Ravelry is the New Feng Shui

The book Sweater Quest has been the subject of many recent blogs because it really opened the question "Did the Internet Save Knitting?" I think the answer is most definitely YES!

The scarf knitting craze of 7-8 years ago got people interested in knitting and
websites like Knitty and Ravelry created a vehicle to connect knitters with yarn and pattern resources, inspiration, instruction, and other knitters and fuel the passion for knitting. The timing was perfect.

Knitty was the first knitting website that I really got addicted to. Knitty is the longest-running free knitting magazine on the web. Launched in 2002, there are more than 7 years worth of fabulous knitting patterns and articles. What I really like is that Knitty gives new designers a place to showcase their talent, so the patterns are usually fresh, quirky, innovative and FREE. The newest edition of Knitty patterns was just released this week, so take a quick peek.

I think Ravelry is the BEST website on the planet!
Husband and wife Casey and Jessica Forbes founded Ravelry in May 2007. Their idea was to create a web presence for all fiber artists to keep track of their yarn, tools and pattern information, and look to others for ideas and inspiration. If you are not a member of Ravelry, you must become one! It's like Facebook for knitters only much, much, much better!

I've always loved Ravelry for the ability to quickly look up yarns and patterns (which we have to do quite a bit at the shop). This past month, I've spent way too much time on Ravelry learning how to use many of the other available features-like advertising, chat, posting pictures, joining forums and discussions. I've also been updating my project notebook. It is easy to use and it is fun to do!

On Ravelry, I'm adamsaunt, Sue is knitzzzky, Jill is NobleKnitwit, Krista is kristaj84 and Sheryl is dukesmama. There is also a Knitwits Group called knitwits ky and we have 128 fun members. You can easily see what your fellow Knitwits are working on and view their finished objects without feeling like a stalker. NobleKnitwit is great at keeping up with the questions, comments and postings. (i'm getting better).

I highly recommend keeping up with your "notebook". You add your latest project with yarn info, needle info, pattern info, etc. It tracks your progress (or lack of progress) and remembers things that I can never remember (where I got the pattern, what needle I used, what changes I made, etc.) I also recommend putting things in your queue. Whenever I see a pattern that I like I stick it in my queue so I can find it again without doing countless random searches on the web.

Since updating my Ravelry "notebook", I was able to feng shui my desk of piles of knitting patterns, little scraps of paper filled with cryptic pattern notes, bags of yarn bands, two stacks of Knitting magazines with sticky notes everywhere, a shopping bag of stash yarn, 3 UFO's, 1 FO, and a Twix candy bar.

NobleKnitwit and I would like to do some Ravelry workshops to show you all how to unravel Ravelry to organize your life--or at least the knitting portion. Any interest?

By the way, Casey the techno-guy of Ravelry must have a great sense of humor. Sometimes when you're typing a post and you type the word Coffee, a little appears. You can also have a Martini , Pizza , kitty ,fries , sushi , muffin , Beer and red wine . It's fun to figure out which words make the little icons appear. When you find a cutie pie icon-post it on the knitwits ky discussion board.

I know I was going to blog about The 5 Hour Baby Sweater, but I've been spending too much time on Ravelry to finish it. Stay tuned, less than an hour to go! But first, .

CEY Knit-A-Long Update

Wow! Our Classic Elite Knitalong sweaters are going great! In fact, Darlene is the first one to have her sweater done. Good job, Darlene--you’re an inspiration to us all. Unfortunately, we have to wait for a little bit to get a picture of this fabulous sweater, since Darlene is off to the Windy City, her sweater in tow. We’ll have to find out if it was actually cool enough to wear a sweater…. It’s hard to imagine, but I guess it is possible.

This Saturday, we’ll be getting together again for a meeting of the knit along. I can’t wait to see how everyone’s sweater is coming, because I had to miss the last one. I was in New Orleans--actually, technically speaking, I was on my way back from New Orleans. So I didn’t get to see everyone’s sweaters last time.

I was there for our meeting on June 19^th. That was a great meeting. Several of us got together, and as usual, we had lots of fun and laughter. I had a chance to talk to some of our great knitters about how their projects were going and what they thought of the yarn they were using.

Claudia and Sue are both knitting a beautiful pattern out of Firefly--a lovely yarn with a subtle sheen that comes from the viscose in the blend. The finished fabric is really lovely! And, as is usual for our Knitwits knit longs, they are making changes to make a beautiful sweater even prettier. Both these ladies have been tinkering with the pattern to improve the fit of the sweater. Claudia, for example, added short rows in the front to make a sweater that will lie more smoothly across the tummy--a lesson she learned from a previous sweater she did. Both Sue and Claudia have heightened the neckline of the piece and made some other alterations to go with these. Sue even figured out how to put in a hem to make these sweaters look even better.

Truthfully, when I look around at all of our sweaters, I am wowed not only by our amazing knitters but by our fearless leader Sue. Sue has put a lot of thought into each of these sweaters to make everyone's experience go so much better.

Take me for example....in my case, I wanted to use a different Classic Elite yarn (Classic Silk instead of Solstice) at a slightly different gauge than the pattern called for. Oh, and did I mention that I didn't like the line of increases straight across the bust? Gee, Sue, is there a way to solve all of these problems and still stay true to the pattern???? Our amazing Sue found that there was a way to do it... and she not only figured out how, but she gave me a kick butt spreadsheet so I wouldn't screw it up. I know I am on track all the time. It really makes knitting the sweater easier. She did the same thing for Darlene, who was also using Classic Silk instead of Solstice--and at a different gauge than me. And the result is that now Darlene’s sweater is done and she is happy with it!

How does the woman do it? I don't know, but I know that Sue is a gem!!! I also saw her figure out Brooke's vest, going so far as to cut up an old t-shirt and stitch it together so she would understand how the pattern worked.

Go Sue, our sweater knitter extraordinaire!

FOs

I'm really into finishing things right now. I've finished (that means weaving in loose ends and all) two things this past week. I finished up my Gold Necklace Camisole first and was so inspired that I cranked out the last section of my Road to China Citron. I also tackled another biggie....the draft for our new website! I feels really good to check stuff off the "Things I NEED to Finish List"!
The Gold Necklace Camisole is knit out of Katia Bolero using the Aran Necklace Pattern in the Spring 2010 Interweave Knits Magazine. TJ came in with the pattern and as soon as I saw it, I knew I would have to knit it. The construction of the top involved an intricate necklace-like yoke and straps and a short row bodice. The challenge was too great not to knit it and I immediately pictured it in the Gold Bolero yarn . In usual Junko fashion, I cast on and started knitting!

I should have had 8-1/2" after the first set of instructions, I had 6". No worries, I'll just knit til I have 8-1/2" and instead of making the XS, I'll follow the directions for a M. After knitting half of the Necklace Portion, I realized that I would now need to follow the directions for the L to get the correct dimensions. When I got to the pick up stitches for the body and begin short rows part of the pattern, I had to readjust again and was now following the directions for the XL. C'est la Vie.

After the short rows, it's all knitting in the round, so round and round I went until I started to see the cardboard ring that the yarn was wrapped around. Instead of following the pattern for the hem (why start following the pattern at this point), I did a seed stitch border to get as much length as possible without cracking into a new ball of yarn.

Conclusion: I love the sweater! It fits (although just a tad shorter than I want). It looks like the picture! In fact, I love the sweater so much that I took a picture and posted it on Ravelry for all to see that I can actually finish something.

I was in the middle of a trip when I finished the camisole, so I dug my Road to China Citron out of the bottom of my flight bag. I had put it aside after completing section three of the pattern (the shiny, gold cami called me). Citron is a popular, semi-circular shawlette/scarf from the Knitty collection. The pattern is uses lace weight yarn, so what do I use? Road to China Light, a fabulous dk weight yarn of course.


The Road to China Light is my new favorite yarn. It is a soft, luscious, gorgeous, yummy blend of Baby Alpaca, cashmere, camel and silk that knits up like a dream! The yarn felt soooo good after working with the schpoingy Bolero. Section Four went quickly. Section Five was another story. The pattern tells you to kfb in every stitch..well with 273 stitches, that's a whole lot of kf&b! But, I was determined to finish another wip (work in progress), so I put my head down and did it!

Conclusion: I love my Citron and I love Road to China. Although it doesn't really go with my Gold Necklace camisole, I'll be wearing both to death... they are my new favorite things. Bye bye clapotis, Hello Citron!

Next Up? Can a "5 Hour Baby Sweater" really be knit up in five hours?

:-)

My blog mojo is back!

Much to my surprise, Adrienne Martini, the author of my new favorite book, Sweater Quest, responded to the last Knitwits blog post. She commented, " I can't wait to see how your own "Quests" progress..." She also sent me a message on Facebook. If I had read Sweater Quest on a Kindle or iPad, I would really feel technologically with it.

Blog, Facebook, Kindle and iStuff-phone,pad,pod and tunes?
Ten years ago, these words and concepts would be too confusing for my techno-challenged brain to grasp. Yet today, they are readily available and I'm keeping up with IT. What's next?

With all of these technology advancements at our fingertips, why do we continue to practice the ancient art of hand knitting? According to Adrienne, it is these very resources that have saved knitting by connecting knitters to other knitters and the wealth of information that they are willing and able to share.

We can have internet "friends" (like Adrienne) that we may not have met yet but share conversation, common interests and connections. We know their vitals-marriage status, hometown, interests, favorite songs, blah,blah,blah and we can follow their lives and current knitting activities 24/7 through blogs, Facebook and Ravelry.

We continue to knit because we enjoy the pleasure of creating something with our very own hands and a few simple supplies. We enjoy transforming strands of yarn into something tangible and totally different and we enjoy sharing our creations with others that can appreciate the effort. Like Adrienne, we enjoy the process.

Technology has opened many doors to the knitting world and transformed knitting from a solitary activity to a collective one. We now use knitting terms like Tink, Frog, Clapotis and Mr. Greenjeans in our everyday knitspeak. The endless possibilities of yarns, patterns and ideas that are shared on Ravelry cause my head to spin and wish my hands could knit faster.

My treasured MacBook and the internet may connect me to the world of knitting, but there is a deeper, more meaningful bond that occurs within the walls of your local yarn shop. While technology has made knitting exciting, there is no substitute for a LYS --they nourish the knitter's soul. LYS is knitter-shorthand for local yarn shop or local yarn store. It's good karma to support local businesses.

In the age of the Internet, it's difficult for your LYS to make a compete on price and selection, so when you're planning a project and don't have a particular yarn in mind, check your LYS. The sensory experience alone is well worth it. There is something special about touching, feeling and smelling the yarn. Seeing shelves full of endless possibilities of color, texture and fibers and rooms overflowing with knickknacks, notions, samples--now that's exciting. The feeling of "Being a kid in a candy store" can not be recreated while on the computer.

Another big thing that local yarn shops offer that isn't as easy to provide on the Internet is a sense of community. LYSes connect knitters and the community by participating in charity events and doing all the teaching, helping and handholding that many knitters require.

While the internet is full of possibility and potential, Knitwits is a live community. The experience is sensory and personal. There is no substitute. I love my Ravelry, Google and Facebook "friends" but Knitwits is true love! As Sue says, "There is nothing better that being able to give a friend a true hug. :-) is great, but we love to see real smiles and feel real hugs."

Knit, Vote, Read

I recently finished (that's right, I finished something) reading two very interesting books. The first book was The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell and the second one was Sweater Quest by Adrienne Martini. Reading these two books in tandem, gave me great pleasure and plenty to think about.

The Tipping Point was a book that I have wanted to read for a long time. When a passenger left his copy of the book in a seat back pocket, I saw it as a sign that it was meant for me to read it. So, I did. In a nut shell, Gladwell describes the key factors that can make an idea "tip". By "tip" he means spreading an idea or message through the population in a sweeping and contagious manner.

Sweater Quest was a recommendation from Jill. It has been described as the Julie and Julia of knitting. As I read it, I felt like I could have written it. It was about a knitter (from Pittsburgh-my hometown) who attempts to knit an Alice Starmore Fair Isle Sweater just for the challenge of knitting it. It is a wonderful and fascinating read, that is so much more than just the adventures of knitting an authentic Alice Starmore Mary Tudor sweater. The importance of a "knitting community", the advancement of the internet in connecting and educating knitters and the key components that make knitting a popular past time are discussed.

While reading both books, I kept asking myself (and anyone else who would listen), "Does Knitwits have the ability to "tip" something? Is Knitwits the "knitting community" that Sweater Quest refers to? Can our Knitwits Community "tip" something and if so, what is it?"

The answers to the above questions my friends, is YES!
The day after we sent last week's e-mail, we peeked at the statistics that we get from Mad Mimi, our e-mail marketing service. Of the 655 e-mails sent, over a third of you had read the email. Of those readers, 40 of you had clicked the link to vote for Sue's Pepsi Project. And as a result...we watched the Narcolepsy Project jump from 57 in popularity to a ranking of 46 today. I don't think this is a coincidence.

We have gotten phone calls and replies to the e-mail telling us that the email has been forwarded to friends and family. The momentum is building and our request for votes seems to be working. If we all vote everyday and we ask at least one person each day to do the same...we can keep the Narcolepsy message moving up the leader board and I think we can "tip" Narcolepsy into the top spot by the end of the month.

We have ordered a bunch of copies of Sweater Quest for the shop. They should be available sometime next week. If you want a copy, let us know and we'll set one aside. Sue and I found a Fair Isle Scarf in the Fall Rowan Magazine that could be our "Quest" Knit a Long project for the Fall.

Knit, Vote, Read

Dr. George H. Haney

Every once in a blue moon, we are fortunate enough to cross paths with someone that we know will change our lives. This is how I felt upon meeting Janet. We had an instant connection. We grew ever closer and I got to know more about her, her history and her family. It was months after meeting Janet that I met her husband George, a man that I had heard so much about. He was everything that I had imagined and so much more.

George Haney was a skilled dermatologist, avid fisherman and collector of friends. His love for life, wisdom, kindness and easy laugh made him one of the most influential men in my life and the life of many others. He lead by example of honor, grace, giving and teaching.

When Janet showed George a cocktail napkin with "open yarn shop" scrawled on it. George gave her the thumbs up and Knitwits was her birthday present that year. It turns out that it was a present for all who enter the Knitwit's door. His love for life, thirst for knowledge, kindness and pursuit of friends lives within the walls of Knitwits.

George died two years ago after a long battle of prostate cancer. I think of him and miss him everyday.

Today would have been George's 60th birthday. Whenever Janet and I have unanswered questions eating at our brains, we ask ourselves, "What would George do?" When Janet asked, "What should we do for George's Birthday?" George answered "Have a Big SALE for my Birthday and invite all of your friends!" I'm glad it wasn't "Go Fishing" although it looks like a beautiful day for that.

Raise your knitting needles for George this weekend to thank him for Knitwits and come by the shop to reap the rewards of a good birthday celebration sale. To George!

Even if I didn't knit, I think I would still be a big fan of the little shop we call Knitwits. Knitwits has Super Powers.

On Tuesday, I had a doctors appointment to have a mammogram and ultrasound for a small lump I found in my left breast. Of course, the small lump had disappeared over the weekend and the test results showed nothing except that I have extremely dense and teeny-tiny breasts. I felt a tremendous sense of relief and good fortune and headed straight to the shop.

Janet and "Not Steve" were the only people who knew about my disappearing lump. I didn't even tell my mother (and still haven't). When I met Jill in the parking lot and blurted out the news of my favorable breast results, she became the third person to know. It was at that moment that I realized just how magical Knitwits is. It is not only the lovely yarns and tempting notions that keeps our customers coming back, it is the extraordinary collection of people that give Knitwits its soul.

Janet has become a best friend to myself and many others. She possesses an amazing way of looking at life with its many peaks and valleys. She has a way of connecting with people that few possess. When Janet had the idea of opening Knitwits, it was the spirit of friendship, sharing, caring and encouragement that appealed to her...the knitting part was secondary.

Jill amazes me in so many ways. Her development into the "Sock Guru" is just one of the many amazing traits. This year, her son, Brian, will graduate from Beechwood, and he will graduate with the honors of being Prom King, the lead in the school musical, valedictorian, and state debate champion extraordinaire.

I could continue to list the cast of characters and their ''amazing-ness" but I think you all know what I mean. I could try to list the customers (who by good fortune have also become friends) but the list is too long and ever growing. The true spirit of friendship, caring and character exists within the walls of Knitwits and the encouragement of creativity and love of knitting is just a common trait amongst us.

When one of us is celebrating or suffering, we share in the experience. We may deal with it by knitting more or less, but if you share the experience with us, our caring thoughts are with you. Yesterday, we got word at the shop that Sue Stoy is in the hospital and that Rita Arthur's husband was very ill. Our thoughts are prayers are with you and please know that if you need or want anything, we're a phone call or e-mail away.

Knitwits is a magical place where secrets can be revealed, triumphs and failures can be shared and caring is always present. Knitwits is a place that encourages growth, friendship, caring and support...... and like yarn, you can never have too much and you can always find it at Knitwits. May the Forces of Knitwits be with you all!