By request, here is some information on clubs that I know of. If you are a fiber artist and have a club, feel free to post about it in the comments. Also, if you are a member of a fiber club, please feel free to post that as well.
Huckleberry Knits (you can see about 5 skeins of yarn in my picture from her) is going to be starting a club here soon. I think she is going to start a sock club and she is thinking about a mystery club and a "soaker" (little baby pant things) club. When she starts any of them, I am joining. Her yarn is amazing.
Danido Crafty has an amazing "Choose Your Own Adventure" club. She is all about customization, and she is the person who bought my first item out of my Etsy shop! *yea!* She is also from Alaska, but lives in Vegas. And, because our state is so small (in population), I actually just found out that I play softball with one of her good friends. CRAZY!
Skeindalous is starting a sock club that is based on the natural wonders of America. Her yarn in the picture is the green and gold yarn. It is called "Greed" as she did a line of yarn based on the 7 deadly sins. I had a hard time only buying that one skein, and can't wait to see what wonders she chooses for her sock club!
The Spindies Cooperative (a group of amazing fiber artists) does a club. I just checked out their page and it looks like they have a lot of size and length (how many months) options, so there is one for everyone! I believe they feature a different artist every month, which is pretty neat.
Maude and Me has a fun fiber club. I just love the pictures in the post! I haven't actually gotten my hands on any of her product, but it looks beautiful and I really want to try it. I need to spin at least some of my stash down before I buy any more. Seriously. There is only so much space in my house.
Serendipity Fiber Arts has a fun Myth and Magic club. There are many options to this club as well, so you can customize something to fit your budget. Her samples in PhatFiber are always amazing.
Perfect Day Yarns has a Dead Poets sock club. The next round goes on sale Aug 20! What a fun idea! I would love to see what a yarn based on a dead poet looks like.
Hampton Artistic Yarn (H.A.Y.) just started a roving and batt club. I love her little logo! Again, her roving is beautiful, but I need to SPIN, SPIN, SPIN!!!
Desert Garden Farms does a Pamper Yourself club (that I am in!). You can join for one month, or three. You get to pick if you receive hand spun yarn or roving. You will also get some lovely pampering items and a hand made bag! I love this club and am eagerly awaiting my next installment!
Twice Sheared Sheep has started a secret pattern/yarn of the month club. I treated myself to the July installment and loved it! I haven't knitted my hat and hand warmers yet, but they are high up on my queue of things to get on the needles.
Serendipitous Ewe has a Retro Video Game Sock Club that my friend joined while at Sock Summit. I love her yarn and plan on ordering some soon. Her puffin colorway is very fun, and puffins are my favorite bird, so I probably need a pair of puffin socks! :) Her striped entry for Dye for Glory won as well!
That is all that I know of at the moment. Let me know if you know of more. Clubs are my favorite things to buy because it is the gift that keeps on giving! You get packages for months! :) Now off to finish dinner (homemade pizza) and spin so I can order more!!! :)
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Opening and Closing of SS
Thursday was the Opening Reception at Sock Summit. It was amazing. I'm sure if you were following me on Twitter, you read all of my tweets about how funny ST-1 was while giving their speech. I loved the story about how SS was started. Tina and Stephanie had been talking about SS "kind of how we talk of moving to Katmandu. Fleeting and not often." Then Tina called and said she rented the convention center, for "that Sock Summit we've been talking about". Too funny. I'm glad she did though, as it was the best four days EVER! It was fun to meet people... and everyone was excited to hear that we were from Alaska. And people also didn't need to talk about Sarah Palin for too long, which was nice. Every time it was brought up I would just say that I would rather talk about Alaska, not politics. A lady I met in line waiting to buy drinks said that SS was the best knitting convention she had ever been to. The caliber of teachers and the marketplace was just out of this world. So basically, I am spoiled and can never go to another knitting convention without being disappointed. But I am thinking of visiting some of the wool festivals, as they sound like a lot of fun.
Sunday was the Luminary Panel. It was also pretty amazing, except for the fact that it marked the end of Sock Summit. It was really interesting to hear the panel talk about different knitting topics and learn that Barbara Walker had indeed invented SSK. Amazing. I was in the same room as the woman who created SSK. The panel was a bit long and some (ok, one, who will not be named) of the panelists spoke for a bit too long, but it was still amazing.
I have been home for almost a week and I'm still sad that Sock Summit is over. It has been nice being home and getting some work done around the house. And I have been spinning some amazing roving from my good friend over at Northern Lights Fiber Co. It is gorgeous, as is all her stuff. Now I am off to hide in my sewing room and get some sewing done for my different swap partners. Both W and J have to work today, so I have the house to myself... hoping to get a lot done, but you never know. I should also take the dogs out for a quick walk... so many things to do!!!
Sunday was the Luminary Panel. It was also pretty amazing, except for the fact that it marked the end of Sock Summit. It was really interesting to hear the panel talk about different knitting topics and learn that Barbara Walker had indeed invented SSK. Amazing. I was in the same room as the woman who created SSK. The panel was a bit long and some (ok, one, who will not be named) of the panelists spoke for a bit too long, but it was still amazing.
I have been home for almost a week and I'm still sad that Sock Summit is over. It has been nice being home and getting some work done around the house. And I have been spinning some amazing roving from my good friend over at Northern Lights Fiber Co. It is gorgeous, as is all her stuff. Now I am off to hide in my sewing room and get some sewing done for my different swap partners. Both W and J have to work today, so I have the house to myself... hoping to get a lot done, but you never know. I should also take the dogs out for a quick walk... so many things to do!!!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
The Marketplace!
Thursday the marketplace was open for students only for two hours before the Opening Reception. The marketplace was actually so big and beautiful it made my head hurt. There were so many vendors who had so many beautiful things it was overwhelming. I bought a ton of stuff... here are the pictures.
I am going to wear my spinning wheel tshirt to work and then a concert tonight. I'm pretty excited about that. :)
I also collected a bunch of cards for different vendors that are going to be starting clubs. Clubs are some of my favorite things, as you can pay for the whole thing up front and then get multiple packages for the next few months. It is pretty awesome. If you have any questions about which things came from which vendors, let me know. I may be more motivated to post links later, but I am in the middle of one of my baby hat kits and I just figured out the eyelet stitch!!
I am going to wear my spinning wheel tshirt to work and then a concert tonight. I'm pretty excited about that. :)
I also collected a bunch of cards for different vendors that are going to be starting clubs. Clubs are some of my favorite things, as you can pay for the whole thing up front and then get multiple packages for the next few months. It is pretty awesome. If you have any questions about which things came from which vendors, let me know. I may be more motivated to post links later, but I am in the middle of one of my baby hat kits and I just figured out the eyelet stitch!!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Classes at SS09
I took three one hour classes while at Sock Summit in addition to my class with the Yarn Harlot. I actually really enjoyed my one hour classes... it is the perfect amount of time for me to learn a simple skill and feel like I have walked away confident in what I just learned.
Conquer Short Row Heels!
This was my first one hour class. It was taught by Chrissy Gardner, who just released a new book (the name is escaping me right now, even though I bought it and had it signed by her) which is pretty amazing. I had never attempted a short row heel because the "wrap and turn" part scared me. I didn't know what it meant. Then as you keep reading the directions, you have to "unwrap" the stitches. Too confusing. So, I took a class and realized that it wasn't really that complicated at all! So now I just have to decide which pattern in the book to try first... they are all so fun and pretty, it will be a tough decision. I will keep you updated.
Continental Knitting
I felt like I could have had a two or three hour class in this and would have been better off. While I did learn the basic concept, I am very clumsy. Holding the yarn is a challenge for me, as when I throw I don't really have a technique for holding the yarn. I am going to try and keep practicing with this technique, as I do want to knit faster. I have been practicing lever knitting and getting better at that... I also have been knitting MORE, which really has done wonders for my knitting progress. While in Portland, I knitting my brother a hat for Christmas. It is pretty amazing. Now I have started a baby hat (which is adorable) and I am almost to the patterning section which means, I'm almost done! It is amazing how much knitting you can get done if you actually KNIT instead of THINKING about knitting!
Judy's Magic Cast-On
This was my last class of Sock Summit. This cast on is amazingly simple and also just plain amazing! It is completely invisible and I can see so many different uses for it. Judy Becker was very nice and I thought she was a great teacher. I think she is coming out with a book, which I am eagerly awaiting, as she showed us so many different ways to use this cast on (shawls, hats, socks, anything!) that I bet the book is bursting with great ideas. I have been following Judy of Twitter for a while before I realized that she was Judy of the Magic Cast-On. I felt like a dork when I figured that out. I also thought it was neat that after my class, she tweeted that she was sad she was done teaching and all of her classes were amazing. Now, I know she wasn't talking about me specifically, (although I am amazing) but it was neat to know that I was included in the group of "her classes at SS!"
So that was my experience with classes at Sock Summit. If (no, when) I get to go again, I think I will try to take a lot more one hour classes, as I learned a lot in them. Now off to get my morning under way as I have to go to work here in a bit.
Conquer Short Row Heels!
This was my first one hour class. It was taught by Chrissy Gardner, who just released a new book (the name is escaping me right now, even though I bought it and had it signed by her) which is pretty amazing. I had never attempted a short row heel because the "wrap and turn" part scared me. I didn't know what it meant. Then as you keep reading the directions, you have to "unwrap" the stitches. Too confusing. So, I took a class and realized that it wasn't really that complicated at all! So now I just have to decide which pattern in the book to try first... they are all so fun and pretty, it will be a tough decision. I will keep you updated.
Continental Knitting
I felt like I could have had a two or three hour class in this and would have been better off. While I did learn the basic concept, I am very clumsy. Holding the yarn is a challenge for me, as when I throw I don't really have a technique for holding the yarn. I am going to try and keep practicing with this technique, as I do want to knit faster. I have been practicing lever knitting and getting better at that... I also have been knitting MORE, which really has done wonders for my knitting progress. While in Portland, I knitting my brother a hat for Christmas. It is pretty amazing. Now I have started a baby hat (which is adorable) and I am almost to the patterning section which means, I'm almost done! It is amazing how much knitting you can get done if you actually KNIT instead of THINKING about knitting!
Judy's Magic Cast-On
This was my last class of Sock Summit. This cast on is amazingly simple and also just plain amazing! It is completely invisible and I can see so many different uses for it. Judy Becker was very nice and I thought she was a great teacher. I think she is coming out with a book, which I am eagerly awaiting, as she showed us so many different ways to use this cast on (shawls, hats, socks, anything!) that I bet the book is bursting with great ideas. I have been following Judy of Twitter for a while before I realized that she was Judy of the Magic Cast-On. I felt like a dork when I figured that out. I also thought it was neat that after my class, she tweeted that she was sad she was done teaching and all of her classes were amazing. Now, I know she wasn't talking about me specifically, (although I am amazing) but it was neat to know that I was included in the group of "her classes at SS!"
So that was my experience with classes at Sock Summit. If (no, when) I get to go again, I think I will try to take a lot more one hour classes, as I learned a lot in them. Now off to get my morning under way as I have to go to work here in a bit.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Meeting the Yarn Harlot
Even though I am a Knitter, I was a bit ashamed to say that I did not know the full scope of the teachers at SS. I did some research to find out who they were before I left, but even after all of that, I was still most excited to see Stephanie P.M. aka "The Yarn Harlot". I read her blog religiously and think she is hilarious. When I was able to snag a spot in her class "Knitting for Speed and Efficiency" I was beyond excited.
My first encounter with the YH at SS was during registration. K and I went down to register and pick up our goodies and she ran by us... with an orange shirt on and her fancy radio. I just about died. I had been less that 6 feet away from the YH! It was amazing.
Then at the opening reception, we took our picture with her. Sure, it's blurry. But there we all are (me with my happening bangs) with the YH in all of her tired glory. From the way she talked, I'm not sure she slept much the entire trip...
Then I had class with her and it was amazing. For three hours I got to learn and listen to her talk about how knitting has changed over time and how we have become less efficient as knitters in our society. Then she showed us how she knit, which is SUPER fast (60-70 stitches a min) and I practiced that. I still need a lot more practice, but I think it is do-able for me. It is called lever knitting, or body knitting, and you hold one long straight needle under your arm and it doesn't move. I have decided I will call it armpit knitting. It is the style people used to knit when they had to knit for a living. Fast, efficient, and easy (once you get the hang of it).
I even got to chat with her at the book signing. I took her newest book (in hardback) for her to sign. She is just so nice and funny and willing to help out other people. I just wish I could hang out with her more often! :)
The other thing I really enjoyed about meeting her is that she has people that she was VERY excited to meet and was gushing over. That made me laugh, and made me feel better about how excited I was to meet her. It's always good to know that you aren't *too* crazy!
Alright, off to get to housework stuff. More SS news later! :)
My first encounter with the YH at SS was during registration. K and I went down to register and pick up our goodies and she ran by us... with an orange shirt on and her fancy radio. I just about died. I had been less that 6 feet away from the YH! It was amazing.
Then at the opening reception, we took our picture with her. Sure, it's blurry. But there we all are (me with my happening bangs) with the YH in all of her tired glory. From the way she talked, I'm not sure she slept much the entire trip...
Then I had class with her and it was amazing. For three hours I got to learn and listen to her talk about how knitting has changed over time and how we have become less efficient as knitters in our society. Then she showed us how she knit, which is SUPER fast (60-70 stitches a min) and I practiced that. I still need a lot more practice, but I think it is do-able for me. It is called lever knitting, or body knitting, and you hold one long straight needle under your arm and it doesn't move. I have decided I will call it armpit knitting. It is the style people used to knit when they had to knit for a living. Fast, efficient, and easy (once you get the hang of it).
I even got to chat with her at the book signing. I took her newest book (in hardback) for her to sign. She is just so nice and funny and willing to help out other people. I just wish I could hang out with her more often! :)
The other thing I really enjoyed about meeting her is that she has people that she was VERY excited to meet and was gushing over. That made me laugh, and made me feel better about how excited I was to meet her. It's always good to know that you aren't *too* crazy!
Alright, off to get to housework stuff. More SS news later! :)
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Home Again, Home Again
So I made it home. I am still in a bit of a post-Sock Summit funk, but making my first Etsy sale helped with that! I just can't believe it is over. I already want to go back and do it again. Because I have a lot to do today (apparently when I am gone, a lot of unusual things don't get done at the house... like no one has read the daily calendar since I left, and I have a lot of mail to go through, and the bathroom trash apparently didn't make it out on trash day... who knows what else didn't go on. I haven't even been awake for an hour!) I am just going to tease you with a list of things I will be blogging about over the next week or so. I really think it will take a lot of blog posts to go over everything that happened while at SS09. Here is what I am planning on right now...
*Meeting the Yarn Harlot
*My classes
*The marketplace (OMG The marketplace!!!)
*Opening Reception
*Luminary Panel
*Ravelry Meetup
*Not all fun and games...
*Yarn shops (and the button shop) in Portland
*Basking in the glory of SS
*Blog, what are you? (not really SS related, but I wanted to put it on the list so I didn't forget)
I'm hoping to get my spinning wheel together tonight. I have to work from 3-7:30, but if I get all of my chores done before heading to work, I should be able to put two screws in when I get home. It is pretty nice to be around the dogs (and W, but he is at work.) again. I was really missing them. And since I had spent my entire budget (and then a bit more) I couldn't just buy more yarn to soothe myself. :)
The worst part about the trip is that both times I was on the plane, my right ear refused to pop. I still can't hear out of it. It took about a day to fix itself last time, and I'm hoping it gets better soon.... it is quite annoying. Alright, off to check on Ravelry and then to get to some housework.
*Meeting the Yarn Harlot
*My classes
*The marketplace (OMG The marketplace!!!)
*Opening Reception
*Luminary Panel
*Ravelry Meetup
*Not all fun and games...
*Yarn shops (and the button shop) in Portland
*Basking in the glory of SS
*Blog, what are you? (not really SS related, but I wanted to put it on the list so I didn't forget)
I'm hoping to get my spinning wheel together tonight. I have to work from 3-7:30, but if I get all of my chores done before heading to work, I should be able to put two screws in when I get home. It is pretty nice to be around the dogs (and W, but he is at work.) again. I was really missing them. And since I had spent my entire budget (and then a bit more) I couldn't just buy more yarn to soothe myself. :)
The worst part about the trip is that both times I was on the plane, my right ear refused to pop. I still can't hear out of it. It took about a day to fix itself last time, and I'm hoping it gets better soon.... it is quite annoying. Alright, off to check on Ravelry and then to get to some housework.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Sock Summit, here I come!!!
I leave for Sock Summit tonight. TONIGHT. The day is here. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was making my flight reservations and dreaming of this day.... but it is here. Am I ready? No. I'm not packed AT ALL. I don't know what knitting projects to take. (Actually, this is stressing me out more than the packing. I can survive in one set of clothes, but what if I get bored with my knitting??) I just checked the weather and it looks like it is supposed to be cooler (only 80*ish) which is nice, because I was going to DIE if it was 100*. It also says it might rain... hmm... I live in AK where it rains quite often, yet I do not own a rain jacket of any type. What am I to do??
Alright, enough stress. My spinning wheel (a beautiful Ashford Kiwi) came on Sat. Last night I finally had enough time to seal it and put it *almost* together. I am two screws away from it being done. I don't have the appropriate screwdriver to finish the task, and I realized it at 10:30, so there was no where to get one either. I am hoping to finish it today, but who knows. At least it will be waiting for me when I return from my epic adventure in Oregon.
W is almost done with the awning project in the yard. The awning part has been done for close to two weeks, but he has been collecting rocks and laying them in the ground to create the porch. Sunday we drove to Seward (which was amazing, and I totally could live there) and we picked up a bunch of rocks on the way home so he could finish. I hope it is done when I get back, as the dogs really need a bath, but with all the dirt out there it is a bit pointless right now...
Speaking of the dogs, I bought Snickers a gentle leader head harness a few weeks ago, and let me tell you.... it has revolutionized my dog walking. He used to hate it, but now he is pretty much over it. He even sits down so I can put it on him. And before walking him was a pain because he pulled like a mad man. Now, I could walk him with one finger. He listens when I tell him where to go... it is amazing. Frito is getting one soon, as he has a very big pulling problem. I actually refuse to walk him because the last time I did he really hurt my hand. So if you have a dog that pulls, I highly recommend the Gentle Leader. It is amazing.
Alright, I guess I should go tackle my day... not like I can just get this stuff done tomorrow, because I will be in PORTLAND!!! I don't think I am brining my computer, so this will be my last blog post until my return. If you are incredibly curious about what I am doing, you can follow me on Twitter. The link is on the right side of my blog. Have a great week and weekend!!!!
Alright, enough stress. My spinning wheel (a beautiful Ashford Kiwi) came on Sat. Last night I finally had enough time to seal it and put it *almost* together. I am two screws away from it being done. I don't have the appropriate screwdriver to finish the task, and I realized it at 10:30, so there was no where to get one either. I am hoping to finish it today, but who knows. At least it will be waiting for me when I return from my epic adventure in Oregon.
W is almost done with the awning project in the yard. The awning part has been done for close to two weeks, but he has been collecting rocks and laying them in the ground to create the porch. Sunday we drove to Seward (which was amazing, and I totally could live there) and we picked up a bunch of rocks on the way home so he could finish. I hope it is done when I get back, as the dogs really need a bath, but with all the dirt out there it is a bit pointless right now...
Speaking of the dogs, I bought Snickers a gentle leader head harness a few weeks ago, and let me tell you.... it has revolutionized my dog walking. He used to hate it, but now he is pretty much over it. He even sits down so I can put it on him. And before walking him was a pain because he pulled like a mad man. Now, I could walk him with one finger. He listens when I tell him where to go... it is amazing. Frito is getting one soon, as he has a very big pulling problem. I actually refuse to walk him because the last time I did he really hurt my hand. So if you have a dog that pulls, I highly recommend the Gentle Leader. It is amazing.
Alright, I guess I should go tackle my day... not like I can just get this stuff done tomorrow, because I will be in PORTLAND!!! I don't think I am brining my computer, so this will be my last blog post until my return. If you are incredibly curious about what I am doing, you can follow me on Twitter. The link is on the right side of my blog. Have a great week and weekend!!!!
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