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Ravelry Raves

A moment of self-congratulation here:

Ravelry (fiber artists' web site with over 1 million members) is featuring three of my projects on their pattern pages. I didn't design the patterns, but the pattern-writers felt my finished projects were representative of what their design should look like:

Definitely encouraging!

Tucker Art Festival -- addendum

A little side note to boost my ego -- I got recommended for a job when I was at the Tucker Art Festival. Two women who work at Michaels asked if I would teach knitting classes there -- Michaels was looking for an instructor.

Unfortunately, without a work permit, I can't work in the US. Flattering to be recommended, though.

I would love to teach. I've got several friends who have asked if I would teach them to knit, and maybe when things slow down after the school year ends, I'll start a little class on our patio. Coffee, conversation, friends, and yarn. What could be better?

Hawaiian Long-Necked Sheep?

We were driving... and driving... and driving along the coast of Hawaii's Big Island, on our way to see Volcanoes National Park. As the landscape changed -- which it does so dramatically on this island -- we passed fields of volcanic rock, coffee plantations, farmstands. And then we came upon the livestock farming region. Beautiful ebony cows, horses, goats, sheep. And then some sheep with really long necks.

Really long necks.

I was thrilled. On this beautiful island, which I was quickly falling in love with, we found something that made it even more amazing -- the Big Island Alpaca Farm.

Ever since I first felt alpaca wool about five years ago, I have coveted it as the ultimate in natural fibre. It is one of the world's rarest natural fibres. It's luxuriously soft, exceptionally light, and warmer than wool.

I've made beautiful sweaters out of alpaca, and an alpaca-silk blend is unrivaled in its luxury and drape.

And the animals are adorable. Who couldn't love that face?

A friend of mine from Montreal told me that he had researched alpaca farming and found it to be an elitist and money-losing venture. But local small-town farmers can't all be wrong, can they?

Today, two chickens. Tomorrow, an alpaca farm...

(Mountain) Lions, Rattlesnakes and Poison Oak, Oh My!

The sign greeting us at the entrance to the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary was a little disconcerting:

But the setting was absolutely stunning, and there wasn't a threatening creature to be found. I spent the weekend surrounded by mountains, cactus and birds, and got to admire the skills of many local artisans. And I couldn't have asked for a better backdrop for my work:

I even met a fascinating Native American man who invited me to his llama farm, to teach me how to spin the llama wool. Looking forward to that!

If ever you get a chance to visit Modjeska Canyon, don't pass it up. Even with the wildlife warnings : )

Art Festival

Going to be in Southern California at the beginning of April? Join me at Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary's Spring Fair and Art Festival!

Artist Feature: Aya Zucker Pottery

Some people exude peace and serenity, creativity and artistry. In the very best situations, these attributes are channeled into a medium that can be shared with others.

Aya Zucker is one such person, a potter whose gentle nature and creative spirit translate into beautiful pieces of functional art.

Aya has been working with clay since she was in the third grade, in Israel. She immediately fell in love with the feel of the clay in her hands, and spent many years working with sculpture before she was introduced to the pottery wheel in her early twenties.

I was first introduced to her work when I heard she was donating dozens of handmade ceramic bowls to our school fundraiser. I fell in love with a particular design she had made, and bought half a dozen bowls.

When I asked her to make me some other pieces in the same style, she exceeded my expectations.

I also couldn't resist a stunning porcelain tea set she made with a beautiful celadon glaze.

I was fortunate to watch her work and learn about the basics of pottery-making recently as she gave my husband a refresher course. It was fascinating to watch a dull grey lump of clay be transformed into an elegant shape under her skilled hands.

Aside from creating pieces for artisan festivals and custom orders, Aya also volunteers weekly at the Irvine Fine Art Center.

To see more examples of Aya's beautiful work, visit www.ayazucker.com

Who Says Boys Can't Sit Still?

William's buddy came over the other day, and William showed him the scarf he made for Snow Angel. Jacob thought it was really cool.

I casually said, "Jacob, do you want to do some knitting like William did?" And he said sure. So I set them both up with some more yarn and the knitting looms, and they sat there quietly on the couch, working on their projects.

They worked really earnestly, asking for help when they needed it, until they were done. They didn't even try to stab each other with their pointy hooking tools.

For two 8 and 9 year old boys who never stop moving when they are hanging out together, it really wasn't what I expected. But Jacob made a wrist-warmer/sweatband, and William did a headband à la Rambo.

Knitting projects, man-style.

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree

William's first knitting project:

A scarf for Snow Angel.

Wind and Waves Sweater

I finally got around to weaving in all the loose ends on this one, so I can display it proudly.

And proud I am. With this sweater, I designed it start to finish, and tried some techniques I'd never done before. It's definitely a one-of-a-kind. Too bad it's only about a size 2 -- I don't know anyone who can wear it!

Winter never really comes to Southern California, but I still go on knitting hats, scarves, gloves...

It's as crummy as it gets here right now -- about 50 degrees and raining -- so the girls pulled on their handmade cozy stuff.

Teaching and Learning

Many things to catch up on -- it's been almost a year since my last post -- but I feel like I've taken a new step: I'm teaching a friend! She's one of my favourite people, she was a Fine Arts major at college (so she has great artistic sensibility), and she's a quick study. Now I have someone to talk yarn, patterns, colours, designs with. And I think together we can take our craft to the level of an art form. I'm teaching her, but I think I will learn from her too. Looking forward to it : )

Sweater Design Challenge

I have a vision of a sweater in my head -- slim-fitting torso, scoop neck, fitted sleeves which flow femininely at the cuff. Clean lines and tailored fit. I haven't seen a pattern exactly to my specifications, so I'm designing it myself. It would be useful to note I have never done this before (at least not for a fitted adult sweater. I've designed children's sweaters, but that is much easier).


I've looked at many patterns from magazines and books to determine which dimensions seemed logical. I've also taken some measurements of my body. And I've started knitting, using a delicately soft amethyst-coloured alpaca. If this works out, it will be lovely. If not... I can always rip it out and try again. The end result will be worth it.


Here's my sketch with some of the dimensions noted:



The waist shaping is coming along nicely. I'm cautiously optimistic...

Continental Baby Hoodie Done!

It started off achingly slow, but by the end of it I was whipping along, stitches flying off the needle at a dizzying speed, me with a grin of satisfaction on my face. You would have thought I was watching my daughter take her first steps. The frustration of learning a new technique was definitely worth it.

Here it is, my first continental piece. It's a simple button-down hoodie in cotton boucle, and then I added a colourful I-cord edging to give it some visual interest. I'm pretty happy with it. Now I just need to find someone with an infant to give it to, because this thing is little!

Baby Steps -- The Sweater Sampler

I'm taking myself back to knitting infancy and teaching myself Continental style from the basics. I decided a good way to practice a variety of stitches, without losing my mind with boredom and ending up with an odd-looking scarf thingy at the end, is to go step by step through The Sweater Workshop by Jacqueline Fee. This workshop book takes you through a variety of techniques in sweater-making, and has you produce an awkward-looking sampler at the end of it all.

I bought the one thing I never ever buy -- cheap acrylic yarn -- and set to work. Here's my starting -off point:

Thousands of painfully slow stitches later, I'm about halfway through the sampler:

I think I might actually stop at this point -- I'm pretty sick of it. But it got me into the swing of knitting Continental. In contrast to British, I actually prefer purling when I'm knitting Continental. You do a funky little dip with your index finger that makes it feel acrobatic and exotic.

Now I'm going to take my newly-gained confidence and make a sweet little infant-sized hoodie. A small enough project that I can finish it quickly and have the satisfaction of finishing my first Continental garment!

My Own Tiny Yarn Shop

Ah, the dream to have my own yarn shop. Well, I've simulated the experience in miniature by setting up a glass-doored armoire in our family room containing all my stuff -- my stash, my books, my tidbits. It makes me happy every time I look at it.

Of course, it makes me think that my stash could be so much larger. Now that it's not popping out all over the house (some skeins in the coffee table, some balls in the hall closet, always stuff on the floor) and driving my husband over the edge, it seems so much more contained and manageable. And since when I have I been all about contained and manageable?

I think it could use a few new, inspiring additions...

Of course, if I never get the hang of this darned continental style, all that yarn is just going to sit there with nowhere to go -- I am so far refusing to give in and revert back to British just to get something accomplished!

The Eternal Question -- To be a Thrower or a Picker

In the name of speed, I am trying to master Continental style of knitting. I've been knitting British for 23 years (since I was 12) and produce smooth, neat stitches and essentially flawless work.

But I yearn for speed!

The word on the street seems to be that Continental, once you've got the technique down pat, is the faster of the two. But do I want to return to those newbie days of knitting, with uneven tension and sloppy-looking work? Not really... unless it will be worth the learning curve in the long run.

Just watched a short YouTube video of Eunny Jang knitting -- her speed is mindblowing. Check this out:



This girl is amazing. She's now the Editor of Interweave Knits Magazine, with a blog on the Interweave website. But I prefer her on her old personal blog -- I can relate much better to her personality here

This video is a great example of how it's done, in a slowed down version of Eunny's warp speed, for us humans:

Boob Tube Film Festival

Our daughter Indira was born the night before the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, so for the first 2 weeks of her life, nighttime feedings were accompanied first by the opening ceremonies, then by swimming and gymnastics (in real time!) But once that event came to an end, and the baby was still waking several times a night to nurse, I needed something to occupy me aside from infomercials.

The baby's room also doubles as a guest room, complete with tiny tv/dvd combo. So for the past 7 months, baby and I have been staging our own Boob Tube Film Festival. We watch about 30 minutes of a film per night. She has snacks; I abstain. Here's a list of what we've seen so far, rated (with 1 boob being the worst, and 5 the best):

Six Feet Under Complete Series (about 60 episodes over 6 months) 5 boobs (drama, romance and humor with a high creepy factor. Final episode was phenomenal)
Sex and the City (the movie) 3.5 boobs (good plot, too much soft core porn)
50 First Dates 5 boobs (makes me laugh and cry every time - see The Wedding Singer below)
The Other Boleyn Girl 3 boobs (sucked compared to the book but the costumes were great)
The Wedding Singer 5 boobs (Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore are a match made in heaven)
The Big Chill 4 boobs (good flick but would have been better watched in the '80's)
Babel 4 boobs (communication's a bitch)
The Painted Veil 3 boobs (not quite sure what the point was)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 3 boobs (Harrison Ford's getting old - literally)
Stand By Me 5 boobs (was great when I was 12, is still great now)
The Emperor's Club 4 boobs (not Kevin Kline's best work)
Good Night and Good Luck 2.5 boobs (George Clooney co-wrote this? Why?)
Bon Cop Bad Cop 5 boobs (a Quebecois masterpiece. Makes you crack up in both official languages -- ha ha ha / heu heu heu)
Project Runway - Season 1 4 boobs (A victory for crazy-go-luckys everywhere)
Rachel Getting Married 2.5 boobs (Anne Hathaway deserved the Best Actess Oscar Nomination, but she's the only thing this endless movie had going for it)
Twilight 3 boobs (a pale comparison to the book, but good visual effects)
Seven Pounds 5 boobs (the gift that keeps on giving)
I've Loved You So Long 5 boobs (a testament to the power of a mother's love)
27 Dresses 3 boobs (she was much more funny alongside Seth Rogan and his juvenile humour in "Knocked Up")
The X-Files - First Season 4.5 boobs (proof you don't have to be thin, tall or well-dressed to be a great leading lady)
Death at a Funeral 4 boobs (the Brits really know how to make a great movie out of a single setting and minimal plot)
Dan in Real Life 4 boobs (sweet and funny and enough awkward moments to make it a true Steve Carrell performance)

Great Increase for Sleeves

I never knew what was the best increase for sleeve shaping, so I've tried all kinds of different ones, but none were perfect. I've just discovered "Strand Increase", which makes an almost invisible increase which is ideal for sleeves, or any other place you don't want an obvious increase. Check out this link for an explanation with images: Strand Increase

Nitrates and Migraines -- Hidden Foes!!

For those of us who get migraines, we know -- we have to be vigilant to avoid those triggers that send us into blinding pain and agonizing nausea. My main trigger (aside from those impossible-to-control hormones) is the nitrates and nitrites found in cured meats -- ham, bacon, sausage, pepperoni, etc. I have faithfully avoided these foods ever since I figured out they were the major culprit of my migraines.

So when I came across "all natural" bacon, smoked the old-fashioned way with absolutely no added ingredients, I was psyched to say the least. All it contains is pork. That's it. What could be dangerous about that?

As it turns out, lots. Apparently, the process of smoking the pork can bring out the naturally-occuring nitrates/nitrites inherently existing in the meat. I unfortunately found this out too late, and suffered the consequences.

This also explains the migraine I got after eating smoked salmon, which again contained no additional nitrates/nitrites. I guess the smoking process in itself is just a migraine-inducing process for those of us who are sensitive to it.

What a crushing disappointment.