Hannah Did It Again!

This weekend, after only about 3 weeks of knitting, Hannah mastered basic cable knitting. The picture above is just an eyelash scarf she whipped out over night. But her other current project is my Alaska Cableknit Stocking Cap! She's doing well!

The Mark of a Master

I've watched lots of different craftsmen and women over the years. My mom always told me to pay attention to one thing: how the master craftsmen treated the back of a piece - or any detail that most viewers/users wouldn't see. The back of the piece should be as neat and well done as the front. A real master would pay attention to all of the details, even the details of which only he or she would be aware.

I'm working on a striped sweater right now. Every few rows, I change colors. I am using 9 different colors. So there are plenty of little ends hanging out where I have cut the working yarn in order to switch to the next color. I'm trying to be very careful in weaving in these ends - I'm using a duplicate stitch technique so the strands trace each other. I'm really trying to make this a neat process. Hopefully, the inside of my sweater will be as neat as the outside.

Prism Raglan

One of my newest original creations. The pattern is based loosely on numbers provided for raglan sweaters in Ann Budd's book The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns. Additional details include false cables in place of the traditional raglan shaping at the shoulders and flare shaping at the waist and wrists.

Yarn used: Prism (Hue: Beaver Creek), a hand-dyed sport weight 50/50 blend of silk and merino wool. Hand-dyed by Shirley Ellsworth of Lambspun of Colorado. Sadly, their website isn't updated regularly. But the store has lovely fibers and yarn.

Pattern will be available for sale, ladies bust sizes 30"-44", around mid-November.

Additional pictures will be added shortly...

Teach Them The Way They Should Go

A couple of weeks ago, I had the honor of teaching 10-year-old Hannah to knit. She's the middle daughter of my friends Lori and Alan, and about a month ago, she asked if she could learn and if I would teach her. Hannah is one of the brightest girls I've met in years; I had no doubt that she could pick up knitting quickly. I just hoped it would hold her attention.

I was so impressed by her desire and fearless ability. She caught on and learned much more quickly than just about any student that I've ever taught. She tried everything and wasn't afraid to rip out entire sections when she caught her own mistakes. We spent many hours together knitting over the course of the weekend. Lori said that Hannah has worked through the skein that I bought her and moved on to another skein that Lori found at the local thrift store.

In another week or so, I'll head up to Estes to give Hannah another lesson (and do a bit of late fall hiking in the mountains). By then, Hannah will be ready for cables and charted patterns. By Christmas, I'd wager that she'll have hats and scarves knit up for her entire family.



It's so important to pass on these skills to the next generation. Knitting has been a fad the past few years. But for many of us, these skills are more of an ethic and a way of life: attention to detail and pride in your work. Being able to provide for your needs, and the needs of those around you, and wrapping your loved ones in the works of your own hands.