Magical Fiber Fantasy Retreat

Greetings, readers! Raise your hand if you love Disney World! Raise your other hand if you love knitting! I'm supercalifragilisticexpialidociously excited to announce that I am one of the featured teachers at the second annual Magical Fiber Fantasy Retreat hosted by Ross Farm and Four Purls Yarn Shop! I hope you'll join me on November 8-11, 2017 at Disney's Coronodo Springs Resort with fellow teachers Laura Aylor, Liz Gipson, and Laura Linneman for a magical adventure. In addition to classes galore, there's a huge 3-day fiber market with mini classes and demos, evening events, Disney World and the other parks a hop, skip, and a jump away, and of course, KNITTING!

I'll be teaching an all day Fair Isle class that covers all things color work, soup to nuts. We'll wrap our class up with an exclusive Disney-themed cowl project designed specifically for this retreat! I'll also be teaching one of my favorite workshops, Lace Forensics, where I show you how to knit from a lace chart, work from written instructions, how to make your own chart, how to work from just a swatch and write a pattern with no other information, nupps, history, and knitting with beads. My last class is knitting thrummed mittens with a pattern from my brand new book, Gradient Knitting, coming out later this fall! Go here to see the other classes being offered.

Teaching at retreats is one of the most satisfying things as a teacher. Take a knitter away from the routine of every day life, let them focus on themselves and their knitting, meet new friends, experience new techniques, relax, and enjoy the craft. We all need a break and it's an honor when I get to teach folks who have looked forward to the retreat as much as I have, making beautiful things together, and leave bursting with new ideas to get on our needles!

I've always been a HUGE Disney fan. When I was 9 years old I decided I wanted to go to RISD for school and become a Disney animator. While life had some other plans for me, I did major in Animation (and still harbor dreams of working with Pixar) at RISD and freelance animated for a time at HBO Family. My path became fiber-related, but I will always adore all things animation and Disney! I'm happier than a grinning Cheshire cat to be teaching at the most magical place on Earth!

I hope to see you in November! Go here for information about how to register.

 

Digital Knitting Machine

As we continue to adjust to life with a newborn and very active 5-year-old, knitting has been very much on my mind. I knit everyday until the baby was born and it was not only my job, but simply part of my routine. Like someone training for a marathon, I got my time in and accomplished what I wanted, then put it away until the next day. While around-the-clock feedings, diapers, and maintaining, well, life, has made knitting difficult to squeeze in, I'm looking forward to getting into more of a routine once Astrid starts sleeping through the night and I have more than 2 brain cells to rub together to create new patterns for you all to enjoy. In the meantime, check out this super cool digital knitting machine. Original article found here. Be sure to click the link below to watch the video.

Kniterate: A New Digital Knitting Machine Lets You ‘Print’ Fashion Designsby Christopher Jobson 

Kniterate is a compact industrial knitting machine created for designers and entrepreneurs that facilitates the one-off creation of garments. Built by London-based designer Gerard Rubio, Kniterate is meant to act as a sort of 3D printer for knitwear, allowing you to create digital designs in Photoshop and turn them into a wearable garments in just a few hours. The machine is capable of knitting scarves, sweaters, dresses, ties, or even the components of shoes. Kniterate could dramatically reduce lead time for a fashion business or design school in need of quick prototyping, or help a more ambitious artist in the fabrication a completely unique wardrobe. Learn more over on Kickstarter.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kniterate/kniterate-the-digital-knitting-machine/widget/video.html

Baby Blankets!

I love knitting and designing baby blankets. I enjoy thinking of the new baby that will be wrapped up snugly in it, possibly right after being born or on the drive home from the hospital. Babies are so new, so full of promise and delight.

Our house is chock full of things to keep you warm - knitted baby blankets, swaddles, quilts, sweaters. Baby blankets make an ideal gift and can be passed down from baby to baby. Nothing pleases me more to see a blanket I've knit or quilted for someone in tatters, being dragged around behind a toddler and obviously deeply loved. Whenever I gift a blanket or quilt I press it into the new mom's arms, look her in the eyes and say, "Use it. Do not keep this in a closet somewhere and think of it as 'precious.' Get it dirty, let them sleep with it, bring it on car trips, give it to the next baby, throw it in the washing machine, and let me know when it needs patching." One of the things I love most about knitting is we live our lives in it - it's not meant to be shoved to the bottom of the closet and not used.

Astrid turns 3 weeks old today. As I sit here slowly typing with one hand while snuggling her on my shoulder with the other, she reminds me why I knit for others. Everyone should be so lucky to be welcomed into the world with a new blanket, each stitch made with love.

In honor of this little bundle snoring softly in my ear, with the purchase of any TanisKnits pattern, pick one of the above TanisKnits baby blanket patterns for free until Wednesday, March 29th at midnight with coupon code SNUGGLE. This includes Mother of Dragons, Neapolitan Baby Blanket, Enver Baby Blanket, Palone Baby Blanket, Owen's Blanket, Malcolm's Blanket, Antonia Blanket, Susannah, Kinderhook Blanket, Finn's Blanket, and Lorelai (note - I have other baby blanket designs but they are not under the TanisKnits line and are not included in the sale. Offer good only with TanisKnits patterns, no exceptions).

Grab your needles, your positive thoughts, your superwash yarn and start knitting!

Embroidered Photographs

*Tap, tap.* This thing on? I'm delighted to announce the arrival of our baby girl, Astrid. Astrid arrived a bit earlier than her scheduled c-section and we are settling into life as a foursome. I'm healing up, enjoying the blissful newborn stage, and I'll be back to our regularly scheduled program soon.

More on that later, but in the meantime, I came across this interesting artist who embroiders on top of vintage photographs of unknown faces and was smitten with her colorful, unique work. I definitely wanted to share with you, dear readers. Original article found here.

Found Photographs Embroidered With Colorful Thread by Julie Cockburnby Christopher Jobson 

“The Conundrum” (2016), hand embroidery on found photograph, all images courtesy of Flowers Gallery London and New York

London-based artist Julie Cockburn transforms vintage photographs by embroidering across their surfaces, adding bright pops of thread to portraits that are either black and white or have faded over time. Using found images from eBay and flea markets, Cockburn obscures the faces of strangers, layering the portraits with multi-colored dots, geometric patterns, or ovals in varying gradients.

Cockburn will exhibit work with The Photographers’ Gallery at The Photography Show presented by AIPAD March 30 through April 2, 2017 on New York City’s Pier 94. You can see more of Cockburn’s embroidered images on her Instagram and Facebook.

“Quizitive” (2016)

“Honeydew” (2013)

“The Secret” (2012)

“Point of View” (2014)

“The Orthodontist” (2014)

“Viewpoint” (2012)

“Morphine” (2014)

“Troublemaker” (2015)