And October flies by...

My first week at Craftsy was great. A little overwhelming, like any new job, but such a wonderful place to be!

Since I was starting a new position, it only seems apt that I would begin several new projects. Some of them small, like the Bronntanas hat by Ysolda. Made with Shibui Maai - it feels like heaven.

Some of them larger, like the Amanda sweater from Essentially Feminine Knits by Lene Holme Samsoe. It is an aran sweater, that I am making out of some rustic Blackwater Abbey from my stash. This is part of the Fringe and Friends KAL. Taking after many of the Fringe's friends who are adjusting the sweater, I am adjusting mine as well. It is being knit in one piece for the body and sleeves in the round. This means that the body is being knit on three needles the button bands on a size 5 and the fronts and back on a size 6 needle. I have been enjoying the challenge.

However, as often happens in life when many new things are happening, I realized at inch 5, that I had forgotten to add buttonholes on my button bands. 

This felt like a good time to rip down a few stitches, without taking out my cables and ribbing. Here are my photos of this process - first, I pulled down the three stitches for the buttonhole - two will be bound off, one was the anchor stitch for the bind off.

Next I worked the first button hole row, then using the e cast on, re-cast on the two stitches for the top of the button hole.

One at a time, I pulled my stitches up to the top of the band.

And we are back to the stitches all being back at the top. After a few more rows of knitting, the stitches are new sitting much more evenly.

Next post, I will show you shawl surgery involving steeking a cable shawl that I made last year. Leaving you with a selfie, I took with my grandmother this past weekend, when we were celebrating her 95th birthday.

Interweave Knits!

I realize that I have been a little absent for a while. Soaking in the beautiful changes leading to spring, has been my focus. More about being quiet and observant, than formulating thoughts to expound upon.

It could also be that I unearthed the pieces of a printed and cut jersey dress that I have decided that I really want to take to my trip to Berkeley this weekend. My trip to meet the Alabama Chanin team at the Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, is finally here. So there has been lots of sewing and cutting. It was originally cut and stenciled about 6 months ago, without the rib. 

I am hoping to be done with all four panels tonight for the reverse applique. Leaving just assembling the pieces and cutting and attaching the rib. More photos to come...

But the real excitement of this post, you may remember months ago, I submitted to Interweave Knits. Randomly, I had the yarn and pattern idea that worked perfectly (in my opinion) with their Fine Fisherman motif for Winter 2014/15. It is my first submission to a major knitting magazine. Today, the email came - Lisa Shroyer, IK editor, is interested in one of my designs! For full disclosure, the design with a little modification. Thrilled. Excited. Honored. Sorry not to have any photos to go with this exciting news... You will have to wait until the magazine is published, there will not even be teasers. Still pinching myself, nervous about making sure that I meet all the guidelines, deadlines and can answer all their questions. You gotta jump in somewhere, so here I am. Off to float through the rest of my day and probably my week, dreaming of knitting...

2100

Today, Stranded Colorwork on Craftsy broke 2100 students! I am humbled and honored that so many people are interested in my class...

Still caught by time..,

This post was just brought to my attention.

http://toltyarnandwool.com/blog/2014/2/2/lisas-mittens

I love the pictures and am flattered when anything that I design becomes

 a finished item. Someone valued the pattern enough to spend their time

 creating my vision. And in this instance, taking beautiful pictures as well.

I am working on a new stranded pattern. It's been in my head for a long time.

Finally, it is charted, thumb designed. Knit once - frogged and in process of being knit again.

It feels like this pattern has come easily. Though not perfectly, hence the frogging.

As I have started to count the hours - and yes, it is a lot of hours, that it has taken to get the crosses to wrap - to center the thumb, have the decreases in the correct places, and get all the stitches charted on the software, I figure that I am about 20 hours in. With about 10 hours to go - writing the written pattern, knitting a second pair a double check, adjusting the charts. Back to time... Deadlines for submission, working 40 hours, 10 more patterns roaming around in my head, and so many other things pulling at my time...

Craftsy Class: Stranded Knitting: Basics and Beyond -

On Halloween 2013, Stefanie Japel called to see if I would be interested in working with Craftsy again. Last December, I had done a workshop for Craftsy - the Aspen Mitten - which was challenging and fun! After my last experience with Craftsy, there was no hesitation in accepting the offer. And this was for a VIDEO class - the real deal!

Photos from the first day of filming.

About a week later,  three stranded mitten patterns were somewhere between my brain and hand drawn charts on graph paper. Time to embark on test knitting and getting the patterns written/charted. A big thank you to Julie, my test knitter, who helped me to go through the patterns for errors and guidance on the difficult parts of knitting the mittens - skills to be included in the video.

Marketing shots of the Mittens by Ashley.

Just to throw a loop into things - a happy loop as it was - I had been gifted a Studio Week with Natalie Chanin and the Alabama Chanin design team the second week of November. It was a truely magical week. Natalie had some good advice for shooting a Craftsy video. She had done one about 8 months previously - a class that I had taken and enjoyed. A week with days full of sewing, design and great food, evenings full of knitting and wonderful company of like minds, got the stage set for the pre-work of class production.

AC studio week.

Fast forward through lots of frenzied knitting of samples, step outs and practicing teaching to my chocolate lab, Roscoe. There were phone meetings, in-person meetings and emails with a variety of Craftsy producers, editors and creative people getting me prepared for video. Everything from help with pattern layout from tech editors to help with wardrobe and hair.

Andrew, the camera and sound operator and knitter.

Max working behind the monitors to put everything together.

Finally, it arrived, the first week of December - time to shoot the class. The first day was completely nerve-wracking - standing in front of the crowded room nerves - even though it was just the camera man, mixing editor, producer, two cameras and a microphone. It's not that I don't teach 3-6 times a week, teaching to the camera was a completely new experience. As time progressed, it became easier. The team - Max, Andrew and Kristen were amazing. Supportive, kept things light and helped me to re-do when necessary. When it was time for shooting, I had knit about three pairs of each mitten in the previous three weeks - between completed mittens and the partial mittens needed for demonstration - so I was very familiar with my material. There were outlines and scripts, but everything was kept pretty loose, so it would not feel too scripted.

Then we fast forward again 7 weeks, through a frigid cold snap, more pattern editing, video editing (not on my end - but my producer was great about keeping me informed), marketing and learning the Craftsy instructors platform. And there is my class! It has been three days since the class launched to the public and I am thrilled that over 700 students are enrolled! I look forward to learning and teaching and working with Craftsy in a long and happy partnership!

Planning for my Craftsy class

I have been lucky enough to be hired by Craftsy.com to teach a stranded knitting video class! Can't tell you how excited I am. Let the knitting begin...