Mark Your Calendar

If you've ever wondered about dyeing yarn, we hope you'll come and talk with the experts. 

Roxanne and hubby, Neville, of Zen Yarn Garden will be at the shop on Saturday, April 21 from 1-3 pm.  They'll bring their latest creations and colourways along with two new St. Thomas Landscape Series yarns, Springwater and CASO.

Here's a sneak preview:

...and another:

This shawl is Roxanne's free pattern, Mezquita, which will be an option for our Knitalong.  Once the bit of lace is done, the short row stocking stitch section couldn't be easier!  And I know you'll love the generous length of this dramatic shawl. 

Hope you can join us!

If it weren't for teaching ....

I've read that bloggers are often people who love or need to teach.  During the winter months, I scheduled a lot of classes at the shop.  I think I may have filled my need by "teaching through my needles," as one student put it.  Now that spring is here and I can breathe again, I'm back at the blog.

Teaching always inspires me.  In my last Baby Surprise class, one of the students bounded ahead and was finished the basics by the second class.  Because it was a small class, we also covered several I-cord tricks (applied, I-cord cast off, and three-needle I-cord cast off).  We did a garter stitch hood and grafted it invisibly at the top.  By the time we were done, I was anxious to start my 8th Baby Surprise with new plans for longer sleeves ....and I don't even have any grandchildren ...yet!  So far, sanity has prevailed, but I'm sure that before the next class, I'll be casting on for another!

Since I had yarn leftover, I thought I'd make a hat based on the Baby Surprise and the Gull Lace Baby Hat, below:

Because of another baby sweater class, I searched for a matching hat ...but ended up designing my own.  Here's the Gull Lace Baby Hat based on Elizabeth Zimmerman's February Baby Sweater:

If it weren't for classes, I doubt that any of these projects would have come about. 
Thanks for the inspiration, knitters!

At last!

Yesterday, I got a present.  Okay, I had to buy it for myself, but it is still a gift.

Principles of Knitting, by June Hemmons Hiatt, was first published in 1988.  It has been out of print for years, now.  I remember reading on the internet how people were paying $400 and $500 for old copies of this book.  Since I had never seen it and had no idea how to find it, (and it was a LOT of money), I forced it from my mind.

Yesterday, it arrived at the shop and last night it went home with me.  I browsed and turned the 650 pages until my hand was tired.  What a treasure trove!

It weighs almost 4 and a half pounds ...and it is going on vacation with me!

 

It's a Good Thing

True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

It's been a great month for new knitters at Little Red Mitten.  The number of young people who want to knit - for a new baby, for themselves, or because their friends have inspired them, continues to grow. 

It seems that when more people knit, more want to learn. Non-knitters watch the relaxed faces of those who knit ...and they want to go to that place, too.  And what could be more exciting than jumping into a hobby so full of possibilities, designs, colour, texture and cosiness?

So what prompts people to want to learn to knit?  Is it the popularity of handknitted garments?  Is it the desire to carry on a tradition?  Maybe it is mankind's innate need to create.  Or is it all about the comfort of creating something with love for someone you love? 

What do you think?

Congratulations, Roxanne!

Roxanne of Zen Yarn Garden hits the big times! 

You may know Roxanne as the talented dyer from Bright's Grove, ON who dyed our exclusive St. Thomas Landscape Series last year. 






The beautiful yarn colours were based on the Clark McDougall painting, Talbot St., 1964, and several of you knitted one of my Talbot Shawls in her yarn. 







Another one of her colourways was inspired by a photo of our Jumbo monument with the red caboose in the background.  (This is a Talbot Hill Shawl.)  Yummy!

Here's a Talbot Street Shawl done in one of her Landscape Series colours in Zen Yarn Garden Heavy Lace.




This week, Roxanne was mentioned in Clara Parkes well-respected Knitter's Review.
 
Clara got her hands on some "Serenity Silk Single" and plans to feature Roxanne's 75% superwash Merino, 15% cashmere, 10% silk yarn in one of her regular swatch tests.  Why is that a big deal?  Clara is the author of The Knitter's Book of Wool, The Knitter's Book of Yarn and the Knitter's Book of Socks. Her weekly online Knitter's Review has been devoted to all things "yarny" for eleven years and has a readership of 34,000. 

That's a lot of knitters!  Way to go Roxanne!

Roc Day 2012

Since January 7 fell on a Saturday this year, we just had to celebrate Roc Day

...and honour our spinning heritage! 

Did you know that some form of spinning has been practised by humans for approximately 20,000 years?  In France, there is a bone carving of the fertility goddess Venus wearing a string skirt.  The sculptor has engraved the twists in each string and has even included the fraying at the ends of the twists ...so these skirts cannot have been made from leather or sinew, but must have been made from twisted fibre.  (For more info, see Women's Work - The First 20,000 Years by Elizabeth Wayland Barber.)

Fast forward many generations to experience a Roc Day or St. Distaff's Day celebration.  In the Christian tradition, spinners would take a holiday during the Twelve Days of Christmas.  On January 7, the women would get back to business using their spindles, wheels and distaffs.  The celebration would include pranks by the men such as setting fire to the spinning fibre while the women retaliated with buckets of water, drenching the men.  (The ploughmen had time to play because they didn't have to return to work until the Monday following the 12 days of Christmas - I wonder who made up that rule!!! )

The St. Distaff's Day poem, below, is by Robert Herrick (1648). 

Partly worke and partly play
Ye must on S. Distaffs day:
From the Plough soone free your teame;
Then come home and fother them.
If the Maides a spinning goe,
Burne the flax, and fire the tow:
Scorch their plackets, but beware
That ye singe no maiden-haire.
Bring in pailes of water then,
Let the Maides bewash the men.
Give S. Distaffe all the right,
Then bid Christmas sport good-night;
And next morrow, every one
To his owne vocation.

The Illustration is from Wikipedia.  The distaff was used for storing the spinner's fibre while she worked.  And I did say, "while SHE worked."  Spinning was most definitely women's work, so much so that the legal term "distaff side" means the woman's side of the family.

And now to 2012.  Here's Jean at her beautifully restored wheel:

Doesn't it just seem to fit in with the old floors and windows in our 1842 upstairs classroom?  We had 12-14 spinners with us at our Roc Day celebration ...so the tradition continues, but without the fire and water :)

Charity Begins at Home ...and all that

As my husband likes to say, "If you want something done, ask a busy person."  So here I go.

At the end of our Friday night knitting, one of our knitters mentioned that she was going on a Rotary mission to Ghana on January 5.  She has been involved in several international trips like this, usually offering medical help and knowledge, which is her area of expertise.  She will be visiting kids with AIDS, from birth up to about 10 years of age.  Even though Ghana is near the equator, it does cool down in the evenings ...and these compromised children have a hard time keeping warm.

And now for our request.  Robbi would really love to take hats with her to share with these children. 
- They should fit kids from birth to 10 years of age.
- They need to be soft because AIDS children tend to be hyper-sensitive.  Soft wool or wool blends would be ideal.
- No buttons (for the smallest sizes, as per usual).
- Cheerful, colourful, happy hats would be most appreciated.
- And they need to be delivered to Little Red Mitten by Wednesday, January 4 so that she can pack them in her suitcase!  Can we do it???  It is a busy time of year ...but knitters have big hearts!!!! 

Last night, a quick search through my stash turned up these cheerful colours,

and this morning, before work, I cast on ...