Class Schedule

Hot off the presses, here's the new class schedule from now through the end of December. I've even snuck in a sale announcement for the sharp-eyed among you.


Hot Topics Classes (10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, cost $15)

Oct 28 Blocking with Dressing Wires & Steeking (intermediate)
Nov 4 Crochet with Joan Ditmore (all level project)
Nov 11 Magic Loop Toe-Up Socks (both socks on one long circular needle!) (intermediate)
Nov 18 Knit Mittens or Gloves
Nov 25 No Class, come sit and knit with us!
Dec 2 Entrelac Class in a bag (design by Gwen Bortner--watch for upcoming workshops with her!)
Dec 9 No Class! Holiday and Anniversary Sale!!!!
Dec 16 Knit mobius scarf, shawl or basket
Dec 13 UFO unfinished objects Day, join us in finishing projects


Evening Classes, offered through Adult Ed and the Career Center. Sign up for these classes through Adult Ed, but the classes are actually taught right here at Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe by the instructors you already know and love.
http://www.career-center.org/adult/classlocations.htm

Nov 1 and 8 Crochet: Quick Holiday Gifts and Adornments 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Nov 8 and 15 knitting: One Sock in Two Nights (great for holiday stocking!) 6:00-8:00 p.m.


Regular evening classes (sign up at Hillcreek, take class at Hillcreek):

Nov 29 Quick & Simple Knit Christmas Presents 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Dec 6 Quick Knit and Felted Gifts or Ornaments 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Dec 13 UFO (unfinished objects) get help for FREE and get it done 4:00-7:00 p.m.
Dec 20 UFO & HYS Volunteer Holiday Party 4:00-7:00 p.m.
Dec 27 No Classes (Questions answered in exchange for inventory help!)



Is your favorite topic missing from the list of classes? Why not offer a suggestion for what Bex should start the new year with?

Love/hate relationship with computer....

Sorry I've been gone so long. I've been having a war with my ISP/dial-up even more intense than the sock war. Oh, by the way, I am officially dead in the sock war. I received gangrenous green wool socks in the mail last week. It's actually a relief to be dead because I have so much to do!

I'm still having problems uploading photos. I took a bunch of photos of shawls and only one made it through the upload process. You can see it below. I'll try to get the others up as soon as I can.

While I was at the shop chatting with Knitwits, I managed to snap some pix of several projects of various Hillcreekians.

Madonna Ferris stopped in for the Knitwits gathering with her son, Ray. I got pictures of two of Madonna's shawls, the first a shadow shawl (pattern by Maureen Mason Jameson) in Kokopeli and Noro Kureyon in her trademark teal and purple. The second is a pink shawl made of Shaefer "Nance" Yarn in "Tink". The pattern is Oat Couture "English Garden Shawl & Scarf.

The other photos will have to wait for upload.

On the needles: I finally finished my mom's lace shawl for Christmas. It will be used as a demo piece for this Saturday's blocking class. Have you ever made a garment that, well, turned out a bit strange and lumpy? Does your lace look like a tangle instead of lace? Blocking may be just the medicine your knitting needs. This technique involves gently washing, shaping and pinning your garments to dry in the desired dimentions. It's great for shaping individual pieces before assembly so everything lines up to make seaming easier. It's also a must for lace to look actually lacey.

Anyway, we'll be doing some blocking in Bex's blocking class this Saturday, 10 am to noon. Cost is just $15. Come join us.

Oh, that class is also covering steeking. There are some very brave women out there who have discovered a way to knit sweaters, including arans and fairisles, in the round and then turn them into cardigans by CUTTING THEM right down the middle. Please apply smelling salts now if needed. The sweaters do not unravel and the results can be both beautiful and functional if done correctly. What would drive ordinarily sane people to this drastic measure? A lot of patterns, either texture or color, can be tricky to do from the wrong side. They get confusing and mistakes build. By doing them in the round, the clever knitter can do all her work on the right side where she can see exactly what she is doing with each round. Come join the insanity and learn this useful technique. Bex will be covering this topic along with blocking at Saturday's class.

Halloween Pet Photos

Sock War '06 update:

I'm still alive in the sock war, so far. My assassin didn't start knitting until Thursday. If I'm lucky, she'll be dead before she can finish....

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Since I haven't yet received my victim's victim's socks to finish I recreated and didn't knit a darn thing today. It still didn't get me away from fiber arts though....

Columbia Second Chance, a no-kill pet rescue organization, puts on holiday pet photo shoots several times a year. These aren't the cheapo ones where someone's cousin snaps away with a polaroid, oh no. They use a real professional photographer from Reflections photography studio. This guy is a genius. I take my dogs every time they do a shoot. It's a real bargin too: just $10 for the sitting, a 5x7 and 4 wallet sized photos. Award Pet Supply hosts the events and Wilson's Garden Center supplies decorative backdrops.

So this shoot was for Halloween.

Cole (my service dog) and Luna (my backup dog) lucked out on costumes and just wore halloween bandanas. The pups were not so lucky. Ruby went as "Dorothy" from the Wizard of Oz and Ozzie went as a cowboy. I nearly always make my own dog costumes. That's why Cole runs and hides every time I whip out a tape measure. So Ruby wore a white shirt with a hand-sewn blue gingham pinafore, brown braids made of yarn with matching blue gingham bows, and of course ruby slippers. Ruby's registered name is "King's Pride's Ruby Slippers," so it simply had to be done. Originally I planned to bead knit the ruby slippers, but with all the chemo chaps and the sock war I just plain ran short of time. So I sewed them out of sequined fabric instead. Here's a photo....

I also purchased the beads for making a really special pair of ruby slippers. I learned some important things in the construction of this first cheapo pair. For one thing, ruby slippers are, well, slippery. Poor Ruby's feet kept sliding out from under her. Note to self: glue some suede or rubber to the soles of the next pair.

I also had plans for her to rest one ruby encrusted paw delicately on a pumpkin. Why not? She does it all the time when we're trying to play ball in the back yard. You know how Charlie Brown is always trying to kick a football and Lucy holds it for him then whips it out from under him just as he kicks? Well Ruby is Lucy and I'm Charlie Brown. She sits there all innocent, with a paw delicately balanced on her irridescent pink soccer ball and a sweet innocent grin on her face. BUT DON'T FALL FOR IT!!!!

Anyway, the sequins kept sliding her paw off the pumpkin so the next thing I need to do for the next pair of slippers is teach her how to pose them. Yes, we will get a second chance to show off our costumes. We're going to a doggie Halloween party on the 31st.

The next pair of ruby slippers really will be bead knit. See? Here are the beads. I already bought them. Now I've got to find a nice sturdy fine flax yarn that will fit through those beads. Then I'll have to dye it red. Bex, are you reading this? I'll be needing one of those fun in the dyepot days....

Ozzie's costume will remain the same. He wore a white felt cowboy hat, a green bandana, and holstein colored chaps. Little Oz is my disabled pup. He's still trying to learn to walk. He can make it a few steps, then he falls down. For the photo shoot, he managed to sit up straight and tall for his picture. When it was shot, the photographer said it was the best picture he'd ever taken of Oz and the whole store cheered. Little Ozzie's ears and expression perked up when he realized he had an audience (he's blind, so he didn't notice they were all watching him until they cheered). He just beamed. What a little ham. We went to the icecream store afterwards and got the kids vanilla "pup cups." Ruby was just cerain Ozzie needed help eating his, but I insisted he eat it all by himself.

I'll get the photos in two weeks and I'll post a copy here.

Meanwhile, I have several projects on the needles that I really need to get back to. There's that lace shawl I'm making for my mom for Christmas, two more chemo caps for Joan's friend and a half finished doggie fashion accessory. I won't tell you what it is yet. When I finish it tomorrow I'll post a photo and instructions for making your own. It's a great stash buster, so if you qualify for one of Bex's "My Stash Is Bigger Than Yours" bracelets, you just might need this project to make room for your poor dog to fit in the house with you!

Is anyone else interested in knitting for dogs? I've got a knit dog sweater pattern I designed, based on some other sweaters I liked. I'd be willing to share it but it will take a little time to type it in and I hate to do it if no-one is going to use it.