Now that's relaxing!!

My husband and I like to get away at least once a year without the kids.  So, months ago we made arrangements for each of our fabulous 5 to have a place to be for this past weekend. We usually wait until the last minute to make our accommodation arrangements to see what kind of a deal we can get:)

This weekend we struck gold. We found a lovely B&B in Red Wing, Minnesota called the Candlelight Inn. We found many B&B websites, but one stood out in our search for a great deal.They are running an awesome winter special with highly discounted rates on all of their beautiful rooms. We were in the Rose Garden room.

And what does this have to do with knitting? Well, actually two things.

First, imagine yourself in front of this fireplace with a new skein of yarn, needles ready to go, and a great pattern in front of you. Add a chilly winter day and a glass of wine:) I started on a prayer shawl for a family member and was able to get a lot done. Also, I had my husband, a great dinner and a romantic evening.

Second, I learned about Latvian mittens. At breakfast the topic of knitting came up (I'm getting good at sneaking this in just about any conversation) and Lynette, the Inn Keeper,  wanted to show me a project she is working on. She showed me a Latvian mitten she has almost completed. It was absolutely gorgeous, and so detailed. It looked like she used size 0 or 1 double pointed needles. The pattern was intricate and beautiful. I didn't know about Latvian mittens or the history behind them. The mittens mean much more than just a way to keep hands warm. I found a Latvian mitten pattern book and a link to a review ...

Latvian Mitten Pattern book 

Knitting a pair of Latvian mittens looks like a great thing to put on my Knitting Goals for 2011.

Thanks again to Zig and Lynette at the Candlelight Inn for a refreshing weekend. And did I mention the scrumptious 3 course breakfasts each morning? So much to be grateful for:)

More Weavers Guild of Minnesota

There was so much to see and the Weavers Guild of Minnesota I just had to take one more post to do it justice.

There were many members on hand and they all enthusiastically recommended the TRY IT classes. They are "One-day classes for beginners or the curious". The TRY IT classes cover Dyeing, Beginning Floor Loom, Rag Weaving, Frame Loom, Tapestry, Off Loom, and spinning.

Really, if you ever have had any curiosity about weaving, etc. this would be a great place to TRY IT. The variety of works that I saw were incredible, which leads to me to believe that the Weavers Guild of Minnesota is great place to get creative. No cookie cutter thinking here!

You can explore for yourself at www. weaversguildmn.org.

A Visit to the Weavers Guild of Minnesota

I had a great time exploring the Weavers Guild of Minnesota. They did have the promised 50 exhibitors. What a great variety of craft. There were many weavings, knitted items, and more.

I also spent a few moments talking with Frances Iverson who wrote a book called The Weaving Adventures of Edgar and Rita. It is a great children's story about Edgar the dog and Rita. After going on their outdoor adventures they return home, bringing the colors of nature into the weavings created by Rita.

Then I went to explore the rest of building. There is an awesome library, a weaving room for classes, a small shop that sells threads for weaving, books, and supplies. Also, they have a great gift shop with really unique knitted, woven, and beaded/jewelry.

Once again I had a "learning about me" moment. I found a great pair of clay bead earrings. They were calling my name and yet I chose to go home and see if I decided later I just had to have them. In the next room was the "bargain bin" of yarn and I had no compulsion to stop. I found some great treasures...

Starting at the top, at 12:00. is two great skeins of my favorite hat yarn, Lopi. Then at 3:00 we have the purple glow in the dark yarn. Kid #5 is so excited for me to make her a hat that will glow!! And at 8:00 is some yarn that was intriguing to me, although I am not sure what I will do with it. It immediately brought me back to being an 8 year old in the 70's, with two pony tails, one above each ear, and wrapped with ribbons. This yarn is that ribbon. Did any else sport the yarn ribbons as a kid?

Thank you to Three Kittens Needle Arts!

Today was the day to sew the front of the coral sweater to the back at the shoulders. And then also attach the sleeves. I can do this, I thought!!

Well, in my ignorance I turned the sweater inside out, matched up the front and back edges and started to sew. Much like one would do when sewing a dress or shirt using a sewing machine. I stitched away, turned the sweater right side out to see the results and it was not pretty!. So, I undid the stitches, turned the sweater inside out, lined up the front and back edges and started to sew. Once again, not so good. Didn't someone say the definition of insanity was doing the sames steps and expecting different results?

In my quest to continue enjoying my upgraded sanity level (since all 5 kids are now back in school) I decided to ask an expert.

A local knitting shop offers free knitting help every afternoon. How nice is that?

I put my project into my cute knitting basket and drove to the store. The freedom of having an idea occur to me and being able to implement it in the following moment is still new to me. I took a deep breath and was able to savor the moment!

I drove to Three Kittens Needle Arts in Mendota Heights, Minnesota. http://www.3kittensneedlearts.com/

It must have been quite obvious that I needed help as I walked into the store with my project basket. The ladies asked if I needed help, and quickly decided Laura was the "seam expert".

Laura came out from the back room and assessed the seam. It was such an "outside the box" experience for me. First she put the edges together with the sweater right side out. Then she proceeded to show me how to stitch the seam and make it look like another row of the knitting. It is almost seamless! I felt like I was learning top secret information from one of the best.

She also took the time to show me how to do the sleeves when I was ready to attach them.

The "it's all who you know". Or in my case, knowing who to ask really is true.

Thank you to all the ladies at Three Kittens Needle Arts!

Knitting by the Pool

I still seem to be in vacation mode. Moving slowly and not getting back my sense of direction very quickly.

On our trip I made many many hats with the purple Lopi yarn I got for such a bargain at Herrschners.

Ahh, the pool! Thanks R&B&J&K&TJ for being such great hosts!