Yarn Collecting and Occasional Knitting
Sunday December 11th, one week from today!
Shop FogKnits in Golden Gate Park!
11 am – 4 pm
Hall of Flowers (9th & Lincoln)
This event promises excitement and thrills! :) Enjoy shopping for handmade holiday gifts with local artisans. Refresh yourself with local food trucks and even a local beer garden! There will be pinball, storytelling, live music and arts & crafts! Come join the fun and be sure to say hello! Fellow knitters always welcome!
Click here for full details on the FB Event Page
Happy Black Friday?!?
Welcome to my Black Friday Boycott! I’m not buying things today. I’m not shopping sales. I’m not looking for deals. No…I’m giving stuff away!
It’s Free Pattern Friday! The Dude Edition.
If you’ve always wanted to knit a Dude sweater but don’t have the persistence to finish such a grand undertaking, have I got the hat for you!
Bring cult classic, The Big Lebowski to your wardrobe this winter with a super soft hat, inspired by The Dude (El Duderino, if you aren’t into the whole brevity thing) himself. Knit from a super soft baby alpaca, this hat is a reproduction of the sweater worn by The Dude in the film. (If you haven’t seen it, google will tell you all about it!)
Happy Free Pattern Friday! I hope you get to enjoy a few quiet moments knitting this weekend, and throughout the holiday season.
If you happen to knit this hat, I’d love to hear about it! I haven’t put it on Ravelry yet but you can browse my individual project pages here and here. Pattern feedback is always welcome!
Here’s all the random photos I’ve been collecting on my desktop. I’m cleaning up and getting rid of this clutter! (because digital cleaning is so much nicer than actual cleaning!)
This is from the short row hat binge two weeks back. I like the colors, I like the shaping, I like the fit, I like all the wedges, I like the stockinette texture! I do wish the short rows were just a bit less harsh. I used the standard wrap and turn for the short rows. My intention is to try YO short rows and/or German short rows to improve it. I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. It’s on the list. Soon come.
I’m really putting the hiker into this Hitchhiker. It’s been on the go and making good progress. This was a particularly photogenic day in Golden Gate Park. It’s had me wishing I was back in Iceland. I stood in front of a lot of waterfalls taking selfies wearing that hat in Iceland!
Several days later, the sun came out briefly. I had to run and hide in the nearest bar I could find. And this happened…
What you don’t see is the Golden State Warriors logo, painted on the window next to the Warriors graphic you do see. The whole Warriors mashup has always tickled my fancy, so shadows and the garter ridges lining up just right and then there’s that weird green dot? It must be a fairy. I don’t think there could be any other explanation for it?
and then, my mom painted me a sock blank! I can’t wait to get started! I’m trying to talk myself into socks but it’s not going well. I think it needs to become something that will be seen! I want to see these colors!
And then, Rocky didn’t get mad when I forced him to be a pom pom photo prop. He didn’t help much though.
And then, Trillium Sequoia’s birth announcement showed up with this photo. Trillium is the white flower on the hat, the pinecones are from a Sequoia. The whole thing is just so sweet! I find it irresistible. And they did a very nice job of hiding just how huge the hat really it. I don’t really know how big babies are? She’ll be growing into it soon enough. Perhaps a dress to match? (this is how I end up with 10 projects on the needles…)
I have done a little de-cluttering around the house. I came across a bag of stuff from my cross stitching days. I always wanted the back to be clean. Looking at it now, I’m completely impressed with myself. I don’t have the patience or focus for it anymore. Every time I try to cross stitch now, I fling it down out of total boredom and disinterest in about 9 minutes. I loved it once upon a time though. How else do I explain that pheasant??
And with that, my desktop is clear and it’s time to start the weekend! Hope you have a good one :)
It’s finally time to share some exciting news! I’ve been sitting on it for a while but registration is open and I can now announce, starting this fall, I’m the new knitting teacher at the JCC of San Francisco!
I’ll have 3 classes, each 7-week sessions, starting with Learn to Knit and then continuing with colorwork & hats. The first few weeks of each class will be learning new techniques. The last couple weeks will be applying those new skills to a project, both in design and execution! (Scroll down to skip to the specific details!)
I’m really loving the opportunity to write my own curriculums. I’ve taught for a couple local shops. While I don’t mind following someone else’s plan, I have ideas galore! I’ve got no shortage of content to share!
They’re equally excited at the JCC. If all goes according to plan, we’ll continue with Knitting 101 in the spring semester and introduce a new series of technique & project design classes, maybe even an open knitting lab for our most adventurous students.
As I prepped swatches for Knitting 101, I thought about my goals. It’s not enough to just teach knitting. I want to instill passion. I want to create fiber enthusiasts. I’m one of knitting’s biggest cheerleaders and it’s not because I like cheerleading, ya know? I want my students to feel the same way. So…how do I accomplish these lofty goals?
Step 1: Get over the OMG knitting is hard phase. I’m going to be a stickler for good form. A strong foundation is important. There will be homework!
Step 2: There are no knitting police. You are the boss of your knitting. Patterns are only suggestions. Creativity & individuality are two crucial elements of knitting. If I wanted the sweater in that store, I’d buy the sweater in that store. No, self expression is where it’s at.
I’m really excited for the ‘design your own’ elements of these classes! I can’t wait to see what my students come up with, hopefully things that hadn’t even occurred to me. That’s the framework I’m hoping to provide. No pressure, right?
Follow these links for full class details and to sign up:
Knitting 101, Thursday Nights, Sept-Oct
Learn the all the basics of knitting, then apply those skills in designing & knitting a chunky infinity scarf!
Knitting 101, Wednesday Nights, Nov-Dec
Learn the all the basics of knitting, then apply those skills in designing & knitting a chunky infinity scarf!
Knitting 201, Thursday Nights, Nov-Dec
Learn a variety of ways to introduce color into your knitting, then practice your new skills by designing & knitting a hat!
Hello and Welcome to all the new followers out there!
Last week, I got an email from Ben the WordPress Editor. He told me he didn’t knit but he found my knitting photos ‘inviting and engaging’. He wasn’t just blowing sunshine up my skirt either, I was going to be an editor’s pick over at WordPress Discover. And suddenly, there’s a whole gaggle of new readers. Welcome, Welcome! It’s lovely having you.
Introductions can be so awkward! I’ll go first…My name is Emily, I like to knit. I live in San Francisco, where it is frequently foggy. I really like that. I like to knit in public. Things like this happen … 
I’ve got a completely incurable case of Castonitis. Despite repeating ‘I’m not going to cast on’ as if it were my mantra, things like this happen (at an alarming rate)…
I have a strict 10 WIP policy. Although, there’s been a slight policy adjustment, a new corollary, if you will. If cast on and bind off occur in the same day, it will not count towards the 10 WIP limit. So far, so good. I reserve the right to draft new corollaries as necessary.
I don’t usually classify myself a shawl knitter because I like to knit many things. I do knit a lot of shawls though. I’m especially fond of WestKnits.
I also knit a lot of hats. Big fan of instant gratification.
Mostly, I just like to knit. (to be read: i hate purling). I’m predominately a process knitter. As long as the needles are clicking, I’m good.
You can find me in all the usually places as FogKnits, Ravelry (i’m slightly obsessive about my project pages),Etsy (a couple patterns, mostly ready-to-wear knits), Instagram (not sure this link will actually work.
So, thanks for stopping in and come back tomorrow, I’ve got WIPs & FOs of all sorts to share this week! Say hi in the comments, I look forward to meeting you all!
Once a year, I get bit by the crochet bug. Last June, this happened…
It was lots of fun to do. The instant gratification factor left me saying I should really crochet more. It’s only taken me a year to act on that.
As if on cue, I can across this link to a crochet tutorial over the weekend. The time had come, something tempted back into crochet! Just a few short hours later, my hook was on the move. I love it! It’s a crochet version of entrelac.
What started as messing around with a swatch has grown into a full blown project! I blame the yarn…Mini Mochi! Stripes make everything more fun! My current goal is a shawl but ‘shawlette’ may be a better term.
That’s the current state of affairs. One ball of Mini Mochi done, one more to go. Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s enough. I’m not sure what I’m going to do about that yet.
(Yes, I do…let’s face it, I’m going to buy more yarn. I’m just in denial right now!)
It’s the internet, isn’t every day Caturday? Because progress shots of a stupid black hat are not that exciting, today I have cat pictures for your enjoyment!
I frequently have large piles of knitwear and yarn laying around. The fur ball lays around quite a bit too. Occasionally the two intersect.
It gets me every time, he’s just so cute sitting on a pile of yarn.
Cue the crazy cat lady music…
…because I saved the best for last! My sister’s kitty still loves to dress up! This is the latest picture I’ve gotten from her! Because what else goes with a unicorn horn and a floral sundress but heart socks?
