knitting for love

Announcements | May 05, 2008
By Tina

( click on thumbnail to view)

Why do we knit? Because we love to. We love everything about it. The stitches, the yarn, needles,colors and patterns. Putting it all together and getting a sense of how it will play together. Planning it all out and then the actual knit itself. Socks, sweaters, mittens… .

A lot of us knit with and for love. We knit for those we love ( a pair of socks for a friend) and we knit for those in need ( a shawl or blanket for someone who is in need ) and we knit for others to be helpful and a part of something bigger than ourselves ( hats for preemies and the homeless), to contribute in some small way to the world we inhabit.

I like to think of this as intentional knitting. There is thought and heart in every single stitch. As the recipient of several of these love-knits I can tell you they are quite amazing in their effect. To wrap yourself in a shawl that a friend has knit their love for you in every single stitch, well it is a powerful and humbling thing.

At camp we have had several, four to be exact, blankets being knit, to gift to someone or some group in need. They are not yet done and I would like to see them out in the world spreading joy and comfort, not sitting in a box in my studio. So I was wondering if there are who are interested in this project. It needs to be at least 4 people, so a knit group/stitchnbitch comes to mind. The group aspect makes it a bit more fun and adds in a little more mojo! It does not need to be an exclusive sock club thing, anyone is welcome here.

Actually it would be a great thing to just keep going if there are enough interested. I will supply the yarn and color.

Anyone interested please email me at sockclub@bluemoonfiberarts.com and put “knit@love” in the title.

thank you

tina

Sorry!!

Announcements | May 01, 2008
By Tina

Well, what should have been a very easy add in of a few products is now a bit of a mess.

All of the product was not added at the same time and actually there is still more to come.

So if all you were waiting for was monkey related you are good to go. Patterns are up also as are the new colorways, Kaw Kaw and Knitters without Borders (although the color needs to adjusted on this).

The rest of the colors that are coming are as follows; Walking on the Wild Tide, Grimm’s Willow-Wren, Braun’s Woods and Eggplanted. Hopefully they will be up this weekend.

There is no easy way for us to combine orders in this new system. I am having one scripted in but it is not done. So we are stuck here. Again I am sorry and appreciate your patience and understanding.

Maybe it would be different if it was not yarn. Maybe if it was, let’s say computer parts or a server or two. UGH!

We’re Back!!

Announcements, Camp Crows Feet | April 26, 2008
By Tina

Well almost. I will agree with Stephanie that Camp has a mortality rate. I think we will need to make “Sock Camp Survivor” buttons for next year.

It was seriously crazy fun and even my wildest dreams did not hold a candle to what we all created together. I might be the head instigator but the magic of camp involves every single person there. We are just a bunch of stitches in a great pattern, of course in Gauge! (sorry)

Here are a few of my favorite moments: ( click on photo to enlarge)

I had not a clue that when I was sent to open the front door that this is what would greet me when I returned. “The Yarn Enforcers”

“Go with the flow swap” Where we played pass the TP cover to Cockeyed’s tale of hilarity enacted by Cat, Steph and Hot Flash.

Preformance Art at its absolute best. The infamous cockamamie chicken returns for yet another anatomy lesson from her creators Stephanie and Cat, the dynamic duo.

The visual feast that was the camp homework. So creative and wonderful. I want a museum showing for these. Every single one was a work of art.

Serious monkey madness.

Informative and entertaining classes where we learned all kinds of sock related goodness including exactly what is my fault and what is not.

Ahhhh, knitting!

and of course wrapping things up with a little sock puppet theatre.

So much fun and still legal, amazing!!

It is taking me a wee bit longer to recover than I would have predicted. I apologize for taking so very long to get anything up here. I figure with all of everyone else’s posts you did get a taste of what was going down. We have a Flickr account that I will post the massive amount of pics on and also give you the info. so you can post yours also if you like. With all that we have together we could make quite a record of this experience.

To campers, counselors and staff . My heart is so very full and from there I thank you for every single moment.

tina

You never know where the yarn will lead you.

Designer's Corner, March Kit Questions | March 23, 2008
By JC Briar

Hi, I’m JC, and I hope y’all like the Leafling pattern in this month’s kit. It’s another example of a design that ended up a good distance from where it began.In this case, it all began with a stitch pattern that caught my eye: a simple chevron pattern with a columns of purl dots. Hmm, I thought. A rib pattern like that would work well for socks. In Socks that Rock, of course.So I played around with the pattern on paper, charting out a bunch of variations–I tend to do that a lot–then swatched a few of them. As I was swatching, it dawned on me: why not arrange the decreases into feathers or leaves, rather than a plain chevron?More charting and swatching: oh, yeah, I liked that that variation. But instead of a rib that went all the way around the leg and all the way across the instep, how about just one panel running the length of the sock?Bingo, that’s what it had to be. Chart out a slick way of switching from a matching rib to the main pattern, cast on, and away we go.But what kind of heel? Usually I like flap-and-gusset heels, but I’d just finished reading Cat Bordhi’s New Pathways for Sock Knitters, so naturally I had to try a gusset-and-flap heel instead, with the gusset increases flowing from the leaf pattern. Sweet! Bonus: getting the heel stitch to cup all the way around the heel, for durability and cush padding.So the Leafling socks were a fun designing adventure. Hope y’all find them a fun knitting adventure!-JC