Saturday 2 November 2013

Top Ten Quotes About Knitting and Knit City pictures

At our recent spinning retreat (Desert Mesa Retreat, Cache Creek, BC), we were encouraged to do something with the number 10, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of this retreat. I came up with a list of quotes about knitting.
 
One week after the retreat, I was a vendor at a fairly new event in Vancouver called Knit City.

The guest speaker on Saturday night was Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, otherwise known as The Yarn Harlot. Here is a picture of the organizers Amanda and Fiona, with Stephanie in the middle.
Because 9 out of the 10 quotes were from Stephanie's writings, I felt obligated to get her permission first before I posted this blog, which she gladly gave me. Don't miss the opportunity to hear her speak (or buy her books). She is a hoot!

So here are myTop Ten:


10.  Knitters just can't watch TV without doing something else. Knitters just can't wait in line, knitters just can't sit waiting at the doctor's office. Knitters need knitting to add a layer of interest in other, less constructive ways.”
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
 
9.    “ I will continue to freak out my children by knitting in public. It's good for them.”
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much
 
8.    “SABLE- A common knitting acronym that stands for Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy.”
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much
 
7.    Advice for New Knitters When choosing a pattern, look for ones that have words such as "simple", "basic", and "easy". If you see the words "intriguing", "challenging", or "intricate", look elsewhere.  If you happen across a pattern that says "heirloom", slowly put down the pattern and back away.
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much
 
6.    “It is important for knitters to know two things about frogging: that cats are capable of this knitting action, and even seem to enjoy it and seek opportunities to do it; and that foul language is a normal, healthy accompaniment to frogging, whether it is you or the cat that accomplished the task.”
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much
 
5.    “A half finished shawl left on the coffee table isn't a mess; it's an object of art.”
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
 
4.    The twitch above my right eye will disappear with knitting practice.”
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much
 
3.    “The best reason for a knitter to marry is that you can't teach the cat to be impressed when you finish a lace scarf.”
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much
 
2.    “...the number one reason knitters knit is because they are so smart that they need knitting to make boring things interesting. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
 
1.    “Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either.”
Elizabeth Zimmermann

Finally, some pictures from the Knit City event.

My booth - it is amazing what you can get into a 5x10 foot space.
 
Some fibre from The Wacky Windmill from Alberta

 Batts to die for.

 
 Michelle Franklin from Hope with wonderful handmade garments.

Got to finally meet Facebook friend Tammy McDow with incredible hand dyed and handspun Bluefaced Leicester yarns.

Just a few of Melissa Nasby's creations (SoulFibre Studio, Salmon Arm, BC)

She liked it so much, she wasn't even going to knit it.

A customer from Fibres West, showing off a cowl she made from my yarn purchased last spring.
 

Oh, did I mention there was yarn for sale?
 
After a long weekend's work, my travel buddy Sheila Grant and I relaxed at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown. A great weekend!
 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 




 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Desert Mesa Spinning Retreat, October 2013

This year was a special year - the 10th anniversary of the retreat being held in Cache Creek, BC. It was decided that a 2-day retreat was not long enough so this one was 3 days. Everyone arrived Thursday afternoon, and went home Sunday afternoon, after having spun, laughed, watched, learned, entertained, ate, spun, ate, spun, ate and somewhere in there, slept. We had so much fun, it was decided that future retreats should always be 3 days!
 
Here are some pictures of some of the goings-on:
Gudie Hupfauer modelling her "sweggings" with interesting pattern placement. (Yes, they are made entirely from a recycled man's sweater).

There were 51 of us at the event - some have been at these retreats since they were first started back in the late 1990's at Tulahead, BC.

A bagful of fibres purchased from my shop, waiting to be spun.
Anne Carmichael brought her sock knitting machine, and fascinated us all with the workings.

Of course, there was a Show and Tell - with so many beautiful items to show, and so many stories to tell, we had to spread it out over 2 days. This shawl would have taken the Fan's Favourite - an illusion shawl, handknit by Gail Wensley from Whistler, knit only with knit and purl stitches, revealing a picture only when held at just the right angle.
Next, are 2 similar but different shawls knitted by two similar but different long time friends, Elizabeth Toutant and Fay Lutz.

The theme of the retreat was 10, and everyone was encouraged to come up with something to do with the number 10. Several of us managed to do this - here are some examples:
Sandra McNaughton from Summerland brought 10 shawls that she has knitted out of laceweight handspun yarn made mostly on drop spindles!

 Cecilia Harris brought a matching set of headband, mittens and hat made from handspun dog hair, and pictures of the 10 dogs that she harvested the hair to spin.
 
Donne Arneson brought 10 skeins of silk that she had hand dyed; Donna Faulkes brought 10 handspun skeins of yarn, each from a different breed of fleece, Gail Dickson brought 10 items made from handspun yarn, Heather Specken brought 10 items (woven and/or knitted and/or handspun) that she made in the past year, Karen Bonter told stories of the first 10 years of the Desert Mesa retreat, Lynn Rettberg brought many pairs of hand knit socks and gloves, and it went on.
 
This is a shawl made by Melody Lang of Nanaimo, it is handspun and beautifully knit, from a colourway of fibre that I produce called "Ripe Banana".
 
 
 
Some of the beautiful handcrafted and intricate boxes and jewelry made of wood by our carpenter, Julia Armstrong.
 
 And some of Gudie's funky and fun handspun yarns (I recognize more of my hand dyed fibre!)
 
In another posting, I will put my contribution to the 10s -
Top Ten Quotes About Knitting!
 
 
The Deadly Duo of Julia and Gudie organized a "Talent Night" on Saturday which probably was the highlight of the weekend, especially the "50 Shades of Grey" story taking place in a yarn shop, perfectly performed by Sue Henry and Michelle Garrett-Jones from Pemberton. They have promised a second chapter.
 
Interested in attending a retreat in April or October? Contact Sheila Kirk at silk@telus.net.