Knitting 101

I recently met with Issy from the Stitch Factory here in Las Vegas, and am all set to start teaching some knitting 101 classes.  I am excited to say the least, but a bit nervous.  Not bad nervous...good nervous.  I've been going over and over how to format the class so that it appeals to the most green of knitters and even those who have never held a pair of needles.  I try to place myself in the seat of the student.  What would I want or expect from a true knitting 101 class?  Some of the things I came up with are:

• A patient and quality teacher (Got this covered.  Duh!  I do it for a living! :))
• An introduction to the basic lingo and technique--not an intimidating, knock-down, drag-out race to an actual pattern.  Slow and steady.  A building of skills.
• Plenty of opportunities to practice (and occasionally fudge things up) without feeling rushed to "get it."  
• Constant feedback and positivity from the instructor.  
• Snacks and beverages for break time.  Oh!  That reminds me...plenty of breaks to help ease any frustration and allow students to mingle.
• Perhaps the opportunity to leave with evidence of my newly learned/partially learned skill.  Perhaps a cute swatch that can be used as a pot holder?

I'm thinking that after I have taken the students through a few of these classes, I would introduce a project.  I have been doing a lot of reading on what types of projects make good first projects for beginners and have seen many adorable patterns, but one piece of advice stuck out from the Craft and Yarn Council.  They mention that scarves are great patterns for beginners because they do not require gauge  but that it can be daunting for a beginner to feel as if they aren't really getting anywhere.  They recommend a pattern that can be worked up in one two or three hour class and that can show the student what they are capable of right away.  That immediate gratification for which we all strive.  I found one option for a quick knit that would appeal to any fashionista here.  This little headband is adorable and if I choose a more chunky fiber, it will be even faster to knit; and in my opinion, more fun.  I am also working up a scarf using a broken rib stitch pattern.  I'm using a bulky weight yarn, so it's working up fast.  I also think that the pattern will be easy enough for a beginner, but a bit more visually interesting than the basic garter stitch scarf.  However, if one of the students isn't ready for the broken rib, they can always knit it up with garter stitch.  I'm working the pattern as I go.  Once it's finished, I'll publish it if you'd like to give it a try.  It's super cute!

Well, hello!

Hello everyone!  I hope this post finds you all in good spirits.  It has been quite sometime, as seems to be the story with the Greenhornknitter.  I have been very busy with school and family (my brother and sister-in-law came home from Spain over the summer), and life in general.  I simply haven't found time to share any of my little projects...until now.  Which comes just in time for some very knitty news....

Today I was contacted by Issy who teaches fashion and design at an institute here in Las Vegas.  She is working with others on a downtown Las Vegas project called The Stitch Factory which is a newly opened downtown project catering to young designers to learn and collaborate.  She found me via my blog and hoped to recruit me to teach knitting classes at the Factory.  I am so excited and cannot wait to get started.  I meet with her again on the 28th, so I will let you know more as I know more.

As for my knitting, I have a few adorable little projects to share, as well as some WIPs.

As some of you know, I was asked to knit flower pins for my sister-in-law's sister's baby shower.  It was quite the task, and I was very fortunate to have help from my mom.  Regardless of the hard work, it was very well worth it...as are most things that take hard work.  ;)  They turned out to be absolutely lovely!  Have a look...

Of course I couldn't resist the temptation to hand knit my gift.  I found the most adorable baby cap patterns here and fell in love instantly.  

That's my hat!

OK, so knitting for babies is so much fun.  It's just enough of a challenge, but great for those immediate gratification types...like me.  The day before the shower, I was cruising the local Michael's in Costa Mesa, and happened upon a free pattern for baby booties.  I snatched the pattern, some heather grey yarn, and that was all she wrote.  I pumped out some baby booties in no time.

Of course, I couldn't get them both finished by the shower, so I had to do some stitching at the shower.  Later that night, she had a full pair.  :)

As for what I'm working on now...

I have recently developed an obsession with knit ties.  They are everywhere right now!  And super pricey...

Peter Millar Oxford Knit $110

Lands' End $65

Fossil $48

You get the point.  So I've decided to knit up another one (I knit a great seed stitch tie for my brother last year) for my husband.  He starts teaching in the spring and every male teacher should have a great statement tie!  I decided to do his in red.  Classic.  I'll post pictures as it comes along.

The other, and only other, knitted gift I plan to give this year is a red copycat scarf just like the one in Sex and the City:

My sister-in-law and I have been coveting this scarf for quite some time.  I've scoured the Internet for a knock off pattern, but to no avail.  The Carrie's Scarf pattern on Ravelry looks amazing, but the link to the pattern is missing...I've decided to just make my own design.  I'm going with a fairly simple chevron pattern that gives a similar effect as the one seen here. 

Well all, have a great week!!

Wham, Bam, Thank you Ma'am: Quick DIY tip

Today's episode of HGTV's Design Star featured a great tip from Britany Simon for updating a plain lamp shade.  Here's a picture walk of my update.  Give it a try!  It's super cheap and easy! 

You'll need acrylic craft paint and masking tape (not pictured) and...

...a paint brush.

Tape off a design that suits you.  I love chevron!

Add paint!

peel

away

the

tape

.

.

.

...and...

Voila!

Happy crafting!!

Domestic Renewal: Updating tired old shadow box art.

Shadow boxes can be a really cute, kitchy way to add character to a wall or bedside.  This simple craft can also be a great way to show off any antique trinkets that you have yet to find use for.  I happen to have two tired, old shadow boxes that I bought at Pier 1 when I was 16.  I'm going to use some vintage flare to breathe life into the art with antique newsprint and family heirlooms.

Vintage Trinket Shadow Boxes

DIY

Materials:

tired, old shadow box or shadow box frame with glass plate (glass optional)

vintage inspired trinkets to display

(I chose these old spools of thread that belonged to my great grandmother.  This is a perfect opportunity to show off family heirlooms.) 

old newsprint for background

hot glue/gun

all purpose glue

razor blade to remove old adhesive

 (optional if you are starting out with a new frame)

What to do:

• If you're refurbishing an old shadow box, carefully pull the box open and separate the pieces.  Be sure to remove any old adhesive with a razor or small craft knife.  

•   Chose a page from an old newspaper or magazine that you would like to use as the background of                 your shadow box.  Cut it to fit the back wall and glue it down.    

• Apply a small amount of hot glue to the back of your shadow box trinkets.  Adhere them to the newsprint on the back wall of the box.  

• If you're refurbishing a shadow box that came with glass, be sure to clean it well in case of dust.  Line the edge of the box with hot glue.  IMPORTANT:  Wait about ten seconds before applying the glass to the glue so the glass does not crack from the heat.

• After you apply the glass, replace the frame with hot glue being careful to let the glue cool for ten second before adding the pressure of the frame.  Let dry, and voila!  A new shadow box with old character!

Happy crafting!!

Blossoming...

Not long ago, my sister in law Jessica took on the awesome role of event planner for her sister's baby shower in July.  She is the perfect person to have plan an event.  As a photographer over at jessicaquadraphotography, she has that special eye, plus she already has a great sense of style.  So the fact that she commissioned me to help make the party favors was rather flattering.  The theme is vintage-handmade and she wanted to have the favors be such.  Of course, because the favors will be handmade by me, they won't be vintage, but the textile and color will really bring out the desired feel.  Jessica has chosen knit flower corsages as the favors.  I couldn't love this idea more.  It's so feminine, soft, and I can make them by hand!  Not to mention, with the cotton yarn I've chosen and the colors Jess has chosen, these will have that vintagy style she's looking for!

Of course, this means that I will have to knit and assemble a slew of flowers and leaves (roughly 35 flowers with two leaves each).  Thankfully, my mom has offered to help with the leaves.  This is great because it simplifies the duty, but also because we get to work on this project together, lending a little piece of us to Jennifer's (Jessica's sister's) baby shower.

The pattern I've chosen comes from Nicky Epstein's Knitted Flowers.  It is the Tea Rose with two large leaves.

This pattern calls for casting on 71 stitches, but to save time, I have edited to pattern to only need 31 stitches cast-on.  I'm also using Lily Sugar and Cream worsted cotton to add the vintage/shabby chic effect.  As for color, Jess sent me a picture of the envelopes being used for the invites and asked for a color similar to the "blossom" pink of the stationary.

Here is what I came up with:

Cute huh?  Now that I've had a look at these photos, I'm thinking that I may try sizing down on my needle to get a tighter fabric.  

Knitty Reading: Knitting Mysteries

I stumbled upon this knitting mystery series (there are several more books in the series, so check 'em out!) and it instantly piqued my interest.  Maybe some summer "beach" reading.

Despite the fact that her aunt was an expert knitter, Kelly Flynn never picked up a pair of knitting needles she liked - until she strolled into House of Lambspun. Now, in the first in a brand-new series, Kelly learns how to knit one, purl two, and untangle the mystery behind her aunt's murder. The police are convinced that her aunt's death resulted from a burglary gone bad, but for the accountant in Kelly, things just aren't adding up.  -Summary courtesy of goodreads.com

Taking a troop of tourists to Vickie Claymore's alpaca farm doesn't earn knitter Kelly Flynn a warm welcome. Instead she finds Vickie splayed out on her original hand-woven rug, her blood seeping into the design.   -Summary courtesy of goodreads.com

Kelly and Megan could not be happier for their friend Allison Dubois—a young, talented, up-and-coming artist. Invited by a designer to join her New York studio, Allison is about to embark on a new life. But when Kelly and Megan arrive at Allison’s apartment to drive her to the airport, they find her dead on the floor, apparently from an overdose of sleeping pills. The police suspect suicide, but Kelly and Megan aren’t convinced. Soon Kelly discovers that while Allison’s career was on the fast-track, her social life was a mess. A bad news boyfriend, a jealous design student, and a mysterious man named Brian are all prime suspects in Kelly’s book. Now it’s up to Kelly and her crafty friends from the House of Lambspun to unravel this tightly stitched puzzle...  -Summary courtesy of goodreads.com

introducing...the kick-start project!

Later this month I will be running in a road race 10K  in Boulder City, NV called Running with the Devil. The race is only six miles, but the catch is that it's in the torrid Mojave Desert in late June.  The average temperature for that time of year is around 110 degrees.  I'll be running around an 8 min. mile on asphalt.  Ahhh...there's the rub.  Anyhow, I've been preparing for this by getting in my fair share of afternoon runs in the unadulterated calidity.  No easy deal.  When I started however, I needed to kick start my endurance in said heat gradually.  I figured the most effective way to do this was with a short, simple jaunt that will helped to train my body and brain for the challenge.

I've realized that this is how I approach a lot of new changes in routine.  Start small-make it easily doable.  You need to have success right from the start to get you into that positive frame of mind.  Sure.  We all know this already, but when it comes to knitting, this is what a lot of people need.  ESPECIALLY ME.  I have a few WIPs waiting for me in my basket, and though I intend on using my new found time to finish them, I feel that a "kick-start" project is in order!  Enter:  my new blog feature.  

As I browse through knitting patterns in books and online, I'll keep an extra eye peeled for small, simple projects (much like stashbusters) to help kick start any knitters hobby hiatus.  Check back for ideas or send me links to some you may have found that I could post!  

As for my personal kick start project, I've chosen the Summer Belt by Andi Satterlund over at Untangling Knots.  This smart little woven belt is a perfect piece to be paired with denim shorts!

summer vacation is 5 days away...

Hello all!  It's been a while.  I'm sure I could come up with a list of reasons as to why I've been MIA for the last several months, but who has the time??  Nevertheless, I am back and ready to take on the creative blogosphere once again.  I have a lot of WIPs to finish (no, I did not complete the Delancey KAL--I know) and I am still working on Branden's cardigan.  I know.  But, hobbies are that way--there when you need them; patiently waiting when you can't make the time.  Right?  Well, hope everyone is well.  Here's to summer and new creative endeavors!

Cheers!

WIP Wednesday: Delancey Cardigan and Iona Toque

I've said it before, and it is very true.  I am a slow knitter.  Not because I can't help it, but simply because I fall into the rhythm and relaxation that causes me to move at a calming pace.  Sometimes.  Perhaps this is just me trying to accept the fact that I am just slow.  I don't know.  Whatever.  I love it and I get stuff done.  Eventually.

As for these WIPs, they are not anything new, but they are getting done.  I am currently working on my second week's goal on my Delancey Cardigan for the Sweatshop of Love KAL.  

Because I'm working my Delancey from the shortened (cardi length) pattern, I only have to knit to row 88.  This allows me time to catch up on my last goal.  I'm not surprised by this at all, but I had to frog my work a couple of times last week, keeping me from progressing like I would have liked-allowing me to work on other WIP's, like Branden's Broken Rib cardi.  Meh. :\ 

Here is the progress on my Delancey so far.  Kind of looks like a giant bikini top...

I've also been working on my Iona Toque, but not nearly as much as I should.  Frankly, it should have been done along time ago.  Oh well.  It will get done, right?

Happy knitting all!

Off the Needles and Far Away...

I am so happy to hear that my little knitted gifts made it across the pond to my brother and sister in law in Barcelona.  They were a little late for Christmas, but at least they made it.  I've been eager to share them since I have very few quick knits going on right now to share.  Photos of Tyler in his tie are courtesy of Jessica Quadra of Jessica Quadra Photography (my sister in law).  They could be JCrew models.  ;)

Knit Necktie by Lion Brand

Picholine Hat

I knit the hat in Misti Alpaca Tonos Chunky.  Some of my absolute favorite and Jess loves it because she can wear the hat all day and not have an itchy head.  :)