Squam High

I've just returned from teaching at the Squam Art Workshops and it was a totally brilliant experience so I had to share some of the highlights here!
Of course I took very few photos as I was too busy enjoying myself to remember the camera!

SAW is held at the Rockywold Deephaven Camp up in New Hampshire. It's a stunning setting with cabins dotted throughout the woods, many of which have their own little dock. I was in a cabin with Jess and Casey, Jared Flood, Ysolda and her assistant Sarah. In between the teaching and the class taking that was going on we had the chance to hang out, swim, star gaze and of course knit!

I taught two full day classes, one on the Hap shawl and one on my Aestlight shawl. I had great students which made it super enjoyable and I think they all got a lot out of it. (Yeah and I have no photos of this part)!
There were all kinds of classes going on, block printing, sewing, embroidery, book making, spinning...and many more. Next year I plan on attending at least one class in a different medium!

On the final evening there was a marketplace filled with beautiful handmade goodies. Ysolda had a booth to showcase her patterns and I snuck in a few of mine too.

...free cake and beer from the Ravelry team....didn't last long!

Elizabeth (the organizer of this whole shebang) made it a very special experience for everyone attending. She lined up some awesome talent for our evening entertainment; the beautiful singing of Jonatha Brooke, the insanely entertaining, laugh-till-you-cry words of Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee, and the thought provoking stories of Jenlee.

So if you've ever wanted the perfect creative getaway you must check out this incredible event...you won't regret it!
Thank you so much Elizabeth for a rewarding and rejuvenating experience....can't wait for next time!

Hilltown Rasta

Remember I mentioned I was in a band?

Well we had our first gig last night! It was a beautiful May evening, thunderstorms abated and the skies were clear.

As you can see the weather was important what with it being an outdoor venue! It was a tad breezy however and I was a little concerned at points that I was going to do a Marilyn Monroe in my new dress....thankfully that didn't happen!

This was my first time performing in a band and with a mic.....my whole music background is in the classical domain with very serious recitals where you don't tend to do a lot of dancing!

I had so much fun and can't wait to do it again!

Here's our lead singer and instigator of the whole shebang....Jah Gerry....he's worked so hard on getting this whole thing up and running and has even made a wonderful website for the band (we're called i Idren) where you can check out more of our reggae-roots songs!

I leave you with one of my favourite tunes .......Hilltown Rasta......!!
ETA: Thanks to David and Sage for the photos!

Fibery Frolicks

Choosing the right fiber for a design is often the most challenging (but also exciting part) of the process. Often my choice is dictated by a particular colour and I have to have that yarn without necessarily knowing what it will be become. Other times it is only after playing with a certain fiber that a plan falls into place.

The latter was the case for this beautiful yarn from the Fiber Company. This is their Canopy Yarn in fingering weight (colour Yerba Mate). A luscious blend of baby alpaca, merino and bamboo. Soft doesn't even begin to describe this yarn. It's the kind of yarn you want to rub against your face in ecstasy (unless of course you're allergic to alpaca then definitely not a good idea)! After swatching with this I could see which of my design ideas it would work well for. Progress is being made and I'm very happy with how that one is coming together.

This choice had a lot to do with the colour. I knew I wanted a lace weight yarn and I knew I wanted something with some silk so my first instinct was to visit the Jaggerspun Zephyr at WEBS and this cone of Curry yelled out to me! I snagged it and ran off most satisfied! I love being able to use a cone to knit from, one continuous thread of gold (or tussah silk in this case)! This is destined to become a delicate cardigan in the collection.

Jamieson and Smith's jumper weight yarn.

In this case I did not pick the colours but was asked to put together a design with them. This particular design will be published elsewhere but I still have a lot of these colours left and plan on using them for the collection. As you can see some ends had to be woven in!

Still more choices to be made and playing to be done!

Totally Not Knitting Related!

Hope you're all enjoying a chocolate filled Easter weekend. We kicked it off here with this egg nest cake by Nigella Lawson. No flour but plenty of goo...and topped with mini eggs!
The sun is shining and it's ridiculously warm for the beginning of April...I mean I've even had to apply sunscreen already and attack a mosquito in my bedroom!
Sadly the knitting all went backwards today.....more on that another time!

Oldie but Goodie!

Before I talk about being re-united with this sweater I want to thank you all so much for your birthday wishes and wonderful words of encouragement re the pattern collection. It helps a LOT to know I have folks eager to see the fruits of my labour!

So, the OBG! I haven't had this sweater for almost 3 years but it made it's way back to me last week. It is of course my Slipped Hours design that I made for the Sanguine Gryphon using her Dance yarn.

I was really satisfied with this design (an early one in my short career as a designer) and am very happy to have it as a new addition to my wardrobe (this sample fits me so well too)! I love the pleasing, simple shapes of the slipped stitch pattern, the 3/4 length sleeves and the floppy cowl.....

Unfortunately the yarn used for this is to be discontinued but I have plans to re-knit it using a different Sanguine Gryphon yarn and then re release the pattern here on my blog.

Now to choose a yarn and colour from all the wonderful ones on offer over at the Sanguine Gryphon!

A Wee Revelation

What isn't a revelation is that I turned 36 today! However as I'm feeling in a celebratory mood I thought it was an apt day to share important news on the knitting/designing front!

I've been keeping this to myself until I felt sure that enough of the pieces were coming together and I'm now at the point where I think I can safely nod the affirmative to that.

So....the real revelation .....I'll be self-publishing a collection of Shetland Trader patterns! There will be around 8 or so designs, all Shetland inspired (mostly lace influenced) and all to be photographed in that beautiful landscape this summer. The designs will also be available individually.

As it is going to be a bit of a wait before this collection is ready I felt the need to be able to share some of the process here with you on the blog. I won't be giving you full disclosures but rather snippets here and there....to whet the appetite as it were!

Hope you'll stick with me as I attempt what feels like an exciting and hopefully rewarding new venture!

Reasons To Be Cheerful

Hello! It's been a frighteningly long time since my last post as my husband keeps pointing out so I'm popping in with a brief recap as I emerge from my semi-hibernation!

So...reasons to be cheerful:

1) It's March and spring is in the air (as can be seen by Maya's colourful wellies and socks above). I'm so happy to be leaving February behind...always a tough month for me. It might also have something to do with the fact that March means birthdays in our house, one of which is mine!

2) I'm grateful for my beautiful friends who I'll be hanging out with on said birthday to make hula hoops and have henna tattoos applied!

3) Enjoying watching my kids grow and find their way.

4) We almost have a new mud room (interior work still unfinished)! It's maybe a little reflective of the tidy parent I have become that this makes me so happy!

5) Making music with my friends Jenn and Gerry has been a big part of my life these last couple of months. We're all in a band together (with some others) and have been jammin (it's a reggae influenced dynamic)! Here's a sneak listen!

6)...and last but not least knitting....always makes me cheerful (well maybe not the ripping). The hap shawl shown above is in preparation for a retreat I'm teaching at this coming weekend for Green Mtn Spinnery.....2 nights at an old inn and knitting...can't wait!

There is of course a lot of other knitting going on but I'll save that announcement for a different blog post!