My First Brioche Project

Trying to be a knitter that creates current styles with a vintage feel is my goal. To achieve that goal is a constant journey. My never-ending story!
This year I had a definite plan... (wait a minute, my dog Maxy wants a treat, ok, done)

As a knitwear designer Vogue Knitting is a must read. 

Usually the Vogue Knitting Live events are in cold weather states, but this year Vogue Knitting decided to come to Pasadena, CA. Close enough for me to travel there. I did more than that though. I signed-up for some knitting classes. The event was well organized, and not too busy to be lost in the crowd.
 I could see that my designs can stand up to the professionals. I am wearing my newest design "Valace" and it is just as current and relevant.




My main learning objective for that convention was to master the Brioche stitch. I was so excited to have the opportunity to attend a class from THE master brioche knitter, Nancy Marchant. I was prepared and spent a few weeks before the event testing out some one color brioche knitting. Then graduated to some 2-color brioche knitting. Tried some color reversals and also read as many articles as I could find about the brioche stitch in other knitting magazines. Some articles presented comparisons to the Fisherman's stitch. They referred to 1-row, 2-row or even 3-row increases and decreases. 
By the time the convention began I was pretty much confused and sort of disillusioned. 
HOW COULD I HAVE ASSUMED TO LEARN THIS STITCH IN JUST ONE CLASS?

Nancy Marchant, you are my brioche idol. Not only did your one class "Fresh Brioche" teach me enough basics to venture out and design my first shawl. You also made the entire experience fun.

I have searched for a while now and finally found the yarn for my first Brioche design. When all else fails, Rowan usually has what I need. Rowan finest is a mix of extra fine merino, cashmere, and royal alpaca. It is so unbelievably soft, truly a luxurious experience. It also knits well.

Today my shawl knitting project reached the 1/2 way point and I was shooting the first pictures.

Blocking this shawl will hopefully bring out the depth of the geometric pattern on both sides. Since it is fully reversible, the shawl can be worn as light colored or dark colored accessory. The yarns fiber combination will make it a warm choice for cool outdoors, or a dress-up accessory for evening attire. It could even be used wrapping your head in to provide the warm final touch for keeping the ice cold winter wind away.  Now I can't wait to finish it. I will have to find a perfect shawl pin for it. This design deserves a statement-making piece of jewelry, Right?
The name for this pattern is also decided:

See Me

First day of Summer 2015

This year I have started and finished my summer vacation before the summer officially arrived.
I am not sure what the reason was, but I am sure that it was the right decision. The order of events 'before today' was as follows:

May 13, performance review at work. It is always a good review, I always exceed expectations. That's just the good little girl I am. He he he he

May 14, fly to Germany
May 15, arrive in Germany
I was born in Sulzbach-Rosenberg. The town has been polished since the year when I was born. It looks very pretty and clean now.

I have been looking for old photos of the Windschnur, but the black houses have been demolished long ago. I did find an image that shows Rosenberg with the steel factory in the background. To imagine where I was growing up, you need to imagine what it was like to live behind the the steel factory inside these exhaust clouds. The life then was not colorful and rosy. In my memory most images are black and white.

Only the summers have color. The times away from the black and white. Summer camp in the Alps, or in Sulzbach with Opa and Oma. They used to live in a small house in the back of a store, a main street store. Only steps from the the red brick building shown in the first image.
When I go home now I concentrate on the colorful memories and make new ones. The main reason this time was to visit my mother in her new home. She lives in a senior center since last July and she raves about the place.

She lives on the second floor in her own room, with some of her own furniture pieces. Since she moved in she was unable to ever leave. It was my goal to get her outside and experience something different everyday. I think I did my job well. She still remembers the time we visited her newest great-grand child Bastian, or the time we eat a Lox-sandwich at an Imbissstube. We played cards, sang songs, and went for small afternoon trips. It was not easy to rent the perfect car, a Jeep Renegade. The rental agency gave me grief, but I insisted. This car had the perfect heights for a person that could not walk. All I had to do was guide the wheelchair to the passenger door, get my mother to stand up, turn her a quarter turn so she could let herself fall onto the seat. The way out of the car was just as easy. Guide both feet outside the car and slide her forward, just a little so she can stand, make that quarter turn the other way and she could let herself fall into the wheelchair.

 Some of these trip memories got captured on these pictures.

May 16:
I know my blog is about knitting intertwined with life. So her it is. On my visit this time there was a special occasion. My sister Rita turned 65 earlier this year and I knitted her something. Luckily I was able to also deliver the present in person. My newest  design 'Wirtsweiher Loop' is named after a small pond behind Rita's farm house. I gave her the finished loop and the knitting instructions. You can buy the instructions in german and in english at Ravelry.com:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wirtsweiher-loop

May 19:
I also knitted while traveling. Every knitter will tell you that it is extremely relaxing and lends itself to knitting away some empty moments, some evening hours, or hours on the plane. My project was aimed at a special group of knitters. Since I grew-up and was taught knitting in same place they were, I've guessed that my method was new to them. I choose some self-striping sock yarn and cast on two socks to knit at the same time from the toes up. My mother used to meet with this group of very experienced knitters near her home, when she was still living on her own. One of our day trips was to visit this knitting group. I showed the ladies my recently learned method of knitting 2 socks at the same time using a circular needle. It got lots of attention.

This is a picture of the finished socks today. I thought it was a strange coincidence that my living room flowers match the color of the socks!

May 20 was spent in the senior home - they had a May day celebration planned but the rain came and the outdoor event was moved indoor. No pictures from the singing and Bavarian Tracht wearing band.
May 21, and 23, playing cards, going shopping. My mother has not been to a supermarket for at least a year. Oh boy did we do some shopping. I wheeled her through every isle twice. We ended up with bags of goodies.
May 22 was Dinner with Brothers and Sisters.

good times 

Saying good buy was hard, but after many years of living away from everyone it has become easier. I don't leave Germany though without visiting my BFF. 

Rita and I spent the day dining at a country restaurant and afterwards walking around in Rosenheim. Naturally I found a knitting store. The name was Woll Lust and deserved to be photographed.

 May 25: time to fly away.......but not without Currywurst.

Rueckblick auf den Herbst - Teil 2

Wie versprochen, hier sind die Bilder mit den anderen Muetzen die ich im Herbst gestrickt (gehaekelt) habe.

Paula hatte ich genau in Erinnerung. Die Farben stehen ihr besonders gut.

Pia ist so richtig typisch 3.

Nein, die Muetze ist nicht zo klein, der Kopf vom Opa Sepp ist zu gross.
Die Muetze war ja fuer den Roman gedacht.

Rueckblick auf den Herbst 2014

Diesen Herbst war es mir besonders wichtig meiner Kinderverwandtschaft in Deutschland Weihnachtsgeschenke zu machen. Es war nur so eine Idee, am Anfang. Ich Weiss nicht genau warum, aber ich muss ja nicht alles so genau wissen, oder?

 Nun schaut Euch doch mal das Ergebnis an. Sehen die Meadels nicht toll aus mit ihren neuen Muetzen.

 

Folgende Prachtstuecke einzeln vorgestellt:



Tuerkis fuer Charlotte

Gelb fuer Marlene

Dunkelblau fuer Sophie

Blau fuer Marietta

Natuerlich musste ich auch fuer die Trischinger Kinder Muetzen machen. Dass waere ja nicht schoen wenn die Tante aus Amerika nicht alle beschenken wuerde. Undenkbar!
Wenn ich demnaechst Bilder become werden ich die auch hier einfuegen.

Die rote Muetze ist fuer Pia

Diese extra weiche lila Muetze ist fuer Paula

Die gruene Muetze ist fuer Roman.
Und weil er der einzige Bube ist
habe ich diese einzige Muetze gehaekelt. Alle anderen sind gestrickt.

 Jetzt muss ich mich aber wieder mit meinen anderen Sachen beschaeftigen und mich wieder meinen Anleitungen widmen.
Bis zum naechsten mal, Ihr Lieben.
Eure Tante wird sich schon mal wieder etwas einfallen lassen.
Bis dann, ein schones Neues Jahr 2015 wuensche ich Euch allen.



San Diego Yarn Crawl 2014

Talk about yarn intertwined with life! here is one of those 'perfect examples'!

Saturday 10:00AM, right after breakfast, we took a ride to Chula Vista. The store was my chosen starting point for the yarn crawl that day. I had never been there before.

They have plenty of parking in the back of the store

The sign in front is big enough, you can't miss it

I was really surprised and impressed with the enormous selection of well-known yarns. Now I know to go to Border Leather and Yarns when I need something unusual and don't want to wait until an on-line purchased package arrives.

We stayed for one raffle drawing, purchased a nice light green ball of wool and went on to the next store on the crawl schedule. The grove at Juniper $ 30th.
I had visited that store many times before. It is located close to my home and 'shop local' is one of my mottos. We found a decorated 'YARNBOMBED' bike stand in front of the store and many people inside. The yarn selection is much smaller there, but I have learned that a local yarn company, Ewe ewe yarn, is carried there.

So if you ever want to get wool for a child project, try http://www.eweewe.com/welcome/

It was still before Lunch - so we went on the next store on my list, Yarn and Thread expressions in
La Mesa.

This is the store I find what I am looking for the most. They have the regular, and the rare yarn. I also like the little poodle that is guarding the cash register. Very sweet little girl.

 

My life is about yarn, intertwined with life. So a visit to my very young friend in Escondido fit right in at lunch time. My little friend Allison is always happy to see me.

 

Parents and Grandparents are all taking a break from packing. Allison's dad is called up to the reserves and I will miss them. At least for a year.

 

Luckily I had the good fortune to spend a little time with the new baby, Adelle.

 

Ruben is a natural

 

La Dolce Vita Alpaca, enjoy the Alpacas. I did!

I even got to touch one, sooooooo soft.

Other's liked it here too.

 

All together that farm has 45 animals. A lot of yarn, I'd say.

 

The guard was on a break, apparently.

This was the day one result. Future socks and hats.

Sunday morning we went to have breakfast on the beach. There is an IHOP very close to the Needlepoint Cottage.

 

Here you will find a large selection of really inexpensive and really expensive yarn. She carries both. She also has a large selection of needle point kits and accessories. This one is always worth a visit when you are just looking for the next project.

 

You never know what you are going to find. I found a book about beading, knitted or crochet beading. Hmm, I wonder if my next project is going to have beads!

 

My new stash.

 

Red Hats, can you see it.

Green hats, just yummy.