All that glitters is knitters

In between the time that I've last posted I've been on a tour of some of the biggest names in knitting.  

Nancy Bush was at the Windy City Knitting Guild in February.  I love her.  She's a wonderful storyteller and had a wide range of knitting knowledge.  Talked about Sock Summit and where her sock knitting started and how that led into Estonian knitting.  It was amazing.  The class itself I found ok.  Heels and Toes.  We spent about 3 hours knitting heels, but no talk of fit or wear.  All those wonderful socks from the books - have never been worn!  NEVER!  Ah!  She is a process knitter :)

Token picture of some Nancy Bush Socks

I also got to meet Knit Purl Hunter at Mosaic Yarns - after completing ALL of her amazing Skacel KAL patterns, it was great to learn directly from her, instead of through a YouTube video.  Thanks Michelle!  She even held up my tons of kept projects (about 1/3 I gave away to friends and family - lucky ones).

We did a little mystery sock.  It's Celtic Cables and I have just finished the heels.  What a wonderful day.  

Socks in Progress

Then for my birthday at the end of March I went to see Miss Babs at Loopy Yarns in downtown Chicago.  It was a good trip with a bunch of my knitting friends.  They are all so great.  And all the color!  I love Miss Babs' stuff.  Here's what I got - TardisH yarn and LIME GREEN ROVING.  Hurray!

And I've been so excited about the roving - I worked through it a little.

Last weekend I got to meet Cookie A and was pretty well featured on her blog!  Here's a pretty awful picture of us - but meh.  I love her just the same.  I wish I stopped talking to get a good shot. 

I have to say Cookie was pretty amazing too.  High energy and a genuine LOVE of her subject.  I took the Cable Suckage Factor class.  It was very mathy and made that design of socks with cables attainable.  She's a smarty every day.  We laughed a lot and knit a lot and measured some.  This was again through the Windy City Knitting Guild.  It was a good deal to join.  They are a wonderful group of women.  I think I might have met about 80% of the knitters in the county now.  

Now the big news.  

I've been not posting because I was burnt out from work - end of fiscal year meant lots of extra work & a lot of burn out.  But our group rocked it - deadlines met and clients happy.

I've got a pattern coming out in the 2013 Knitting Pattern A Day Calendar.  A Toe-Up Garter Chevron Sock :)  I'm thrilled!  

I need to work on a 2014 pattern.  Thinking about my Penguin Christmas Socking and my Pirate Christmas Stocking.  :-D  That would kick butt.

I am going to teach a beginners sock class at Fuzzy Wuzzy Yarns starting on May 16.  Thrilled!  If you haven't knit socks before, you will leave the series of 3 2-hour classes with your first sock.  Worked in DK yarn - Simplicity.  :-D

Happy Knits!