I announced back in April, 2010 in THIS post that I was tackling the Master Hand Knitting Program again.  I started by doing swatch #3 a few times until it was acceptable, then, I put the entire project aside.  By "aside" I don't mean in a closet somewhere, or stored away out of sight... what I mean is the project materials sit right next to my desk where I do my knitting, internet surfing, blogging and working.  The materials stare at me and taunt me that I haven't been acting on this project at ALL. 

Since I'm discovering places to add knitting in my life even with a heavy professional work load, I am revisiting the idea of progressing on the Master Hand Knitting Program Level I.  The other day I picked it back up and reviewed swatch #1 that had been napping on my needles.  With only about 2" of garter stitch left to do on this swatch (which looked really good) it made sense to at the very least complete it!  After about 1" of knitting I came upon the knitter's flat tire; a manufacturer's knot in the yarn (ugh!) and decided that instead of weaving in ends on my swatch for a program such as this that I should just start the swatch over.  (After all, the submitted materials are supposed to represent my "best" work!)

What I didn't do was re-wind the entire skein of yarn to be sure that there were no other knots present.  It's a bit like knitting Russian Roulette, but I feel as though the chances are low that there would be more knots (and if there ARE more knots, making a swatch isn't THAT difficult)!

So this morning I'm finishing up swatch #1 and making notes about the references for the techniques used in it's fabrication.  The program requires not only knitting the swatches but also providing references for the cast on, ribbing, increase, bind off, etc. used.  It feels good to make progress even if I'm not promising myself a certain quantity of swatches a day, or week, or month.  I know this process is going to take a while and instead of focusing on the daunting tasks ahead I'm going to see how it feels to just focus on one swatch.  It's like knitting a major project; if we focus on the few stitches in front of us and do a little at a time, we will soon be able to look back over our progress and see how far we have come!

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The holidays are coming and will be here before we know it!  In preparation for the impending gift-giving season, I created a tutorial for maing homemade vanilla extract!  Despite the fact that this spoils the surprise for those who are going to get vanilla extract from me as a gift this year, I decided I wanted to share it with you!

Where does one go to get the vanilla beans?  The bottles?  Keep reading...

We have a fantastic ice cream shop just down the street - Xanath - well known in the area for having some of the best vanilla ice cream in town as well as other incredible flavors, including saffron, saffron ginger and dry cherry to name a few!  Each time we visit this shop they offer us a single vanilla bean (it's sort of their calling card) - to remind us that they sell restaraunt quality beans and saffron in addition to their yummy yummy ice cream!  I got the vanilla beans for my extract from Xanath, and recommend that's where get your beans too. 

Did you know that vanilla beans come from orchids that are hand pollinated?  The seed pods that develop are hand picked and the curing process takes months.  Knowing this helps me understand why it's the second most expensive spice!

Another interesting fact: the FDA regulates vanilla extract by bean weight, not bean quality, so you never know what you are getting when purchasing mass produced extract.  Making your own vanilla extract ensures that it will be free of the artificial colors and the corn sweeteners found in even high-quality vanilla extracts. 

So... here's my tutorial - just download the link for all the directions.  Keep reading to learn about my resources and inspirations.

Resources:
Click on the links to order these supplies online:
Vanilla Beans
Glass Bottles

The labels I designed were created with ephemera inspirations offered through my friend Karen at www.graphicsfairy.blogspot.com.  She has an amazing collection of old pharmacy labels, clip art and all kinds of neat images that can spruce up any project!

In the San Francisco area?  Be sure to go Xanath and get some ice cream; I highly recommend the saffron ginger shake!  They're in the heart of the Mission district on Valencia St.

Xanath Ice Cream
951 Valencia St.
San Francisco,
CA 94110

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Knitting is my "go-to" activity whenever I have a few free minutes.  I knit on my lunch break at work, I knit during down time when volunteering, I knit when riding with friends places... at the beach, at the movies... it's the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning (after checking email and ravelry) and the last thing I do usually before going to bed every night. 

Recently, I have been doing some design work for publication and it has taken a lot of my time away from some of the other things I like to do (like my goal of posting more frequently on the blog about knitting).

Those who have designed for publication know what it's like... coming up with an idea, swatching, swatching, swatching and then swatching some more... figuring out what the stitch pattern wants to be, then spending hours and hours knitting, ripping, knitting, ripping and knitting some more until a knitted item is born.  LOTS of notes are made and revised, and once the piece is complete, knitting becomes a sort of math "word problem" where the goal is to calculate the various sizing requirements for the project.

All of this takes so much time, and the publication process takes  a few months more... so in the end, there's LOTS of knitting that becomes secret and takes up time and can't be talked about... what that means is sometimes I am working like crazy on projects and while I want to post about them I can't. 

I have also been working on a commission project that I prefer not to talk about until it's complete... (It's a fun knitting project and I can't wait to share the finished item with you!)

In addition to those projects, I'm working on the upcoming newsletter which will include a tutorial for a great holiday gift idea (yes, the holidays are approaching!) - sign up for the newsletter on the contact page of the website so that you don't miss out on that great project!  (Those who sign up for the newsletter never know what additional goodies they might get- including secret special pricing on product and gifts!  Sign up today!)

I have to get back to knitting - but that's what's going on right now.  Thanks for reading, subscribing to the newsletter, adding my blog to your blog reader of choice, and for sharing my website and link on your blog!

Have a fantastic week!

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Yesterday, a friend and I went to Building RE Sources - a non-profit business offering a place for eco-conscious folks to donate and/or purchase recycled building materials.  We had a great time wandering through the aisles of doors, windows, plumbing fixtures and tiles, and spent some time thinking creatively about what we could do with the different items. 

We were hunting for something specific (and didn't find it) but DID find tumbled tile and glass that is produced by The Red Shovel Glass Co.; a division of the same organization.  They offer tumbled terra cotta, random tiles and a variety of ten different colors of glass.  These repurposed mini-gems could be used in planter beds or flower pots, and the glass versions look very similar to sea glass...

The textures and patterns in these salvaged objects are inspiring to me - the cracked paint, worn out and bent metal railings, broken tiles, antique doors... drawer after drawer of card catalogs filled with cabinet hardware... inspiration for knitting patterns is everwhere; we just have to look! 

Our field trip was great fun and while there is no major building project happening currently, I think that visiting places like this from time to time is helpful to show what's available within the community.  It's also a great place to consider recommending for those in the area who are doing major remodels - how nice to donate (and get a tax deduction) for the old windows, doors, lighting and plumbing fixtures in a home instead of sending those things to a landfill!  Salvage centers such as this are located all over the United States.  Search online for one in your area!

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This sweater was started in April, 2010 just as a diversion from other knitting projects that needed attention.  It lingered and hibernated off and on, and was ripped and re-knit a number of times until I found the perfect recipient for it; my friend Anthony! 

Realizing that the sizing was perfect for him, I got his partner to sneak one of his sweaters out for a quick measure and made some notes to modify the work.  I ripped out the bottom ribbing and knit the body longer, then ripped back and started the sleeve over.

Once I figured out the sleeve, knitting the second was easy.  One thing I want to note about this project:  The yarn Feza Yarns Cypress Mohair (which, by the way, has NO mohair in it!) is a s l o w self striping yarn... gently spun, fluffy and wonderful to work with... However, when knitting a top-down sweater with self-striping yarn, the size of the stripes changes dramatically at the point where the shoulder and body stop being knit and the sleeve is continued on its own.  In the past I have avoided this obvious change in band sizing by doing alternating stripes on my other sweaters.  some "in progress" and other details for this project can be found HERE on its Ravelry page.

If I were to knit another sweater like the one I just gave to Anthony, using yarn that slowly changes colors causing broad stripes, I might consider alternating two balls of yarn and striping the sleeves instead of allowing the self-striping yarn to be in control.  Going WAY back in time to late 2007/early 2008, I made a sweater I called "New Years Resolution" out of a similar yarn called Atunno, and in anticipation of the varying sizes of stripes I used two balls of yarn for the back of the sweater which helped even out the color changes.  For example, if a piece was 50 stitches across, I knit 25 stitches with ball A and 25 stitches with ball 2, wrapping the two yarns each time I came to the center (like intarsia).  This resulted in a striped fabric with stripe sizing that somewhat mirrored the two fronts (this was a cardigan; click on the image below to be directed to the ravelry page for this project).  The striping on the sleeves ends up being in about the same size, and I am pretty happy with the way this one turned out. 

The problem is that for a top-down raglan the piece is worked in the round, removing the ability to work back and forth on the pieces.  If anyone has heard any suggestions as to how to improve the stripe sizes on this type of sweater, I'd love to hear!  Post in the comments and share your knowledge with others!

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The Rialta scarf is an easy-to-knit, fun project that takes full advantage of the gorgeous color changes in Noro Silk Garden.  Download the pattern and get a headstart on Holiday knitting!  Based on the ripple or wave stitch seen in many, many stitch libraries, this scarf is easy to make with one row of pattern followed by 3 rows of plain knitting heaven!  Alternating between two skeins of delicious color-changing Noro makes for an unexpected treat.  You'll find yourself knitting on projects like this for hours on end; working to see what color combination will be next to appear.

Click the "buy now" button to download your FREE copy of the RIALTA Scarf pattern!

Here's a helpful hint: 

When knitting projects such as this using various colors of yarn that changes color, I am careful to alternate the joins in yarn.  While working, continue alternating between the two skeins until approximately ½ of each of the skeins are used.  Break the yarn of Color A and spit splice a new skein to the yarn tail, reserving the remaining yarn.  Continue knitting until the end of your project, adding skeins of yarn as needed.  When finishing the project, as you come to the end of Color A's yarn, spit splice the remaining ½ skein previously removed.  Using this trick will make the joins almost impossible to detect.  If the yarn ends that are spliced are similarly colored, the join will be invisible.  I used this technique when making Technicolor (the sweater pictured below) - and used 12 different colors of Noro Kureyon for that project.

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I wanted to share this photo of Willow and Wink taking an afternoon nap and tell you there's a LOT of great stuff coming here at www.kylewilliam.com!  While the blog may seem a bit quiet, rest assured that I'm hard at work behind the scenes preparing all kinds of goodies!

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Yesterday, I lead two workshops at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles in San Jose.  In the small group, we were able to review all the steps necessary to knit the hat as well as get a clear understanding of why I find the techniques I suggest work better than others while making the project.  In addition to those who took that course, we had one eager student who wanted to learn how to knit.  She was amazing...she had watched some of my videos and said that she spent some time doing "homework" before the class.  Within 5 minutes, she was knitting and was a really methodical in her learning.  Knitting is not difficult; the key to improving skills is continually being exposed to different ideas and techniques, and each workshop I lead (or attend) reminds me that all the different steps I do without thinking are things that I have learned from someone else!  Sharing the knowledge; that's the real gift!

It was an honor to teach at the museum, and I look forward to the next time I am able to gather with a group and help them learn more about knitting.  This event was even more special because we had the opportunity to talk about the Navajo Churro sheep and use the wonderful yarn that is sold by Black Mesa Weavers - and it was great to get to introduce others to this unique, hardy wool! 

The museum's quiet classroom is hidden in the back of the building and is HUGE with tall ceilings, skylights and plenty of tables and chairs for even a large group to be comfortable.  Check their calendar for upcoming events if you live in or are planning to visit the San Jose area make the museum one of your stops, and take advantage of their spectacular programming!  Not only do they offer great workshops and lectures, they often have multicultural arts programs for kids!

It's understandable that not everyone could come to San Jose for the workshop.  For those who live in the area and wanted to attend but couldn't make it, I'm happy to announce that the Four Directions pattern is for sale in the gift shop at the museum!  A portion of the money from patterns sold there is donated to the museum!  If you're in the area, visit the museum and make your purchase there.

If you're not in the area, I have also released the pattern online through Ravelry.  Click the "Buy Now" button below or visit my SHOP page to review the pattern and make a purchase.  Be sure to link the pattern on Ravelry so I can see your progress and, as always, if there are any questions, be sure to contact me; I'm more than happy to offer any assistance I can with your project.

Yesterday was a great day - beautiful weather, spectacular drive, and a great workshop with wonderful students!  As a result of being asked to do that workshop this new pattern was designed and now you can make it!  It feels really nice when things work out this way!

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Working with Kate, I never know what she's going to come up with next!  The most recent surprise was this presentation folder that holds the Kyle William pin-back buttons!  I love to give out these little buttons to my friends and students to remind them of the Kyle William website.  Fiber enthusiasts love to put them on their knitting bags to show support of the shops, websites, and podcasts they love.  Kate went above and beyond and designed this folder which I'll be using when giving out the buttons where I lead workshops.  This is my new favorite way to present my button and contact information!

A big "THANK YOU!" to Kate for her tireless creativity. I am excited about presenting the first of these folders to my students today at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles!

I know it's not possible to meet everyone who visits my blog to give them one of these buttons... so, to make sure you get a little something too, here's an online button you can use to put on your blog or website!  Copy and insert the HTML code below onto your site and share the love:

<a href="http://kylewilliam.com/"
><img border="0" src="http://www.kylewilliam.com/uploads/7/0/0/7/700708/4094967.jpg?127"
/></a>

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We have been hard at work here at the Kyle William studio!  The latest items added to the website are two new tutorial videos; one on the KFB (knit front and back) increase technique and the other on how to make a seamless join when knitting in the round.  First, here's the video that shows a great example of when KFB is the increase to choose:

The second video recently added explains an easy way to join knitting in the round:

There will be additional tutorial videos made available as they are produced.  Have an idea for a video that should be made soon?  Send an EMAIL and we will see about moving that topic up in the list. 

If you subscribe to my YOUTUBE channel, you'll be able to stay up to date with all the tutorials as they are released!

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