TKGA Summer Show

I was at TKGA for the last two days, sitting at the feet of one of my knitting idols, Beth Brown Reinsel, the designer of my beloved and much worn Celtic Dreams.  I learned a few things.

1. She has a blog.

2. Her last name Reinsel rhymes not with "fine sell," but with "pencil."

3. I can knit a whole Gansey in six hours. Okay, it's only big enough for a bottle of 1999 Hermitage, but technically it is every stitch a Gansey.  See the gussets?  They're the part under the arms that look like the overwrought "lats" of a hamster-sized pump monkey, but at full size, they would be the charm of the whole sweater for me. Sure, you have the patterning on the yoke, but me, I dig those little gussets.  I  also enjoyed the company of Kathy and Cheryl for the day, but I forgot the flashcard for my camera, so you'll have to check out their blogs for photographic proof.

4. I want to learn anything Beth has to teach.  I signed up for the second workshop she was offering even though I had no idea what twined knitting was, and I was not disappointed.  I spent Friday with Terry and her friend Cindy, making Swedish mittens with a stitching technique, tvåänstickning, that is at least 400 years old.  It makes a warm and lofty fabric, and the surface is really interesting.  Beth had a lot of pictures on her laptop that she took in Sweden of museum examples, as well as the incredible work of Anna Maj Ling, who wrote the book

This one I didn't finish in the class time, but you can see what I am getting at here.  The inside has a lovely texture to it, and the wrist end of the mitten has a border of what is called "O-stitch", and a row of "chain stitch" too.  It will fit the boy, when it's done, so these go into the knitting basket with the (many, many) other things.

5. I need a new purse.

Isn't this amazing?  I found this originally on Heather's blog, bought the pattern from the designer's Etsy shop, and actually met Madeline in person outside The Yarn and Fiber Company's booth at the TKGA marketplace yesterday.   She had several of the bags with her in person, and they were amazing.  That's when I really caught the bug.  (Cindy of Yarn and Fiber can set you up with the yarn and the pattern at one go, if you suddenly need one too) To make it, I bought six skeins of one of the new Noro colours from them myself, number 207 (the two skeins of feltable black I need are in the Cascade 220 stash) I can't wait to get started.

(okay, I already have)

6. One plate of guacamole does not satisfy a table of knitters.

Terry, me, Laurie, Cheryl, Kathy, and blogless Manise.  I also learned that you can get only once scoop at Ben and Jerry's if you insist on it, and are willing to still pay for two.

7. If I leave the Mister and The Boy alone in a wool house for two days, I should lock away the precious fiber tools, lest something like this happen.

Comments

[Manise]

It was a fun evening with all of you. Loved hearing about all the workshops and laughing myself silly at all the tales told. Hope you're having just as much fun today.

[Ruth]

It all looked envious until the last picture. Eeep!! What the heck happened?

[Ruth]

err ... I meant enviABLE. Lord, someday Macalester is just going to revoke my BA.

[Meghann]

Sounds like so much fun! I'm heading up to hit the market tomorrow, yeah!:)

[Wanda]

Dang, woman! I did not need to see that pattern. That bag is just gorgeous. I bet that was treating meeting Beth Brown-Reinsel. I did not know that she has a blog too. I'll definitely check that out.

[Kathy]

That's the best damn wine cozy I've seen :-) Wonderful to see and spend time with you. Spent the morning with the very charming Galina learning Continental. I'd better go survey the wool tools -- I also left the boys at home and was greeted with "Mom, I organized some of your yarn" -- that can't be good.

[naomi]

(You can also get a "kiddie cone" at Ben & Jerry's, for less money than a "small", and it's one scoop instead of two. If they'll sell one to a 25yo, they'll probably sell them to anyone. They're just not posted on the menu.)

[naomi]

On a less-happy note, what *was* that now-broken fiber tool?

[Margot]

I <3 BBR as well. I took her gansey workshop a few years ago; she's a stellar instructor. I wanted to take the twined knitting class, but the cost of the class + missed work was a bit steep for me. I'm glad to see the pix and to know that you had a good time.

BTW I think typepad should have a separate dictionary for knit-bloggers. It's not liking gansey. Oddly enough, its spellcheck is also cranky about typepad. Hee.

[cyn]

Oh. Fiber tool looks unhappy! But you were all happy and warm and fuzzy from spending such a wonderful time up at TKGA, right?

[whitney]

You got to hang out with Beth Brown-Reinsel? Oh, I am so jealous! I'm currently working through her "Sampler Gansey" from "Knitting Ganseys" and am absolutely in love.

That's one gorgeous bag you're working on, too. Wow!

(also, hi! I think this might be my first time commenting here, but I've been lurking for awhile.)

[kmkat]

Okay, I didn't even finish reading your post before I had clicked away and bought that bag pattern. Thanks!

[kate]

wish I had been there. Glad you had fun.

[mamacate]

Oh the envy! Sounds just lovely.

[Tonia]

Sounds like you had a great time. Yeah it looks like any and all things that you don't want broken while gone should go up. How did they manage that??

[Beth S.]

What a fabulous bag! Thanks for the link, I'll be checking that store out pronto.

I don't recognize the broken fiber thingy, but please, please say it isn't part of a wheel. Please?...

[Jen da Purse Ho]

DAMMIT WOMAN! now i had to hurry up and order the pattern so i could have it! :) thank you. :)
it's such a beautiful bag!!

[vanessa]

ack, what wheel is it from?

now i want a blue shell purse, no wait, a stained glass purse ;-)

[Kim]

Looks like it was fun!!

[Emily]

I was there yesterday too! Didn't get to take any classes, just roamed the sales floor for a few hours. So. Awesome.

[anne]

oh i have workshop envy!! we never get good workshops out here (pout). i am dying to come to new england for the bohus classes, but it means 4 days away and quite a few bucks . . . should or shouldn't i??

[Teresa C]

Man, we had to have been the smoking-est knitters at Marguarita's, no?

Hey, remind me when we see each other next-I picked up your needle gauge up off of the floor at the end of the class on Friday, I'll try to keep it in whatever bag I'm carrying around if and when I show up at knitting or spinning this week, but make no promises. You know where to find me.....

[kim sheehan]

Drool drool drool.

I bought the pattern from the Etsy store. Could you let me know how many Kureyons it takes? There is some for sale at ebay and might have to buy it there.

Oh and....I was at Stitches West once and at one of the banquets sat with Beth B-R and Nancy Bush. They were 'breaking the rules' by sitting together (apparently the instructors are supposed to spread out at those things) but said they never get a chance to spend time together at those events so they were being rebels. Doesn't that make you admire them both even more? Stitches Rebels!

[Laurie]

You created a minirun on the purse pattern yesterday, and now I see a maxi-run potential up in your post.

That was fun at Margarita's, even though their beers were too big. Twice.

[kim sheehan]

Never mind, have pattern in hand. Now looking for kureyon.