Seattle to Portland Yarn Train 2010

In 2006, the Seattle to Portland Yarn train event started as my small group's one day getaway to hang in Portland and see all the local yarn stores. I had coordinated a couple of train trip excursions with other groups and we all concluded it could be a fun thing.

Indeed, it was, and every year since then, due to ease of getting the word out, the numbers of folks on the event doubled...bringing the event numbers this year to 125+ knitters on the train on Saturday 16 Jan 2010. That means we were about 70% of the train's riders, and we took up 4, FOUR,  train cars.

It was a fun event - we saw several old friends and met lots of new ones. Knitters are such a good lot! (Even if there is a crazy one or two amongst us! Not pointin' fingers, no no, I'm just sayin'.)

Due to the volume of riders this year there were funds to create really cool goodie bags for the participants. The bag included a notions bag, a measuring tape, coupons from local Seattle area knit stores, cool stitch markers from theknittingmama and a lollipop cabin yarn lollipop with a custom dyed yarn train colorway.

Prior to the event Katie had written and published a Yarn Train song that went viral on YouTube. Here she is playing on the train (which she did four times, once in each car.).

After we arrived at11am, we walked the Portland Pearl district for about 5 hours, stopping in at many of the amazing shops in the Pearl - especially Knit Knot Studio, Knit-Purl, and Dublin Bay. Many folks cabbed or bussed to outer shops: Twisted, Make One, Happy Knits, Yarn Garden, and  Yarnia. Portland is rich with knitting and we really enjoyed the bounty.

It misted outside all day - but instead of it being a pain in the neck, the mist offered some cooling as we exited the warm stores and made our way to the next one. As you can see from these few shots, knitters are a fun bunch! (The first is the kitchen sign at Knit-Purl)

Many thanks to all the folks that participated in the Seattle to Portland Yarn train. Thank you to the PDX folks that met us at the station, to our local yarn stores that provided coupons and doorprizes, to the Snohomish Knitters Guild for the sponsorship and to the Portland yarn shops that keep getting better, year after year!

SSK

SSK:
A very commonly used left slanting decrease .
...Slip one stitch, then slip the next. Insert left needle into the front loops of the slipped stitches and knit them together from this position (through the back loops).
but in my world:
Sip, Sip, Knit.
My small knit group, SSK took time out from their busy days prepping for festivus, and got together to sip and knit last night. I don’t know where I’d be without my SSK group. Thank heavens for them!
  I hope you have a family of origin and/or of choice to spend your time with this holiday. May you be filled with love and light.

It’s the busiest time of the year

Bobbins full of wool for the past 6 months are finally being completed and plied into finished yarn. Results:

First up: a mohair/wool 2 ply (left) . The small ball to the right is navajo-plied. I normally n-ply the remainder when I run out of single on one bobbin.

Next, a teal 2 ply that is yards and yards and yards long. It’s probably on 700 yards, but it feels like 1000. It is sitting in a basket of unspun purple/pink batts. There is a little skein (see the grey tie?) That’s Nply of leftover.


Yarn on the left is a scratchy Romney mix that I will NEVER spin again. (Life is too short). And the yarn on the right was dyed by Tuulia Salmela and was a 50th birthday gift to me in July. I started spinning it soon thereafter and just got it off the wheel. It’s navajo-plied and is Merino (and maybe some silk?)

Some recent wool out of the dyepot, subtle, to match the season. Soft alpaca wool:

And, for a few finished projects: a slouchy hat made using my Lifestyle Hats method made from an AllSpunUp Spinalong fiber of a year ago. Love, Love Love. This hat was so easy, and is so pretty.




And lastly, a “hipster-man-scarf” for my son. I dyed the blue/brown. Ordered the gold and put this on hold until it came in a few months later. Very fast knit. My son immediately said, ‘Oh, it’s a keffiyeh. It’s what hipsters wear.” So it instantly became his Solstice present. The pattern is Daybreak by Stephen West.

EZ’s BSJ – SKG KAL

How is that for acronyms?The Snohomish Knitters Guild (SKG) is having a Knitalong (KAL) using the pattern for Elizabeth Zimmernan’s (EZ) Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ).The BSJ is knit in one piece and is a marvel – it’s knitted origami. You fold and, Viola! – It’s a jacket.




Info about this project:
Pattern BSJ by EZ (link to Wiki for the BSJ)
Yarn: James C. Brett Marble Chunky 200g – every last ounce of it; MC13 colorway; purchased at Village Yarn  & Tea
Needles: KnitPicks US 9; Icord edging: US 8
My modifications: Instead of building buttonholes into the jacket, I bound the sleeves and all edges with applied I-cord, making buttonholes as I went down one side of the jacket.
My assessment: I’m definitely making another, next time, seamless.

Brooklyn Tweed Trunk Show

Seattle-native, Brooklyn Tweed blogger (Jared Flood) was on the West Coast this week and spoke at the Seattle Knitters Guild on Tuesday, 11 November. He comes at knitting with an engineering mind and an artist’s eye. He has a youthful exuberance, is intelligent, charming, and his talent is born of many many hours of knitting.
His recent small book, “Made in Brooklyn”, is all designed, knit and photographed by him – revealing his love of knitting and control. The yarns are all Classic Elite (publisher of the book.)






If you’ve followed Brooklyn Tweed’s blog you’ve probably often wondered what he looked like – his writing  and photography are so helpful (see his eloquent visual guide to steeking here), and inspirational (see his lovely Girasole) – but what does he look like!?! Wonder no more:


The evening ended with a verrrry long line of knitters getting his autograph and new book. I took too long with the photos and did not get a book (sold out) or a signature. But I did ask him to come speak at Snohomish Knitters Guild – so maybe I’ll get that autograph yet.