Monday, Monday

Monday, July 15, 2024

I’ll be honest and tell you that this photo was taken a couple of days ago but it’s still a reflection of our vegetable garden this summer … at least in the new raised bed. We’ve already harvested three summer squash and some Swiss chard and kale all of which are growing really well. The tomatoes in the other big raised bed are not doing as well. We must need to give it some extra nutrients or something because the tomatoes are pretty pathetic. Oh well, we will learn and do better next year.

I spent a block of time yesterday in my atelier catching up with some of my favorite YouTube channels and knitting on my Lattice Have Pie kitchen towel that I’m knitting for my step-daughter. I am really having fun with this project. The yarn is Tahki Stacy Charles Classic Cotton and I chose two colors of blue because her wedding colors were blue and white. I didn’t want to make a white or even partially white dish towel. Yuck. I’m working this on a US7/4.5mm straight needle since it’s all back and forth and slipped stitches are so much fun! There’s not one fancy complicated stranded row in the whole caboodle. I find it relaxing working on this project and I can see doing more.

The pattern is a purchased pattern on Ravelry and it has charted and written instructions. The process is simple enough – follow the steps on the first pattern row and then knit the knit stitches and slip the slipped stitches. Easy as … pie!

I started with the rolling pin design (because it was first in the pattern directions) but you can knit the designs in any order you choose. I then decided to knit the finished pie with steam and all and then I’ll knit the pieces of pie next. I hope it’ll be long enough at that point, otherwise, I’ll knit the rolling pin once more. It’s fun to watch the stitches turn into a picture! It will be washable and dryable and it will be sent with a knitted heart light-up wall hanging that I’ve also given to other couples that I love who got married. I think they’ll like it.

We’ve had an extended time of unseasonably hot weather here in Maine and we’re all “complaining” about the heat. This is like the Florida weather that we came to Maine to avoid. Until a few years ago we only had fans in the house and we only needed them a few days a summer. And when the days got a bit warmer, we added a window air conditioning unit to the living room and then to my studio and my hubby’s man cave, too, but we only ran them for a couple of days in August. This year we installed them in mid-June and have been running them pretty constantly. Yuck! This weather can go straight back to Florida!

Gone knitting.

CYC Certified Knitting Teacher

I passed my second level of knitting certification and will soon have my certificate and pin to prove that I am a certified knitting teacher! A step up from Certified Knitting Instructor! Yay, me!

It’s amazing to think about spending an hour on the phone talking about knitting and designing knitwear with a stranger, but that’s what the process was. My master teacher, Edie Eckman, received my packet of materials (close to the end of the time frame that I had to complete the work) and reviewed it and we had a lovely chat about my work.

I had not tried several of the techniques that I had to knit swatches for – but I feel as though I am at a place in my knitting career where I am rather fearless and can try anything. Most everything I try, I can do. And I can do it well enough to teach it to someone else. Whether or not I will choose to do a lot of knitting (intarsia and mosaic and fair isle) in some of these styles (?) remains to be seen. But I feel comfortable enough with them.

I would, come to think of it, like to make a pair of fair isle mittens or a hat … some garment to use this technique as I think it’s remarkably pretty. I have a sweater pattern to make for my niece that will give me a chance to try it, too.

So, the Certified Knitting Instructor has grown into the Certified Knitting Teacher … now I have to decide whether to attempt the next level or if I’ll do the Knitting Guild’s Master Knitting. I need to keep learning and stretching in order to grow in my craft. It’s wonderful to that I have choices to invest in for myself.

Gone knitting!

Soon to be Certified Teacher!

Soon to be Certified Teacher!