Travel

Block Island Knitting Retreat

May 29, 2014 by Mary Jane Leave a Comment

I warned you I might vanish for a spell. What was I doing? Teaching and traveling – with my best buds in this case! Gudrun Johnston, Franklin Habit and I had the pleasure of teaching in a spectacular location, Block Island Rhode Island at the North Light Fiber’s Block Island Knitting Retreat. We had a wonderful group of knitters to teach and hang out with. Our hosts Laura and Steve Risom are the best, they have a beautiful fiber mill to tour and lots of animals to visit. Now I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

Do yourself a favor, when this event comes up next year – Book It!

Icelandic Insoles – Part One

April 3, 2014 by Mary Jane 9 Comments

Iceland has been on my mind since Cirilia Rose has been instagraming from Iceland along with her buddy Steven West. You have to check out their photostreams – so entertaining!!! This picture of fish skin shoes had me remembering the time Gudrun and I spent at the Textile Museum up in Blönduós. It turns out that the traditional knitting of Iceland, or rather the antique knitting of Iceland, isn’t the ubiquitous Lopapeysa yoked sweaters, but garter stitch insoles for fish skin shoes. I’d heard about these from Helene Magnusson’s fantastic knitting books, especially Icelandic Color Knitting: Using Rose Patterns.

While wandering the galleries, I was so enthralled with the insoles that the kind women at the museum offered to show me some of the collection not on display.

It is about time I shared them with you!

Here’s how they are stored.

Ok that’s all for now, soon I’ll show you the shoes and some more examples.

Fly Away – Flying Geese!

January 14, 2014 by Mary Jane

I’m off to the big city soon, New York, New York for Vogue Knitting Live! Woo hoo!
It will be so much fun – making new friends and knitting up a storm.

Before I fly the coop I’m leaving you a new pattern for fast, fair isle knitting fun! Flying Geese – inspired by the quilt pattern – turquoise geese fly against a gradient neutral background. Bright and subdued at the same time.

A stellar first stranded colorwork project! Fun for the experienced too!

I used Harrisville Highland a worsted/aran weight yarn I fell in love with all over again last year when I taught my Color Immersion Weekend right there at Harrisville Designs in beautiful Harrisville New Hampshire. Their color range is sensational. If you order full skeins you’ll have enough yarn to make a few cowls. I’d get some of their hot pink or marigold to change it up a little. Of course a single cowl doesn’t require a lot of yarn, so you could easily go stash diving, the gradient needn’t be grey – as always the possibilities are endless!
Find out all the details and yarn amounts here.

10 patterns will fly away for free! Leave a comment from now through Thursday – I’ll be gifting Flying Geese to a random 10 of you who leave a cheery comment and your Ravelry ID! Spread the love, spread the fun!