Steek Class

Last week at this time I was in class at Maryland Sheep & Wool. I don't know why I never took classes there before but, now that I have, I'm sure that this won't be the last time. The first class was Child-Sized Stranded Hat with Steek and Katherine Misegades was the teacher. You may not know her because she's rather new to teaching classes like this but she was a great teacher.

In all honesty, if we'd been given the job of knitting our sample as pre-class homework, the class could easily have been shorter and just as effective. But I enjoyed it very much as it was. It was the perfect excuse to sit and knit and talk about knitting all day. You can't underestimate the value of that in a busy schedule.



The reason I took the class was simple. Now that I can do colorwork that doesn't suck I'm eager to try more and steeking will open up many more possibilities. I'm not a big fan of sewing and I freely admit that although I own 2 sewing machines and I don't know how to use either of them. Never-the-less I was willing to attempt sewing for the sake of steeking.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that the method she was showing us used crochet rather than sewing. Win!



My little mosaic shows the project after I finished knitting it, after I added the i-cord edge and crochet reinforcement, after I cut the steek and the completely finished project. I am very happy with the way it turned out. Even better - I feel like I'm up to trying a slightly bigger steeked project.

Katherine Misegades was lovely and a great teacher. She was very open and pleasant to talk to. She brought several examples of the project to show us and help guide us and even brought a sample that was ready to be cut so that we could try it on her work before cutting our own.

It was a great class which accomplished exactly what I had hoped it would. I'd do it again and I'd recommend it to you too.

Ten on Tuesday - 10 People You Would Like To Interview

On Sunday afternoon I relaxed in the garden. I pulled weeds and planted some of the seedlings. There are a lot of them so I hope to finish soon. I'll be shocked if we don't have a huge harvest this year.

Anyway, while i was working in the garden Bruce came out to help. He went to clean out the birdhouse and when he opened up the back of it he found it full of baby birds. Can you see them amid all the fluff? I didn't want to disturb anything so I just took a quick picture before he closed it up again. It's nice to stop near the birdhouse in the morning and listen to the tiny chirps.



So, it's Tuesday again and the topic this week is 10 People You Would Like to Interview and Carole specified that we're going for living people this time. Here goes:

1. Oprah - Who wouldn't want to interview her?
2. Tom Colicchio - after hosting Top Chef for years he's been named Top Chef for real by the James Beard Foundation. Imagine all that he could teach a foodie like me!
3. Johnny Depp - So cool
4. Diane Sawyer - Another woman I really admire
5. Judith Mackenzie McCuin - after class with her last week I'd say that she is endlessly interesting
6. Michelle Obama - She makes me proud to be a woman in America
7. James Franco - I was just reading about how he's enjoying life as a career student and that fascinates me.
8. Bill Clinton - For all his personal failings he is still so magnetic.
9. Hillary Clinton - It's not just because she spells her name correctly. I really admire her and think that she'd be really interesting.
10. Laura Lippman - I really enjoy her books and I'd love to ask her all kinds of things about her writing.

Of course you know that I'd never be able to interview any of them only because I'd totally freeze up and forget how to talk if given the chance. Just sayin'. Who would you interview?

Maryland Sheep & Wool 2010

If I had to try sum up Maryland Sheep & Wool 2010 in one word it would be hot. It was so freakin' hot this year that I felt like I would melt. It was so hot that even those die hards who wear 5 layers of knit in May - wore none. None! At best I saw a few scarves and shawls draped loosely around a few shoulders.



Too bad these poor Angora goats couldn't strip down. I bet they were hot.



As hot as it was, it didn't keep many people away. The place was so crowded. There were people everywhere and yet... I didn't see anyone I knew aside from vendors. So weird! Even stranger is the fact that the line for t-shirts was the fastest it's ever been in my experience. We spent less than half an hour in that barn. I couldn't believe it.



DQ and I wandered through the barns looking at everything and buying less than I thought I would. Perhaps I was distracted by the wheels. I tried quite a few of them including the new Kromski Fantasia (Like!), the new Majacraft Aura (very confusing), and a bunch of others.

Along the way, DQ started wondering what all the fuss was about. When we stopped at the Yarn Barn of Kansas so that I could try even more wheels, DQ asked Jim if he could show her how to spin. And he did.



Pretty soon she was doing it on her own. She spun even, she spun less even, she spun twisty, and she need help a few times. At the end she asked if she can try my wheels at home. She liked it. She says that she actually likes it better than knitting.



As Jim taught DQ how to spin a bit of a crowd formed and he demonstrated for that little boy too.



It was a very hot and tiring day but a really good one. I can't wait until next year.

I'll share my classes and what I got later this week.