What a fabulous winter it has been. I TOTALLY loved every bit of snow that came down and I didn’t get stuck once! Having said that, it is now Mud Season here in Vermont and I am keeping my fingers crossed for safe passage across my 5 miles of dirt road. I must have hunkered down for the season because all of a sudden it is spring, even though the photos below don’t look like it!

I am finishing up a new pattern Aran Winter Set–my timing isn’t so hot, but these mittens and scarf are. It was so fun to work the medallion motif! You won’t fall asleep from boredom while knitting these. I worked them in Classic Elite’s alpaca. Yummy! I hope to get the final pattern edit done in the next month.

Meanwhile, I have been playing around with a different type of Sanquhar Glove. This motif is called Small Shepherd’s Plaid. It has been so fun to knit, but is now presenting me with a real challenge. I want to continue the motif into the fingers without interruption, but the stitch count/ motif counts aren’t cooperating. So far so good on the thumb and first finger, but from there I have to think on it awhile…

*********************

2008 Events
In rearranging my schedule, I was able to open up some more dates for workshops. They are:

May 10-11 The Norwegian Fana Cardigan in Forest Hill, MD. I will be hosting a workshop in Forest Hill, Maryland on May 10 and 11 (Saturday and Sunday) at my mother’s B&B “Be My Guest” (http://www.geocities.com/bemyguestbandb/). If you love a Victorian atmosphere and some great cooking (my Mom’s the best) while taking a knitting class, give me a call to schedule your reservation. 802-387-3025. The class will cost $150 for the two days, which includes lunch. If you would like to stay at the B&B, you can contact Edith Brown for room rates, which include breakfast (410-838-8943). And info can be provided for local restaurants for dinner.

I will be teaching the Norwegian Fana Cardigan over two days, limiting enrollment to a small group. If you have never sewn a steek or cut your knitting, this is the class for you! I love to teach this class–there are so many interesting techniques those clever Norwegians have come up with to create this gorgeous garment. Here’s the class description:

The Norwegian Fana Cardigan, 12 hours
Level: Intermediate to advanced (Experience with double pointed needles is helpful.) — The classic details and traditional construction of the Norwegian Fana Cardigan sweaters will be taught in this two-day workshop through the knitting of a small sweater. Techniques to be learned include circularly knitted body and sleeves, square and drop shoulder armholes, cut-and-sew armholes and front, cleverly knitted self -facings, buttonbands, and 2-color star, band, and checkerboard patterns. Designing one’s own Fana cardigan will be discussed.

July 12-13 OPEN

July 19-20, 2008 Summerlude-a Vermont weekend. Hosted by Margaret Klein Wilson of Mostly Merino yarns for an intimate group (around 10 people). I will be teaching Swedish Cast-Ons, the Norwegian Purl, and Latvian Mittens. Contact Margaret through www.mostlymerino.com.

August 2-3 Tentative workshop
August 10-16, 2008 Annual Vermont Retreat–this year in two parts! Hosted by Margaret Klein Wilson of Mostly Merino. There may still be a few spaces left! (Is this really the FIFTH year? WOW!!) I will be teaching Sanquhar Gloves (one part), Norwegian Purl, Twined Mittens, and Swedish Cast-Ons (the other part). Mix and match! Contact Margaret through www.mostlymerino.com.

September 13-14 OPEN

November 10-17 I will be teaching (my fifth time here too) at the Olema Inn in Olema, CA, north of San Francisco. This elegant Inn offers exquisite local, organic cuisine. Hey, it’s good enough for Bonnie Prince Charles, it’s good enough for the rest of us! (See the Olema website for The Royal Visit that was. For my workshop info, check back in another couple weeks–they don’t have all the updated info there yet for this coming November.) I will be teaching Sanquhar gloves on the 12th and 13th and Norwegian Mittens on Nov. 15. Seamless Arans will be offered on Nov. 16. You can pick and choose which classes you’d like or take the Full Monty!

***********

2009 Events

March 13-15: I am honored to be invited to teach at the Nordic Knitting Conference in Seattle. Stay tuned for classes to be determined!

August 22- September 3, 2009: Plan now for a Baltic cruise with me and Nancy Bush on the Holland America line. We will visit St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Copenhagen, the Oslofjord, Tallin, and Helsinki, to name a few cities, plus three days at sea filled with knitting classes! You can check out Craft Cruises for more information as it develops.

Whew! I think that’s it for now. Oh there’s a backlog of things form the fall I meant to get up on the blog. I’ll try to get to them later! Have a wonderful spring everyone!