Recent Blogs Posts

Last week, I was the guest blogger for Jaybird Designs and wrote a piece about rediscovering crochet. Lately I have been reflecting on what appeal crafting in yarn does not only for me, but for my friends.



The last time you saw the above sweater, I left a teaser about it. Well what happened was that Anna Zilboorg had purchased a beautiful cormo/silk blend in a shade of bubblegum pink during Maryland Sheep and Wool, knitted it into the lace top, noticed it was falling a bit short, lengthened it by using the same sock yarn she used in the embroidered knots, and over dyed it after deciding she did not like the color. After all that work (whew, that was one big list of steps!), she realized that she did not like wearing sleeveless tops and offered it to me for ...

The past three weeks (has it really been THAT long??) have been a solid whirlwind that has kept me spinning like a top. Three Wednesdays ago, I drove from the southeastern side of Virginia, into the state's southwestern area known as the New River Valley. There I was welcomed into the home of Merike Saarniit, who offered me good food and hospitality in the Estonian way. She let me stroll about her home and fondle a shawl that Galina gifted her. I peeked as she opened her kitchen cupboards and I admired her Estonian knife holder. I drooled over her squirrel cage swift and embroidered lounge chair. I doffed my sandals in order for my feet to sink into the Fibonacci striped woven rug her father made out of raw fleece. And I photographed just about everything she let me (if you haven't ...

I have had many opportunities to hang out at various friends' kitchens to chit chat about life, nosh on favorite bites, or work on WIPs. I managed to snap a few photographs of these kitchens. Though I really wish I photographed being in both Tanya Brooks' (aka The Indigo Muse) and Susan Gibbs' wonderful homes...

Susan Gibbs of Juniper Moon Farms relaxing in her jammies:


Melissa Morgan-Oakes (who has sold out classes at STITCHES East this year) showing off the brilliant pot rack that I love:


Myself having breakfast in Kristin Nicholas' (another teacher at STITCHES East!) dining room:


Tomorrow I will be in Merike Saarnit's kitchen, feasting on what I hope will be dishes from her beloved Estonia. I have taken ...

Each year, as the middle of June approaches, I get giddy with anticipation. Why? Because I know that many of my friends will be joining me in Columbus, OH for the TNNA Summer Show. What is TNNA? It is The National Needlearts Association created to put those in the business of needle-love together for work and play. Here is where the various designers and manufacturers come out with the newest fashions, styles, and products. During those four days, I visit with old friends and make new ones as I discover the ins and outs of our industry and share what is going on with XRX, STITCHES, and Knitter's Magazine.



This year was no different as I exchanged messages, tweets and posts with those who were attending and those who could not make it this time. Plans were made, ...

Well we did it. A week ago sock knitters everywhere were still celebrating, mourning their leaving, gnashing their teeth at not attending, or chatting about who was where at Sock Summit. In honor of the conference a small group of us had decided to knit a pair of socks in the four days of Sock Summit and 19 successfully did, with 5 others running up a day late! Before I give my huge congrats to the finishers, I would like to thank all of the folks who donated to our prize pool for which our motivation would not have been pushed even further:

1. Roxanne of Zen Yarn Garden
2. Kate of Dragonfly Fibers
3. Jill of Jill Draper Designs
4. Natasha of Unplanned Peacock Studio
5. Paula of Woolarina
6. Kimberly Reynolds of XRX, Inc.
7. Deb of Pico Accuardi Dyeworks
8. koffeeknits of DW Dyeworks
9. SpindleCat

...

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to have dinner with Anna Zilboorg when she visited Virginia Beach, VA. She and David had wanted to get away from the mountains with a brief break at the ocean. When they requested a great place for seafood, we ate at my favorite restaurant, Mahi Mah's in the Ramada on 6th Street. Not only known for their seafood and sushi bar, the restaurant has an incredible wine list which would make any sommelier drool. We toasted to her teaching at STITCHES East ETC with freshly shucked oysters harvested from the James River, sipped a lovely bubbly, ate wonderfully prepared meals, and enjoyed the desserts brought to us by our server Sean. Later we strolled in the sand along the Atlantic ocean and managed to play in the growing waves of high tide as the sun settled ...

Hello Friends!

I have kind of a cool story to share with you today. It’s not really something that pertains to one of our events or publications. It’s really more of an ‘inside our industry’ story, but it’s just too cool not to share.

If you’ve read any of my other blog posts, Facebook posts, or Twitter posts, you know I’ve said, on more than one occasion, that I believe I’m a very lucky guy to be working in such a creative and caring industry… from the yarn manufacturers, to the LYSs, to the consumers.

This is even more the case with the STITCHES Sponsors and Knitter’s Magazine advertisers. We actually know each other. We see each other anywhere from four to six times a year. We hang out together. We find ourselves calling each other or e-mailing ...

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Back on July 7th, I announced on Ravelry, Facebook (are we friends yet?), Google+ (if we aren't in each other circles, let's do it!), and Twitter (do we follow each other?) that Jennifer Wendell and I decided to console ourselves for not being at Sock Summit (again) by knitting ourselves a pair of socks during those four days. The catch? The only patterns that could be used had to be ones which Stephanie Pearl-McPhee made. Since then, the "Couldn't Foot It" Challenge has accumulated over two dozen prizes to award to finishers -- specifically 25 and counting. Four of these prizes are from the Yarn Harlot herself, and the others are by esteemed independent dyers with XRX tossing in the choice of a copy of "Think Outside the SOX" or "Magnificent Mittens and Socks" for those who finish "Pearls ...

Many a time, there are opportunities that I come upon, and many a time I do not have the funds to jump at them. But when Dianne Lutz of Creatively Dyed Yarns came to my hometown of Virginia Beach, VA at The Yarn Club to give a class on dyeing and offer a chance to see her yarns up close and personal, I could not resist going.



"The Yarn Club" is owned by the savvy Andrea Weisman Riddle and is located on 240 Mustang Trail, Suite 8, Virginia Beach, VA 23452 in the Lynnhaven area. Andrea noticed that in the many southside Tidewater shops, there was not one that catered to luxury yarn snobs like myself who also loved getting great customer service. Her fibery stock of Cascade and Berroco staples mixed with hand-dyed independents such as Dragonfly Fibers and Madelinetosh ...

Every year all sorts of fiber artists and crafters dare to do what I actually do weekly: knit (or spin, crochet, stitch, etc.) in public. My guess is because for years the general public stereo-typed (and most of them still think) that "home-making" artists are frail, weak, elderly, ugly, or unsociable. Not sure about you, but I do not see my fellow crafters and definitely myself in that light. I have pointedly asked those nay-sayers, "Do I really LOOK like an old woman?"

With that little chip in mind, I take every opportunity I can to knit in public so as to educate folks that working in the fibery arts is not for the old but for the young at heart. Each year, World Wide Knit in Public Day embraces that idea fully. For 2011, I celebrated by joining my local guild, Tidewater ...