Mr. Deeds Wears a Cap: A New Pattern and a Sale

My love of old movies is certainly no secret. I have been a classic film buff since they used to show them on Saturday mornings on the non-network channel (Yes, I am old). The geometric and art deco designs that were used as set decor are so enchanting. I think my love of interesting lamps and clocks comes from old movies, plus there's just something about a man in a suit and hat.

It should come as no surprise then that while watching "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" (1936) recently, I fell in love with this amazing bank of windows in the courtroom scene:

When lines and patterns catch my eye, I always wonder if I can turn them into knitted designs, don't you?

And so I did:

With a stranded Fair Isle class on the schedule, I decided that it would be lovely to have a pattern of my very own to teach, making this hat an excellent choice for a beginner project.

Available starting today in my Ravelry shop, its release is cause for a celebratory sale! Buy it and get any one other item for 1/2 off, from now till the end of August. 

Enjoy and I can't wait to see how your Mr. Deeds turns out!

Finger Knitting Fun event--it was fun!

Saturday was a little different. Instead of teaching traditional knitting, I presented the basics of finger knitting to an awesome bunch of kids and parents.

Thank you to Lara Neel, who contacted me about sharing Vickie Howell's new book, Finger Knitting Fun, with the knitters in Charleston. I think we made some fans here!

The participants made snakes, bracelets and necklaces out of a variety of yarns. My favorite yarn to use was, appropriately enough, Vickie Howell's Sheep(ish) yarn by Bernat. A single ply wool blend, the colors we used were bright and happy.

If you have little ones or work with little ones or just want to learn a rather addictive new skill, finger knitting is a great addition to your repertoire, and Vickie's book makes it easy with great projects and easy to follow directions.

I loved seeing all the creativity and excitement of "next I'm going to make....!". 

Fun fur yarn made for great finger knitted bracelets.

Pic-worthy projects, made in a morning.

Finger knitting in progress!

Not only did she make pretty jewelry, she's a pretty good model, too!

Snakes! Notice the rattle and angry expression on the red one. Look out!

Fun to make, then fun to play with!

Thank you to all the moms (and one grandma!) who came out to learn finger knitting with the kids early on a Saturday morning. I heard that the family of snakes was played with all afternoon, so I'm calling the event a rousing a success. Who knows, I might even hold this event again, it was just that much fun.

Also a HUGE thank you to Calvary Lutheran for providing a bright, clean space for our event.

Big 10 Charity Knit-a-Long: Waves in Motion

Looking for a way to get through the dog days of Summer? How about knitting up some afghan blocks for our Charity Knit-a-Long project? Here is the latest, our pattern for August, Waves in Motion.  I like how this one is pretty from both sides, but the ends don't curl up like in similar patterns. Also, waves make me think beach, which makes me think ocean breezes, which makes me think COOL....!

Enjoy, let me know what you think and keep those blocks coming! It's a great project for your knitting group--I just received a package of 5 lovely blocks from a local group. Totally made me day! Thank you, Lyn, and your fellow knitters, for helping us reach our goal of sending as many blankets as possible to the Carolina Youth Development Center!!

Waves in Motion Afghan Block

You'll need: US Size 7 needles or size needed to achieve gauge of 5 sts = 1 inch; Worsted weight acrylic yarn. Finished size should be 7” x 9”.
CO 30 stitches

Knit 2 rows for border

Row 1: K6, *p2, k6; rep from *
Row 2: K1, *p4, k4; rep from *, end p4, k1
Row 3: P2, *k2, p2; rep from *
Row 4: P1, *k4, p4; rep. from *, end k4, p1
Row 5: K2, *p2, k6; rep from *, end p2, k2
Row 6: P6, *k2, p6; rep from *
Row 7: P1, *k4, p4; rep from *, end k4, p1
Row 8: K2, *p2, k2; rep from *
Row 9: K1, *p4, k4; rep from *, end p4, k1
Row 10: P2, * k2, p6; rep from *, end k2, p2

Repeat rows 1-10 for approximately 8 3/4 inches.
Knit 2 row for border, then bind off.
Weave in ends.

Top 10 Reasons to Keep Knitting This Summer

I know it's hot, and where I am, it's so muggy you tend to feel like you've been hit by a warm wet cotton bath towel, right in the face, when leaving an air conditioned building and walking outside.

Ah, Summer. Since I live in the South, Summer can end up being quite the endurance contest. About mid-July we begin counting down to that magical time when the Weather Changes....only 14 more Saturdays until the end of October! (Also, Fall Classes!)

A lot of people stop knitting during the Summer and I get that. It's hard to keep anything going when you just want to sit under the ceiling fan and drink iced tea. However, since I think it's worth doing, here are my Top 10 Reasons to Keep Knitting This Summer.

10. You're no quitter. Seriously, think about it. You made it through school, you have held down boring jobs, you've hit redial repeatedly for an hour to win concert tickets. You're no quitter--so don't quit knitting.

9. Knitting will help with Summer travel. Stuck in an airport? Facing a long car ride? Take your knitting.

8. Keep up your proficiency. This is especially key if you're a relatively new knitter. Your hands gain the muscle memory for knitting by practice and if you take the summer off, you'll get flabby. Your muscle memory will get flabby, that is.

7. Get a jump start on holiday gifts. Don't be like me and wait until November to realize you want to knit big gifts for your immediate family and not only have you not cast on, you don't even have the yarn yet. Pick a holiday gift to work on for each of the draining, mind-melting Summer months.

6. Knitting is fun. Just thought I'd remind you of that, in case you'd forgotten.

5. Learn new techniques. Pick a new technique you've always wanted to learn and make it a summer project. I know several knitters who wanted to train themselves to knit Continental instead of English so they made it a project to master it. Summer is a great time for that.

4. Knitting will help with uncomfortable visits. Have guests coming? Having to go visit someone else? Not entirely comfortable with these individuals? (hey, it happens)  Pull out your knitting and give yourself something to focus on that is positive and soothing.

3. Knit for those in need. Don't wait until the weather turns cold to start knitting warm hats for the homeless. Or until the Red Scarf Project deadline to cast on a scarf for foster kids heading off to college.

2. Beat the heat with an indoor activity. Yes, knitting is highly portable and you can take it with you to the park and the beach and all, but if you're in the middle of a heat wave with honest-to-goodness heat advisories being issued, you do not want to be outside. Also, drink lots of water.

1. Being a knitter is worth it. Even though it's hot and you're busy and the humidity makes your head hurt and you feel sluggish, it's worth it to pick up those needles. Being a knitter is what helps us stay sane and grounded and calm and engaged during the rest of the year. It connects us to our ancestors, to our community and to people on the other side of the world. Being a knitter has given us a reason to get out of bed in the morning when times are hard. It keeps our brains young, our hands limber and our creative juices flowing, no matter our chronological age. Knitting isn't just something we do in our spare time, when the weather suits us. We are knitters.

So keep on knitting, despite the heat. Stay hydrated, stay focused and we'll make it to Fall, I promise. It's only 14 more Saturdays, remember?