Now Norma Knits

Knit Night at Grand Isle Art Works

It was Red Scarf Knit Night at Grand Isle Art Works last night. I brought along the two red scarves I'm working on.

I got quite a lot done on both of my scarves. 

And Ellen was teaching a couple of people how to knit a multi-directional scarf.

This photo is for Ally:

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I walked into the room and found "Dr. Alex" there. Hey, pathologists can knit too (as we already know, since a couple of them are often knitting during our lectures)! She's knitting a really gorgeous scarf.

FUN! And I got some blog fodder. Bonus! 

1. Exciting OFA News! and 2. A Local Raffle

1. Sterling's Orphan Foundation wins 500,000 grant from Jack Kent Cooke Foundation

How are your red scarves coming? (September 1st is when you can start mailing them....it's coming up soon!)  Read more about The Red Scarf Project, including address to mail them, here.

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2. The new artisan gallery that I love is having a raffle. Based on my experience the other night, it is sure to be the location of many a laugh and good story from me the third Thursday of every month. I had a blast there and met (or remet) some wonderful people. And it actually got me knitting again -- no small feat!

Go buy some raffle tickets! (Purchase them online -- free shipping of the tickets!) You could win a lovely shawl kit, a $75 gift certificate to Manny Beads, an art doll, and more, all while helping the gallery raise funds for new lighting and other stuff to improve and expand the space.

Brace Yourself

I swatched.

Srsly!

Last night I went to a lively and fun gathering of fiber folks held at Grand Isle Artworks, a lovely new Vermont artisan gallery in Grand Isle.

I had received the Peace Fleece yarn for David's sweater in the mail, and had washed a skein of it. And since I am prone to mess up even the most simple knitting when I'm chatting away at a gathering, I decided to do something totally mindless -- roll up the skein of yarn into a ball and swatch it. So that's what I did. I got a really nice fabric out of this DK/sport weight Father's Grey Peace Fleece (it's an awesome color of grey that has green flecks in it every so often) using 4mm needles. However, it resulted in a bit of a confounding gauge -- a good clear 4.5 stitches to the inch. I guess I'll try another swatch in 3.75mm and see if I can get 5/inch and whether I like the resulting fabric.

Have I ever mentioned that I hate swatching?

Hi to my new fiber friends! I had a great time last night, and I hope you have come to the blog to visit. See you next time!

Proof That I Still Attend Knitting Events

Yesterday I learned of a knitting group that meets in the town where I grew up, and David had to do some campaign-related activities in the same town, so I decided to go along with him and find my people. And find them I did. You know what's so great? Knitters are knitters everywhere you go. Our hands all speak the same language. 

It still kind of boggles my mind.

I knew a few of these ladies from my childhood, and some were new acquaintances last night, but the atmosphere was warmly welcoming, everybody was working on something nice, and it was just a fun, fun time. 

FAB story being told by one of them: I don't think she remembered me, but I remembered her. She is about my mom's age, and she comes from the same town in rural Quebec. She's lived here as long as my mom and my aunt have, but is still a Canadian citizen. She was telling the story that her husband has been hounding her a bit for not doing enough. (Those French Canadian farmers; I'm tellin' ya!)

She said, "I said to him, I've got 49 pairs of mittens made -- I'm being productive!"  He said, "But you aren't doing anything for your mind!" 

So she went to her doctor and told him this story. Her doctor sent her home with a prescription for her health:  

"Walk. Knit. Read."  

"I posted it up on the refrigerator, and now my husband doesn't bother me about my knitting anymore."  

Not doing anything for her mind?! She's reading charts, she is doing math, she is doing spatial reckoning, she's creating 3-dimensional objects, she is doing eye-hand coordination! <-----I said this to her. 

Her eyes got kind of big. Hm. She hadn't thought of it that way. She just enjoys it, is all.  

And, last night she was teaching a relatively new knitter how to read the directions and how to knit a mitten. Those are her helpful hands in the final photo down below. Well, two of those hands are hers. The third one is the person trying not to poke her own eyes out with her knitting needles out of frustration. (Kidding, Sherry!)

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I even managed to add a few inches to my red scarf in progress. I amazed myself that I remembered the Corrugator stitch pattern after it had sat dormant for so long.