Showing posts with label Interweave Knitting Lab. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Interweave Knitting Lab. Show all posts

Adventures in Knitting- Interweave Knitting Lab Edition!

by : MarinadeDesigns
Hurray!






In early November, as the first of our winter storms capped the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains with white powder, Amber, Shevawn and I headed for a slightly warmer climate and attended the Interweave Knitting Lab in San Mateo, CA.  We joined forces with Kirstin from Muench Yarns and Knitters Pride Needles to create an awesome super-booth in the Knitting Lab’s Marketplace.  What a fun event it was!








Shevawn and Amber
on the rocking horses

Shevawn rode the Rabbit
while I rode the Camel! :)
We journeyed out early Thursday morning in our rented mini-van, hauling all of our fancy booth-building supplies.  I really enjoyed driving the mini-van-- it was such a comfy ride!  As we stopped for a much-needed coffee break at the “Nut Tree” in Vacaville, we noticed the tiniest theme park ever with a carousel, choo-choo train and other fun amusements.  Of course we had to pose for some pics. :)    














Ringing people up for their
yarn and needles!
We finally arrived in San Mateo with just a few hours to spare before the Knitter’s Market opened.  Luckily the three of us are expert display-cube builders and we managed to get our booth ready with a tiny bit of time to spare.  We also had the help of our good friend Cliff from Skacel.  He was imperative to the booth building process!  


Our awesome booth!
It was busy!  Really busy.  So busy in fact, that we actually forgot to take some decent photos of our booth!  Everyone who stopped by was so excited about the new Knitter’s Pride needles and the Lana Grossa Lace Lux yarn.  By the end of the weekend, our bodies were exhausted but our hearts and minds were full of fun memories of all of the wonderful people we met, customers and industry folks alike.  



Cat and I!






For example--we met Cat Bordhi and I had my picture taken with her!  She stopped by our booth for a few minutes to film a video interview with me and talk about her books.  Thanks for stopping by Cat!  It was so nice to meet you.  Your video will be up on the website soon. :)   


Thank you to all of the awesome designers and yarn company experts who stopped by to film some videos with us.  We didn’t have time to do too many videos, but we definitely had fun when we did.  Thanks to Sandra McIver (author of Knit Swirl!), Diane from Tahki Stacy Charles Yarns, Jan Horowitz from Tahki and Jade Sapphire yarns, and Kirstin Muench from Muench Yarns and Knitter’s Pride.  All of your videos will be up on our site soon!


Yarn shot!
Thank you also to Courtney and Kate from the Fibre Company, Nancy Marchant (author of Knitting Brioche and who's shawl I am still totally in love with), Stefanie Japel (from Craftsy.com and also a phenomenal designer), and Cookie A (author of Sock Innovation and Knit.Sock.Love.) for stopping by the booth and being willing to film.  Sorry we weren’t ready for you-- it was just so busy!


Lastly, an extra special big thank you to Cliff from Skacel for helping us build our booth, hauling around our equipment, bringing us In-and-Out burger sustenance in our time of need, and being our all around manly-man and comic relief.  You were a huge help to us Dr. Skacel! :) 
Hopefully some of you made it out to say hello at the Knitting Lab and if not, we hope to see you there next year!
Happy knitting everyone!
Kristen


P.S.  Have you seen our latest catalog yet? It’s 48 pages of pure, 100% Rowan.  Visit www.jimmybeanswool.com/catalog to sign up for your free copy!


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Springtime Bandit KAL check-in! Progress, finally!

by : MarinadeDesigns
Almost ready for the edge section!
Howdy folks! I am knitting along like a fiend! How’s everyone else’s progress? I admittedly had a bit of a hiccup last week with my shawl. In my absentmindedness (aka. watching “Scrubs” re-runs and laughing too hard), I accidentally forgot the middle stitch yarn-overs in rows 1 and 3 and finished a whole body section without noticing! Imagine the extent of my lamentation when I had to rip back 10 rows. :( I spent most of the drive to San Mateo for the Interweave Knitting Lab ripping out those rows stitch by stitch. How’s that for a lesson in patience?
Close up!
Finally by Friday evening I was back on track and have now almost finished my 6th section of the body repeats. I should finish that last section tonight and begin on the edge chart section tomorrow. I’d really love to finish the shawl over the weekend so that I can block it and post pics for you all next week.
In case you were wondering or confused, the pattern only calls for 4 body section repeats, I am making my shawl a bit larger and have decided to do 6. I bought 2 extra skeins of the Fibre Company Terra (in the Mint colorway) just to be safe. I am pretty tall and I wanted a larger size that was more shawl-like. After looking at the Ravelry page for the Bandit, I saw that many folks had successfully added extra sections for a larger shawl and decided that I would do the same!
RAELNE's Bandit
In the meantime, one of our very speedy participants already finished and blocked her Springtime Bandit! RAELNE from the Ravelry group knit her bandit in Malabrigo Worsted Merino in the Tuareg color. (Raveled here). Isn’t it lovely?


Also, another of our little beans, Sharon, is knitting a gorgeous Springtime Bandit in Malabrigo Twist. This is actually her 2nd Bandit. She knit one earlier this spring in Berroco Remix. Here she is modeling that version. Isn't it gorgeous! I'm so glad she decided to join in on the KAL!
Sharon's Remix Bandit
Lastly, I had the chance at the Knitting Lab to meet the awesome ladies from Kellbourne Woolens/ The Fibre Co.- Kate Gagnon Osborn and Courtney Kelley! They were so nice to stop by our booth after they had been teaching classes literally ALL DAY and must have been so exhausted. Thank you ladies for stopping by, I was so nice to meet you! :)
Courtney mentioned that she is participating in the KAL too. She’s knitting her Bandit in a new Terra colorway called “Belladonna.” I can’t wait to see it. I only wish I had remembered to get a photo of us to post here. I was pretty tired by that point too. Oh well. :) Don’t forget to check out the Ravelry thread for the KAL and to see others’ progress!
I hope you all are well and I’ll see you next week! I can’t wait to see more FO’s!
Happy knitting,
Kristen


P.S. Beans for Brains 2012 Scholarship Program! Don't just apply- Donate!
JBW and 9 other sponsors will be matching YOUR donations dollar for dollar during the month of November (each sponsor will be matching up to $1,000 each, for a total of $10,000) to the Beans for Brains Scholarship fund. We will be accepting donations here and in our retail store with the targeted goal of raising $10,000 from all of YOU for a total of $20,000 in awards!! Together, we can help Craft a Higher Education! Track your donations on our Beans for Brains Facebook page!!

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Springtime Bandit KAL- How to Conquer the Tricky Provisional Cast-on

by : MarinadeDesigns
Happy Wednesday and welcome to week 2 of the Springtime Bandit KAL!  We’ve had a few people on Ravelry discussing the ins and outs of the cast on since it’s a bit of a unique technique.  It’s a provisional cast on and that can be a bit tricky if you haven’t done it before.  I’ve put together a picture tutorial here that I hope will help!
First, you need to chain 4 crochet with some waste yarn.  I like to make sure that this it a big contrast from the actual yarn I’m going to knit with so that I can see it really well.  Also, I like mine to be a bit thicker than the gauge I’m knitting with (bigger loops to work with). :)

After you chain 4, take your knitting needle and your shawl yarn and pick up 2 sts in the back loops of the chain (these aren’t the front loops that form a “v” when you look at them, they're the little bumps on the backside).

Knit 6 rows in garter stitch with the 2 sts you cast on.  I know it seems weird, but it is creating the top ribbing on the edge of the shawl.  You’ll see what I mean when you get there. :)

Now, pick up 3 sts in the little ridges along one side.  This part is really important. There should be 3 little bumps that are easy to knit into.  Also, be very careful that you don’t twist the piece.  This is super easy to do so just double check as you go to make sure that it doesn’t twist on you...that sneaky little bugger. :)

Finally, remove the waste yarn.  You should be able to undo the end of the chain and just pull. It will come out easily.  If it doesn’t, you might have tried the wrong end.  Just do the other one.

Put those last 2 sts on the other end of your needle, and knit them.  You now have 7 sts on the needle and you are ready to start the set up chart!

One quick thing about the chart:  Remember that you start out reading it from right to left and the last stitch on the left is actually the middle stitch.  You must repeat it from the center stitch from left to right.  So basically each chart row you yo-yo.  Your even rows are all the same and are outlined pretty clearly in the pattern.

I hope this helps!  Please let me know if you have any questions!  Also, it’s not too late to join the KAL!  Feel free to join us at any time! Check in on the Ravelry group as well for more support, or e-mail me at: Kristen(at)jimmybeanswool(dot)com.
Also, Amber, Shevawn and I are heading to the Interweave Knitting Lab this weekend!  I hope to see some of you there!  Please feel free to stop by booths 15 & 16 and show off your KAL WIP!  :)
Happy knitting!
Kristen
Beans for Brains 2012 Scholarship Program! Don't just apply- Donate!
JBW and 9 other sponsors will be matching YOUR donations dollar for dollar during the month of November (each sponsor will be matching up to $1,000 each, for a total of $10,000) to the Beans for Brains Scholarship fund. We will be accepting donations here and in our retail store with the targeted goal of raising $10,000 from all of YOU for a total of $20,000 in awards!! Together, we can help Craft a Higher Education! Track your donations on our Beans for Brains Facebook page!! 


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Springtime Bandit KAL Kick-off--Better than the Super Bowl! :)

by : MarinadeDesigns

Hello and happy Wednesday everyone!  I am so excited about today, I am positively bursting with energy!  For one, I am thrilled to be kicking off this super fun KAL for the Springtime Bandit Shawl from the Fibre Company.  Other reasons I am excited may include; this pattern is super fun to knit, Courtney and Kate from The Fibre Company are going to be joining us on the Ravelry group throughout this KAL, and lastly...the yarn. It’s AMAZING!!!

The Original "Bandit" by
Kate Gagnon Osborn
Terra in Mint

For those of you not familiar with The Fibre Company’s Terra yarn yet, now’s the time to check it out!  Terra is a ridiculously soft blend of baby alpaca, silk, and wool and it’s absolutely to die for!  I chose the "Mint" color which combines light, cool green with a more intense sea foam for purely stunning color.  If you are interested in testing out this luscious stuff, the Springtime Bandit Kit is currently the Jimmy Beans Wool Kit of the Month and it’s available for 20% off!  That’s basically like getting an employee discount!  Woo-hoo!

Ok, now for the KAL part.  Some of you may be wondering why we chose the Springtime Bandit pattern.  “But it’s fall-- this pattern is inspired by spring,” you might be thinking.  True story.  But the Springtime Bandit pattern is super warm and fuzzy and perfect for wearing in cold weather.  Not to mention that it consists of a lovely leafy pattern that works equally well for fall.  I think it’s perfect.  I hope you do too!

I cast on last weekend and was able to get through the first chart and twice through the 2nd chart before running out of yarn on the first hank.  On size 9 needles, I am amazed at how quickly this project is progressing!  It’s simple to follow, and really fun as well.  I've Raveled my progress here.  What a great pattern.  Kudos to Kate over at The Fibre Company for dreaming this one up!   
Never-mind the festive
tablecloth... :) 


Like in our last KAL--the Larch Shawlette in the Lorna's Laces Endless Possibilities yarn, once again we find ourselves mainly following a chart.  This chart in particular is very well mapped out and easy to understand.  It has an awesome, very detailed key with it as well.  If anyone gets lost or stuck, please remember that you can reach me for technical stuff on the Ravelry thread or at my e-mail: kristen(at)jimmybeanswool(dot)com.  I am happy to help!

This yarn has amazing
stitch definition!

If anyone participating in the KAL is going to be in the bay area (California) next weekend, I’ll be at the Interweave Knitting Lab in San Mateo at the Jimmy Beans Wool/ Muench Yarns Booth!  Feel free to stop by for some one-on-one advice.  We’ll be filming our fun Jimmy Beans Videos while we are there, so if you are feeling brave maybe you could jump on camera too. :)  It’s going to be a ton of fun! 

Good luck getting started on your “Bandits” and welcome to the Jimmy Beans Fall KAL!
Happy knitting,
Kristen
PS.  Want to be the first to find out about our sales, new products, and other fun events (like the KAL’s) with Jimmy Beans Wool?  Then sign up for our bi-weekly newsletter for all of the most recent updates! 


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Jimmy Beans Wool Videos are Hittin’ the Road!

by : MarinadeDesigns
Happy “National I Love Yarn Day" everyone!  Yup, that’s right!  The Crafty Council has dubbed October 14th, 2011 as the first annual “I Love Yarn Day"! I hope you all find ways to celebrate by knitting or crocheting to your heart’s content!  I know I will be for sure!  I may see if any of the other little beans want to join me too! :) 
Knitter's Pride Dreamz
Interchangeable's
So, over the past few months we’ve been working on some super fun projects and one of those projects is our booth at the Interweave Knitting Lab in San Mateo, CA- November 3rd-5th!  Are any of you going?  We are so excited!  
We thought long and hard about what would be fun and different that we could bring to the event. We finally decided that we would set up our booth for filming some of our super fun videos and try and get all of you involved!  Shevawn, Amber, and I are going to be at the Jimmy Beans booths (#15 & #16) filming videos, hanging out, and having a little fun while meeting the wonderful folks who we ship orders to every day!  Half of our booth will be video filming and in the other half we’ll be featuring all of the new Lana Grossa Yarns and the new Knitter’s Pride Needles, courtesy of Kirsten Muench from Muench Yarns.  She’ll be there with us too!  So exciting!  She’s bringing all kinds of great products for you to check out.  
The newest Filati mag!
Not only that, but if you bring three ongoing or finished projects to share with us on camera that day (knit or crocheted in yarns that we carry or that you bought from us), we’ll give you a 20% “Employee Discount” coupon to use!  We can deposit it into your account for future use, or you can use it there on any of the products in the booth.  How awesome is that?!?!  If you are interested but are a bit camera shy, that’s ok too!  Shevawn and I will be on hand to jump in and help you out with your videos.  We are all about having fun with it, so hopefully you’ll join us!  
We may not have announced this officially yet, but we recently reached a goal for our videos that we’ve been working towards for quite some time...we filmed our 1,000th video this summer!  You can check out some of the Product Reviews and Instructional Videos on our website in case you are wondering what they are all about.  We had so much fun working towards this goal, that we thought we’d set a new one for 2012.  We want to hit 2012 videos by the end of 2012...so we are hoping that some of you will want to get in on the action!  
Whether you want to film a video or not, we hope you will come and visit us at the Interweave Knitting Lab in San Mateo, CA.  The event is going to be so much fun!  If you live in the Bay Area or anywhere near it, drive on over for the day!  It’s free to peruse the marketplace and there are going to be tons of great booths to check out.  You might even have some famous knitter sightings!  (Barbara Walker is the keynote speaker!!!)  It’s really going to be a great event! 
If you are interested in signing up for a time-slot to film some video reviews, please e-mail: shevawn(at)jimmybeanswool(dot)com to sign up!  We are scheduling as many people in advance as possible so that it’s less hectic at the booth for filming and also so that we are able to be respectful of your time.  If you are taking classes at the Knitting Lab, just let us know when you have some free time and we’ll schedule you in.  We’ll also have sign-up sheets at the booth, so if you are unsure, come and see us when you get there to sign up.  Remember to bring your awesome show-and-tell projects for your 3 mini-videos!  (Like the one starring Shevawn below!)




I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  I’ll see you at the Knitting Lab!
Kristen

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