Saturday, September 10, 2011

Completed!



If you've been following Wednesday Night Show n' Tell, you may have noticed periodic pictures of a navy sweater knit by Lynn. Well, Lynn showed up Wednesday to show off her finished garment! Knit if Vintage by Berroco with asymmetrical (yes, asymmetrical) sleeve stripes and hood, Lynn strutted down an impromptu runway to show off her stuff! Lynn's sweater is just one of the many great projects coming from the Holley's gang. Sarah showed off her gorgeous Entrelac shawl, and Mary is still working on her Wednesday-night scarf!

A favorite topic of conversation on Wednesday night is what books everyone is reading. Read on for some of our favorite books at Holley's:


Thursday, September 8, 2011

Hail to the Chief (Knitter)!



We're so proud of our own Suziko! As the new Madame President of the Dallas Hand Knitters Guild, Suziko presided over her first meeting with guest speaker Emanda Johnson. Emanda gave an interesting lecture about color for textile artists. Although she is a quilter, Emanda had some great lessons and tips about how to use color that can be applied to any craft medium. Especially fascinating was Emanda's "color mashing" technique-using the program "Paint" to identify your favorite colors from a picture! You can find out more about Emanda on her blog.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

September Classes


Swathe by Rowan in Drift
Mondays
Swathe by Rowan in Drift w/Susan
A short sleeved cardigan perfect for late fall layering, knit in a chunky yarn the project will be complete and ready to wear as our weather cools off.
Monday 12:00-1:30pm
September 12, 19, Oct 3 and 17
Cost: $60 + supplies


Throw Pillows w/Susan
Learn and practice the technique of color work by making an 18x18 square throw pillow, choose from several geometric designs by Kaffe Fassett, patterns are available from Rowan Online. 
Throw Pillow
Mondays 12:00-1:30pm
September 26, Oct 10 and 24
Cost: $45 + supplies

A perfect transition piece for fall. Knit this beautiful vest in a chunky self-striping yarn.
Mondays 10:30-12:00pm
September 12, 19, 26 and Oct 3
Cost: $60 + supplies



Eternalism Vest

Tuesdays
Big Lacy Scarf  w/Suzuko
A big chunky scarf knit in an easy to remember lace pattern is a great first lace project and will make a wonderful holiday gift.
Tuesday 1:00-2:30pm
September 13 and 27
Cost: $30 + supplies


Learn to knit cables on Stephanie Pearl-McFee’s one skein Unoriginal Hat  knit in chunky yarn on big needles.
Tuesdays 1:00-2:30pm
Big Lacy Scarf
September 6 and 20
Cost: $30 + supplies

Wednesdays
Beginner Knitting w/Susan
Want to learn? Need a refresher course? Know how to knit and want to move on to purling?
Every Wednesday 1:00-2:30pm
Cost: $20 per session + supplies
Open Enrollment, any Wednesday

Drop-In Help Class w/Susan
Unoriginal Hat by Stephanie Perl-McFee
Already have the basics down but still need some guidance? Have a project you want to start and need a little help along the way? Stuck in the middle of a project and need someone to guide you along? This is the class for you!
Every Wednesday 2:30-4:00pm
Cost: $20 per session + supplies
Open enrollment, any Wednesday
Open enrollment, any Wednesday





Thursdays
Dreaming of Spring Fingerless Gloves
Knit these hip fingerless gloves from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts for fall or start your holiday gift knitting early.
Thursdays 1:00-2:30pm
September 8, 15, 22 and 29
Cost: $60 + supplies




Fridays
Choose a wool blend to make this warm and softly feminine shawl.
Fridays 11:30am-1:00pm
Citron Shawl
September 9, 16 and 30
Cost: $45 + supplies




Saturdays
Saturdays 10:15-11:45am
September 10, 18, 24
Entrelac
Cost: $45 + supplies

Get an early start on this family heirloom set. Every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month.
Saturdays 1:00-2:30pm
September 10
September 24
Cost: $20 per session + supplies

Sock Workshop w/Susan
Learn to knit socks or get help finishing the pair already started in this drop in workshop. 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month.
Sock Workshop
Saturdays 1:00-2:30pm
September 3
September 17
Cost: $20 per session + supplies
                                     
Saturday Crochet w/Adrianne
This Month’s Featured Project: Baby Cozy
All skill levels welcome! Want to learn? Need a refresher course? Have a project in mind and want someone to guide you along?
Every Saturday 10:30am-12:00pm
Cost: $30 + supplies (for 2 sessions)
Open enrollment, any 2 Saturdays

Jean Greenhowe's Nativity



Remember you get 10% off supplies when you register for class(es).
Call or come in to register. (972) 503-5648.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

The Reader's Digest Condensed Version of Knitting: Baby Knits

It seems impossible to imagine, but at one point or another, you will burn out on knitting. For example: You have spent forever on your cabled cardigan and your queen-sized afgan throw is going no where. You have gone too long without that rush of endorphins that comes with binding off a finished product. You throw down your needles (well, not throw down, but put down with feeling), wondering why you have wasted so much time on projects that are never done. Even a beanie hat seems like a gargantuan task. You need something a project that can be finished within 2 episodes of Grey's Anatomy, not a whole season of Buffy. But who would wear a garment that small? Answer: Babies.

The light dawns, you begin knitting with a new zeal! You search through your family tree and Facebook friends and find out that (insert name of friend and/or distant relation) is expecting/just gave birth. With a target in mind, you start turning out baby clothes by the closet-full.

Knitting for babies is the perfect solution to huge-project syndrome. You can try out new techniques on a smaller scale that are more quickly finished. The best part- babies won't refuse your sweater, booties, bunny-eared hate, etc. The very definition of a captive audience.

But there are some considerations to take into account when knitting for babies. Here is a list of do's and don'ts of baby knitting. Feel free to leave a comment and add to the list!

Do-make your garment machine-washable. Babies are cute, adorable, and require constant cleanup. And that's not even including strained peas and mashed sweet potatoes.

Don't-stalk new mothers through playgrounds, the grocery store, maternity wards, etc. waiting for the perfect opportunity to gift them with a complete layette set. They have to get up for 2 a.m. feedings and are probably not in the most receptive mood for your thoughtful present.

Do-donate your finished projects. Places like Genesis Women's Shelter are in need of donations of baby items just like the one you finished.

Don't-use an itchy yarn. Make a swatch of the proposed yarn, and then rub it against your neck. If you think its itchy, then so will a baby. An itchy baby is a screaming baby. And a screaming baby has irritated parents who will not return your calls.

Do-try out new techniques. A baby sweater is a perfect place to try out things like fair isle or intarsia. The baby won't really care if the colorwork in the back is a little messed up, as long as it has two arms and a neck hole.

Don't-be afraid to use colors other than pink and blue. Try other color combinations, like red and yellow, that are fun yet still unisex.

Monday, August 22, 2011

An Ode to Acrylic


           Amid your stash of wool, alpaca, cashmere and silk, sits a dark secret. When you artfully display your collection of yarn (as one does), you hide it under the cotton and bamboo blends. I refer to, of course, acrylic yarns. Yes, acrylic, the gateway yarn to the knitting world. Perhaps you picked up some aluminum needles and a skein of Red Heart left over from the 70’s, or you grabbed a few colors of Caron’s Simply Soft so your friend could teach you her new hobby of “knitting.” However you were introduced, chances are you first struggled with two sticks and a strand of acrylic.

But now you have mastered the knit stitch (and you routinely purl with only a minimum of tears). You are exploring the world of silk and cotton, of cashmere blends. But when you need a quick fix of fiber, you grab for acrylic. And you are not alone. Ravelry shows that some of the most popular yarns being used are synthetics. There’s the perennial favorite, Red Heart Super Saver, with all the itchiness of wool and the convenience of being machine-washable. You’ve gifted projects made from Lion Brand Homespun to your civilian friends, and passed it off as a very exclusive type of yarn. And Vanna White’s picture is printed on so many of your skeins, that under other circumstances, you might be considered a stalker.

 So while 100% virgin cashmere yarn spun by blind nuns in the Himalayas is the softest fiber you have ever come across, don't forget your old friend acrylic. While you can afford to knit up a handkerchief in cashmere, you could instead knit an entire lap blanket out of acrylic. It may not be handmade by a vision-impaired ascetic, but acrylic is a versatile fiber that has endless possibilities.

Monday, August 15, 2011

In Case of Emergency, Carry Yarn at All Times


It happens to everyone. And now it has happened to you. Your driver's license expired. Or maybe it was your passport. Or perhaps you were caught going 72 mph down Royal Lane (you needed one more skein of Rowan Kidsilk Haze!-the officer did not understand). Whatever the reason, you find yourself in a beige-painted room, sitting in a hard plastic chair, with a TV showing a re-run of Maury. You are clutching a small piece of paper marked "93" like it was your ticket to the last lifeboat on the Titanic. A voice finally calls, "Now serving number thirty-one." Yes, you have found yourself in the limbo of a government building. But don't panic, there is another option to slipping into a catatonic state. Before your higher brain functions start to shut down, reach into your bag a pull out your latest project! Whether it is a pair of socks, or that delicate shawl that needed  just one more skein of Kidsilk Haze, your project will help you through this exercise of mental endurance. Stitch by stitch, your project will make the minutes and hours go by, and before you know it, that disembodied voice will be calling out, "Now serving number ninety-three." Your mood will be bordering on cheerful as you jump up from your plastic chair of torture, and you might even greet the government clerk at the window with a bright, "Good afternoon!" True, the clerk might be shocked, even a bit nervous, at encountering such a good-humored attitude, but don't let that stop you. And when you emerge from that structure called a government building (and you will emerge, eventually) you can raise your arms in triumph, for you have survived a brush with bureaucracy. You have survived, and you have also completed another five inches on your Kidsilk shawl. An accomplishment no matter how you look on it.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Extra, Extra: The Advocate comes to Holley's!

Those of us knitting last night were snapped in action by The Advocate, a paper dedicated to local news. We can't wait until the issue comes out! Though we were very excited, we kept working on our individual projects. Take a look at Karen, Mary and Jennifer. Even though they're all working on the same baby jacket, each project is unique!


And Annie is working on a hat for her husband with some beautiful Manos yarn:


DD is working on a kimono cardigan, her first time working with a pattern, so good luck to DD!
Peanut is casting on her first shrug, with a great colorway:


While Lynn is taking a short break from her epic sweater to work on a pair of hand-warmers!


Check back next week for updates on these projects and more, and don't forget to watch for us in the Advocate!