Nell is a Grammy!

We were getting set to tell you about Nell's having saved the day for young Miles, whose sweet, well-loved knitted cat "Bubbles" was in need of repair, whose loving grandmother, Grammy Lynda from New Jersey, looked to Nell to work her magic on dear, irreplaceable Bubbles.

While we were preparing the photos, Nell got a call from her daughter Melissa in Virginia who has just now -- 30 minutes ago -- given birth to Corbin Michael Jenkins, weighing in at 8 pounds 15 ounces, thus making Nell, officially, a Grammy!

It's a very happy day!

Miles and Bubbles have been joyfully reunited now that he has been pulled back together and decorated with colorful knitted circles -- Bubbles, that is!

And baby Corbin has Nell for a grandmother. . . and Haley for an aunt. What a lucky baby!

Insouciance Makes an Appearance at Knitch and Hopefully Never Leaves

"Insouciance" is defined by Cat Bordhi as "that cheerful feeling you have when nothing is bothering you." That was the feeling that came over us last weekend when Ms. Bordhi came to call and offered two enlightening workshops at Knitch. With her newest book, Personal Footprints for Insouciant Sock Knitters as our guide, we were able to cast off the resistance to sock knitting, knowing that, armed with Cat's clues, we could knit socks that would fit us, be comfortable and not cause us to go loony. With Cat's guidance, it's all about ease. What a concept!

Cat also offered a workshop called Finding the Fountain of Fresh Knitting Ideas that truly stimulated our creative spirits. The concepts can apply in many areas of life and, once again, we confirmed that knitting is a metaphor for so much more than the obvious!

We used a pair of toddler pants and divided it up into 15 sections. An array of technique names were in a bin that we drew from to randomly determine how each of those sections would be approached: intarsia? entrelac? lace? moss stitch? The result was to work out of the mold of patterns and precision, to design backwards, if you will. Generating so many ideas in this way meant we could back off of ideas that didn't particularly ring our bells -- a much more satisfying direction to work than starting with a blank slate and going forward. This approach to problem solving felt fresh, exciting and new, not to mention liberating!

If you were there, we'd love for you to share any of your thoughts, lightbulb moments and memories with the rest of us. And if you weren't there, we missed you! We have a stack of Cat's new book, freshly autographed, which will give you a taste of what a great workshop experience this was. We can't wait for the next one.

Iraqi Bundles of Love - An Idea Whose Time Has Come . . . And Almost GONE!!

We just found out about this wonderful project (thanks, Schaune!) and we're going to give you the abbreviated version, with links, because time is short!

The idea is to send all those things you have stashed (yarn, needles, notions, fabrics, etc, etc) that you're likely never going to use and send them, in sweetly arranged bundles, to a US soldier, stationed in Iraq. Said soldier, Art La Flamme, has seen a tremendous need by local people for materials with which they can make something beautiful, clothe their children and themselves, and generally get on with their lives. As a result of his observation, caring, and willingness to act, IBOL was born. We want to get in on it and encourage you to do so as well.

The thing is this: all packages have to be in the mail no later than September 8 so they can reach Art and his unit during Ramadan and before they depart from Iraq. The most pertinent links are listed below, in an effort to streamline things for you. If you do decide to participate, please remember the deadline and we'd love to hear all about your experience.


Iraqi Bundles of Love - This is the main website for the project.
The Intro - Click on this one to get the basic story
What to Send - here's what to put in your bundle
Building a Bundle - step by step how to do it, including the brilliant idea of using a flat-rate USPS box that will set you back around $12 in postage, no matter the weight of the contents. (Never mind a few misspellings!)
Sew, Mama, Sew - a blogger's thoughts on the project, put beautifully. (We would do our own, but, like we said, the clock is ticking and we're working on our boxes!)
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
Other links - We Googled the project and came up with 20,100 results. The news is spreading!

Note: How do you know where to send your box? It says to leave a comment anywhere on the IBOL site and you'll be contacted with the mailing address. Or you can leave a request and your email in a Comment on this Knitch blog, and we'll send you the information right away. Don't worry, your email address will not be posted to our blog - we have ways of keeping such things private!

Art La Flamme with just a few of the many
Bundles of Love coming his way.

Haley's Work in Progress -- Fair Isle Bird Mittens

Nell's adorable daughter Haley is working on these almost-as-adorable Fair Isle mittens, using a free pattern from Ravelry called Bird in the Hand. She's using Louet Gems (machine washable and dryable merino wool). To keep things interesting, she's planning to do the second mitten in one of the other available patterns -- probably a cat, just to keep a little tension going! We have to tell you -- she started this project just yesterday!

Who knew you could improve on the Baby Surprise?

Nell will be teaching the beloved Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman in three meetings: October 7, 14 and 21 from 6 pm to 7:30 pm. She'll be including modifications you can make to the already fantastic design, such as this collar. Who knew the BSJ could get even better?

Julie's Work in Progress

Julie is working away on this precious baby blanket. We're falling in love with it, wishing we were that lucky baby! She is using Artyarns Cashmere Sock yarn in a garter stitch with size 6 needles. Nine skeins is what it takes.

By the way, if that's too much yarn to buy at the moment, we do have a kit that comes with six skeins of Artyarns Cashmere Sock yarn with an open pattern and bigger needles.

What's so fantastic is that this 67% cashmere yarn is machine washable, which opens a whole new world of possibilities for scrumptious baby things. The other 33% is one ply of wool/nylon twist. But it feels 100% like cashmere. So soft. When are they going to make it possible to feel something via the computer?

Like we said . . . lucky baby! Beautiful work, Julie!!

The Marina Cashmere Wrap, aka My Next Project

Nell designed and whipped out a fabulous scarf pattern that looks much more complicated than it actually is -- which is not at all complicated! Marina (pictured above) was her inspiration and so she named it for her. It's made with 3 skeins of Jade Sapphire 2-Ply Cashmere (yummmmmm . . .) and feels so good. Hey, if it feels this good in August, imagine how it will feel when the winds of November come!

We have already bundled some of the Jade Sapphire 2-Ply Cashmere (drool below) in anticipation of your wanting to get going right away on your own Marina Scarf. We'll throw in the pattern with your purchase of the yarn.


Marina made her version out of 3 skeins of Noro Silk Garden (see below), which lends itself beautifully to the pattern as well. You could concoct your own combination of fibers. We're eager to do it with cashmere and add some sparkly Tilli Tomas something to the mix . . . ohhh, or maybe some of that Artyarns beaded and sequined fabulousness . . .

Beautifully done, Marina! You look marvelous.