Knitty Couture

Our little knitter friend, Harper, and her mom, Lynnea, were one of our first customers when we opened in November. In fact, I remember meeting Lynnea and seeing how excited she was to find a knit shop opening right by her home.

Harper attends a Waldorf school at which she learns many wonderful things, including knitting. Near the same time in November, she happened upon a book in the shop called Knitted and Felted Toys and found in it a toy tiger she wanted to make. To help her learn about responsibility and money, Lynnea encouraged Harper to save her money so that she could buy the book near Christmastime.

I told this story to my mother-in-law during her Thanksgiving visit, and the kind person that she is, she bought the book for Harper and told me to tell Harper that it was from an admirer.

With (little) help from her mom, Harper finished her tiger, and it looks absolutely adorable! Each time she comes in, and especially on this day, everyone is mightily impressed with her knitting skills. This little one can even knit without looking. Wowzah!

For the tiger’s first photo, Harper placed it in the wall of 220 to imitate the scene of a jungle. Grrrrrrr.

……Perhaps I should have also added that knitters are, in fact, addicts too.

Knitting camp is like knitting heaven. Nothing is quite sweeter than spending five days knitting and socializing with other addicts, uh, I mean, knitters, talking about yarn and knitting, admiring and shopping for yarn and knitting books and knitting accessories, learning about totally awesome knitting techniques, meeting famous knitters like Meg, Joyce, and Amy, and, oh, did I mention, knitting… and knitting… and more knitting?

The moment we walked into our classroom Thursday evening, I was so awestruck by just being among all things EZ, Meg, and Schoolhouse Press that I began wandering and admiring the tables of displays…. and nearly forgot to find a suitably located seat. Not that any seat is a bad seat, but Ellen, my roommate, was up near the front and gave me the look that said, “Hurry your ass up!”

These displays are the originals. Oh, yes, dear friend, originals.

That garter stitched purple shawl you see Elizabeth wearing in her books? That yellow and white striped baby surprise jacket? The famous grey and pink yoke sweater? All those wonderful garments in Joyce’s Latvian Dreams? Yup. I saw, and I touched.

There are about sixty of us visiting. The mornings consist of Meg answering and covering patterns questions and techniques. We have a quick lunch at which point the majority of us hastily eat so we can get back to our knitting (see, I knew you’d all understand).

A bit more learning along with show-and-tell in the afternoon and by 3pm-4pm, we are left to our own devices. So we knit and knit a bit more and continue knitting …into the wee hours of the night until our eyes are droopy and our projects full of mistakes (at least, mine are). Then we’d all wake early the next morning and do it again.

Tomorrow is our last full day, and I think I might cry.

I’ll let you know if I actually do.

Talk soon!

Initiated by the Yarn Harlot and picked up by Ravelry, the Knitting Olympics seemed to have sparked great interest among knitters.

Knitty Couture will host this event also and invite you to join in.

Here are the rules, as set by Ravelry:

Concept: You must cast on a project during the Opening Ceremonies of the Summer Olympics (Aug. 8th)- and finish before the Olympic flame goes out (Aug. 24th). That’s 17 days.

Rules:

1. The project must be a challenge for you to complete in 17 days.
2. There are no rules about what a challenge would be. Like the real Olympics, there are many areas to compete in. But here is your opportunity to set a challenge for yourself and try it out.
3. While this is meant to be somewhat difficult (like the Olympics), it is not intended to ruin your life. Don’t set yourself up for failure. (Olympic athletes may cry, but they do not whine pitifully, sob and threaten members of their family with pointed sticks because they haven’t slept in five days. ) This is intended to (like the Olympics) require some measure of sacrifice, and be difficult, but it should be possible to attain.
4. No casting on before Opening Ceremonies commence in Beijing.
5. Finish before the flame goes out.
6. You may swatch before the games. (This can be considered “training.”)

Cast-on date is Friday, Aug. 8th. Knitty Couture will be opened until 7:30pm so that everyone can come by to cast on for their challenge. Knit-ins for this event are Thursdays, Aug. 14th & 21st, and Sundays, Aug. 10th, 17th, & 24th. Completion date is Sunday, Aug. 24th at which point Knitty Couture may leave doors open later so that we can celebrate our achievements together.

Unlike the Yarn Harlot and Ravelry, everyone for this event will receive a medal regardless of completion. Hey, you dared to try….. it just might not be a gold one.

If you’d like to participate, email me at knit@knittycouture.com, and I’ll put a post of everyone and their challenges. At the end, I’ll post a pic of everyone’s projects.

There’s no pressure to come to all knit-ins for this event. In fact, you don’t even have to live in St. Louis or come by the shop. Just sign up via email and send a picture at the end with completed project.

The important thing is that it’s a self-challenge and will be LOTS OF FUN!!