I'm back from Louisville. Let me preface my reflections by letting you know that I am the kind of traveler that visits a place, always loves it, and wants to then move there. Louisville: I visited it, I love it and I want to move there! It's neither entirely Southern nor entirely Midwestern nor entirely Appalachian, and thus it has a strongly border feel to it that is very appealing. While there I finished my toe-up socks. I'm sold on this method and may never look back...
As promised here is my review of the Knit Nook, Louisville's primo LYS. I visited twice (I'll be getting into that in a minute). The owner Kristin is a lovely and friendly person who made many helpful suggestions and was patient and welcoming to me and my French teacher clan. Here she is winding the Rowan Summer Tweed I bought for Ginger, a cute-as-pie shell that I am knitting up at the moment:
This pattern is rocking my world right now and was perfect for the airplane. (I can't believe I thought I could work on the Hepburn pattern, you know, the one with the cables, lace and intricate chart, in flight? Sometimes I just need to get real.) Ginger is from the Rowan Summer Tweed Collections leaftlet by Kim Hargreaves. I'm somewhat surprised that more people aren't blogging about these patterns as they are classic, chic and very simple. And unlike many Rowan leaflets, there are at least 5 patterns that I could imagine doing.
In any case, during my second visit to the Knit Nook, while I chatted with Tonya of The Shizknit--she's pregnant and glowing, check out her blog--my NON-KNITTING PAL Kenric was eying some Brown Sheep for the Mason-Dixon Buttonhole purse pattern. He was intrigued. He wanted to know more. He bought the yarn. Can you see where this is going? While I was picking Kristin's brain for color suggestions, he cast on. By himself. We left and at the restaurant, he knit some more on it. At the café afterwards he worked on it and figured out how to pick up stitches by himself while I was on the phone. Yeah, guess what? HE FINISHED IT THAT NIGHT. Sheesh! The kid is a natural. We joked that he should go to Housekeeping at the hotel and ask them to felt it for him in an industrial washing machine! Don't think we weren't serious about that...Things that Babs had to show me 3-4 times this guy just doped them out on his own. It reminds me of how my ex-husband asked me to teach him how to play tennis and then wiped the court with me by the end of the lesson. Ladies and Gents, I think we have a new believer on our hands, as upon returning to CA. he immediately went to a yarn store, and last night he called me to tell me that no yarn shops in San José had Brown Sheep, and could I believe that some suggested that he buy yarn at Walmart? Puh-leeze.
Kenric, welcome to our world. Know that you've signed on to a world of shrinking bank account balances, Maryland Sheep and Wool obsession, Internet trolling (not for porn silly, for patterns!) and other activities that making knitting in the 21st c. such a hoot.
38 comments:
Wow, Kenric really is a natural! Way to bring another guy into the fold, we appreciate it! :)
What a funny post! Congrats to Kenric. That's really impressive. I'm loving your socks, but I'm still scared of the toe-up method, having struggled with it before. Maybe I'll give it another shot now!
Go Kenric! Now you realize that you have to set him up with a blog, right? :)
You're right about those Rowan patterns. I'm a Kim Hargraves fan too. I might have to pick that up. I think only the magazine patterns are nutty - I've found a lot of nice patterns in the RYC books. I just can't bring myself to buy whole pattern books.
I'm so glad that you liked Louisville! It really does have a feel that is different from anywhere else. That's why I moved back here (and I love it!) and probably why most of my friends (and my fiance) are all transplants from other cities. And the Knit Nook is like 3 blocks from my house, so funny - and they are really nice there. I'm glad you had a nice trip!
Holy cow (sheep?)! Kenric does sound like a natural! I will have to try toe up socks next -- I definitely like the idea of being able to use up all the yarn (without running out) and being able to try it on with more ease.
It warms my heart to hear of new converts!
I sounds like we may all be trolling the internet for Kenric's own patterns in the near future!
Welcome, Kenric. What a story!
Holy crap! Welcome to the fold, K. :)
Follow the herd, Kenric! There's no turning back now.
LOVE that leaflet. Thanks for the link. Cinnamon is gorgeous.
Great post! What fun- I love people like that- they're so low maintenance!
Woohoo Kenric!
Happy knitting to the both of you,
ali
Sounds like a fun trip! The socks look great :) Can't believe that bag is your bud's *first* project, jeez!
Thanks so much for visiting! It's always so nice to see people from out of town. Come back anytime!
(Also, I'm getting on a plane tomorrow, and I think I hear the Summer Tweed calling my name, too.)
You're putting me to shame with those lovely toe-ups (I still haven't converted)
Love the colour of your summer tweed. I'm sure "ginger" will be a knock-out.
And poor, poor Kenric. He really has no idea what he's gotten himself into. His credit card may never recover. Be strong brother!
I too love the 'ville! I went to school in Lexington so would frequent there often.
Love that pink and brown yarn sooo much!
Kenric has been bitin'. Love that. Totally impressed!
Kenric! Welcome to the knitting world. Way to go... you must have had quite an AWESOME teacher. =)
that's unbelievable. he's clearly a needlework genius!
What a cool post - I've never been to Louisville, but after your description, I will need to be sure to make a stop there sometime. Your friend Kenric reminds me of my friend Patti - who figured out on her own how to increase and decrease and - knit in the round. I showed this girl three things - 1.) how to cast on 2.) how to do the knit stitch and 3.) how to bind off and she figured out how to make a hat on her own, in the round, without a pattern!! Like a knitting savant or something! I am so NOT like that. Missing the engineering gene for sure.
The socks look great.
I am the same way about travel. I arrive in a town and immediately think, "Hmmm, I could do this." Sometimes the gild wears off the lily pretty fast (I won't name names), but sometimes it sticks, like with Vancouver. I would move there in a heartbeat. I have a conference in Louisville this fall, so I'll have to check out The Knit Nook.
Way to suck a new addict...uh, knitter...into the fold! Go, Kenric!
After 7 years in NYC, I think I've become a NY snob. Every time I go away, I complain about it being unlike the city. ("In NY, public transportation works 24-7. In NY, the stores are open later. In NY, we can get sushi anywhere"). Yes, it becomes annoying...
Unless there's a great yarn store! Looks like you found a good one, and a willing student to boot :) Welcome, Kenric!
Heeeee. Great enablement there! :)
ya know, if he wasn't so darn cute I would hate him. Really, casted on all by himself with no help?! Natural.
Lovely toe up's btw! I love the yarn and how it striped
I always want to move to places after I visit them too. My latest is Ireland!
xx
Sounds like a great trip!
Congratulations on bringing Kenric to the dark side!!
Wow! I'm totally impressed with Kenric's natural knitting skills. No garter stitch scarves for that dude.
I'm like that with cities, too -- I invariably want to move there right away. Right now, I want to move to NYC and London. At the same time. I'm working on that bi-locating thing!
Kenric is an anomaly of nature, but a nice one!
I knit the Amber tank last summer and I love it. I wear it all the time. It was my first cotton knitting, so I wasn't totally into the yarn, but Ihave yarn for Chamomille. There's so many great patterns, it's hard to choose just one.
That's so cool about your reruitment of Kenric... and what a cool name. Now, I know that there must be a good yarn store in San Jose. At the very least he should check out Commuknity. I'm not sure if they carry Brown Sheep, but if they don't I bet they could recommend a somewhat more fiber friendly than Wal-Mart. Heck, I'd be happy to purchase some Brown Sheep and bring it down for Kenric. Even better, he needs to come to SF/Berkeley and I'll show him all the good stores!!! It's my commuknity service.
I'm starting to believe in that part of the country and their yarn stores. I live 2 1/2 hours north of Charleston WV and my favorite LYS ever is there. Exactly as you describe. The friendliest place I've ever been. It's been my standard since then.
I love Rowan Summer Tweed. While I was at a knitting retreat a gal was knitting with it, and I fell in love with it. Must have some NOW!!!
Men, they are such show-offs!!! Glad Kenric is a natural.
Holy crap! If he weren't such a cutie, we'd have to hate him! Good thing he looks so sweet!
Love your socks!
Holy crap Kenric. He's putting the rest of us to shame!
Yay for Kenric, he certainly seems to be a natural talent! And my, I had to laugh about the kind of traveller you are - I'm exactly the same!!! Wherever I go, I'll always love it and want to move there immediately! My gosh, if I think where in all the world I would have wanted to move to already - crazy indeed! Just the place where I live - I wouldn't want to move there ;)
Your socks are totally awesome by the way!
Oh my gosh, I can't believe Kenric did so well so soon!! Good for him.
Love your socks and the review of the yarn store. :)
hmmmmm, there ought to be laws about people like him...no not really, I'm just jealous. Hey! You must write about getting kicked out of cabin 'cuz of being to rowdy! Do tell! Your fans await.....
Oh la la, these socks are fantastic! I'm linking to them if you don't mind!
LOVE your socks! They turned out great and the colorway is gorgeous. Also, I hate to do this, but you are so busted! I see those ends not woven in at the top of your socks! (he he)
Have you seen the "jogless bind-off method for toe-up socks"? You'll definitely want to check that out!
http://www.knittingnelly.com/?p=357
Aww, I'm so glad to see the buttonhole bag -- you'll have to post a picture when it's felted! I think I see a newly obsessed knitter in Kenrick . . . and I hope to see pictures of Ginger soon, too (I love how it shows off the back!)
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