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Welcome V-Wise Family!

I had the distinct pleasure this week of spending 48 hours with the most amazing group of women: 200 women military veterans, gathered for an entrepreuneurship training program offered by V-WISE (Women Veterans Inspiring the Spirit of Entrepreneurship). It was such an amazing two days of learning, with the true highlight being the inspiration, energy and ideas from my peers. You are all so incredibly inspiring. I even met some new and aspiring knitters (as everyone should be!) Here’s a small sampling of some of the amazing woman veteran-owned businesses I had the chance to learn from and learn with…it will not disappoint you!

CJ Scarlet and her business Roving Coach International

Kelly Cooper and her business Kelly Cooper Style

Helen Hall and her business Quik-help.com

Jannelle Prescott and her Able Hearts Home, Inc.

Eve Baum (and her trusty sidekick Debi) from militaryhandbag.com

Ginger Miller and John14:2, Inc

And so many more…I’ll add as I go.

Hats off to all of you for your entrepreneurial spirit and business saavy!

Kids’ Knitting Classes this Fall

Beginning knitting classes for kids start October 2011, ages 9 and up. Class includes cast on, cast off, knit and purl stitches. Finished project is a cotton washcloth. Special bonus: we will Kool-Aid dye wool roving and felt our own soaps. $75.00 per person for five one-hour classes, all materials included. Classes will occur in Silver Spring, MD and are limited to 5 people per class. Stay tuned for dates, and email info@susquehannaknitting.com to get on the mailing list for updates.

What would your favorite knitting store look like?

I’ve been musing these days over that dream many of us have…

that of owning our own knitting/yarn shop.

Sakonnet Purls  in Tiverton, RI has always been what I would consider the quintessential atmosphere for a yarn shop: Big old New England farm house with yarn in every corner. I’d make improvements though–like more seating areas for sitting and knitting, to invite lingering. I’d probably want better lighting too. When I see the shop at www.purlsoho.com in NYC I simply drool. It’s 180 degrees out from the farm house idea. I love the lighting, the contemporary design, the quaintness, the color. I love Nora Bellows’ Noni studio in Savage, MD as well.  Then who can compete with The Wool Shop in Portlaoise Ireland? The shopfront alone is perfect. What would your favorite yarn shop look like?

Other artistic pursuits

Knitting has taken a bit of a backseat for various reasons these past few weeks. One of the most fun reasons to not be knitting (and there aren’t many), is best illustrated in photos:

Stella and I are repainting her room as a nature-inspired escape.

Stella chose all the colors and the nature theme, most specifically the clouds in the sky. She’s a great hand with the paint roller and it’s been a fun project to tackle together.

Hither and Yarn

So after Inez’s shut down, The Yarn Spot, co-owned by the lovely Victoria and located in Wheaton, MD, has become  my LYS. Easy location and parking, brightly lit and a wonderful schedule of classes, but also welcoming atmosphere, are its high points.  I’ve taken a couple of classes with Jen Crowley there and been very pleased, plus have made some new friends. Also on the upside, I’ve had my daughters in tow on occasion and never felt as though they were unwelcome (they are admittedly well behaved but the bottom line is that children are frowned on in many specialty shops…it’s always a pleasant surprise when that’s not the case).

I will freely offer however, that I’ve been trying to visit other nearby yarn shops. The metro yarn crawl was my inspiration, although I was unable to participate on the yarn crawl’s schedule. I tend to circulate within a five mile radius of my house, but have made an effort to explore hither and yarn.

Of late I posted on Woolwinders in Rockville. Today prior to an appointment in College Park I was able to troll by A Tangled Skein in Hyattsville. A lovely experience. It’s a transitional neighborhood but the building is terrific (old architecture-former bank?) I appreciated the different vibe there–more dark wood, contemporary black and red Ikea furnishings, not as bright as The Yarn Spot or WoolWinders, but an exceedlingly comfortable place. Where they excel is in the amount and variety of seating–heads and tails above not just the other local offerings, but many shops I’ve been to elsewhere. Each section of the store offers its own comfortable seating, plenty of tables, and even a padded stool in the book nook which was immensely helpful for browsing the lower shelves. Very well thought-out in that respect. And just like Yarn Spot crew, the Tangled Skein folks welcomed my daughters with nary a second glance. We DC yarn folks are lucky to have such wonderful variety and choices available when it comes to our knitting and yarn.

The Yarn Spot will remain my truly local haunt, but it’s nice to feel welcome when the schedule and logistics get more far flung!

Baby Sweater Break #2

I swear I’ll take any excuse to knit a baby sweater…even when I should be doing more Master Knitting. This time I’m trying Diane Soucy’s neck down baby cardigan for Knitting Pure and Simple. The women at church are collecting items for Baby Care Kits as part of their ministry to recipients of Lutheran World Relief. So one hooded cardigan it is, and if I have time, some little socks too.

Surprise Visitor

The chimney sweep got rained out last Friday so I was able to spend my afternoon knitting, drinking tea and reading. The rescheduled chimney appointment this Friday was supposed to be routine. We have caps on our flues and haven’t used the fireplace all that much since we last had it cleaned and inspected. However, a surprise awaited in an old flue that most likely harks back to when the house was built and a potential kitchen stove/hearth that was never installed.

The Perfect Friday Afternoon

I was lucky enough to be able to leave work early today to come home and wait for my scheduled appointment with the chimney sweep.  We were sure when we made the appointment that our need for the fireplace this season would finally be over.  Fickle as this season is though, I was rushing to finish things up and get back to the house in time in the pouring rain and 44 degree cold … perfect fire weather (spring, oh spring, why do you tease us so?) 

The girls and I were thrilled to see a box from Amazon on the doorstep upon our arrival–their new Electra bicycle bells (a little loud indoors but what the heck…) and best of all for me, my shipment of Yorkshire Gold (ran out this week!) and my NEW KNITTING BOOKS.

Knitting in Plain English by Maggie Righetti has been on my wish list for some time and my Master Knitter efforts have given me the perfect excuse to finally buy it. 

Comfort Knitting and Crochet Afghans from the Berroco Design Team was a have-to-have after I ran across a copy at Woolwinders. Fell in love with the designs right away, and the beauty of the book, but alas Paige only had the dreaded “store copy only.” So off to Amazon I went.

So my plan after the chimney sweep was that other fun rite of spring–leg waxing. Nix that. I’ve got a cup of Yorkshire Gold and my new books in hand. I’m going to snuggle my hairy legs up, listen to the rain and do some knit-reading.