Greetings and Salutations

Well! What a week It’s been around here!

I got a new roof'! 16k I will l never see from down here, but they promised it will keep my head dry. They did send me a photo, via drone, so that was nice. And creepy. It could have been anyone’s roof, but the weeds did look familiar.

And after that, the Roof Man asked me out. So that was nice. And creepy.

Additionally, I went 25 rounds with my HOA regarding what color I will be allowed to paint my house. That I own. That will cost nine thousand dollars, since I don’t own or want to own a ladder tall enough to get me up there. Turns out that even I have limits for what I’ll take on. Also, I have waited sixteen years to get this done. It began to feel like a civil liberties situation by the end. But what do I know about color? I’ve only written six books on the subject.

Anyhow, a lot of energy went that way.

That noise aside, I want to invite you to join me at Stranded With Mary. There are some knitters who have waited a year or more to do this. It’s a soup-to-nuts adventure with me, where you will knit this pretty sweater that I designed, that nobody else can have, in your choice of four colorways. For which the yarn maker has made string just for us. Oh, and I’ll be there to share what I know with you {and learn back!} There’s a Ravelry group where you all can join in the fun. I keep track of you there, and on the phone, and e-mail, and Zoom. I promise a totally concierge experience. My Dear students have taught me all I know, and I can’t get enough of you. And lots of you are repeat offenders. CLICK HERE

Fun Fact: Unless my daughter is holding the camera, I make a weird face. Good thing I cleverly had her 22 years ago, All photos prior to that were fails. Categorically.

Possibly my best angle.

In other news, my nephew apparently did not get the message of what I do. He taught himself to knit, without my knowledge. He started with socks, of all things. And made them really well. I guess it runs in our blood. Kind of so proud of him I could bust. Oh, and scouts are constantly asking if he would like to be a model. I haven’t secured his permission to post his photo, but trust me, he’s a 6’2 blue-eyed, ripped darling. But he’s nothing like as pretty as MY Children. They have actual Weasley sweaters to prove how much I love them. And I’m on the record here: I loathe Intarsia. In spite of my darling friend Anne, who is not only a genius but also a doctor. An actual Doctor. She tried her best to teach me. Visit her HERE for the knowhow and goods on her specialty. But I do suck at intarsia. Notice the profound lack of it in my teaching catalogue.

But that’s not why you’re visiting with me. My best guess is that you’re here because you practice a different brand of witchcraft:

I think that pretty well says it.

Phoenix From The Ashes

When haunting thrift stores, I always keep an eye out for cashmere. Because, Cashmere.

I’ve discovered that often when it comes to cashmere, the older it is the better. Case in point: This very large, very old, very masculine gentleman’s V-neck. I imagine it belonged to a golfer, due to the extraordinary vibrancy of the purple.

It washed up by machine like a dream, fluffy and delicious. Ruby and Atlas were dubious that I could transform it into something more wearable, though. Dogs of Little Faith.

Two aisles over from where I scored the sweater, its long lost matching shirt awaited my discovery. Coincidence? I think not.

Purple Sweater suffered from a number of holes, which I was able to mend by cutting off the ribbing from the lower edge and pulling out some yarn to darn them with.

Here’s the completed mend; integrity restored, but still visible.

But here’s what it looks like after several passes with a needle felting tool. Far less obvious! It turns out that cashmere (at least this example) is extremely resistant to felting. I had to felt from both the front and the back sides of the fabric to blend in my darning.

My next order of business was to remove the neck edge ribbing, and the cuffs from its too-long sleeves. Once all that tight ribbing was off, I began to visualize a new silhouette for it. I traced the location for an asymmetrical cardigan opening in chalk.

I scored some beautiful cotton batik for bias binding, with buttons to match.

And here’s the completed resurrection:

I haven’t decided yet weather to alter the shirt into a more feminine shape. What do you think, Gentle Readers? Would you tackle a thrifted cashmere project?

Start to Finish

As a public service, Gentle Readers, I’m here to announce that it’s not too early to start thinking about the weekend. In fact, my message today is an invitation to begin at the end and work backwards:

If your goal were to create a picture suitable for hanging, what If I challenged you to design your ideal frame first, and then fill in the middle?

If you had a really clear idea of what your completed knitting would specifically be, with all of the design, fit, yarn and finishing decisions made before you even cast on, how might the end result be different from when you’ve worked the other way around?

I have been asked many times to teach a class on finishing. For a long time I couldn’t see why I should, because lots of great classes about specific techniques are already available. It wasn’t until I realized that my design/planning process is very different from that of other designers that I understood what my “finishing” class should look like. And so that’s what I teach now: Planning ahead for Happy Endings.

I have learned that answering a series of questions for myself at the beginning of my knitting serves as a project management tool. It allows me to keep on time and under budget. To stay true to my vision, while remaining open to the possibilities.

Start to Finish is part show-and-tell, part wish list-building, and part project management. We discuss yarn, fit, design, and everything in between, with the stated goal of beautifully finished knitting. The process applies to any project, and all skill levels.

Best of all, there’s nothing to buy and no commitment. It’s a mental exercise that we practice together, and is yours to keep thereafter. The only preparation you need for class is to take yourself on an imaginary shopping trip. Visit your stash, your pattern queue, or your imagination to come up with something you’d like to knit. That’s all. It can be as complicated or as simple as you wish. Just bring your ideas, the pattern if you have it, or a photo. We’ll practice asking ourselves all the right questions to plan the project as if you are really going to make it, and see where the process takes us.

CLICK HERE to sign up for Start to Finish this Saturday, 03-20, 10AM - 1PM PST.