Vogue Knitting Live Recap
It's been crazy busy for the last two weeks. My parents visited and we went to my in-laws' in Vancouver. It was a lovely visit and nothing beats the scenery in Vancouver when the weather is nice, and the weather was glorious. We also saw lots of pairs of bald eagles. I've lived in Seattle for just under 15 months and I still get really excited every time I see them.
Picture from last summer. I got too excited seeing the eagles and the photo turned out blurry so I thought I would share this photo of the view.
Here's the recap of my days at Vogue Knitting Live! in Seattle that I promised. The weaving class was great. It was really basic, but I learned tons of tips from longtime weaver Deborah Jarchow. She stressed a laid back approach - it doesn't really matter if you don't make exact groups of 8 when you are tying the warp onto the loom, etc. - which works for me. I also tried the 12" Ashford Knitters Loom, 10" Schacht Cricket Loom and "13 Glimakra Rigid Heddle Loom.
We made these adorable t-shirt coasters on each of the looms. I ended up impulse buying the 12" Ashford Knitters Loom at the conference. It's perfect for traveling as it folds up and comes with a reasonably sized carrying bag. I can also buy a second heddle kit that allows for more complex knitting. The benefits of the other looms are: Glimakra - you can use it while it's on the table not on your lap and you don't necessarily need a stand; it's slightly wider, but still small; you can also buy the parts to make it a double heddle; and the reed doesn't have to be lifted up very far while weaving, even though it needs to be snapped back with a bit of force when in the down position. Cricket - easy to use and small, so it can sit on your lap while you watch tv without needing a table or stand.
Outside Brioche Cowl
In Crochet for Knitters, I learned that crochet is all about how you hold the yarn. I'm right handed, so I hold all parts of the yarn with the thumb and index finger of my left hand and the hook in my right hand. I felt a natural tendency to use my middle finger instead of my index finger when making the chain to get started, but when we practiced crocheting the edge of a knitted piece, it really was easier to hold the yarn/piece with my index finger. I also learned that if the piece is getting wavy, I should use a smaller size of crochet hook.
Inside Brioche Cowl
The Brioche Cowl class was interesting, but really only took me about a half hour to learn. Once I figured out that all you have to do is slip AND yarn over without knitting on certain stitches, it was easier than I thought it would be. The class was worth it to get the patterns.
