Classes, and More Classes

My newest class (inspired by my new book), "Knitting Behind the Wheel", debuted last weekend, and did we ever have fun! The knitters of the Fort Vancouver Guild were game for a challenge, and really rose to the occasion.

Get a load of their yarn-y color wheels:  I now know what's at the end of the rainbow:  Knitters!

As soon as we parted ways, I needed to mentally shift gears because I only have until this Thursday to prepare for the Nordic Knitting Conference, in Seattle.  There are still slots available in some of my classes, by the way, so if you're in the area, come and celebrate history, tradition, and knitting with us (details HERE).

Looking over my teaching schedule for the weekend I remembered that I had yet to design the new mitten for my "Fearless Two-Color Mittens" class.  Bother.  I snapped into action, reminding myself that sometimes the best work happens when you don't have the luxury of time to think.  It's a class about the basics, after all, so not having time to get too fancy is probably a good constraint for me.  What would I need?  Draw a chart with traditional motifs?  Check.  White yarn? Check.  Black yarn to match?  Not so much:

Into the dyebath with you, stash yarn!  Sorry about your deeply unfortunate grass green color, but it'll have to go. 
 

While I waited for it to change color, I stumbled upon the buttons I had hoarded to go with the desert island periwinkle yarn.  Could there be dreamier buttons?  They are newly pressed glass from the Czech Republic, made in antique molds from the 20s.  So. Sparkly.  My inner crow smugly preens her feathers.

No time for that today, though; now that the green yarn is black, I'm doing this:

Yes, this is a beginner's class, hence "Fearless!"  We're going to spend the morning unraveling the mysteries of knitting with two strings at the same time, and in the afternoon we'll learn the anatomy of a Norwegian mitten.

And speaking of beginning Stranded Colorwork, next weekend I'm scheduled to teach "2 Strings = Not Scary" HERE, in Forest Grove, OR.  Come and play with us for a fun-filled three hours, while I explain the only two things you have to know to make this hat (and you'll get the pattern, of course)!

Thus commences the whirlwind of Autumn Knitting Season.  Don't you just love it when it's time to knit again?
 

Wanna Come Play?

Introducing: The Color Wheel Bag

There are still a few spaces open in my "Knitting Behind The Wheel" class this weekend!  Come out and play with us in Vancouver, WA to receive the exclusive kit and pattern for this fun felted bag.  It's not just a beautiful and useful felted pouch:  It's also a living "dictionary" of your favorite color combinations.  In this class we'll learn the rules of Color Theory, then break 'em.  Other skills I'll teach you include:

Modular Knitting
Applied Knitted Cord
Dorset Buttons

And did I mention we get to spend the day knitting together?  Doesn't get more fun than that, my friends.

Contact me HERE for more information.
 

Put Your Hands Together!

Next month I have the great good fortune to be teaching at the Nordic Heritage Museum's Nordic Knitting Conference.  This year's theme is MITTENS! 

Now you may know that I'm not a real Scandinavian (couldn't even play one on TV), but the generous folks at the Museum have included me anyway because I'm such a devotee of Nordic Knitting.  And also, there may have been bribes.  Look who else is coming to teach, talk and learn:

Annemor Sundbo, Ragga Eiríksdóttir, Susanna Hansson, Carol Rhoades, Sandy De Master and Mary Germain.

These teachers are not only some of the brightest stars in knitting, they are also personally responsible for preserving and passing on the very history and tradition we hold so dear.  Their combined body of work represents a good percentage of everything we have learned or remembered on the subject.  I just hope I don't spaz out when I meet them.  You know; more than usual.  I'm considering knitting the words "STAY CALM" into a pair of wristlets, just as a precaution.

This being my first year to attend, I asked my friend Karin to tell me a little bit about what the conference is like.  Here's her take:

"People love the ambiance of being surrounded by so much history, folk art, inspirational pieces, etc.. That is almost always a positive remark on the evaluations. Nancy Bush loves teaching there because the students seem so interested and dedicated during class. For the most part they aren't there to just take a class from someone “famous” but truly seem to care. Or at least that is how she tried to explain it. People are coming in from the East coast/mid-west/Canada.

Being a smaller event, people get to know each other better and make new friends over lunch, etc. The Friday night happy hour is a great mixer. The banquet will have tons of door prizes and hearing Annemor speak will be a real treat. Every morning there has been Danish pastries and coffee for everyone.

Mittens will be coming out of collections for display and the museum has asked members to bring in special mittens that their family have knit to be out on display too."

I don't know which has me more excited: Meeting the other teachers, or seeing the mitten collections! 

I'll be teaching "Sassy Selbuvotter", my introduction to Norwegian-style mittens, and the decidedly non-traditional "Entrelac Mittens", in which we make sexy mittens with entrelac gauntlet cuffs. 

What:        Nordic Knitting Conference
Where:      Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle,WA
When:       October 5-7, 2012

CLICK HERE for more information (prepare to have your mind blown by the class offerings).