january 26, 2009

finally finished the intarsia clutch for class.  it lo0ks like this after  i took out the flap and redesigned the closing.  i don’t have the right buttons here at home (they need to be bigger) but this is the basic look.dsc02639

bottom line, it is a quick knit and will teach three skills – intarsia, argyle, and duplicate st. by the way, i really like this rustic yarn from cascade – the wool/linen blend is terrific to work with.  i like the halo effect because it softens the look of the pattern.

classes on saturday went pretty well.  the five new knitters caught on quickly.  well, actually there were only three totally new to knitting.  the other two were taking a refresher.  the youngest was 15 and i had two that were lefties.  variety is nice!

the block of the month group was pleased with the easy pattern and all left feeling successful.  there are quite a few new bom’ers so we took more time explaining the concept and how they can individualize the size of the finished piece.  it is fun to see the different choices of yarn and colors.

as for the lace class, i pretty much let the ladies talk and share their frustrations and successes.  the nupes are particularly challenging so we spent some time talking about ways to make them easier.  i think the best idea is just to pull out the stitches as you make them so that they are bigger.  one student decided to forgo the nupes and just do the same lace pattern in each panel – good choice, i think.  it is no fun to knit something that does not bring some pleasure.  i did have one revealing thought in class.  i might actually like this pattern in a bigger yarn – it would make a lovely baby blanket .  there would be fewer repeats and i might be able to stick with it and finish it!

no picture of the malabrigo sock as i left it at the shop (on purpose).  if it is there and i am here then i have to knit on projects that need finishing and not on malabrigo socks that feel so good!

yesterday i finished and blocked my mooi shawl.  it is beautiful.  i’ll share pictures and thoughts tomorrow.