect for all the odd bits of yarn you have around. It's done with 2 50g balls of yarn.

Next, still time to get samples done, is our Cabin Fever Retreat at the end of October 27-29. Our design theme is Small Changes. Three classes where you will knit one wrister using the same 3 colours. You can go home with a set of 3 fraternal wristers which gives you 3 different looking pairs. Cool, eh? Here are a couple of samples for my class which is based on 2x2 rib pattern with small changes which result in a different pattern every time you change colours.

Lyn and Elizabeth Fallone are working on their samples so I can show you the fraternal wristers. I like to set up classes where at the end of the weekend you go home with something you can actually wear and 3 wristers is a pretty good bit of knitting over the weekend.

So far a little ahead of the game. I did finish my 4 directions of the compass sweater but the photos are on my phone and I'm at Tim's using their internet and forgot my cable to transfer the pics. Next time.

How is your knitting going? I'm knitting outside between rain showers, it's one soggy summer.
Deb

Triangulate a Hat

Experiments have started. I knit my first gaugeless hat with two triangles. Just cast on until it goes around my head at the bottom of the first triangle and then work a second triangle. No need for gauge or stitch numbers. Good for car knitting as you can see. Lots of plain knitting.

 Now it gets folded in half sort of. And attached.

Now I have a tube which is great but I thought it would be a little taller. It needs some height if there is to be a turned over brim which is what I like in a hat. I tried adding at the top for a crown.

Nah. Didn't like that so it got frogged. Then I added some length at the bottom. The length would be the amount of turn back for the brim or the amount of height needed for a slouch style hat.

That seems to make more sense. There is now a brim for a slouch hat worn as is or a turned back brim.

Now to figure out what to do with the top for the crown. I could leave it for kitty ears but I'm looking for a couple more ideas. Do you have something that worked on a hat made in a straight tube?
Deb

Build A Scarf, Gauge Free

Now it's time to think. I have a few days to go up to my cabin and do just that. My "think" is going to be on how to make hats with triangles and without any regard to gauge.

This is my summer project. I want to develop a series of Gauge Free patterns. Imagine, no gauge to worry about!

Most people have trouble with getting gauge. It's a reason why blankets, shawls and other garments that don't need to fit are so popular. Getting gauge can be very difficult. So let's forget about it altogether. But what would that entail?

I have one pattern so far for a scarf. Build A Scarf with Knitacation, a new design company I'm part of. You begin with any yarn (about 200g) and any needle.

 Knit the first triangle until the depth of the triangle is the width you would like your scarf to be.

Then turn and begin a second triangle, attaching as you go.

It's fun to see it come together.

Then make a second scarf because now you're on a roll. This one is a little wider and with heavier wool.

I can think of a lot more possibilities: a couple of striped triangles, blocks of colour within the triangles, change yarn weights with some triangles for different sizing. Go for it.
Deb

Just made it

I made it. I knit really fast to outrun the end of the ball of wool and I cheated a little bit by worked some extra decreases so I wouldn't run out.

 That's actually not a bad margin but it was getting pretty scary by the end.

This is a really cozy scarf that you can knit with any yarn in your stash or splurge and buy something special to wrap around your neck through this snowy winter. You get to decide the depth of the scarf. This one is 8"/20cm deep worked in DK wool.

This one is 5.5"/14cm deep in fingering weight wool. The first triangle determines how deep the scarf will be and it's totally your choice.

The pattern is not quite ready yet but it will be soon and it will be a Freebie with my Newsletter, as my Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays gift. If you want to sign up to get it go here and subscribe to Cabin Fever Newsletter .

Maybe you'll want to make a nice scarf for yourself with all your odd balls after the big day.
-Deb

Yarn Chicken

Sometimes the end of a project creeps up on me without even knowing it. I am knitting a scarf with triangles and reached this variegated triangle and realized I had only this much wool left. Yikes, that was close.

Now I am trying to finish one last triangle, the royal blue triangle beside it, knitting as fast as I can to outrun the end of the wool.

I have this much wool left ...

to work 5 more rows and then cast off. I don't know. It's not looking good.
-Deb