I'm ready for 2012....I think!

Since I managed to cap off 2011 by catching a stomach bug from one of my kids -- a nasty one that's left me feeling exhausted and still a little queasy nearly a week later -- I've had some time to mull over the past year. (One thing I've noticed that is a sure sign of impending senility is the way in which, when I go to look back over a year that's ending, I find myself hopelessly confused about whether things actually happened in that year, or whether they happened two or three or even more years ago.  Something about having kids has irrevocably skewed my sense of time. I wondered for a minute whether 2011 was the year that Michael Jackson died, and was horrified to realize it was 2009 -- two years ago.  WTF, people?)

One very convenient thing about writing a blog is the ability to go back over one's posts and get some verbal snapshots of what was going on at my life at different points in time.  So I looked over the blog posts I've written in the past year to help put my wonky mental time line into perspective.  In retrospect, 2011 was an incredibly eventful year for me, and when I step back and think about what happened in the wider world, it was a pretty eventful year period.  I hate to resort to the cliched "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times," although the sheer number of wonderful and awful things that happened makes it tempting.  On the awful side, in addition to some personal stuff I won't go into here, consider:

• the March earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis that devastated Japan
• all too many senseless acts of violence, from Rep. Gabby Giffords to the kids in Norway to the nameless victims we don't hear about who are lost every day
• Hurricane Irene's effects on so much of the country (and our week-long power outage)
• my mom's near-miss as the Susquehanna River came a strand of laceweight away from flooding my hometown
• the ten-year anniversary of 9/11, a sobering reminder of the evil that can live in our world
• the frustrating, forget-about-who-sent-you-to-Washington state of American politics, and the gobsmackingly pathetic road show that the Republican primary season has become
• the infuriating revelations about accused pedophile Jerry Sandusky, and Penn State's alleged complicity in concealing his crimes, a story that makes Pennsylvania taxpayers like me particularly livid since Penn State is a state-funded university
•  the continuing economic turmoil in this country and elsewhere
• the loss of friends, family and loved ones, famous (Elizabeth Taylor), infamous (Christopher Hitchens) and not famous (Beverly, Goat-Boy), but who will be missed all the same.

On the good side, consider how happy Satan is, having called home three of his favorite sons in 2011:  Osama Bin-Laden, Muammar Ghadaffi and Kim Jong Il. (Delaware folks might also add Tom Capano to that list; I'd nearly forgotten that that murdering bastard died in prison this September.)  Remember the Arab Spring, affecting Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria; the Occupy movement, which if nothing else began a badly-needed conversation about the role of money in American politics; the official end of Don't Ask/Don't Tell; the continued acceptance of gay marriage and its legalization in New York; and the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

At the top of the list for us was a new cousin. After a heartbreakingly difficult pregnancy, lovely Lily was born in January to my godson and his lovely wife.  This photo is a few months old but she is healthy and gorgeous and showing no ill effects from her prematurity.  Hurrah!

I was extremely fortunate in my professional life this year. I started off 2011 by getting to participate in the very first VK Live in New York City and it was fabulous.  (I'm happy that I get to start 2012 off with VK Live -- and there are still spaces available in my Monday classes -- go here for details.) Indeed, ramping up my teaching schedule was one of the most notable aspects of this year for me, and I greatly enjoyed teaching in local yarn shops like Loop & Gosh Yarn It!; smaller knitting shows like the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair; and big shows like VK Live in New York and Los Angeles, and Stitches East in Hartford, CT.

I had a lot of fun dyeing and designing, and although I managed to crank out a respectable number of designs in various publications, and do some more technical articles, too, much of the year was subsumed by the process of working on my third book. I could not be happier with the way it's coming along and I can't wait to be able to tell you and show you more about it in the coming months.  Publication date is set for October 2nd.

And one last creative note, 2011 was the year I totally lost my head over quilting, finishing a whopping six quilts, and assorted other sewing projects.  (Once I started knitting for a living, I had to find a new hobby.)

As the year ticks away, though, the most cherished memories I have from 2011 are the times I spent with the people I love.  Whether it was a raucous night at a Phillies Stitch-n-Pitch, a quiet summer stay with the kids at my mom's, a fiber event that had me surrounded by my people, a ribald Facebook chat, or a mellow night with my husband and kids (and bunny), the times I'll try to never to forget are those. And I consider myself extremely lucky to have met so many beautiful new people who have become friends.

We are all healthy and here, with a roof over our heads and food on the table and way more in the way of material and non-material blessings than most people in this sad world can imagine.  For that I consider myself unaccountably fortunate.

Happy New Year, everyone!

2011 Retrospective: Overall

Well, we've talked about specific yarns and we've talked about specific books. What were the overall trends in knitting in 2011?  What else in the last year helped shape our knitting (and spinning and crochet) world?

Overall trends

For most people, the economy was still an issue when it comes to hobbies, although there seemed to be a bit less anxiety about financial issues toward the end of the year.  Handdyed yarns were still strong -- and at the top of the competitive market, MadelineTosh's saturation in the market was unbelievable. We saw continued interest in  organic yarns and renewable fibers; most of the big yarn companies continued to produce at least one new yarn with recycled fiber content in it.  We saw continued interest in single breed yarns and rare or endangered breed preservation (as in the Campaign for Wool). We saw renewed interest in novelty yarns, especially self-rufflers, and this helped push sales for these one-skein, one-hour projects. We also saw companies building off established yarn brands they already produced, whether to add yarns with the same name in different weights (like Cascade adding different weights to its 220 line, or Berroco adding to its Vintage and Blackstone Tweed lines), cooperating with publishers to create brand-specific books (Noro and Cascade 220 come to mind) or add magazines (Interweave began Knit.wear and added special issues like Jane Austen Knits, and Koigu Magazine hit the shelves).

In terms of patterns, the cowl (a.k.a. neckwarmer, neck cozy, loop scarf) was huge. Quick to knit, with a relatively small amount of yarn, the cowl was a great way for knitters to try out a new yarn or use a new stitch pattern with a minimum of investment, while avoiding issues of fit.  (Cowls are also great for people who aren't good at draping or tying scarves.)   There was still interest in sock knitting, but less of a frenzy in that regard, and knitters (aided by designers like Stephen West and Brooklyn Tweed) continued to explore using fingering weight yarn for other things, like shawls, scarves and fingerless mitts.

Pebble Neckwarmer

I mentioned in my books post how there was a continued interest in lace knitting; we also saw continued interest in fair isle and cables, although no one technique dominated. Technical books put out by both mainstream publishes and the indie press helped give knitters instruction and confidence (I forgot to mention JC Briar's excellent little book on charts, for example).

One of the most interesting and exciting trends we say in 2011 was the resurgence of the knitting show. Stitches has been the granddaddy of the knitting show, having now expanded to East, West, Midwest and South venues; but this year Vogue Knitting burst onto the show scene with VK Live, premiering in New York City in January.  A second show took place in Los Angeles in September. Interweave premiered its Knitting Lab in November, and a second Sock Summit was held in July in Portland, OR.  UK Knit Nation had its second event in London, as well.

What does this burst of shows say about the industry? Lots of good things. It's a way for knitters to bring on-line connections to real life. It's a way for knitters to learn more about the craft they love so much. It's a way to rekindle enthusiasm for knitting if you've been doing it a while, and to grab hold of the energy that seems to emanate from these sorts of knit-centric occasions. Overall, the fact that so many people are willing to travel, stay over and commit a weekend (or more) to a show indicates their commitment to the craft: an excellent thing.

2011 was a mixed bag for local yarn shops. We lost way too many this past year, including Ewe and I in the Philly 'burbs and Woodland Woolworks in Oregon, which makes me sad, and a few changed hands, but we also saw the entry of some new yarn shops to help offset the losses. PDF patterns continue to be huge (for example, we saw Dale of Norway enter the PDF market by beginning to sell patterns on Patternfish) and LYSs now have to not only be educated about the patterns that they sell, but also about the hot patterns that are sold on-online, so that when knitters walk into the shop with a PDF printout looking for yarn, the LYS can help them find a suitable choice. In a clever move, the Ravelry folks premiered a yarn shop sales service, in which designers can agree to let yarn shops sell Ravelry PDF patterns through their shops.

Goodbyes

We lost some terrific fiber people in 2011, including Judy Sumner (author of Knitted Socks East and West);

Jean Leinhauser (author of many books on crochet, and founder of Leisure Arts and the American School of Needlework); Erica Wilson, who is known mainly for her needlepoint designs but also wrote a knitting book; and Joan Vass, longtime knitwear designer. We also lost some less well-known  but just as treasured fiber folks, like Sue Nelson, who was greatly loved by her colleagues at XRX; Steve Harder, a.k.a Goat Boy, who deeply loved the goats he bred and was a fixture at shows on the eastern seaboard; and Beverly Johnson, a Philadelphia-area knitter who was like a ray of sunshine (well, if a ray of sunshine never went anywhere without her cute little doggie).  Rest in peace to all.

Current events


Although it's tempting for non-knitters to envision knitting as a solitary activity, knitters proved time and time again that they were in touch with the wider world. When Japan was struck by a horrific earthquake and tsunami in March, knitters jumped in with efforts to help. Fundraisers auctioned off knitting supplies, books and finished objects, and big companies and small designers alike donated proceeds from their profits to the Red Cross and other relief organizations. Crafters also began creating items to send to the Japanese natural disaster victims, including quilts, knitted socks and blankets.

On a brighter note, inspired by the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, knitters could recreate the wedding party in knitted form, courtesy of Brit Fiona Goble.  Knit Your Own Royal Wedding included directions for knitting all the major participants, even including a corgi!

Knitters were right in the forefront of technology, too, with many knitters using their iPads for crafty pursuits.  The large display of the iPad's screen was perfect for showing off photos of finished products, and knitting-related apps -- from a gauge measuring device to magazine subscriptions to inventorying yarn and needles -- started appearing at the App Store.

It's hard to encapsulate a whole year's worth of activity in a few blog posts, so I apologize in advance if I've inadvertently missed anything.  As usual, feel free to chime in with comments to share your impressions of 2011. It was an eventful year, and like most, full of good and bad.  Best wishes to all my readers for a wonderful 2012!

Special note: I'll be appearing on the WEBS podcast, Ready Set Knit, this Saturday, as Kathy Elkins and I take our own look at 2011 in the fiber world.  The podcast will air Saturday, December 31st -- go here for details.

2011 Retrospective: The year in yarn

As 2011 draws to a close, let's take a look back at yarn:  what new yarns charmed us? what old yarns did we say good-bye to? what trends seemed to be peaking and what trends seemed to be revving up?

Let's get the bad news over with first. This past year, we bid a sad good-bye to Rowan Calmer, a cotton/acrylic blend that was a workhorse yarn for those sensitive to wool and those living in warmer climates. I don't know why Rowan discontinued this versatile yarn, but damn, it makes me sad.

We also lost Mission Falls this past year. Mission Falls 1824 wool was a great and well-priced yarn in a lovely palette.  Its cotton sister was soft, plush and cozy, and came in a similar palettte.  Also getting out of the knitting yarn business:  JCA/Reynolds, although they continue to sell their needlework lines.  That means bye-bye to Whiskey and Soft Sea Wool, although Lopi is now being distributed by Westminster Fibers.

Another yarn I was sad to see discontinued was Nashua's Julia, a wool/mohair/alpaca blend created by the lovely and incredibly talented Kristin Nicholas.  The palette of colors for Julia was wonderful, created for mixing and using together, and we'll miss the way Kristin combined those colors to produce gorgeous colorwork garments.  (I am sure, however, that she will end up designing beauteous things in other yarns, but still....)

Just after the fall fiber season closed, the Sanguine Gryphon partnership announced that they would be splitting, reforming two separate dyeing companies: The Verdant Gryphon & Cephalopod Yarns.  Hand Jive Yarns and Kitchen Sink Dyeworks (Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark's dyeing business) also are hanging up their dyepots to pursue other fiber ventures.

When it comes to the new stuff, some of my favorite designer-led yarn companies released new yarns:  Veronik Avery's St-Denis line released Sommet, a luscious baby alpaca that can be substituted for Nordique in St-Denis patterns.

Quince & Co. had a limited-edition set of natural yarn colors in some of their most popular base yarns, and recently introduced fingering-weight Finch in all-American wool, along with organic linen Sparrow.  Brooklyn Tweed gave us Loft, a fingering-weight tweedy wool in a versatile palette of colors that blend beautifully.

Our friends at Westminster Fibers have done some reorganizing. Nashua Handknits has been discontinued as a brand, but some of the yarns, like Creative Focus Worsted, have been folded into the Rowan line.  In addition, Schachenmayr yarns are now being sold under the name SMC and SMC Select.  I saw some of these yarns at TNNA and they are quite lovely (there's a line of Extra Fine Merino yarns that are especially nice).

Lion Brand Yarns premiered a line of Martha Stewart branded yarns, and I was kind of surprised to see some novelty yarns in the mix, like a glittery eyelash yarn and a really bulky roving encased in thread.  There are more traditional yarns in the line, too, like a pure merino and a merino/alpaca/acrylic blend.

Lorna's Laces introduced Solemate, a blend of superwash merino, nylon and a fiber called Outlast, which is designed to help adjust to the wearer's body temperature; Solemate has proved so popular that a sportweight version is coming soon.

When it comes to yarn trends, the first things that comes to mind are the ruffle yarns -- they were everywhere at the fall shows. Even Rowan came out with Kidsilk Creation, a kind of mesh knit in Kidsilk Haze that allows the knitter or crocheter to quickly create ruffled scarves.

Handpaints were still popular, although the craze seems to be slowing down a bit. I think that the focus of knitters has contineud to move away from wildly colored multicolored yarns to more muted colorways and semi-solid/solid colors.  Apart from handpaints, we saw a lot of chainette yarns, like Rowan's Lima and Debbie Bliss Paloma, and generally speaking, alpaca seemed to be in a lot of yarn blends, adding its distinctive halo and soft hand.

Those are my impressions of 2011: the year in yarn.  What did I miss?  Did you discover a brand-new yarn that you loved? Did you say good-bye to a discontinued yarn that I didn't mention?  Speak now or forever hold your peace.....

2011 Retrospective: Best Books of the Year

It's that time again: the end of the year, when I take a moment to look back over the past year in the dog-eat-dog world of yarn.  Let's start our retrospective with a look at some notable knitting books published in 2011.

We start off with Clara Parkes' excellent The Knitter's Book of Socks: The Yarn Lover's Ultimate Guide to Creating Socks That Fit Well, Feel Great, and Last a Lifetime (Potter Craft), the third in her "Knitter's Book" series. Clara does a great job explaining the technical requirements of a good sock yarn, then presents a beautiful selection of sock patterns from top designers, including Melissa Morgan-Oakes, Cat Bhordi and Ann Budd.

While we're on the topic of socks, Barb Brown's Knitting Knee-Highs: Sock Styles from Classic to Contemporary (Krause) presents a knockout selection of patterns for knee-highs (with pattern variations showing the socks in ankle- and/or crew-length, too).  Lots of beautiful stranded knitting, texture, cables, and lace make for a lovely collection for the sock-knitter. Sock knitters will also want to check out Ann Budd's Sock Knitting Master Class: Innovative Techniques + Patterns from Top Designers (Interweave).

Did someone say lace?  Three standout lace books made their debut this year, each with its own sensibility.  Wendy Johnson's Wendy Knits Lace: Essential Techniques and Patterns for Irresistible Everyday Lace (Potter Craft) presents clear technical instructions for the beginner, and a terrific selection of patterns using fingering-weight and heavier yarns.  The talented Teva Durham presented her own lace collection with a trendier edge; in  Loop-d-Loop Lace: More Than 30 Novel Lace Designs for Knitters (STC) she riffs on standard lace techniques and creates some really interesting and gorgeous garments.  I haven't seen The Haapsalu Scarf yet, but based on Siiri Reiman and Aime Edasi's previous book on Haapsalu shawls, I feel confident this one's just as good.

I'm a big fan of Connie Chang Chinchio, and her first book Textured Stitches: Knitted Sweaters and Accessories with Smart Details (Interweave) is hot off the presses. I like the way Connie combines classic, elegant silhouettes with interesting details, and you'll find some great, wearable and stylish choices here. Wendy Bernard's second book, Custom Knits 2: More Top-Down and Improvisational Techniques (STC), presents another good-looking collection of sweaters knit in the round from the top down, along with technical information to help adapt patterns for a more customized fit.

Noro fans, rejoice:  two gorgeous books devoted to all-Noro designs were published this year by Sixth and Spring.  Knit Noro: 30 Designs in Living Color contained a mix of items from sweaters to accessories, and  Knit Noro: Accessories: 30 Colorful Little Knits is devoted entirely to smaller items. Both contain terrific selections of patterns that make the most of Noro's self-striping and vivid color combinations, and both are elegant enough to serve as coffee table books.

It was a dream of Elizabeth Zimmerman's to publish a book devoted to garter stitch. Even though EZ is no longer with us, her daughter Meg Swanson was able to compile a selection of patterns in garter stitch from Elizabeth's notes.  Knit One Knit All (Schoolhouse Press) contains the kind of creative and fun projects that EZ is known for. Meg Swanson and Amy Detjen also have a book on stranded knitting that has just gone on sale, and although I haven't seen it yet, I expect it to also be a winner.

Knitters hungry for technical instruction had some great choices, including Extreme Double Knitting by Alasdair Post-Quinn (Cooperative Press), which explores in great detail the technique of double-knitting; Judy Becker's Beyond Toes: Knitting Adventures With Judy's Magic Cast-On uses Judy's Magic Cast-on as a jumping point for designs; and Mary Jane Mucklestone's 200 Fair Isle Motifs: A Knitter's Directory (Interweave), provides a comprehensive collection of traditional fair isle motifs. Back in print: Alice Starmore's Alice Starmore's Charts for Color Knitting: New and Expanded Edition (Dover).

For newer knitters, Melissa Morgan-Oakes' Teach Yourself Visually: Circular Knitting (Wiley) provides plenty of photographs and step-by-step instruction on how to knit tubes rather than flat pieces. Once you've been knitting for a while, it's easy to forget how confusing knitting in the round can seem to a newbie, so this book would be extremely helpful for a relatively new knitter.

Last but not least is Anna Hrachovec's Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi: More Than 40 Itty-Bitty Minis to Knit, Wear, and Give (Potter Craft), a whimsical collection of tiny little knitted objects -- everything from volcanoes to robots to armadillos.

With all the concern about the longevity of traditional publishing, it was good to see a strong crop of knitting books released during the past year (and I've only mentioned a handful of the ones that were publishedin 2011). I was happy to see that treasured old titles are being reprinted and in some cases updated (in addition to some of the Alice Starmore titles, look for Principles of Knitting by June Hemmons Hiatt in early 2012, and a revised edition of Folk Socks by Nancy Bush is expected out any minute now).  There seems to be a growing trend of creating knitting books tailored to a specific yarn, such as the Noro and Cascade books, and the renewed emphasis on techniques is also encouraging.

Next up: a look at yarns we said hello and good-bye to this year.....